July 30- Too Many Cars and Small Flounder Chewing

Beautiful morning at Hatteras Village

Lucky Guys... Headed Offshore on a pretty morning

Poor little Fella, hooked deeply so I kept him

One Cast with the 10 ft Net and it's Mullets Galore!

Night run on the Hatteras Ferry means tying up on the Ocracoke side at 1am. That way, there is a boat sitting over there if there is an emergency. Unless it is bad enough for a Medical Helicopter, we are the only way off the Island.... So Tuesday night we had a 1am ambulance therefore we only had an hour of down time. Enough time for me to throw my cast net twice and load up on Jumping Mullets..... No time for the Rod N Reel.... Last night, it was the same, but different. No ambulance, but when we left Ocracoke at 11pm, there were 90 cars left behind. Therefore, we had to make an extra run.... Once again, I had very little down time.... We secured at 345am and I need to re-fire the engines at 430am.... For those not familiar with my "South Dock Fishing" let me educate you.... Since the Fall of 2003, I have landed 44 Citation Flounders up to 10 lb 6 oz from this location. I have landed 34 Citation Sheepsheads up to 12 lb 8 oz from this location. I have landed my career best Gray Trout at 6 lb 2 oz. I have landed all my largest Tautogs here. I have landed monster Conger Eels here. On the weird side, I have landed Stargazers, Lookdowns, Scorpionfish..... I have literally caught tons of Jumping Mullets here in my cast net. I have caught Mullets up to 8 lbs. Mullets with Remoras they are soooo big. I have seen hundreds of huge Mantis Shrimps. I have seen a 14" Asian Tiger Shrimp here. I have watched Otter families raise little ones. I have watched baby Otters "come of age" when they pop up at 3am with Spadefish clutched in their jaws! We have a small resident group of Canada Geese that were young and very unsuccessful at raising babies.. This year they finally figured it out and raised a large brood.... I have seen Loggerhead Turtles right under me as I stood on the Ramp. Because the lights and glare, they had no idea I was there..... I watch Night Herons fish all night long..... I've seen Harbor Seals frolicking under the lights in the dead of winter. Speaking of dead, unfortunately, I have seen a Humpback WhaIe beach itself nearby and eventually die... I have seen a Pygmy Sperm Whale beach itself in the Ferry Basin and eventually die. Dead Harbor Porpoises. Dead Bottlenosed Dolphins..... In other words, my time spent at South Dock is a large part of the appeal of my job with the Ferry and my Life in general.... 

So, I'm bummed. This week, we've been running all night and I've had little chance to enjoy the interesting fishing. Why is this place so special? Well, my opinion is because it has several features that serve as "fish magnets" when they occur singly... The fact that this spot has several of these features and you have the recipe for a Great Fishing Hole..... These factors include: Deep Water, Heavy Structure, Well Lighted at Night, and within a quarter mile of a Major Inlet.... The highly productive Pamlico Sound meets Gamefish Junction of the Atlantic Basin right around the corner from the Ferry Dock on the east end of Ocracoke Island.... The only drawback is that for 20 hours a day and for 365 days a year, Ferrys are constantly coming and going.... Honestly, I don't think it bothers the fish one iota!

Anyway, last night with one hour to play, I threw the cast net one time and caught about 18 Jumping Mullets from 1-3 lbs.... Then I tied on a leadhead and gulp, and in the skinny water under the bright lights, I caught 5 Southern Flounder in 10 minutes. One was a keeper at 15", the others were fighting chunks, but measured from 13" to just under legal.... Once again I was up all night and once again I was too tired this morning to go search for Pompano.... I have got to get this done. I got a few more day.... But, its nice to know that the night time fishing should be good if I actually get time to try..... Also, todays grilled Mullets featured Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce and were damn good! Total Catch for the Night: 5 Southern Flounder up to 15", 4 Pinfish, and 1 Black Sea Bass

UPDATE and MUST READING and CAST NETTING

I have finished my post about what happened last Thursday... It's pretty good reading and it's a pretty amazing story..... So Scroll down to July 24th and re-read that report... It WILL NOT be a waste of 5 minutes, I promise!  And if I'm making this up, I fully expect one of my crew to bust me on this......

They won't because its true and y'all think about this next time you jump off a dock in Beaufort, NC

Get yourself eaten if you aint careful!

It is SHARK WEEK, right!!

One Cast with the Mullet Net and My Whole Life Changed

I scoff at the "I don't eat Bait fish" idiots!

Okay, I'm back at Hatteras. Hopefully, I will catch me a Pompano and a Sea Mullet this week during the day.... Hopefully, at night, I will catch or gig a nice Flounder or two..... In the meantime, it looks like I will have the opportunity to cast net me a bunch of Mullets.... On Night #1, I threw my net one time and caught 22 Jumping Mullets and thats what I had for lunch today.... For those of you that say, "Yuck, Mullets are bait fish. They are oily. They are muddy"...... All I got to say is..... HA HA HA, Ignorance is Bliss!!!!!

July 27- Mung Hole Grand Slam on Fly

Yes sir, I did what I wanted to do today..... Granted, I'd prefer a Salmon filled River in Alaska, or Peacock Bass in the Amazon, or even a Rock Strewn Creek in Pennsylvania where my fly could possibly find a Smallmouth Bass..... But, I want to throw flys in Freshwater..... So I made do the best I could..... Three minutes from my back door are a series of "storm water collection basins" that were fed by a creek.... Ten years later, they have thriving, but stunted, populations of Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Pumpkinseed.... I call these tiny bodies of water the "Mung Holes"... In the center, the crown jewel, is actually a man-made lake that I call "Lake Bernaur" for my pal Korey who is the Superintendent for the entire Development...... Anyway, today in approximately two hours of tossing a fake dragonfly on my 7 wt fly rod and a white rubber-legged popping bug on my 3 wt fly rod, I caught the fabled "Mung Hole Grand Slam".... The Pumpkinseed is the key to this Slam and when I landed my 'Seed I called it quits... Today's Pumpkinseed was a trophy too at 10".... A NC Freshwater Citation winner. He slammed the bug, quickly racing through the line at my feet and deeply bending my rod. Expecting a Bass at twice his size, I was anticipating a jump. Instead, Mr Seed reversed direction and piled headfirst into the shoreline vegetation.... Then I saw his size.... OMG it had to be Little Sid! I was shocked to see a Sunfish come out of that Pond at THAT SIZE that WASN'T Little Sid! Anyway, a huge Pumpkinseed! Anyway, fishing for Bass and Bluegill was pretty good with lots of strikes. Fewer hook-ups, but all in all, it was a pretty fun day. Total Catch for the Day: 5 Largemouth Bass, 6 Bluegill, and a 10" Pumpkinseed

July 26- Borrowed Boat and Great Wreck Fishing

My cousin Big Tony, his son Mark, and friend Mike fished with me today...... Tony and I have been talking about this for 11 years! The boys finally decided to come. And they simply could not have picked a better day weather-wise..... So it was up to me to produce.. First problem was to find a boat to use, as the Top Water Boat is down..... Thank s to Capt Tugwell, that was no problem.... So we set sail on the FV Tuggwell.... Slick seas and no wind greeted us. Thank God, even though two hours later, I was sweating like a banshee in the mid-morning heat.... Anyway, we ran to a Wreck that I haven't visited in a while and the Jacks and Spades were there, in force..... We Jacked Out for a couple of hours, Mark and Mike boxed 30 pounders. Mark got a Gag Grouper and another Amberjack to boot.... Then we ran in to a Ledge and Mark smacked the Groupers down.... I'd say, the fishing was slow as hell, but we made our bites count.. We finished up with 4 Gag Grouper for our crew of 4.... Pretty strong. After all that, we watched the armada of King Mackerel Boats struggle to get bites. The East Side seemed devoid of King Mackerel..... Anyhow, we ran back to the Shoals where we found acres of feeding fish.. It was tough, running and casting.. The guys weren't used to throwing that hard and reeling that fast.. they eventually got the hang of it and caught a pile of Bluefish from 1-2 lbs. Mark caught a Spanish Mackerel that hit the ice. Mike caught a Summer Flounder cranking a stingsilver.... A true "Angling Feat".... The boys released a bunch of Blues and finally, a dark cloud over Beaufort Inlet hastened our retreat to the Boat Ramp.... Great Day... Total Catch for the Day: 4 Gag Grouper up to 27", 3 Amberjack up toBluefish from 1-2 lbs, 1 Spanish Mackerel at 24oz, and 1 Summer Flounder at 13"

July 25- Captain Cancellation

Dammit I tried to trouble shoot my Boat's "missing" at high RPMs and I actually have disabled my Boat..... To my clients this morning, I am genuinely genuinely Sorry,,,, It was a pretty day and after Thursday's Struggle, I can promise everyone that I wanted to.....needed to.....was aching to go Fishing....

This year has been an epic struggle to keep running... And I always find myself out on the rotten weather days.... My desire and drive is Taking a Damn Beating...  I am not sure .....

NEVERMIND

July 24- Poor Start and Crazy Ending

Today I had a group of 9. Capt Tuggy and I each took a boat load and we toughed it out in 20+ kts of SW wind and to make matters worse, we fishing in falling tides all morning.... So, it was way too rough in the Ocean and nearly everywhere we went, the hard running tide worked totally against the wind. So, not only was the dirty, rain stained inshore water rushing out of our Inlets, but everywhere we tried to fish our boats were laying "all wrong " on anchor or our drifts were radically altered by hard clashing tide vs wind! Too make a long story short, fishing sucked .... Catching our bait was great! One throw with the 12 foot Castnet got us 20 dozen perfect Menhaden, but unfortunately, finding a nice gamefish to eat one of our live baits was IMPOSSIBLE . We slow trolled inside Barden's Inlet. We bottom fished with live and fresh dead Menhaden inside Barden's Inlet.... Horrible! Then both boats ran back to Beaufort Inlet where, in desperation, we broke out the two hook bottom rigs and squid. We still fought the falling tides and our catch rates still suffered.... After fishing around the State Port and Railroad Tressle at Morehead City and, while catching a few little bottom fish, but still struggling with the tide vs wind dilemma.... We eventually ended up over at Beaufort, under the Beaufort Bridge.... and the fishing was still slow.... Then my VHF started pinging a constant warning about a fast approaching line of Thunderstorms..... Figuring it was time to head to the Boat Ramp, but feeling really guilty about the pitiful total catch, I spied one final spot where I could tie up and catch a few small bottom fish very quickly.....Over at the Fish House in Gallant's Channel, in an open spot just ahead of 2 Big Trawlers...... Then, on my boat, it GOT REAL INTERESTING!!!!! 

Okay, Im back, sorry for the wait... So, I always knew "shockingly" large Sharks and Rays hung around places where SeaFood is processed... In Carteret County, this Fish House is as busy as they come.... Especially when Long-Liners unload.... So anyway, while the girls were catching Pins and Bass, I was rigging up one of my TLD 25's. Its is my Cobia/Grouper combo and is "only" spooled with 50# test... I honestly knew we didn't have good bait for the big stuff and we had very limited time.... Plus, we were a right good distance from where any "dumping" would take place... The fact that a large Loggerhead Turtle popped up 3 times in the exact same place gave me a glimmer of hope. I honestly expected to hook Mr Loggerhead and I figured the crew, from Minnesota, would get a charge out of me simply releasing the Turtle.... So that was my thoughts as I rigged up.... Then, all the sudden, one of the girls had an absolute screamer on the 2 hook bottom rig and tiny cut squid.... It was a "NO CONTEST" fight.... The mystery monster ran around my stern, out past the end of the Dock, then took a 90 degree turn and headed towards Nasty Harbor. Jalen grabbed the rod, ran to the bow and was in the process of climbing up on the Dock to give chase when the 10# line popped! Holy Smokes. Too fast for a Turtle or a Stingray.... "How big was it?", the crew asked. Well honestly I thought, it could've been 75 lbs.... or it could've been 500 lbs. There was no way to tell based on our information.... "Amazement met Doubt" in the Capt's opinion. I could see it on their faces.... I also remembered Sharkman, and old character that fished every night over on the MHC Waterfront back in the 80's.... I saw him catch a 300 lb Lemon Shark one night off the Davis Seafood Docks.... I'll never forget it.... He spoke of 700 lb mystery Sharks. In 10 ft of water. Right on the Waterfront. From the Sanitary Restaurant to Capt Bills. You could get your ass eaten right there...... Anyway, back to my story..... So, before I even tried to hook a monster, we had already hooked one..... Was it a fluke, well with a bad line of T-Storms bearing down on us, we had to hurry to find out.... So I baited up a 8/0 J hook with a whole dead menhaden on 100# leader and tossed it under the Trawler. Within seconds I was hooked up! Holy Smokes..... But, I figured this one out very quickly! Too slow and it moved in short surges... We catch alot of Loggerheads fishing for Cobia and Grouper, and I was too familiar with their fight.... It was Mr Turtle and I quickly brought the 75 lb Loggerhead to the surface and Jalen and I unhooked it. The crew marveled at it and we sent it on its way! Well, I impressed my crew. I told then catching that Turtle would be quick and easy and so it was ! As impressed as my crew was, I was still interested in what else was down there.... So, I baited up with a whole cigar minnow and tossed it back out... Just as I was explaining the odds of landing a Giant here would pure luck because of how many old pilings, Trawlers, regular boat traffic, etc etc etc.... Hopefully, we would get a pull and feel the weight and marvel at the power..... As I spoke, a MONSTER picked up the bait and ripped off line on a locked down drag just like it was in freespool, only this one was moving right to left and within seconds it was inder the dock and there was NO WAY to follow it. The line parted on a piling like a rifle shot. Ka Booooom.... All this happened in 3 seconds.... Holy Shit, earlier I said "could be 75lbs, could be 500 lbs! Let me revise that to....could've been 200 lbs, could've been 700 lbs"..... The weight, the power, and the speed of that thing was simply incredible..... By diving under the dock and between 2 pilings, we never had a chance..... Okay.... I re-rigged and time for ONE MORE DROP..... So I baited up a large Cigar Minnow and Whole Squid combo. I cast it out.... Within a minute, something picked it up and moved.... LEFT TO RIGHT..... Hot Damn, it was swimming towards open water and out into Gallant's Channel.... Don't get me wrong, it would still take a miracle to see, much less land. We were hooked to a GIANT SHARK and in a very small area. The Beaufort Inn Docks to the east, the Beaufort Draw Bridge to the north, the Fish House Docks to the west, and Duke Marine Lab to the south. We did have a chance though, we were IN THIS BALLGAME.. Eric took the rod, Jalen untied us, and the chase was on..... After 10 minutes, we were still on this massive massive animal. It went wherever it wanted. It ran over to the Beaufort Inn twice and it ran back to the Shrimp Trawler twice. Twice it rose to the surface and because the dark clouds and dirty water, we simply could not make it out. I saw color twice. It was definitely a "Gray" Shark... Most of them are gray so thats no real hope to identify it. After an incredible slugfest back and forth in Gallant's Channel, the leader parted. Interesting that this Shark never rolled. We could've told from the rod tip if it had. The 100# leader was bitten off two inches below the weight. Wow. I believe when this thing ate up 4 foot of leader simply by swallowing the bait.... That gives a hint of the size. I'm going to say it was a 450 lb Shark. I'm going to say it was a 450 lb Bull Shark. Let's make this as scary as possible. After the bite off, we ran in just beating the weather that was approaching.... This was a horrible day of fishing. But, me and Jalen, and my crew will never ever forget the way it ended...... Absolutely amazing and I WILL BE BACK. With a 12/0 Penn Senator spooled with 250# top shot. Once again, we will have to get lucky.... Really though, good luck might be the worst thing possible! I can't imagine one of these things by the boat.... Let's find out. Let's do it!!!!  
Total Catch by our 2 Boats for the Day: 1 Southern Stingray, 40 Black Sea Bass, 33 Pinfish, 6 Gray Trout, 8 At. Croakers, and 2 Hogfish

July 23- Trouble All Day..... Amberjacks Bailed Us Out

Tough day for Capt Marty and Top Water Charters.... Lets just say I got some severe "Cat Trouble" at home, I got a #4 treble hook buried in my left forearm, and I forgot to put my oil cap back on my 250 HP Suzuki Outboard this morning after adding a quart at the Wilco station..... The Oil Cap dilemma was/is very troubling.... Am I "That Fricking Stupid?" I actually ran my engine for 6+ Hours and 52 Miles with oil spraying out of the Fill Hole..... Day-Um.... We noticed a Slick at the third Wreck we fished but I had no idea what was causing it until we got back to the Dock.... Enough of that crap! Besides, the fish just weren't biting that good today. The first and smallest wreck we visited was the best, by far... In 2 hours, we had 8 Amberjack bites, hoooked 7 Amberjacks, lost 5 in the heavy structure, and landed 2 Amberjacks. The second and third stops produced one Amberjack "charge", no bites, no hook-ups, and we only saw 1 Amberjack.... One of these Wrecks is like Wal-Mart.... Open 24/7/365 and tons of Amberjacks and other stuff.... This place was DEAD..... Unheard of JULY for cryN out Loud! Anyway, we caught 2 Albacore on spin.... We actually saw dozens of schools, literally thousands of breaking fish.... These were the gluttonus Albacore and the supremely frustrating and nearly impossible Bullet Mackerel..... Somewhere in there we also caught 2 Sharks... Bucket List Items.... I suppose the true highlight of the day was Capt Tuggwell catching 20 dozen Menhaden with one throw of my newly acquired 12 ft cast net AND me ripping the #4 treble hook out of my own forearm that was deeply deeply deeply imbedded... OUCH......  Total Catch for the Day: 2 Amberjacks at 22 and 24 lbs each, 2 Little Tunnys at 11 and  12 lbs each,  and 2 Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks at 6 and  8 lbs each

Stormy Hatteras and Next Week

Ed's Grouper that lit up my telephone

Here I am, back in Room 206, Hatteras DOT Dormitory....One thing is different. I got Jalen for a roommate. So we can sit up all night and talk about Fishing..... He picks my brain about Saltwater Fishing in general and I pick his about Fly Fishing for Trout in the Mountains.. It's nice. Hopefully we will see Jalen back on the Top Water Boat in the near future. I really would like to see him get a Dolphin, an Amberjack, a Spadefish, and a King Mackerel on Fly Tackle...As for the Fishing, this week ain't looking so good.....  I am working from 945am until 1015pm. So when can I even go? I'm sure I'll manage to scrap up a couple of "something".... When I get off next week, I am looking pretty busy. It is amazing. Thanks to Ed and his beautiful 14 lb Gag Grouper and my clear and colorful photo.... My phone started ringing!!!! Ahhh, the power of the Internet. One good picture helped sell 3 or 4 Fishing Trips.... (It sure seemed that way) So I'll be fishing July 23 and 24. I'm open on July 25. Fishing on July 26 and 27. I am open on July 28..... Call me up on 252-241-8350 if you want to go fishing on the 25th or the 28th....

One final thought.... Looking at the picture of Jennifer sitting on the bow of my boat.... I know that I am prejudice but I THINK SHE IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL..... GORGEOUS.... BABY DOLL.....  Now, everyone can see that, the "outer beauty"......  What y'all can't see and you'll just have to take my word on this:  On the Inside, Jennifer is the sweetest, kindest, most loving, most caring, most unselfish woman that I've ever met, by far..... I am truly the Luckiest Man on Earth.... Used to be, if the fish didn't bite..... I was a Loser.... Nowadays, I come home to my Wife..... Catch fish or not, lose or win, I come home and I am happy. My wife makes my life 1,000 times better.... I Love You

July 13- Mung Hole Fishing and Boat Riding

Another BEEEEE-eautiful Day..... Jennifer and I went for a Boat Ride and a Swim... Then I dropped by the Mung Hole to look for Little Sid and even though I didn't see him..... I did catch a nice chunky little Bass on a cool Dragonfly imitation and the 7 wt Fly Rod.....

Jalen is Back

Hopefully next shift off, we will see my old pal and Mountain Trout Fishing Mentor Jalen show back up on the deck of the Top Water Boat.... He has decided to give up his beloved Mountain Trout this summer in order to pursue larger and more diverse Saltwater Quarry... I intend to do my part in helping him reach a few of his Fishing Bucket List items.... Jalen surely helped me realize a few of my "Mountain River Fishing Goals", including a Grand Slam on FLY.... Rainbow, Brook, and Brown Trout, I smile just thinking about that trip........ This morning, he and his Dad kayaked out of Atlantic, NC in pursuit of Red Drum around Drum Inlet... What Jalen caught was very interesting.... The fact that he caught one from his Kayak is pretty unusual here in NC..... But the fact that he caught this one on a Fly Rod..... Well that blows my mind! What did he catch! A damn Pompano, of course.... A freaking Pompano!!!! Capt Marty's most desired species and Capt Marty's biggest source of Saltwater Fishing Frustration.... Period....

July 12- Tiger Shark City

Ed stuck around and waited out the weather..... I am surely glad he did. We tried it Thursday and got blown away.... Today was a great weather day. Seas were slight. Winds were light. We caught great bait. What can Capt Marty possibly complain about this time?  Well, here it is...... Every where we went, we were looked over by 300 to 600 lb Tiger Sharks.... Now, don't get me wrong, I am a Shark Lover and I am thrilled to see these things..... But, I can imagine that for every Tiger Shark we saw, there were probably a dozen that we didn't see..... And Sharks that size and in those numbers, I can only imagine that lots of fish get the hell outta town.... With that being said, we saw absolutely NO Amberjacks, NO King Mackerel, and NO Dolphin.... The Groupers seeemed to be scarce and even when we hooked up they were very very quick to dive back in the Rocks..... I gotta give Ed credit though. He caught a 14 lb Gag Grouper un-assisted in any way.... Stacy and I were fishing too, and Stacy did pretty good. I sucked. I never caught a Grouper at all.... I hooked a 300 lb Tiger Shark on a King Mackerel Combo with 20# test mono. I pulled and got him Straight up and down, but he was 50 ft deep and I popped him off..... One final highlight came on the final Tiger Shark we saw..... This was a 600 lb Tiger and he had 3 Cobia swimming under him and "behind" his head... (away from the teeth) Anyway, we hooked up 2 Cobia. Both were just under the legal mark and we let them walk..... We also caught Black Sea Bass, White Grunt, and Spottail Pinfish. Total Catch for the Day: 5 Gag Grouper up to 14 lbs, 2 Cobia at 30" and 32", 24 Black Sea Bass up to 3 lbs, 1 White Brunt at 2 lbs, 1 Spottail Pinfish and 1 Sharpnose Shark

July 10- Blown Out

Ed booked me way out.... We've been watching the weather! It has been ALL BAD.... Brutal SW wind and rough as a Cobb! Yesterday, I talked Ed out of even trying... Too rough. Too windy... Then my last words were, "okay Ed, don't get mad when you see a picture of me holding a 40 lb King Mackerel in the Inlet tommorrow afternoon".... Well damn, Ed changed his mind! Then I recruited Gerald for old times sakes.... So, we had a good crew! This morning, it was looking good. The NWS even lifted the Small Craft Advisory... Damn... So this morning we turned the corner at Lennoxville Point and KA-Boom.... A 25+ kt SWer smacked us in the face.... Too rough for Beaufort Inlet. Too rough to catch bait in front of Harkers Island. Too rough to do anything but go home. Told Ed to save his money and put the Top Water Boat back on the trailer.... Yesterday I changed all 6 spark plugs and today she purred like a kitten. Thank God! Total Catch for the Day: Nothing but Wind Burn

Little Sid Released

Ole little Sid, the Bluegill got turned loose today..... Little Sid was my companion when I first hurt my back in 2011..... I caught Little Sid on a popping bug when he was the size of a 50 cent piece..... Over the next 3 years, Sid ate worms, crickets, and minnows.... He ate them often..... He killed every other fish that was put in the 38 gallon aquarium with him.... And he grew and grew and grew.... Funny, all the Mung Holes are full of stunted Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds..... In my house, Little Sid grew to a size that we earn someone a NC Freshwater Fishing Citation if someone catches him now..... Little Sid was never really comfortable in his glass home. He had out-grown it and Jennifer and I had grown weary of his "panic attacks".... He'd splash water out of the Aquarium and actually had soaked an electric socket on a couple of occasions.... Sid's tank had suffered from a summer-time algae bloom and I couldn't find his tank wall scraper..... Jennifer and I were also making trips to Wal-Mart just to buy worms..... In the end, we decided to turn him loose.... So, I waded out in the Pond.... In the crystal clear water, other Bluegill gathered all around me.... I tipped up Sids bucket to allow the Pond Water to spill over the rim.... Sid's breathing increased as he "tastied and smelled" other life from 1 million different sources all at once. After wetting my hands, I gently reached in lifted Sid into the sunlight for the first time in his life.... Jennifer snapped pictures from the bank and Sid patiently waited and did not move one muscle while I held him. After I said my sad good bye to my old friend, I flipped him forward into the deeper water beyond the weed canopy.... Sid hit the water and disappeared under the canopy.... I waited 5 minutes but never saw him again.... I did see hundreds of other Bluegills... Hopefully Sid will survive the transition into his new home. There are a few 5-6 lb Bass in that Pond, but they can't even think about tackling a Bluegill the size of Sid. Snapping Turtles and my flys and lures will be his biggest threat until winter..... Then he will battle cold water for the first time in his life.... Obviously, this Mung Hole is a vibrant community and it sure seems like everything survives the winter in this one..... Hopefully somewhere in the future ole Sid will suck down my fly again and I will catch and release him.... That would be great,,,, I hope to see my old friend again.... Damn, I feel like Tim Robbins in Shawshank Redemption..... I'll be on the bank of that Mung Hole looking into that green water.... Hopelessly peering..... Aching to see my old friend again.... Morgan Freeman? Nope. Little Sid, the Bluegill.... My friend for the past 3 years..... So Long My Friend

Last Week and Next Week

My Hatteras Fishing Week has been Updated with interesting Pictures added..... As for next week, I am avaliable for Charter on Wednesday July 9, Saturday July 12, and Sunday July 13..... That's it. I imagine the Shark Fishing will be WORLD CLASS and I expect large Spanish Mackerel and large King Mackerel to be caught very close to Beaufort Inlet....

Call me at 252-241-8350

July 1-7 Hatteras Fishing Week

July 1- Late night fishing with the 7wt Fly Rod. Nothing on the Hatteras side. Late night at Ocracoke, I caught 4 Bluefish under the lights, then another stupid, meaningless miracle occurred... Remember a couple of weeks ago, I caught a Bullnose Ray blindcasting into the dark on a fly? Well, this time I sightcasted to an Atlantic Stingray in the skinny water right up against the Seawall.... I know they have poor eyesight but this one clearly saw the fly move and turned on it.... The Stingray stopped just short of the fly... The water was only inches deep so all this was in plain view. A stand-off. My fly sat on the bottom and Mr Ray stopped inches short... Then I twitched the fly twice. The Ray moved forward and covered the fly. I briskly raised my long rod and felt resistance. In the dark water below, a big swirl and puffff of mud, and the fight was on! I think its funny..... It was only a baby Stingray but it seemed like an accomplishment. An Atlantic Stingray on a fly at night.....

July 2- Pompano Fishing was a bust. High winds, dirty water, and grass in the surf. Plenty of Sand Fleas. Never had a bite in 60 minutes.... Tropical Storm Arthur is coming...... What changes will it bring?

July 3- Hurricane Arthur Approaches

July 4- Hurricane Arthur Passes

July 5- Hurricane Arthur Aftermath

July 6- Beautiful Weather.... Should've went Pompano Fishing. Instead I brought my 3 wt Fly Rod to the Ferry,,,, And in 20 minutes of effort, I caught 1 Silver Perch and I Southern Flounder. The Flounder was my career best on Fly. Unfortunately, I had no way to land him. After a tricky little fight, I got him straight up and down. Guessed him aaaaaaaaat just under 2 pounds... He escaped on the "lift"......  Daggone it, as Ole Roy would say!

July 7- Highlight fishing session of the week. Fished the Buxton Jettys.... Had a nice spot until 4 bogus Surfers moved in...... One little spot I was sharing with an out-of-man and his little daughter.... And with plenty PLENTY of wide open spots east and west, these Bogarts walked right through our set-ups and started spastic, fagg-out long boarding right in our baits.... Well, my neighbors left in disgust... I had high hopes for this spot, but so far I had only caught Pinfish and Hogfish..... Not exactly "A List, Who's Who of Surf Species"...... So I moved over 2 Jettys to the west.... I had ZERO expectations and....... BOOM BOOM... Back to back Red Drum on Sand Fleas on 2 hook bottom rigs. When the first one hit, I was thinking Black Drum..... In was mildly disappointed and pleasantly surprized when my Drum turned Red! My next cast brought another.... This time I was praying for a Black Drum... Once again it turned out to be a Red Drum.... The one I kept was a 6 pounder. The one I released was 2" longer and heavier for sure. Mr Nice Guy...... Obey the Law.....

Total Catch for the Week: 4 Bluefish, 2 Red Drum at 6 and 7 lbs, 4 Pinfish, 4 Hogfish, 1 Silver Perch, 1 Southern Flounder at 28oz, and 1 Atlantic Stingray

Fishing & Ceviche

I Love Fishing. Saltwater Fishing. Freshwater Fishing. Big Fish. Little Fish. Tomorrow I will try for a Pompano. These damn things have my number like No Other Fish.......

Also, I just made biggest batch of Ceviche ever... Real Ceviche might be a little more complicated than my simple version, but I like mine. I want tart, not sweet. I like pepper over salt, so mine isn't salty. I like bell peppers and onion. And fish. This batch is more complicated than most... If the fish is divided in 5ths.... This is 2/5 wahoo, 2/5 walleye, and 1/5 dolphin. With 2 small Spot fillets tossed in for the hell of it.... Right now I got fish, peppers, and onions sitting in a 3 lime bath. Tomorrow I might add a dash of....... Something? Soy Sauce or Worchestershire Sauce. Or maybe not. I know its going to be tasty. I've already tried the Wahoo meat and its delicious. Ceviche for my little TS Arthur ordeal.... I can see this coming a mile away. We are the Night Run Crew.... We will get stranded on the lonely, wind swept shores of North Ocracoke Island...... No food. No Drink. No Nothing... Better come prepared....

Somebody say Ceviche 

More Pics of the Cbo Wahoosy----TEAM SEASPRAY

One  Last Look at the Cbo Wahoo

Not everyday....
Not anywhere on Earth..... Well, make that in the Atlantic side of the Globe.....

Are Wahoo caught consistently off Skiffs.... of course, Ryno's 18 ft Kencraft Bay Rider aint no ordinary skiff... Its tough as nails. But to catch a Wahoo, on an 18 ft Skiff is BIGTIME.... I cant take credit, it came off Cbo's side. I did offer some helpful advice on a release mechanism for his planer rig.... But Cbo rigged, set, hooked, and defeated this baby.... I had a front row seat. In a very intimate arena.... Wahoo on a Skiff.... Sweet!!!!!!