Top Water Charters Fishing Reports and News Beaufort Morehead City Atlantic Beach Pamlico Sound: November 2014

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

TWO MORE PICTURES

This sign alone was enough to EXCITE me! Musky Water! If, by a miracle, a damn Musky would've bit my spinner....

Emma Jean accompanied me to the Mung Hole and she had a great time. i, on the other hand, didn't catch a damn thing...

Nov 19- Outer Banks Cold

It's been a while since we caught those King Mackerel. This King Salmon picture has me "plotting" a vacation!

And....... My Lord, a Brown Trout. This Trout would be H U G E in North Carolina!

I betcha one of my cousins got an earful when my Uncle Pete caught this FINE Largemouth Bass..... BRAGGIN RIGHTS

Capt Tuggwell lands a Trophy Bear!

Being Cold to the Bone sucks. Jennifer and I experienced some of that while camping.... When its 30 degrees outside and the air in your air mattress becomes 30 degrees also...... Its hard to get warm, even if your wife is hotter than a Boar Mink..... Whatever the Hell that means..... In my opinion, my wife is SOOOOO HOTT she is partially responsible for Global Warming. She can melt a Polar Ice Cap..... She melted my cold heart back in the summer of 1996 with a dart in the Bullseye at Captain Russel's Lounge. It took me 18 years of stalking, dating, romancing, waiting, suffering, missing, scond guessing, imagining, fantasizing, dreaming, day dreaming, etc etc etc to FINALLY GET HER TO NOTICE ME..... Anyway, I got SIDE TRACKED..... Dammit, it's cold, I'm at Hatteras, Working Day Shift.... As the weather improves and the nighttime temps rise, I will get out and attempt to catch a Squid or a Flounder, or a Speckled Trout..... In the meantime, others are fishing (and doing well)..... These are some pictures. Top Water Blog reader, Wayne Conklin was telling me about a GREAT TRIP he had to a River off Lake Ontario that has me salivating.... I've made NO SECRET of my Freshwater Dreams.... Literally ALL I think about is Rivers and Lakes in far away places (or not so far) where I can conquer NEW and EXCITING SPECIES...... King Salmon, plus slammer Brown Trout and Steelhead definitely "perk my ears up"..... Also on display is my Uncle Pete who recently caught a beautiful 7 lb Largemouth Bass. Also, for the heck of it, Capt Tuggwell recently helped put a shooter on a 500+ pound Black Bear. I personally ain't into that scene but congrats to Capt Tuggwell. He is highly highly successful at Whatever He Decides To Do! He is dedicated, motivated, and "just damn good"

A Rare Capt Marty's Side Note:

Guys that Succeed at Everything They Touch

Merwynn Tuggwell Taylor, Jr
Forrest Gump
Jameis "Gump" Winston
Warren Buffet

Friday, November 14, 2014

STOLEN FISHING TACKLE

Here it is guys. A list of things that were stolen from my garage 2 nights ago. We got pretty good info; two real good leads... Obviously, one is wrong but hopefully one is right..... Based on this, I expect my gear to show up either in the Wilmington, NC area or right here in the Morehead City/Atlantic Beach/Beaufort Area...... Two unique reels that are pretty valuable and rare nowadays were my two Penn 12/0 Senators. Both are Black and Big. Each reel is (was) mounted on a Penn Stand-Up Tuna Stick. These are heavy combos, each weighs around 8 lbs fully loaded with line...... Please guys keep an eye out for HOT REELs.... Lots of Penn Spinning Reels. "SS" series and "Slammer" series. Also, Shimano "Speedmaster" and "TLD" series reels.... I am missing 4 Shimano Speedmasters. The type of reel used for King Mackerel Fishing. Two of them are loaded with bright Green 25# Ande line and the other two with clear 25# Ande. Also missing 2 Shimano TLD-15s. One is loaded with oddball white braided line. I am also missing 3 Shimano TLD-20s. These reels are my Cobia/Grouper/Amberjack reels. They are loaded with 50# line. Two are (were) on Ugly Stick Boat Rods and one is (was) mounted on a Outer Banks Custom rod. Most of my Spinning Reels were mounted on 6 foot 6 inch Black Ugly Stick Custom Rods..... One to watch out for was my Personal Cobia Combo. It is an old Penn 560 Slammer with the frame painted with Caterpiller Yellow Paint. (Same as the Heavy Cat Equipment, like Dozers and large Diesel Engines). This reel is (was) mounted on a dark green, 7 ft 6 inch St Croix spinning rod..... All together, by my best recollection, I am missing 22 rods and reels..... Some of these Penn 550 SS reels were bought by me back in the 1980s. I realize that in all likelihood these rods and reels are gone and I will never see them again... But I know that quite a few people read this Blog and I am asking you guys to please just keep your eyes and ears open. I know the Penn 12/0's are rarely seen these day and if anyone is selling them, then that's a red flag reel..... My Penn Spinning Reel with the Cat Yellow Frame, to be damn sure they aint stuid enough to sell that one??? Anyway, I'm sorry guys for lack of reports. I have had lots of duties and worries as my Parents face all kinds of medical challenges. I've had my own ups and downs as well. Back Pain, Boat Problems, Deer Accidents, etc etc etc.... I was hoping that this Fall was going to be a re-birth of Great Fishing for Top Water Charters..... Well, as it stands now, it looks like I am about done! I do have my Speckled Trout Tackle and that's about it. Hopefully my Home Owner's Insurance will treat me fairly and I can start putting this back together as soon as possible. Surely by next May I will be capable of putting 4 baits on the bottom for Cobia while having 2 Spinning Rods rigged up with bucktails and ready to let fly if we see a swimmer....

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Nov 13- All My Rods and Reels are GONE

Low Life Frigging Thief. Lowest Form of Life on Earth. A fricking Stealing Punk Bastard.... Someone broke into my garage and stole 23 Rods and Reels. Five King Mackerel Live Bait Combos. Four Cobia/Amberjack/Grouper Combos. Two Bluefin Tuna Stand-up Combos. Two Blueweater Stand-up Combos. 8 Various Penn SS Spinning Combos from all-purpose Mackerel/Bluefish size to Cobia Sightcasting size. Two Shimano TLD-15s on custom made Hatteras Rods..... All Gone. All gone so some Pill-Head Punk can get a 20 minute buzz. Now lets see how this is resolved.... All my Trout Tackle is still here, so Top Water Charters is still availiable..... But I aint happy...... On a happier note, My Dad's back surgery was called "successful"... Let's see if it helps knock out some of the extreme pain that he's been living with the past year.

I"M F*CKING PISSED OFF

Thanks alot you POND SCUM PIECE OF SHIT

Nov 13- Excuses Excuses Excuses

This No Fishing is getting me down.... I left the King Mackerel biting and it's time for the Speckled Trout to make their move to the Inlets and Beaches.... It's also the "traditional" Albacore season.... This morning is probably the last pretty morning for a while and I'm sitting in Carteret Surgical Center with my Dad who is having back surgery..... Brings back memories to 2010 or 2011, whatever year it was..... I was in here with a Blown Disc..... Anyway, it's been tough seeing him in pain for such a long time. Hopefully today's procedure will fix him up and free me up to return to my work in the Ocean! I apologize to long time readers!

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Nov 8-10 New River and Mountain Adventure

Emma loves the Woods... Coyotes drove her crazy at Night though. Sleepless Nights for Emma Jean

The New River is actually the second oldest River on Earth

Capt Marty dreams of Smallmouth Bass

Crystal Clear Water and Easy Wading......

Cranberry Creek is where the Locals said to Fish

My Beautiful Wife..... What does she see in me?

As you can tell........ Mountain Adventure is a far cry from "Capt Marty Slaughters Rainbow Trout and Smallmouth Bass"!!! It aint like I didn't try. Jennifer and I camped up at New River State Park. What a great State Park and what a beautiful River. The New River is highly respected as a Smallmouth Bass Fishery. I really enjoyed wading this River and Jenn and I found some stunningly pretty Mountain Roads along the River that offered a million pretty casting spots.... The water was crystal clear. Rocks and Ripples abounded.... And...... No Fish! I saw 1 damn fish in 3 days, and that was a large fish from the Sucker Family...... I also waded and fly fished in Cranberry Creek. Here I had 2 Rainbow Trout rise to a fly and on both cases the Trout missed its mark...... Great Camping Trip. Beautiful Scenery. Great Fishing Place. Caught Nothing and that would typically leave me out-raged, but in this case, I quickly accepted that ONE FISH would make this a successful Angling Quest... I never got that ONE FISH. but we had a great time anyway.... Total Catch for the Trip: ZILCH

I will finish this soon.... Sorry for being slack. Between my Mountain escape and my Dad's back surgery, I've been tied pretty tight lately.....

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Nov 6- Beaufort, NC vs Beaufort, SC

Well, in the past 15 years I've had two cases of mistaken location. Big Mistakes. I mean NORTH vs SOUTH misses...... Today it cost me a day of income, while down south, Lee was left scrambling to find a Fishing Guide on short notice! Sucks..... Here I am on vacation from work and so far, my Dad's doctors appointments and geographical screw-ups are derailing my fishing adventures..... Now the weatherman is all set to "tie me up"... High winds are predicted and as I walk through the neighborhood here at 930pm, I agree, it's blowing harder than a ball bouncing AFAM grad befelled by March Madness..... Anyway, with today's trip cancelled and deposit slip shredded, I did some pretty decent "foot fishing". Both Radio Island and the Mung Holes were alive today. In the saltwater, a green grub and 3/8oz lead head fooled the Speckled Trout and a few Grays as we'll. A big surprise was a little Black Drum too.... I would've preferred a "little surprise" by a "big Black Drum" but that's as unlikely as that sentence was funny. Ha ha..... In the sweet water, it was the same ole story.... Tossing a bug imitation on my old Ted Williams Sears and Roebuck "magic" bamboo wand, I landed another fabled Beaufort Grand Slam. Several Largemouth Bass and Bluegills. After a little effort and several relocations, I was finally able to capture an elusive Pumpkinseed and close out my Slam. Mission accomplished. Tonight I will not fondly recall the high leaps and blistering runs of Trophy King Mackerel. Nor will I visualize my darlings beautiful smile as I shock her with lovingly selected gifts that I buy with the half day wages.... Instead I'll remember the subtle rise and slurp of a 6" Bluegill. The headshake of a small Speckled Trout that picked up my grub.... All fond memories just the same! Total Catch for the Day: 13 Speckled Trout from 10" to 16", 4 Gray Trout from 12" to 14", 1 Black Drum, 4 Inshore Lizardfish, 4 Largemouth Bass from 10" to 15", 12 Bluegill, and 1 Pumpkinseed

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Nov 4- Catfish Crazy Fishing Report

Emma, feeling like Balboa, surveys new territory

Monster Green Tail Shrimp, captured in the Cast Net

Nice Bluegill came from very Brackish Water

Ryno with our first keeper Catfish. We kept eight all together

Another Stud Muffin Bream

Emma hoping for Sashimi.... I thought those 3 spines might be too much for her to overcome

Too Rough for King Mackerel Fishing. So we took Ryan's boat and we headed to South River and we went searching for Speckled Trout. South River is pretty well known as a "Trophy Trout water" and we figured we could get out of that pesky west wind that made it too rough for Ocean Fishing... The short version of our South River adventure: Ryan and I face a steep learning curve in this unfamiliar water. We were coming up empty and we kept pushing up farther and farther. Finally we hit a dead end at a low bridge on Open Grounds Farm. I've fished here a few times in the past. In warm weather, this is Puppy Drum country. When it's cold, there is supposedly a good Speckled Trout Hole in this location! However after much casting and probing different areas, Ryan and I amazingly each hooked up at the same exact time. Crazy, 2 hours of nothing, and now we were both reeling in fish... Mystery times two! Well, Ryan ended up with a Channel Catfish and I ended up with a nice Bluegill. Not exactly the Red Drum-Speckled Trout combo we envisioned...... We spent the next hour here, fishing with the 4 live Shrimp we brought from the morning's bait hunt off Harker's Island...... The shrimp were well recieved as we drilled the Catfish..... Talk about making Chicken Salad out of Chicken Shit! I guess, you could say: Fishermen want to catch something! Our hopes de-generated from King Mackerel to Speckled Trout to Catfish..... All in a day's fishing.... But, I must say, that is an unusual line-up. You could never plan a day to turn out like that! But, hey, at the end of the day, it was fun and somebody will be eating a platter of fried Catfish.... Last time I checked, Catfish are a MAJOR foodfish in the United States! Total Catch for the Day: 6 Channel Catfish up to 3 lbs, 6 Brown Bullhead up to 24oz, and 3 Bluegill up to 12oz

Monday, November 3, 2014

Fishing!

You guys should really consider going fishing!!!!!!!

Saturday, November 1, 2014

NOVEMBER FIRST NEWS and NOTES

The King Mackerel has incredible power, blinding speed, and is quite the acrobat

Capt Tuggs welcomes a Tasty Visitor aboard the Top Water Boat

The only month better for overall Fishing Variety than October is....... November. King Mackerel, which produced the Best Fishing of the Year in October, sometimes actually improve in size and numbers over the month of November. That's hard for some people to believe, but as long as the water stays warm, the King Mackerel Fishing can keep right on improving right up to Thanksgiving! Albacore and Red Drum Fishing can also be outstanding throughout the month of November. That's THREE HEAVY HITTERS in the Inshore North Carolina Fishing scene right there..... Now, to make good news even better! The month of November is also the very best month for coastal Speckled Trout Fishing... By coastal, I mean fishing on the Ocean Beaches, Rock Jettys, and generally around our Inlets..... In other words, where Capt Marty and the Top Water Boat can get on them! That is literally FOUR of our MOST IMPORTANT FISHERIES at or near PEAK FISHING...... Don't forget that we still have plenty of Bluefish around, Groupers are gorging on anything they can eat driven by falling water temperatures, Flounder are still here, Cobia, Blackfin Tuna, and Wahoo are weekly occurences in the King Mackerel Fleet catch. Spot, Sea Mullet, and Gray Trout are inshore on windy days and sometimes they occur in Vast Numbers.... In other words, The ONLY THING better than October is November. Fishing Is Great. The only thing that can stop the Top Water Boat from having a great catch is BAD WEATHER.....

By the way, Capt Marty is NOT going to work on the Hatteras Ferry next week.... I am going to be home a few extra days. Instead of heading North on November 4, I will be staying put in Beaufort and I WILL BE availiable for Fishing. There is a good chance that Jennifer and I will be going on a trip at some point before I return to work on November 18.

Plenty of OPEN DATES in November. Come on, I got the Top Water Boat and the FlyN Fish ready to roll.......... November 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 are presently OPEN..

All that being said, It's Blowing 30-40 kts right now and the next couple of days are SHOT

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Big Fish on Light Tackle

Top Water Charters and Capt. Marty Moore is one of North Carolina's Premier Nearshore and Inshore Big Fish on Light Tackle Fishing Guides. Consistently producing Fish that earn NC Citations is my trademark. Since 1988, I have personally landed 846 NC Citation winning Fish for 34 Different Species. A few of my Personal Top Fish are 10 lb 11 oz and 10 lb 6 oz Flounders, a 83 lb Red Drum, 94 and 83 lb Cobias, a 83 lb Yellowfin Tuna, 96, 85, and 83 lb Wahoos, a 66 lb Amberjack, a 67 lb Black Drum, a 9 lb 6 oz Speckled Trout, a 53 lb King Mackerel, a 33 lb Permit, a 12 lb 8 oz Sheepshead, a 19 lb 4 oz False Albacore, a 11 lb Spadefish, a 12lb 4 oz Bonefish, a 4 lb 8 oz Ladyfish, a 2 lb 14 oz Sea Mullet, a 140 lb Tarpon, a 66 lb Swordfish and a 380 lb Bluefin Tuna.

A few of my Best Light Tackle Catches are a 240 lb Bluefin Tuna caught on a 20# live bait tackle, a 350 lb Blue Marlin caught on a 30# trolling tackle, a 50 lb Yellowfin Tuna caught on 10# spinning tackle, a 34 lb 8 oz King Mackerel caught from the Beach on 10# spinning tackle, 75 lb Cobia caught on 15# spinning gear, 73 lb Cobia caught on 20# spinning tackle, 61 lb Cobia caught on 10# spinning tackle, a 60+ lb Red Drum caught on 10# spinning tackle, 83 lb, 85 lb, and 96 lb Wahoos all caught on 20# livebait tackle, a 46 lb Red Drum caught on 8# conventional tackle, a 39 lb Red Drum caught on a 7wt fly rod, a 7 lb Largemouth Bass caught on a 3wt fly rod and a 135 lb Sandbar Shark caught on 12# spinning tackle.

I also caught a 37 lb 4 oz King Mackerel in 2001 that was worth $52,000 in the Snead's Ferry King Mackerel Tournament

My Clients and Guests have landed over 500 NC Citations since 1998 with Standout Fish like the N.C. State Record 11 lb 3oz Spadefish, a 68 lb Wahoo, a 67 lb Wahoo, a 92 lb Cobia, a 85 lb Cobia, a 84 lb Cobia, a 82 lb Cobia, a 81 lb Cobia, a 85 lb Amberjack, a 83 lb Amberjack, a 80 lb Amberjack, a 375 lb Bluefin Tuna, a 500 lb Great Hammerhead Shark, a 200 lb Sand Tiger Shark, a 62 lb Black Drum, a 24 lb False Albacore, a 15 lb Sheepshead, a 10 lb 8 oz Speckled Trout, 47 lb Striped Bass and too many Red Drum and Flounders to count.

UPCOMING BEST FISHING

In the Boxes that follow are the types of FISHING and varieties of FISH that Capt Marty recommends fishing for! I try to keep this pretty current as we move forward through the calendar year. As the seasons change the Fish available and the methods of Fishing change. I will do my best to accommodate my Clients wishes, but I will also be completely honest about our chances if a Client wants to Fish for a specific type of Fish. I will always recommend what I believe is our "best bet for success" based on the weather, the time of year, and what happened yesterday! This is how I fish and it's based on 30+ years of Experience and Learning the Hard Way

So what's happening NOW or what's coming soon..... Look Below and Keep Reading

Live Bait Fishing for King Mackerel

Live Bait Fishing for King Mackerel is usually done with 20# mono on light rods and small conventional reels. We fish with very light drags and small treble hooks. When a King Mackerel strikes, usually a live Menhaden, you have no idea whether you have 2 treble hooks stuck in the jaw and throat of the King Mackerel, or you could also have 1 prong of one hook snagged into the Mackerel's skin. Therefore, the idea is to let the King burn off line versus a light drag. After withstanding the initial blistering run, we move the angler to the bow of the boat and we track him down! Without a doubt, on pretty days in October and November, this is what we "need" to be doing.... Since I took up this fishery seriously, back in 1988, in addition to the targetted King Mackerel, the potential bycatch is staggering... Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna, Blackfin Tuna, Bluefin Tuna, Sailfish, Barracuda, Amberjack, Crevalle Jack, Spanish Mackerel, Cobia, Red Drum, Red Snapper, Grouper, a dozen Shark species, False Albacore, Houndfish, Gafftopsail Catfish, Tarpon have all been hooked and/or landed onboard Boats that I was personally fishing aboard..... Oh yeah, back in 1998 during the Hardee's Atlantic Beach KMT we hooked up 4 Billfish at one time. Two pulled off, and we released a Sailfish and I tried my best to release my catch... Because it was caught on a ribbonfish, it had 4 treble hooks in it. By the time I got him unhooked, he had expired! What was it? It was a 44", 8 lb SPEARFISH! So yeah, when Live Bait Fishing for King Mackerel, anything is possible

Run and Gun Casting.... Spring Summer & Fall

Casting Metal Lures, Top Water Plugs, and Flys in the Spring, Summer, and Fall is one of my all-time favorite fisheries. Our main targets are Albacore, Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Atlantic Bonito, and Bluefish. The Red Drum are usually found on the Shoals at Cape Lookout and generally, we are casting into huge schools of fish in crystal clear water. These Drum schools are a year-round possibility. The Atlantic Bonito is a special fish for a few reasons. They are a handsome fish that also happens to be a rugged fighter. Very similar to Albacore, but there's one major difference. The Atlantic Bonito is delicious on the table, it prepares and eats just like Yellowfin Tuna. No Joke! Another thing that makes the Atlantic Bonito so special is that they are usually only around for about a month and on a day to day basis, they are usually only worth fishing for about 2 hours every morning. We really need to be sitting on the spot at first light. Atlantic Bonito are one of the few fish that are worth this kind of trouble! Adult or "Chopper" Bluefish also provide many thrills in the Spring. Finding vast schools of 8-12 pound Bluefish in 2-3 foot of water guarrantees a great day of fishing. Great jumpers and surface strikers, these Chopper Bluefish aren't really that good to eat, however I'd never pass up an opportunity to catch a couple of them! Smaller Bluefish can usually be found at various places and at various sizes throughout much of the year. The 1-4 lb class of Bluefish is often a trip saver from April through November. These smaller Bluefish are still great fighters, but are also very tasty. Spanish Mackererel are very reliable from May through October. These Mackerel are beautiful, sporty, and great eating. Spanish Mackerel tend to get progressively larger throughout their season, and large numbers of 5-7 lb fish are sometimes common. They are a very popular fish. Albacore are a good possibility in the Spring, great in September, and keep right getting better right through November! Albacore are lengendary fighters and they are definitely the best game in town on many windy, cold mornings in the Fall when fishing is impossible for anything else!

Cobia Fishing

Cobia Fishing is one of the most exciting inshore Fisheries that we have here in NC. It offers the inshore angler a chance at catching a tough fighting, great eating gamefish that averages 30 pounds and grows to weights over 100 pounds. Fishing for Cobia is availiable by 2 completetly different methods. The "old way" is to fish with bait on the bottom and wait for a Cobia to find you. This method can produce great fishing at times and there is usually enough bycatch (Bluefish, Sharks, and Rays) to keep you busy. The other method is far more exciting, but can be limited by the weather. In this fishery, we ride around and search for Cobias and cast to them. This is probably the most exciting and suspenseful inshore fishery that we have going right now. Delivering a bucktail to a cruising 50+ pound Cobia is very exciting. This method also allows us to fish with much lighter tackle since there is usually no anchor lines and other boats in the immediate vicinity. By either method, catching a big Cobia is a fish that will always be worth bragging about and provide lots of great fish dinners.

NIGHT (and Day) FISHING for GIANT RED DRUM

In August and September we have a very reliable and outstanding fishery in the Southern Pamlico Sound and Neuse River for Trophy Red Drum. These fish will average from 30 to 50 lbs. My personal best came in August of 2000. Caught just a couple hundred yards off the Beach at Cedar Island, this huge Red Drum was 59" long and weighed 83 lbs. I started fishing for these Red Drum in the Cedar Island area back in 1997 and since that year, my success rate has hovered around the 90% mark. Catches of 20-30 Red Drum per night isn't all that uncommon.... I offer this type of fishing from mid-August through September. I fish out of Cedar Island, right by the NC Ferry Operation. The hours for this trip are usually 6pm until midnight. Cost is $350

In addition, Red Drum commonly "turn up" in the Ocean as I run my regular trips out of Beaufort Inlet. Sight casting when conditions are good and fish are avaliable is a Fantastic Fishing Experience! If I had to generalize, I'd say March through June is our best bet for sight casting to Large Red Drum. Then I would guess that August through December are mt best months to find schools of Slot-sized (18" to 27"). Red Drum also turn up while fishing for other fish. They are a distinct possibility 12 months of the year!

Sight Casting to Red Drum

This is why I bought the Tower! I feel like for the first time, I will be able to consistently sight cast to schools of Red Drum in the Ocean nearly year round. These Drum will average from 7 to 15 pounds and when we find them it will be a very memorable fishing experience. I expect that I will be able to target these Red Drum consistently from April through May and again from August through mid-November. Possibly even on into January and beyond! Finding schools of Giant Red Drum is also becoming more common at Cape Lookout! Sight Casting for Red Drum is something that we can easily combine with other types of Fishing trips such as Cobia, Albacore or Speckled Trout. It would usually only take an hour or so to determine if the schools of Drum that I like to target are availiable.

Wreck Fishing

Wreck Fishing is a great way to spend a day on the water. Two of my all-time favorites, Amberjack and Barracuda, are very exciting and fun fish to catch. Amberjacks can be caught on Top Water Plugs, Bucktails, Metal Jigs, or Live Bait. Top Water Plugs draw awesome surface strikes and provide a great visual experience. Live Bait would be my second choice. Watching a pack of aggressive Jacks chase a 2 pound Bluefish down is incredible. Either way most people who haven't fished a Wreck before have never experienced seeing dozens of "big" fish swimming around the boat. Amberjacks frequently do this! Barracudas are another great fish. They respond best to live baits and tube lures. They are awesome jumpers for both height and distance, easily out-performing King Mackerels and Wahoos in this department. They have blinding speed and are also rugged fighters. Bigger Cudas fall for live baits more frequently, but the ones that chase down and bite tube baits are amazing too. You simply CAN NOT reel these baits too fast. It is impossible. Other Wreck Fish include: Flounders, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Spadefish, Crevalle Jacks, Cobia, Sea Bass, Sharks, and others. Anything is possible on a Wreck off Beaufort Inlet!

Dolphin Fishing

The traditional "Big 3" of the offshore meat fishing world is Wahoo, Dolphin, and Tuna. Of these 3, Dolphin are the most common and readily accessible to the Small Boat, Center Console Fleet. From early summer until mid-October I am able to target for Dolphin with some degree of consistency from Boat and I can usually do this within 25 miles of land. Wahoo and Tuna are also possible, especially later in the season. Giant Wahoo actually are fairly common catches among the small boat fleet in late October and early November. My 3 career largest Wahoos all came within 10 miles of land and were all caught close to Halloween. I would never claim to compete with the regular Charter Boat Fleets in the offshore trolling game, but I do offer this type of Fishing at half their price and lots of "hands on action" for my clients. Of course, great weather is absolutely necessary!

Bottom Fishing

Bottom Fishing or Jigging with Metal Jigs or Bucktails off Beaufort Inlet is a great way to spend a day on the water. This is a Year Round fishery, only affected by NMFS closures. On pretty days, it is possible to fish farther offshore in deeper water and catch a variety of Groupers, Snappers, Amberjacks, Porgys, Black Sea Bass, Grunts, and Sharks. This type of Fishing is for Full Days only and very weather dependant on my 25 foot Center console for obvious reasons, but the fishing can be awesome when conditions are favorable.

A totally different fishing experience can be had by bottom fishing or jigging speck rigs much closer to the Beach. This fishery is best during Fall and Winter. Staying within 3-4 miles of shore allows me to fish many more days with type of weather that is common in winter. Fishing can be excellent for Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, Gray Trout, Sea Mullet, Black Drum, Croaker, Hogfish, Dog Sharks, and many other varieties.

Bottom Fishing in the Sounds and Inland Waterways can be fantastic from September through November. This is a great way to introduce children to fishing. Our most commonly targetted fish is the small, but tasty Spot. If we can find a Spot we jusy might find a cooler full! Other fish caught while "Spot Fishing" include Croakers, Sea Mullet, Gray Trout, Bluefish, Flounder, Black Drum, Red Drum, Hogish and more.

Capt Marty's Top 15 Catches

1. 50 lb. Yellowfin Tuna (my 1st Tuna) caught on 10# and a stingsilver while casting to Albacore 5 miles off the Beach on 9-19-1988. Amazing.
2. 240 lb Bluefin Tuna caught on 20# and a cigar minnow light line while Grouper fishing on 11-28-1997. I fought this fish for 4 hours and covered 7 miles.
3. 83 lb. Wahoo caught while King Mackerel fishing by myself out of a huge fleet of Carteret County's best fishermen on 11-8-1995. This story is too long to tell here...
4. 66 lb. Amberjack caught on a #00 Clark Spoon on 6-24-1988. The Amberjack swallowed a 2 lb. Mackerel I was reeling in. This fish really got me "HOOKED".
5. 96 lb. Wahoo caught on 15# and a boston mackerel on a light line while Grouper fishing on 10-2-2001. I hooked this one seconds after Gerald Currin had decked a 67 pound Wahoo and was still "bragging".
6. 10 lb. 11 oz Flounder caught in Taylor's Creek on a windy day on 10-18-2003. My career largest Flounder was caught in a place I'd ignored during 20 years of Flounder Fishing!
7. 83 lb. Cobia caught off Cape Lookout while fishing by myself on 5-15-2002. I hate to admit this, I actually tried to break this one off because I was convinced it was a Stingray!
8. 350 lb. Blue Marlin caught on 30# while Dolphin fishing off Ocracoke on 5-20-2001. I rigged the baits, set out the lines, hooked the fish, fought the fish, wired the fish, tagged the fish, and released the fish!
9. 7 lb. 4 oz. Largemouth Bass that I caught on 5-2-09 on a 3 wt fly rod and a tiny rubber-legged spider. I hooked a tiny Bream that the Bass swallowed. I knew when she jumped, she'd throw the Bream... When she did, as the Bass re-entered the water, line started to peel off my reel again. the tiny fly was somehow lodged in the Bass's lip! Caught in a tiny pond at MHC Wal-Mart. Unbelievable!
10. 3 lb 8oz Spanish Mackerel caught on the Morehead Ocean Pier in August of 1974. My first "REAL" fish. I turned down a trip to the movies so I could stay out on the Pier that afternoon.
11. 37 lb. 4 oz. King Mackerel (combined with a 30 lb.4 oz the day before) that won $52,900 in the Snead's Ferry KMT on 8-12-2000
12. 34 lb. 8 oz King Mackerel caught from the Shackleford Banks surf on a peanut shad rigged up on a Penn 440SS (small spinning reel) with 8# on 7-14-2001.
13. 12 lb. 8 oz Sheepshead that ended a 10 year quest to catch a Citation Sheepshead on 8-12-2007.
14. 24 lb Blackfin Tuna that ate a stingsilver one mile off Atlantic Beach on 5-6-2010. I was casting for Bonito with a 10# spinning rod and had chased some Albacore inshore of AR-315. The Tuna was a blind strike and took an hour to land!
15. 67 lb. Black Drum caught on 5-3-2011 that outweighed my previous best Black Drum by 62 lbs and made me actually believe (for the first time) that I might actually accomplish my life's mission of collecting all the NC Citations!

Capt Marty's Personal NC Saltwater Citation Tally

All Fish caught by Capt Marty on Rod n Reel
Starting with a 66 lb Amberjack caught on June 24, 1988 in Beaufort Inlet
Species / # Citations / Largest Wt
1. Red Drum / 363/ 83 lbs
2. Flounder / 70 / 10 lb 11oz
3. Speckled Trout / 68 / 9lb 6oz
4. Cobia / 67 / 94 lbs
5. Amberjack / 48 / 66 lbs
6. Sheepshead / 34 / 12lb 8oz
7. Spanish Mackerel / 31 / 9 lbs
8. King Mackerel / 30 / 53 lbs
9. Bluefin Tuna / 21 / 380 lbs
10. Wahoo / 21 / 96 lbs
11. Barracuda / 15 / 36lb 8oz
12. Shark / 8 / 241 lbs
13. Black Drum / 8 / 67 lbs
14. Sailfish / 7 / 88"
15. Striped Bass / 7 / 35lb 8oz
16. Grouper / 5 / 35 lbs
17. Florida Pompano / 5 / 2lb 9oz
18. Black Sea Bass / 5 / 4 lbs
19. Crevalle Jack / 4 / 28 lbs
20. Red Snapper / 4 / 15lb 6oz
21. Tilefish / 4 / 12lb 8oz
22. Atlantic Bonito / 3 / 25"
23. Yellowfin Tuna / 3 / 83 lbs
24. Sea Mullet / 3 / 2lb 14oz
25. Triggerfish / 3 / 7lb 15oz
26. Blackfin Tuna / 2 / 24lb 8oz
27. False Albacore / 2 / 19lb 3oz
28. Gray Trout / 2 / 6lb 2oz
29. Blue Marlin / 1 / app 400 lbs
30. White Marlin / 1 / app 60 lbs
31. Spearfish / 1 / app 8 lbs
32. Dolphin / 1 / 40 lbs
33. Spot / 1 / 1 lb
34. Porgy / 1 / 6lb 7oz
TOTAL 849
Citation Saltwater Fish from other States
Snook / 4 / 35" (Texas)
Striped Bass / 1 / 47 lbs (Virginia)

Capt Marty's Personal NC Freshwater Citation Tally

Starting with an 8" Flier caught in a Wake County Pond in July of 1982
Species / # Citations / Largest Wt
1. Hickory Shad / 38 / 2 lb 9oz
2. White Perch / 25 / 1 lb 4oz
3. Blue Catfish / 6 / 42 lbs
4. American Shad / 6 / 5 lbs
5. Rainbow Trout / 5 / 21"
6. Largemouth Bass / 3 / 8 lb 4oz
7. Bluegill / 3 / 2 lb 2oz
8. Bowfin / 2 / 33"
9. Chain Pickerel / 2 / 28"
10. Green Sunfish / 2 / 10"
11. Pumpkinseed / 2 / 11"
13. Yellow Perch / 2 / 1 lb 6oz
12. Brook Trout / 2 / 20"
14. White Catfish / 1 / 4 lbs
15. Bullhead / 1 / 2 lb 8oz
16. Redfin Pickerel / 1 / 14"
17. Flier / 1 / 8"
Total 102
Citation Freshwater Fish from other States
Brown Trout / 2 / 16 lbs (NY)
Walleye / 6 / 28 7/8" (Ohio)
Freshwater Drum / 3 / 24" (Ohio)

2001 NC Citation Count

Citation sized fish caught by Capt Marty or Top Water Clients and Guests
1. Blue Marlin 1
2. Bluefin Tuna 4
3. Cobia 4
4. Dolphin 1
5. Flounder 2
6. Grouper 1
7. Pompano 1
8. Red Drum 70
9. Red Snapper 2
10. Sailfish 2
11. Speckled Trout 7
12. Spot 1
13. Wahoo 5
Total 101
***I spent 45 days in South Padre Island, Texas from early October until Thanksgiving catching Mangrove Snapper (up to 3 lbs), King Mackerel (up to 19 lbs), Spanish Mackerel, Hardhead Catfish, Pompano, Speckled Trout (up to 3 lbs), Red Drum (up to 5 lbs), Ladyfish (up to 5 lbs), Palometa, Gulf Sea Mullet (up to 2 lbs), Little Tunny, Bluefish, Sand Sea Trout, and (finally) SNOOK (up to 9 lbs). Of course, I fished every day or night possible.***.