Merry Christmas

Mine aint so Merry. But it is Christmas so be happy.... I am having trouble (as usual) posting pictures. I am at my breaking point People. Computers. Cell Phones. Pictures. Fly Wheels. Outboards. Knees. Backs. I am Sick of All of It. I got a really neat picture and story of a Tarpon caught on Hatteras Island 3 days ago

But.......

As with everythng else....Hope it gets better. Don't count on it.....

Temp at Ocracoke on Dec 26 is 73. Sunny. Slick Cam. Praying for 20 degrees. Wind and 8" Snow

Dec 16- Painful Right Knee

Still waiting on Workmans Comp and a diagnosis. This is getting old and a sense that "this may not end well".

Hopefully tomorrow is a better day.....

On the fishing front, great weather and I've seen Bluefin Tunas, Speckled Trout, and Sea Mullets!

Dec 11- Knee Injury

Well Damn...... Capt Marty is still on the Injured Reserve and there is NO RELIEF in sight..... So, I hurt my knee on November 12th and here it is a month later and I am still being held in limbo by the "system". Mostly my fault, I know that.... When I hurt my right knee back on Nov 11th, I had hoped it was minor and would go away..... Well, it didn't. It really hasn't gotten much worse, but it damn sure ain't got no better.... Now, I've had X-Rays, which were negative and I have been told that I need to see an Orthopedic Surgeon.... However, my case is moving very slowly and I'm still waiting to see if I'm accepted by Workman's Comp..... In the meantime, I am getting very frustrated by the nagging, constant pain in my right knee and also I am hit by incredibly scary and sharp JOLTS OF PAIN approximately 15-20 times per day..... What really sucks though is the ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL WEATHER and the fact that the waters right off Beaufort Inlet are teeming with Big Sea Mullet, mixed sizes of Gray and Speckled Trout, plenty of Albacore, and a steady trickle of Bluefin Tuna up to 700 lbs...... And I can't do a damn thing because of my knee..... I am just waiting for my back to erupt in pain, folks.... I can't take anything else negative or (especially) painful...... Right now, the weather is great and the fish are biting...... I got a great wife and a great life. Why am I suffering dammit..... Is this a Test?

Hopefully something good is right around the corner for me!

Dec 1- Notes

First, I am home fron Ocracoke and I am nursing an ailing knee. I am actually sitting in my Doctor's Office right now as we speak. My Boat Motor is crippled. Now, I am crippled. In the meantime, both the Bluefin Tuna and Speckled Trout are doing their thing! The Tunas are also being harassed by Giant Mako Shark, which is cool as Hell. I have well documented the "Saltwater Fishing Burnout" that I'm being plagued by. Now 400 lb Tunas and 7 lb Trouts excite me...... But my swollen right knee causes me to hesitate. However, the thought of a 10 foot, 450 lb Mako hurling itself into a 12 foot high backwards somersalt definitely excites me. To hell with that knee, I will be looking a ride tomorrow!

The Undefeated Carolina Panthers

As the Bluefin Tuna were being caught on the Crystal Coast, Capt Marty could've cared less! HA! Never thought we'd get to this point. I remember, about 12-13 years ago, a good friend of mine and avid fisherman AND probably Carteret County and North Carolina's BEST COBIA on BOTTOM BAIT fishermen, I am talking about Jeremy Cannon..... Anyway, Jeremy sold his boat and pretty much QUIT FISHING. He told me, "Marty, there is MORE TO LIFE THAN FISHING".......

Blasphemy. Never Ever would I consider making such a statement.... Until very recently, I considered a Day that I didn't go Fishing, I considered a MISSED OPPORTUNITY and there WAS NO WAY TO EVER MAKE IT UP. It was devastating to miss a day of fishing. My goal was to fish every single day....

Recently, that has changed. While not ready to announce there's more to life than fishing, my wants and needs and desires have changed..... Make that my "Fishing" Desires..... I WANT to go to Far Away Places and Fish for Beautiful Freshwater Fish in Beautiful Places..... I am NO LONGER driven to fish every single day of my life with Cape Lookout as my backdrop. No, I want a Mountain Stream or a Great Lake, or some other far away location in my background. It used to be my "travel dollar" was ALL spent headed South, chasing exotic Saltwater Species down through the Florida Keys..... Nowadays, I'm dreaming towards the North Star. My fantasy is to battle a Steelhead or Atlantic Salmon while standing knee deep in a clear cold river while soft fluffy snow falls around me. Meanwhile, my beautiful, sexy wife waits by a roaring campfire with camp coffee brewing and a 4oz medium rare Flat Iron Steak sizzles.... Of course, she is wearing only a pair of Mink Fur Scarfs and Fluffy Boots and our Velvet covered Air Mattress with Silky Sleeping Bags wait inside our strangely warm tent and Emma is happily tied off to a nearby Tree..... Ooopppps, I'm rambling......

Back to this weekend..... In spite of the Tuna Bite, my mind was Far From Fishing and Jennifer and I traveled to Charlotte to see the 9 and 0 Carolina Panthers play.... Honestly, this was probably the first time I have traveled anywhere in the last 20 years with NO Rod and Reel packed somewhere......

Charlotte was great. The game was great. Cam Newton was great. Luke Kuechly was great. It was great to see Chris Culliver (Garner Boy), Robert Griffin III (College Football Legend), Colt McCoy (College Football Legend). We saw Cam Newton pass for 5 TDs. We saw a Deadskin run a Kickoff Back for a TD. We saw Culliver run an Int back for a TD, only to get it called back. Game Changer. We saw Greg Olsen set a Team Record (all time TE recieving yards). We saw how incredible an "EVENT" an NFL Game really is....... It was a GREAT TIME and I have NO REGRETS about missing the Fishing. Honestly, I need to get busy trying to get my Outboard motor fixed.... I miss Fishing, I really do. I have seen some nice Speckled Trout caught and some monster Bluefin Tunas... I need to get back in the game. In the meantime..... We got FOOTBALL... And there is More To Life Than Fishing. I think I need a little diversity in my life..... Too much Fishing from April of 1986 until November of 2014 (when my stuff was stolen). Right now, I need to add a little Fishing back into my Life and find that perfect Balance. And be patient until I can hit my next Freshwater Adventure Trip.

My Apology

I am sorry for last nights tirade. The thieves that stole my equipment never got punished and, at the same time, the Bluefin Tuna have showed up again and I don't have any tackle to catch them. Its not fair.

Nov 20- Speckled Trout Fishing

Looks like a Football Weekend for me. No Boat and No Calls for Fishing, Thanks to my buddy Jeremy Dixon for offering me use of his 21ft Carolina Skiff. I could've would've should've caught some great Speckled Trout this week. Lots of Fish around. All the Small Trout you can imagine. Real good numbers of nice keepers in the 15-18" class. Quite a few Trout in that lovely 20" class that weigh 3 lbs each. These are the Trout that make us fall in love with Trout Fishing..... And, due to appear at any time: The Trophy Trout. The 5-8 pounders that we all encountered in our youth! Them boys are due any time now.................. So okay, no one called Captain Marty Moore that wanted to go Trout Fishing from Tuesday November17th through Sunday November 22nd. I don't blame you guys. It seems that I'm just a shell of my Former Fishing Self. The reality is..... I wanted to go and take someone out on a Serious Trout Fishing Trip. I needed the Income. But since no one was interested, I didn't go.... See, I'm not that interested. All I want, is to get my ass in a River either in the Mountains or Up North. My thoughts and dreams and desires have left the Salt Water of Eastern North Carolina behind...... Now don't get me wrong, I still want to fish, but in this case, I chose Radio Island. It's easy, it's fishy, it's good exercise. I did not want to kill a bunch of Speckled Trout. So I did not borrow Jeremy's Boat. I simply walked out to Radio Island and caught Speckled Trout. Now, I think the rest of my weekend I will go on a "FOOTBALL TOUR". Starting with the East Carteret Mariners Friday Night. "Little" cousin Duncan Englehardt is killin it at Middle Line Backer for the 10-2 Mariners. Saturday, its on to Raleigh and the NCState vs Syracuse Game. Where "real" student athletes play football, pretty poorly, but hey, these guys got real tests and can actually read and write. No Pine Cone Turkeys or paste and copy 5 th Graders Book Reports..... Should be a real crapfest, but "Go Wolfpack" Or as Ryan Handsbro says, "Go Wolpfack"..... Finally, on Sunday, Jennifer and I will be attending the Carolina Panthers gane against the Washington Redskins. This will be a great time for us, even though my scheme to end up at South Mountain State Park (Blue Ribbon Trout Streams) fell through.... Damn I nearly pulled off a rare doubleheader. NFL Football and Mountain Trout Fly Fishing..,... Oh Dammit. Oh yeah, I walked out to Radio Island today. Fished the Western Shore. Tough wind on the "other side" hampered fishing. On the west side it was to my back. Cast a country mile..... Trout, Trout, Trout..... Then, holy shit I hooked a monster. Standing waist deep and about 30 yards from shore I had hooked a deep boring and head shaking monster. I knew what it was..... On the 8# mono, I was going to have to get lucky. I got him TO ME but I had NO NET. Now I had to walk him to shore. Halfway there, one final incredible head shake and my approximately 25" and 7 lb Flounder was GONE. Damn man, it made me smile. 5 years ago when I actually caught 2 or 3 Citation Flounders a year, if this would've happened, I would've gone apeshit ballistic.....Beat Myself Up for days..... I have mellowed. I actually smiled and chuckled to myself. Really it was a great fight and a great feeling. All that's missing is a Picture and a Baked Flounder. Total Catch for the Day: 11 Speckled Trout from 12-14" and 3 Inshore Lizardfish     

Nov 18- Trout Trout Trout and the "BOATLESS" Fisherman

The Boatless Fisherman makes out pretty good around Beaufort Inlet for a few weeks around the period from Halloween to Thanksgiving..... Lots of options. You can "roll the dice" by hitting the surf at Atlantic Beach. Fishing just east of the Stop Nets right at sun-rise will increase your odds. This is your Best Bet for a monster-sized Speckled Trout for the footbound angler..... A larger time commitment and a little cost and a determined angler could catch a Ferry over to Shackleford Banks. A few hours spent over there would give you a decent chance at larger Speckled Trout, plus a decent chance at large numbers of small Trout. The wild card here would be the potential to encounter Red Drum. From the lone fish cruising the Sloughs to the Westward marching Red Army! Yes, the years in the Tower have taught me that the stretch of Beach from Rough Point to Beaufort Inlet is one of our more consistent Beaches to encounter schools of Red Drum numbering from a loose aggregation of 10-30 fish to Schools of Thousands of Red Drum that appear as a Purple Spot in the water that drifts westward and slowly morphs into different shapes......  A Gulp cast here is an automatic hook-up.... The Final Fishing Spot is the "Easy One". The one I chose. Radio Island. Here you park at the Beach Access and hike 10 minutes down the Beach to the area before you get to the Fence. From here, wade out and cast towards the Rock Jetty. If it isn't visible, you can see the ruffled water directly over the rocks. Cast here and slowly start reeling. If its hot, you will get a bite on nearly every cast. 99% of your Radio Island caught Speckled Trout will be to small. Sneak past the "Deadly Force is Authorized" sign (YIKES) and you will find another and much different Fishery and Environment. Here the Fishing Techniques are different and the Trout can be totally different. Not just keepers, but Big Ass Trout are definitely possible..... I like it out there, actually I LOVE IT OUT THERE... Lot's of y'all fished there with me the Top Water Boat through the Years... However, right now I am hobbled with a badly injured Right Knee and I can't take the Rock Hopping or (the potential) Running from the Law! So................................ I stayed on the flat bottom, in the cool water. Casting gulps and grubs towards the Rocks on the incoming tide. I fished from 11am until 3pm. I did hike across Radio Island to the Western Shore. Here you cast towards the east end of Bogue Banks. The Atlantic Beach Coast Guard Station is diagonally across the Shipping Channel. Here is another "small" Speckled Trout hangout. What I like about this spot is that it works great on a Northeast wind. Not really a factor today. It is also a spot where you could concievably catch nearly anything. Beaufort Inlet is right there! On the other side, you pretty much catch what's "behind" the Rocks. Fish get "set" in there on a Falling Tide. On the Western Shore, there is No Jetty out front, just open water. Oh well, who knows. Speckled Trout were biting in both places. A few Gray Trout on the Western Side. A few Flounder on the Eastern Side. Preacher Pricks were everywhere. Total Catch for the Day: 60 Speckled Trout from 12-15", 3 Southern Flounder from 12-15", 3 Gray Trout from 15-18", and 5 Inshore Lizardfish

Nov 17- Speckled Trout on Foot

The last few days that I spent on the Cedar Island Ferry were tough. Absolutely gorgeous weather. Pamlico Sound has been just like a mirror. I've been getting antsy knowing that the 2015 season is coming to an end and the Speckled Trout should be chewing. With the Flywheel cracked on my Suzuki, I am pretty limited in my opportunities. Begging rides or Foot Fishing. Since I just finished up my shift at work, I hadn't had time to set up anything really intriguing. So I decided to make the hike, despite a swollen and very sore right knee, out to the south end of Radio Island. Based on recent history, there should be plenty of action for "foot warriors". I haven't been around in a couple of weeks, but based on about 2008 through 2013, fishing should be really good for small Speckled Trout. 100 fish days are possible. I remember many rallies were I'd catch a Trout on 25-30 straight casts. The problem (nothing can be "that" good) is that 95% of these Seatrout are to small. Fun but too short. Averaging 12-13". In my experience, 2014 numbers were down, as was my effort. Getting older? I can't remember why I didn't make the hike as much last winter.....  Armed with this info and history, I limped from the Beach Access down to where the Jetty begins. Emma and I. She loves it and she stayed mad at me all last year. Emma loves to devour a Trout while laying in the sand at the water's edge. She watches my every move and she knows the instant that I set the hook on my first Trout of the day. If I don't start for shore as I reel in my first Speckled Trout; she will actually swim out to where I'm standing. Well, today the fishing was not great. I fished from 230pm until 4pm. The Tide was High but Falling. There was a Boat that was struggling to anchor in a place that ruined the area we fish from the Beach. This NitWit was bound and determined to anchor up "inside" the Rocks. Oh well, I wasted the first 45 minutes fishing in 3-5 foot of water that was run over by a 175HP Evinrude every 5 minutes for 30 minutes. Bite Buster! After these guys left, I finally caught 8 Speckled Trout before my leaking Wader forced me off the water. Emma got hers. I had one keeper at 15". That's all. Total Catch for the Day: 8 Speckled Trout up to 15" and 1 Inshore Lizardfish

Open Dates for Speckled Trout Fishing

Attn Fishermen: I will have access to a Boat. Not the Top Water Boat. I will not be chasing King Mackerel as they retreat offshore and follow the warm water. I will have access to a 19 foot skiff and be fully capable of whacking the Speckled Trout. I will be availiable for this Fishery on Tuesday November 17th through Friday November 20th. There will be incredible numbers of Speckled Trout a available. Live Shrimp Bobber Fishing for 4 to 7 pound Speckled Trout could  blow up at any time. From Thanksgiving to around the December Full Moon has always been "Citation Trout" time. Call me at 252-241-8350. Leave message becsuse I am in the Engine Room somewhere between Cedar Island to Ocracoke to Swan Quarter.

Don't call and you're gonna regret it!

Nov 9- Welcome to Beaufort

I'm back at home and headed back to work tomorrow. Woe is Me.

Fishing is Good.

Working is Bad.

I Can Not Complain. I have fished WELL OVER 100 DAYS A YEAR every single year from 1988 until 2014. I screwed up this year. We all know that. Some years I fished up to 275 days. Hell I fished every Friday night, every Saturday all day and all night, and every Sunday morning from May until October way back to 19 frigging 70. My parents had to drag me off that Pier.

I remember the "Big Board" at the Morehead Ocean Pier in 1971.

POMPANO.   Marty Moore    3 1/2 pounds   8/15/1971

It was always a more than a past time. It was a competition. It was life.
FISHING WAS LIFE.

Nov 7- New York Heartbreak

This Salmon refused to leave my Boot. I swear she beached herself when I left the River

Someone else's fish..... Brown Trout, Atlantic Salmon, and a Steelhead. I'd kill for this stringer

I landed this pitiful Salmon. Believe it or not, this guy put up an epic battle. First fish on my new 8wt Fly Rod

Very very very disappointing. By Oak Orchard mid-November standards, the fishing is OFF. The Salmon are nearly done. Lots of dying Chinook Salmon all around. For a good ole North Carolina boy, I'm not used to "ignoring" dozens of 10-20 lb fish swimming and splashing all around me. Its different. Also, according to the multitude of experts that I met, its too early for the Steelhead to be running good.... I have also learned that, with the exception of the two Monster Browns that I stumbled into 5 minutes into my Fishing Vacation, I have Absolutely No Skill, No Knowledge, or No Insight into this Fishery At All...... In summary, from 9am yesterday until 3pm today, I SUCKED. The one decent Salmon I hooked, I broke my rod and my line, then made a damn fool out of myself bellyflopping on my fish in the cold, turbulent water. I got him, damn it could've been much worse. My Phone, my camera were all at risk. That, my friends, was my highlight. Two Trophy Browns and Two Chinook Salmons on Day 1.  Day 2 was an error after error after error...... Early I missed a "NC Monster" Brown Trout, that wouldve been a baby here. Maybe a 3 lb Trout that ate my bait and charged out of the shadows right in my direction. I never came tight and he was gone as fast as he came. POOF. That was it. That was my entire story from 7am until 3pm. Pitiful. Then, finally, at 3pm I got in a spot and a stretch of fishing that was as Good, Tense, Exciting, and Challenging as any Fishing that I've done in Years...... I pretty much found an active Redd, which is a spot where a female Salmon have created a nest by actively swishing their tails in the gravel.... So, pretty much for 2 hours I stood twenty feet from a spot that was constantly attended to by from two to eight Salmon. At times you could see the males roll on their sides and shudder as they released their milt. Casting my wooly boogar into the Redd, I hooked Salmon after Salmon. It was incredible and intense action. Unfortunately for the "bottom line results", the topography and other obstacles made it necessary to put lots of pressure on these Salmon pretty quickly. The end result of this was that I broke off 3 Chinook Salmon and pulled and/or bent hooks on 4 more Chinook Salmon. When I finally landed a 15 lb Chinook Salmon, it was a male fish that had started to deteriate. He only had a few days of life left in him, but he still managed to battle me for 7-8 minutes. Then, in the rain and nearly dark, I hooked a green female Chinook Salmon. This girl had to be fresh in from Lake Ontario. An incredible fight and when I finally beached her, it was pouring rain. I was soaked and I had planned all day to "harvest" a Salmon. This wouldve been the one. But, I couldn't do it. She earned her freedom. (That and too many guys had told me that I'd be disappointed in their taste). I had a gallon bag full of Salmon meat from the day before. By the way, a guy beside me caught a 25" Atlantic Salmon. Judging my the jumps and fight in general, I believe I lost one yesterday. DAMMIT if True.... I hooked a "smallish" Salmon that was prodding and harassing the old beat female Salmon that was fascinated with my leg/my boot. (See top picture) So I hooked the small Salmon and its strength and quickness caused me to screw up by committing a foolish foolish mistake. As the little Salmon ripped line off my Reel, the simplistic action of a Fly Reel actually causes your reel to spin backwards. With my lack of experience, I allowed my fingers to get caught by the spinning knob on my spool and PING he was gone. I was reminded of my epic failure at least 3 times in the next 5 minutes as the Salmon continued to leap in effort to shed my fly. This badboy jumped straight up and did a backflip. Three times. Had to be an Atlantic Salmon. Had to be. I'm sick thinking about it. An Atlantic Salmon. Fish of Kings. Fish of Aristrocracy. Fish of the Super Wealthy. Fish of the Elite. The Atlantic Salmon are in the western NY tribs right with the rest of them! I never thought I'd see one beyond the pages of a magazine. Total Catch for the Day: 2 Cinook Salmon at 15 lbs each

Nov 6- Brown Trout of a Lifetime

My 16 lb Brown Trout caught in the first 5 minutes of NY Fishing

I watched 35-40 Giant Brown Trout caught in 2 hours. All less than 100 yards from the construction site!

Sandy Creek looking upstream from the Bridge Construction

My 13 lb Brown trout with a Fly that I pulled from the 16 lb Trout's dorsal fin

The WORLD FAMOUS Archer Club at The Oak Orchard River

Lots of company. Lots of Fish

The First Salmon of my Life

Yesterday, I drove 853 miles to the Shore of Lake Ontario in the State of New York. My plan was to chase Steelhead and Salmon that had left the deep, cold Lake waters to run the Tributairies to spawn and/or gorge on Salmon eggs..... Then this morning, 5 minutes into my fishing....... The Blind Hog found an acorn every once in a while! While lifting my fly to recast, my rod developed a deep arc and my line refused to "lift". Hooked a rock was my first thought. Then the "rock" started moving into the current! Ten tense minutes later and 50 yards upstream, a fellow angler came to my aid with a landing net. Amazingly, I reached in and pulled out a 34" Brown Trout. Holy Shit! My previous career best was less than 1pound! This guy bottomed out my 15 lb BogaGrip. What a feeling! This alpha male Brown Trout  was adorned with 4 broken off Fishing Flies pinned to various spots on his body, in addition to the Wooly Boogar that I fooled him with! He wore them like a Soldier wears his hard earned Purple Hearts and Congressional Medals of Honor. It was a testament to his incredible size and power......... After "cleaning him up" I spent 10 minutes reviving this monster and released him back into Sandy Creek. A Brown Trout of a Lifetime! Then, miraculously, an hour later, I beached a 31" Brown Trout that weighed 13 lbs on the BogaGrip.. This one, I harvested and will be the centerpiece of a nice dinner....   My NY Fishing Excursion had 3 goals. BROWN TROUT. STEELHEAD. CHINOOK SALMON. By 930am, I had caught 2 monster Brown Trout on my 7wt Fly Tackle..... I left Sandy Creek, which I hit on a whim, and headed to the World Famous "Archer Club" on Oak Orchard River. Here I'd be fishing with 50 to 100 other Anglers, shoulder to shoulder...... Honestly, I'm over 800 miles from my comfort zone. This was going to be interesting! I quickly learned though, Fishing is Fishing and Its What I Do! After 20 minutes of casting, I had a 17 lb Chinook Salmon and my 7wt TFO Fly Rod was broken in 3 places....... I also found a pesky 5lb male Salmon a little later that I subdued on my trusty 3wt. I could very easily be overpowered here with my 3wt. Hell, its nearly guaranteed! I actually found a perfect fish for the "little rod". Lucky........ That was Day 1. Awesome! I need to find my Steelhead tomorrow! In the timeless and epic words of  KISS drummer Peter Criss, "Jenn I hear you calling, but I can't home right now. My and the Boys are Fishing, but we just can't find the Steel Steel Steel Heads. Just a few more casts and I'll be right home to you.... I think I hear them splashing. Oh Jen, what can I do? Oh Jen, what can I do? Total Catch for the Day: 2 Brown Trout at 16 and 13 lbs and 2 Chinook Salmon at 17 and 6 lbs

Nov 3- What's Up!

I am at home. Its been raining all day. My Boat is Broke Down....... Why am I so happy?

Well............ Based on last years GOOD FORTUNE, why don't I just Shut the Hell Up. Save it until I'm holding the damn thing up by the River.

Salmon and Trout, beware.........

Oct 27- On the New Job Today

I've been tranferred to Cedar Island and I'm now working with the Big Boys! Newest boat in the fleet, MV Swan Quarter built in 2010-2011. I've got a lot to learn..... It'll be nice being home at night, that's for sure.

As for the fishing, hopefully the next fish I catch will be a King Salmon or a Steelhead. Its been a long time coming, but its time for Capt Marty to scoot 15 hours up the road and try something new. I will be standing knee deep in Lake Ontario's creek run Salmons and Trout. Please let them eat my fly......   I will be looking for my first King Salmon, my first Coho Salmon, my career best Brown Trout, and my career best Rainbow Trout. Atlantic Salmon also run these creeks but I damn sure ain't expecting to get that lucky....... I'm honestly hoping for 3 of the other 4 and I'll be lucky...

I'm hoping to check these guys off my bucket list. And hopefully this will propel me towards an Alaskan Fishing Adventure in the summer of 2016!

Bad News

I have got to say, I've seen this day coming from a ways off. She held up longer than I would have ever guessed. Unfortunately, concerns about the health of my Outboard Motor affected every decision that I've made on the water for the past year, and to some degree, the past 4-5 years..... Then last Wednesday, she finally did it. A pretty serious break down. My ole 250 Suzuki did have the common decency to run like a scalded dog all the way back to the Dock. The problem is, or better stated, the obvious symptom is the shards of fractured magnet that are stuck all over my engine and visible when the cowling is removed. Decision time ahead for Capt Marty. Pour $$$$ into a 2003 250 HP Suzuki that already belongs in the Outboard Motor Hall of Fame, buy a new Motor, or become a Surf Fishing Guide...... As for right now, anyone interested in foot fishing for Speckled Trout? The numbers are going to be good. Let's Go!

Also be on the lookout for a:

GoFundMe account for "Capt Marty's New Outboard"

WTH, also look for a GoFundMe for:

"Send Capt Marty on an Australian Black Marlin Quest"

Oct 22- Where Did All The Fish Go

Once again, what a difference a day makes.... Yesterday was probably the most sea life I'd ever seen. Acres of Menhaden and Anchovy. Thousands of Pelicans, Gulls, and Terns. Armadas of Predators. Bluefish, Albacore,  Bottlenosed Dolphin,  and Humpback Whale. All gorging like a Honey Boo Boo Family night at Golden Corral. Today, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. Absolutely beautiful weather and you would think, mid-October and Fishing will be Great. With the Top Water Boat on Life Support and in need of a new Outboard Motor (YIKES........  ) I joined Capt Christopher Columbus on the FV Santa Maria and we went out Straight Sight Casting Red Drum Excursion... Things did not go as planned! Chris and I explored the New World from Shark Island to the Sheraton at Atlantic Beach. We saw No Red Fish, hell we did not even see a Blue Fish, or any other if the ROY G BIV Spectrum................ I did fire a cast towards a swirl and a rip and I managed to hook a miracle Albacore. Amazing. We rode 50 miles and the lack of visible life was incredible. Moreso after yesterdays plethora of Life. Well, it wasn't 1492, but I did sail the Ocean Blue with Christopher Columbus. Meanwhile, Capt Tyler Thomas took my charter for today while my crippled boat sat in my yard. Fate Unknown. Total Catch for the Day: 1 Albacore at 10 lbs

Oct 21- Great Great Albacore Fishing

What a difference a day makes! The fishing today was Outstanding! Well, let me rephrase that...  The "Albacore" Fishing was Outstanding! Some other things we tried, we struggled. Jim and Trish made their day out west of Shark Island where the Albacore presented themselves nicely, with some individual forays lasting from 15-20 seconds. This action lasted for at least 2 hours in the morning. There were plenty of opportunities to go around for each of the 10-12 boats out there. Whether you liked Fly or Spin, this was a great morning for catching Albacore........  Jim could cast a stingsilver with the best of them. Trish's casting was fairly short, but no matter, she did fine on her own. She had No Problem catching at least 5 total "Do It Yourself" Albacore. On occasion that I joined them casting, we accomplished a tripleheaders at least 2 times.....  Much to the chagrin of at least one "1 month a year" Albacore Guide. I found his eye rolling, shoulder shrugging humorous. Later his mumbling and preoccupation with what my Boat was doing got a little more offensive. I guess I need to apologize for the fact that not only can I catch 6 Albacore to his One, but I can also hang a stingsilver between his eyeballs from 200 feet away into a 15kt northeaster.... But, I love my Fly Rod too and I do appreciate the skill and the fishery... I do recognize, however, that there were PLENTY of Albacore to go around and I'll be damned if some Cat that you don't even see on the water until October is going to push me off of a school of fish. Especially when my clients are paying there hard earned money to catch the same fish that everyone else is chasing. Off soapbox. Also, it was an incredible day for watching Marine Life and seeing its abundance. We saw acres of Menhaden and Anchoviy.. We saw thousands of Sea Birds. Pelicans were feeding in a very unusual manner. Herding "red bait" in massive shoals and corralling them. Wings spread, scooping up shovel fulls of tiny Anchovy from a "sitting on the water" position. We also saw hundreds of Dolphin and a Young Humpback Whale right up in 20 feet of water. Awesome day, Great Clients. Lots of sore-mouthed Albacore. Sorry Charlie, this ain't the Chicken of the Sea. Total Catch for the Day: 17 Albacore from 8 to 11 lbs, 12 Bluefish from 10" to 2 lbs, 1 Inshore Lizardfish, and 1 Menhaden

Oct 20- Tough NE Wind and Fishing Struggles

Great client Brent showed up after a 2 year hiatus..... In all fairness, I spent time in Brent's Penalty Box for knocking his 10 lb Spanish Mackerel off his stingsilver with my poorly aimed Landing Net. Oooopps. Unfortunately, today there would be NO MACKEREL, King or Spanish.... In fact, Live Bait Fishing was very very very disappointing. Especially considering the Hell of Catching Menhaden and the slow, wet run 10 miles to the (Not So) Hot Spot... The ride home was even worse. All told, it was a waste of 4+ hours. Brent established (again) his vertical jigging prowess by catching a Blue Runner, a Gag Grouper, and a Whitebone Porgy. Three very interesting species! Once back near Cape Lookout we had our fun catching 2-3 lb Bluefish while casting metal lures. The coolest thing about the action today was the forage species. Incredibly the Blues (and Gulls and Pelicans) were gorging on 6-8 inch Ribbonfish. Millions of them. There were baby Ribbons jumping everywhere. Brent and Ken decked approximently 30 Bluefish. Killed a few and released the rest. We then added Albacore and Red Drum to the party being hosted by King Mackerel..... They called it the "Fish Embarassing Captain Marty Fall Extravaganza". All in all,  I was very disappointing not to find better Fishing for these guys. The middle of October is supposed to produce Great Fishing and despite the sucky NE Wind and dirty water, I was very disappointed. Total Catch for the Day: 30 Bluefish from 2-3 lbs, 1 Gag Grouper, 1 Blue Runner, and 1 Whitebone Porgy

Oct 17- Citation Red Drum Surprise

I picked a damm fine day to leave my phone in the truck. Jennifer didn't have hers either. No big deal, we were just going for a short boat ride. Emma was riding too so I grabbed 2 spinning rods and I figured I'd catch her a Bluefish to munch on. After catching 5 small Blues inside the Inlet, I decided to check out Rough Point for schools of Red Drum. Conditions were ideal except for dirty water. I gave up quickly on this idea because it was impossible. I wasn't willing to blind cast on 8 miles of Oceanfront..  As I turned the Top Water Boat around and headed back to Beaufort Inlet, sonething caught my eye. A huge dark spot on the water covered up with splash splash splash pop pop pop...... A HUGE school of Menhaden. Biggest of my year. I raced over for a closer look. I explained to Jennifer how I used to love to snag Menhaden as a kid on the Morehead Ocean Pier. Like this! As I drove a stingsilver into the school. My rod bowed and the tip throbbed as my treble hook found paydirt. My wife thought it was cool! Watch this then, I said. I could already feel mystery fish hitting my snagged Menhaden. I quickly cranked him up to the surface and a half dozen 3-4 lb Bluefish followed it up. Darting in and biting out plugs of flesh. Cool as hell but sadistic. Jennifer felt sorry for the hapless Menhaden, now just a carcass. Suddenly the boat's shadow spooked the Bluefish. I was hoping to hook a larger Blue. I freespooled the "still snagged" carcass to the botton. By the way, I had a great view because I was still in the tower. Amazingly, on the bottom, I got a quick bite. The hookset was solid and the fish surged away like a runaway Freight Train! This fish was obviously pretty damn heavy and strong and my first guess was a Shark. I figured with a stingsilver tied directly to 10# mono, a battle with a big Shark would end pretty quickly. My opponent was still taking line and there was occasional jerk jerk as my quarry shook his head. I dared to tighten the drag fully expecting my line to part on the "Shark's" sharp teeth or abrasive skin.... Neither happened. In fact, I was able to stop my opponent and actually gain some line back. As I fought my fish from my Tower we were attracting the attention of several other Boats fishing nearby. Everyone wanted to see what I had hooked. Finally, 10 stressful minutes after the hook-up, my line started to rise and a large reddish bronze fish materialized out of the greenish gloom......My mystery fish turned out to be a 42" Red Drum.... From the waters off Shackleford Banks, in October.... That's a weird place for a mature Red Drum to be. Just goes to show.... You never know what you might catch when you drop a bait in the damn Ocean! Total Catch for the Day: 1 Red Drum at 42" and 2 Menhaden

To be continued

Oct 16- Fat Albert Frenzy

Fifteen year ago, Ten years ago, Five years ago..... George Bush and everybody else in the World who fished with Fly Tackle would descend on Beaufort Inlet and Barden's Inlet in October and November to chase the suddenly popular Little Tunny, better known as, and incorrectly known as: Albacore, False Albacore, and Bonito.... Call him Fat Albert and everyone knows who "that fish is"....  I pesonally call them Albacore, but I'd love to catch a real, or True Albacore! Just DON'T call him a Bonito because the real Bonito in everything a Fat Albert is plus it's great eating.... (Shut Up Capt Marty, it's late)  What I was getting at is this, there are millions of Albacore around Cape Lookout right now and there are very few guys out chasing them. We found them yesterday along with a few of their sleek gray enemies..... This morning. I ran out there to try them on my 5wt Fly Rod. By myself. It's tough, I quickly frustrated myself. Pulled out the metal on spin and caught them on 4 straight casts at one point. In 2 hours, I released 7 Albacore and had a great time! As I told BenJeye yesterday, It's one of my favorite things. Releasing hard fighting but otherwise worthless Fat Alberts. And yes, I know that nowadays they have some value and the Fish Houses are buying them. To me, if they ain't worth $1 a pound, they ain't getting mine..... It just isn't worth if. Every single Albacore, or whatever you choose to call them, they EARN their freedom. Let them go! It makes me feel good...... Total Catch for the Day: 7 Albacore from 8 to 11 lbs

Oct 15- Best Experience of the Year

I was careful NOT to say "best fishing of the year" but BenJeye and I had one of those rare "Magic Fishing Moments" play out all around and right beside and just beneath the Top Water Boat and he nor I will ever forget it. In my 40+ years of Fishing (Hell Yeah I'm counting the many weeks and weekends I spent on the Morehead Ocean Pier as a 10 year old) I've never seen anything to rival today's show.... So if I got you "hooked", you must be wondering what the hell happened to us? Well, our day was tough and challenging. Beautiful weather in mid-October usually means the Best King Mackerel Fishing of the Year. Adding to the challenge was all the terrible weather we've been experiencing as well as Capt Marty's lack of recent fishing... I sat out all last week off because of horrible weather and the past week I was at Hatteras. I didn't miss much, as the weather remained horrible. With no up to date information, just drawing on 20 years of experience HARD CORE King Mackerel Fishing..... BenJeye and I ventured out and our goal was an NC Citation for BenJeye..... First of all, the Menhaden were "un-catchable" in front of Harker's Island for some damn reason. We settled for about 14 Bluefish from 8" to 10" each in the livewell instead. Piss Poor but better than nothing, Casting metal to marauding Bluefish was fun enough after a 2 week hiatus from the Top Water Experience! So with some bait, less than ideal, but better than nothing, we hauled ass 12 miles South of Beaufort Inlet. Arriving at "the Spot" we fairly quickly caught BenJeye is FIRST career King Mackerel. What we used to call "Hatteras Stock" this King Mackerel was stocky as hell and ran like OJ "The Juice" Simpson back in 1973..... His second run was outstanding and for a minute I thought we had BenJeye's pink slipper, but he faded to a stout 23 pounder and our day was young and the outlook was bright.... Then, we went 2 hours without a scare.... Crapola! We then decided before calling it quits, we would head over to the Fenwick Island Wreck and see if we could catch an Amberjack. Here's where a drab day turned into a day to NEVER BE FORGOTTEN...... We found no Jacks, hell we didn't even find a Wreck. Has it "sanded over", who knows? Well, LGF knows, I need to ask him..... Later on that.... Anyway,, we ran up on many many many Albacore schools.... BenJeye had never caught one of those either. I picked up a spinning rod and slung a stingsilver in a foray of foam and green back missiles. Immediate hookup followed by a quick release. As BenJeye started his personal Albacore quest, something off to the east caught my eye. Something incredible was happening. As I stared away at "something" the Albacore "blew up" right beside me..... BenJeye didn't see this as he was casting off the portside and I was casting off the starboard side. I know what I saw. In a sea full of splashes and whips of green and silver, I saw a distinct whurl of black and yellow. With hands shaking, I quickly cast my stingsilver. Just as it entered the "feed zone" a mini bulldozer of high speed Blackfin Tuna broke the surface just right of my racing lure. A quick twitch of muscle and the Tuna veered into my stingsilver, A big splash and BOOM. I was hooked up. A different kind of run. Strong, deep, heavy, deliberate. "Hey Jeye, I got a freaking stud-ass 25 lb Blackfin Tuna hooked up". As soon as I formed the sentence, the rod tip popped up and the line went limp.... Incredible. FIVE MONTHS AGO, THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED. (Ryan Handsbro and me off Atlantic Beach) I am 0-2 on kick ass Blackfin Tuna on spinning tackle in 2015.... Guess what? THAT AINT IT..... Crazy as it seems, even though there was acres of Albacore busting in all directions.... And at least a few Blackfin Tunas! Those were NOT what had caught my eye.... No, No Way. Off to the East, it was still happening... Sharks and hundreds of them, were jumping. Here. There, and Everywhere. We have all seen Blacktip and Spinner Sharks jump. And spin. But here today, they were jumping 5-10 at a time. For up to 10 minutes at a time. We are talking about hundreds or even thousands of Sharks. Jumping Jumping Jumping over and over again. Little ones at 20 pounds. Big ones at 7 feet and 150 pounds..... We ran the Top Water Boat to the action. BenJeye was in for a treat. Hell, Capt Marty was in for a treat. Something INCREDIBLE was Happening Here and that aint no joke. Funny too, I've experienced schools of Sharks through the years and they've never been Boat Shy... But these were. So it seemed....... We'd run to them and they'd disappear. Five minutes later and 1000 yards to the east, they would start up again. We tried 3 times to get into them. But they would elude us..... Finally I ran east of where they were jumping. Here I turned the motor off and we waited. After a few minutes, the Albacore popped up close by and we started casting towards them. BenJeye had left a live Bluefish overboard and suddenly his reel started singing.... As I moved towards the stern, I looked over the side and here they came..... An Army of Sharks.... Twenty Sharks wide and a parade that was 50 Sharks long! Big ones too, 100+ pounders. Suddenly the jumpers started.... Freaking crazy. BenJeye shot some video. We caught some. We broke off some. We released 4 by the Boat. The smallest one I pulled into the Boat for a picture and he was a 40 pounder..... After watching this amazing show, I almost believe the jumping was a conscience effort to pummel and bewilder the Albacore... To stun them or confuse them... To make them easy to catch... I will say this much, because this happened.... Right in front of me. Once whie BenJeye was fighting a Shark, I tossed my stingsilver at an Albaacore blow-up. I quickly hooked an Albacore. Right in front of me, 3 of the larger Spinner Sharks exploded off towards my Albacore. My drag screamed like no Albacore ever screamed it before! The chase lasted about 10 seconds. Just off my bow, the Sharks gave up the chase and swam back to the boat. Dorsal fins out so there was no mistaking a Shark for a Shark, I watched them.... The 3 large Spinner Sharks lazily swam just in front of my position. They waited. My Albacore played itself out of energy.... As I tried to land it as quickly as possible BUT it wasn't quick enough! Right at boatside, right in front of BenJeye and me, the 3 Spinners waited and then pounced on my exhausted Albacore. They shredded it in seconds. After that show, it was getting late and it was time to go.... I told BenJeye, this stuff DOES NOT happen everyday, We looked out to the east and south of our position just west of the Cape Lookout Shoals. Sharks were hurling themselves into the air in 3 individual groups. There was anywhere from 5 to 20 Sharks airborne at any given time. A few 20 pounders. A bunch of 50-100 pounders. A few 150 pounders. The ones we landed were all Spinner Sharks. Strange because during the past 25 years, I land approximately 30 Blacktip Sharks for each Spinner Sharks..... I find it hard to believe what I saw on Oct 15, 2015...... Total Catch for the Day: 30 Bluefish from 8" to 12", 6 Albacore from 7 lbs to 10 lbs, a 23 lb King Mackerel, a 15" Spanish Mackerel, 6 Spinner Sharks from 40 lbs to 85 lbs, and 3 Sharpnose Sharks from 7 lbs to 9 lbs

Oct 13- End of an Era

I go home tomorrow and my time at Hatteras is over. No need to ponder that now, lets go King Mackerel Fishing. Get er Done! Albacore, Red Drum, and Speckled Trout too..

Pretty soon Capt Marty will be headed north. In search of new challenges. Yall better catch me before I change gears!

Oct 9- Gray Trout Suprize

Fishing is damn slow! So slow, I ditched the rod and reel and grabbed the gig and light. This despite high winds and dirty water. The two biggest No-No's of Flounder Gigging! Either/Or it was just a waste of time... .. Actually time spent alone, wondering the warm edge of any salty body of water is very very soothing to my soul. Reflecting on my past and future, while searching for a great flounder is what makes this activity so appealing to me. Of course, there are other factors. You are matching wits with one of Mother Nature's Greatest Evolutionary Creations: The Flounder. Incredible in camoflauge and a stealthy top end predator. This fish should be admired as Way More Than a Delicious Fish Dinner. This Fish is the King of the Salt Water Environments Shallow Bottoms. No small fish passes a hungry Flounder without paying the ultimate sacrifice.  And they never saw what hit them! Anyway, to gig this amazing creature, you must approach one in complete darkness; bringing it into your "circle of light".... Then before the Flounder understands what's happening, you must thrust your gig into his muscular body. You must be quick or your Flounder will explode off his sandy hiding spot and disappear leaving a trail of silty clouds along his escape path! You can follow him, but beware, he always always runs towards deep water...   Doing ALL THIS versus one of Nature's Greatest, Alone, While knee deep in the water off a desolute wind swept Outer Island Beach. On a dark and windy Night. Less than a mile from where 90 men, women, and children drowned during the wreck of the SS Home back in 1837..... On top of all this, pondering your past and future, searching for flounder..... Sometimes in the wind and the crashing waves, I have heard the cry of women and children calling for help in the surf. Tortured souls that can't rest.....

Alone. Dark. Windy. Flounder. Ghosts.

A fishing report that went Bad.... Total Catch for the Night: 1 Gray Trout at 24oz and 1 BlackSea Bass

Oct 8- Long Night and Slow Fishing

BenJeye and I stayed up between 1am and 415am and "fished the night away"...... There was a Falling Tide but no perceivable water movement all night. The water was very Dirty. There was NO meaningful Bait. In other words, it's early October and the Ferry Basin should be FULL of MULLET. Running Finger Mullet and the resident population of huge adult Jumping Mullets. They should be full of Roe..... They are GONE. Without the Fingers, the predators are missing. Without the adult Mullets, our grill is cold. No Roe for Bobby Garrish... it is a sad time.... Back to the actual fishing... I guesstimate that in 195 minutes I probably made 150 casts.... I had 5 bites. I missed 2 bites. I caught a Flounder. A Gag Grouper. And a Speckled Trout. The Speckled Trout is significant because in the thousands of hours I have spent fishing here since 2002, this is my First Speckled Trout at this location. Odd...... Meanwhile BenJeye caught a Gag Grouper and a Lizardfish. Long Night. Total Catch for the Night: 1 Southern Flounder, 1 Speckled Trout, 2 Gag Grouper, and 1 Inshore Lizardfish 

Oct 7- Fishing, Flounder, and the Flood

Well.......  After 13 years, 30+ NC Flounder Citations, precisely 34 NC Sheephead Citations..... A 6 lb 2oz Gray Trout, a 10 lb 6oz Flounder, a 12 lb 8oz Flounder....... My career best Tautog, Conger Eel, and huge Lookdowns...... A freaking 9 lb Jumping Mullet in my Castnet....... A 1000+ Squid up to 36"...... It's Coming to an END.......

The Things I've seen over there at South Dock through the years! A Pigmy Sperm Whale. An Asian Tiger Shrimp. A Glasseye Snapper. Y'all get the picture????? The Flounders, and the Sheepheads, and the Squid really MADE THAT PLACE ROCK though.... A Scuba Diver was checking the Prop on a Ferry over there back in September of 2004. I'll never forget it. I was headed to work, a NIGHT Shift. I had my cast net, my bait bucket, and my 15 foot landing net (I was ready in other words).... He came up, and said, I'll never forget it, he said, "Does anyone ever fish over here? Because I'm here to tell ya, there are Flounder down there like shingles on a roof......" That night between 1230am and 400am I caught 28 Southern Flounders. 20 of them were over 3 lbs. 5 of them were over 6 lbs. The largest was 10 lbs 6oz.... My Captain laughed at me as he walked on the Boat. "You been up all night? What an idiot" Idiot Indeed. The Events that make you and shape you.

It's all coming to an end..... This is MY LAST SHIFT at The Hatteras Inlet Ferry Operation.... Next week, I start working at The Cedar Island Ferry Operation. Therefore, this Is My Last Chance to fish the Glorious South Dock, which is located on the North End of Ocracoke Island.... Too bad #1 The Finger Mullet run was peaking 2 weeks ago. The Flounder shadow the Finger Mullet at Hatteras Inlet.... #2 We just had our "Hurricane for 2015".... Not really, but we had the Rain of a Hurricane plus more and we nearly had the wind... The water was "as high as" all the Storm Surges I've experienced down at Hatteras Village. The exception would be Hurricane Isabel. That seems like a lifetime ago. It was 2003, my second year at Hatteras..... Oh well, in other words, THE WEATHER RUINED THE FISHING! I been saying that ALL YEAR. Is it just me? What an assed-up year of Fishing.... Top Water Charters has had a terrible year and I have caught less fish than any year back to..... I'd guess 1985. Another story for another day, but I re-discovered Fishing in April of 1986 after kinda quitting in it for 2-3 years.... Other things seemed more important, for about 3 years.....

Anyway, my crewmate and Harker's Islander Ben-Jeye Taylor has Commercial Fished and been a 3rd Percentile Mercenary his entire life and has never caught a fish.... We have talked about and planned for this Night Run all the way back to May...... WE certainly weren't going to let Floodwaters, Erosion, Dirty Water, No Bait, Dead Basin, High Wind, ChowdaHead Josh or anything else keep us from Fishing. Ben-Jeye had heard all my stories. He wanted to catch a Flounder... Like I said, there was NO LIVE BAIT to be caught. The Tide was falling/LOW all night. The Water was HIGH as HELL and Filthy all Night   (It takes a great Outdoorsman to Understand the paradox of "Low Tide" and "Extremely High Water" but you will have to trust me, I know what I'm talking about)  The deck was stacked against Ben-Jeye as we started our Late Night Fishing Session. Imagine my suprize when on his 3rd or 4th cast Ben-Jeye decked a fat 17" Southern Flounder on a Gulp Shrimp! Awesome. Mission Accomplished! It wasn't great, but an hour later, I had caught 2 Southern Flounders and Ben-Jeye had caught 2 Southern Flounders. I had the best one at 2 lbs.... The weather is improving, the conditions are improving, maybe the Mullet will come back, and I've got 5 more nights at Hatteras Inlet. SAD.... HAPPY..... All rolled up into one! Total Catch for the Night: 4 Southern Flounder up to 2 lbs

October 1- More Rain Coming......RAIN RAIN RAIN

I have well publicized the fact that October is my Favorite Fishing Month and the Oct-Dec period is my Favorite Fishing Quarter of the Year. Like a Football Game, the Fishing Season's relative success or failure is usually decided in the 4th Quarter....... This year, it seems like October is getting off to a horrible start. It's raining this morning. It's supposed to rain all day, all night, and into tomorrow.


STOP THE NON SENSE

ITS FRICKING RAINING and IT'S RUINING MY LIFE

Sept 30- Beaufort Freshwater Grand Slam

Its been a while since I've seen that. Took the 3wt Fly Rod over to the Mung Hole this afternoon. After 2 casts, I had my Largemouth Bass and my Pumpkinseed. Five minutes later, I had my Bluegill for a Beaufort Sweet Water Grand Slam. After reaching that landmark I continued to throw popping bugs into my favorite Urban Water Hole. What developed was a surprise. Probably the best Pumpkinseed fishing Id ever experienced. I released 8 Pumpkinseed and caught 2 more Largemouth Bass also. Total Catch for the Day: 3 Largemouth Bass, 8 Pumpkinseed, and 1 Bluegill

Sept 25-28- Ferry Dock Fishing

This could've been "The Week". The Finger Mullet run is peaking at Hatteras Inlet and back in the good ole days, that would've could've should've meant 5-10 Flounders over 20" per night with 4-8 Citations for the Week and a Top Fish of 8-10 lbs. I've been at Hatteras since 2002 and I've got 30+ Flounder Citations at home that came off 2 little sand ridges at South Dock. No joke. Many people may remember those old postings!

Unfortunately, this week I was right there and ready to hammer them BUT..... Instead, we got 10 inches of rain and it blew a Gale for nearly the entire week. I dodged the rain long enough to burn up one pack of Gulp 5" White Jerk Shad. I managed to catch 6 Southern Flounder and 3 Gag Groupers. That's it. I let them all go. I'm changing....... Total Catch for the Week: 6 Southern Flounder up to 24oz, 3 Gag Grouper, and 1 Inshore Lizardfish

Bad Weather AND Erosion of our Barrier Islands

The weather on the entire North Carolina Coast is HORRIBLE..... First of all we have a "Super Moon"event taking place. I heard it on the TV this morning as I slipped in and out of sleep. Without googling it, I assume that in addition to a Full Moon; the Moon is at a point in it's orbit that brings it to it's closest position of the year in relation to the Earth. This event by itself would cause abnormally high tides and extreme differences between high and low. This larger range of tide would obviously create more currents, in and out of our Inlets, plus more Longshore Currents and more Rip Tides. This alone would cause Coastal Flooding. More water and faster moving water than normal, that is flowing in and out of our Inlets and Passes will naturally lead to increased erosion in addition to the flooding. And anyone to who cares, you better take a look at both Beaufort and Hatteras Inlets if you want to remember what they "were"....... There has already been erosion in the past 3 years that will forever (In our Lifetime) change the way these Inlets look. At both locales, there has been 1,000's feet of Beach lost (I dare say 1/4 to 1/3 mile, but it would be a guess). There has been hundred of Cedar Trees and other Barrier Island vegetation lost. These will not grow back in my lifetime, if they do at all. Beaufort Inlet has changed so damn much in the past 3 years, the LACK of PUBLICITY that this has received absolutely BLOWS MY MIND. Same thing at Hatteras Inlet. These are the localities that I see and use the most. Perhaps its happening everywhere, I dont know. In summary, the west end of Shackleford Banks is flat out melting into the Ocean. At Hatteras Inlet, its the west end of Hatteras Island that is getting devoured by the Ocean. The north end of both Ocracoke Island and Bogue Banks pretty much comes and goes, but there has been not really been much "net change" in the time span that I've been paying attention.......

Back to the weather, the astronomical high tides, in addition to a strong High Pressure System to the North of us and a Coastal Low Pressure to the South of us has created a Pressure Gradient that is producing steady and somewhat gusty East and Northest Winds that are pushing waves on shore that is causing EVEN MORE WATER to pile up in Coastal North Carolina. (That might be the Longest Sentence Ive ever wrote. All you Grammer Teacher's put there remember, I am a Fisherman)... Finally, on top of all that, It's been raining on and off, very torrential at times, for the past 48 hours. The amount of water standing on Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands is unbelievable. Highway 12 on Ocracoke Island is underwater and thus, The Hatteras Inlet Ferry Operation is closed down. There is literally no where to go if you ride across from Hatteras to Ocracoke..... What we got up here is a perfect scenario for a Coastal Flood, Astronically High Tides, Low Pressure to the South, Strong High Pressure to the North,,,, Any of those elements alone could cause minor Flooding. Added together, and there is WATER EVERYWHERE..... Fortunately, the winds have been steady at around 20kts, with higher gusts.... If a little higher, the steady winds couldve been really problematic...

The worst part...... Evidently we are probably gonna miss a kick ass Eclipse tonight. Too Cloudy. A very rare "Red Moon" event that's happening tonight and peaking at 10:47 pm on the US East Coast according to one website I read. Oh well, hopefully we will get a glimpse.......  Also, and more importantly to Top Water Charters,  these winds usually produce a "Fishing Hangover" inshore. I do predict this:  Once the Ocean stabilizes after this Puff, The FISHING is going to EXPLODE. Hopefully this event wont blow all the Mullets to South Carolina and/or scatter our Menhaden schools. We are going to need some Menhaden pretty bad because the King Mackerel are getting ready to Blow Up!

IMPORTANT

As of Right Now, The TOP WATER BOAT

DOES NOT HAVE A BLANKET LICENSE

In other words, Clients and Friends and Anglers will need a 2015 North Carolina Saltwater Fishing License to be LEGAL when fishing with Top Water Charters. 

Short Term Licenses cost $5 for NC Residents and $10 Non Residents. Licenses can be purchased on-line. I will offer Anglers a discount from my rates to offset a portion of their Licensing Costs.

I am sorry for this inconvenience.