Aug 30 Amberjack Fishing

Dan, Lisa, Jason, and Willy went out with me today and the Hurricane Swell stopped us dead in our tracks to the East. With all my favorite places off-limits, I had to re-group and form a new plan quickly. Things started looking up in front of Harker's Island, where one toss of the cast net canned 5 dozen Menhaden. After that we ran SW out of Beaufort Inlet and found a school of Amberjacks that were more than willing to "make our day". Everybody caught at least one Amberjack. The first one was the most spectacular. Jason caught his first, a 27 pounder, on a light spinning rod that was intended for a Barracuda. After that we bailed them, on all sorts of tackle. When it was over, we had boxed 5 Amberjacks from 25-33 lbs each and had released 3 other Amberjacks. The "almost" highlight of the day happened when we tried to get Lisa an Amberjack. I broke out the Big Rod with the 2 Speed Reel for easy cranking and dropped a bait down near the bottom. Seconds later we were hooked up and Lisa gave her fish a quick ride to the surface. Wouldn't you know it, but a big green Cobia pops up and he is on-fire. First he runs into the motor, then we see whats happening and what it is and I take the rod off the gunnel and clear him off the motor. I put the rod back in the gunnel and Lisa takes over again while I get the gaff. The next surge goes under the boat and the rod tip pops up and the hook comes flying out of the water. The Cobia is gone. Oh well, lucky Cobia, any other rod and your ass would be sitting in Emerald Isle right now. See ya next May. Total Catch for the Day: 8 Amberjacks

Aug 28 Fishing at Night

Dan and his crew joined me on a night mission and the action was pretty good. Before dark we casted to fast-moving schools of Spanish Mackerel and into slower moving Bluefish frenzys for a half hour. This action was pretty hard to get into. With 3 casters at all times, we only managed to box 2 Spanish Mackerel and 8 Bluefish. The wind, the seas, and 6 other boats made it difficult and the fish were a pain in the ass too. The real action, by the way, seemed to be over at Rough Point where some really nice surf was coming in. Tommorrow looks to be an epic day for the surfers. Tonight there were 25 surfers that were still ripping it up after the sunset. Looked like fun. The dunes came to life later with bonfires popping up and the smell of burning "retardedness" drifting across the sound. Looked like fun, smelled like fun, and the Sharks even got the munchies over on the Shark Shoal. Action was good until we ran out of Spanish Mackerel chunks. We got a couple of bites on cut Bluefish, but it wasn't the same. When we decided to leave, everybody had released a 20-30lb Blacknose Shark and we had caught 2 baby Sharks and a Bluefish. We also pulled off 3 smokers. Blacktips? Maybe. Then we went inside and casted unsuccessfully for Ladyfish. There was quite a bit of surface activity, but we got NO strikes. Bummer. Total Catch for the Night: 5 Blacknose Sharks, 9 Bluefish, 1 Sea Robin, and 2 Spanish Mackerel

Aug 26 Good Summertime Fishing

Chris and his soon to be Brother-In -Law fished with me today and the action was outstanding! Our first stop was just outside Beaufort Inlet to cast to some Spanish Mackerel that were tearing up the water. Those jokers tried to set the tone for the day by being picky. In app. 100 casts delivered in the strike zone, we only boxed 3 Spanish Mackerel and had a couple shake off. Pretty frustrating! Too the East, all those frustrations quickly went out the window. Arriving at my "home away from home" we quickly found the largest concentration of Bluefish that I've encountered in my 40 years of Salt Water Fishing. (claiming to start as a 5 yr old). Bluefish after Bluefish went into the box or the live well. 1-3 pounders. Metal, Top Water Plugs, whatever. After that carnage, we went to a Wreck, and everything went according to plan. First a Citation Barracuda, then an Amberjack, and then a couple of 150-175 pound Sand Tigers. Then we got a bonus 10lb Gag Grouper. Then we got a bonus Barracuda. After that we searched for Red Drum and failed. We ended up right back where we started and in 500 casts, we added 5 Spanish Mackerel. What ails them Mackerel? Total Catch for the Day: 70 Bluefish, 8 Spanish Mackerel, 1 Amberjack, 1 Gag Grouper, 1 Inshore Lizaerdfish, 2 Barracuda, and 2 Sand Tiger Sharks

Aug 20 Lots of Rain on Hatteras

I've got the Night Run. It should've been a fishy week. But some last second Truck troubles caused me to leave my Boat in Beaufort and some serious Lightning and Rain have curtailed my late night fishing expeditions. Tossing the cast net has been pretty productive. Thursday morning I had a 15 Mullet toss. Nice ones too, 2 pounders. Now if Gary Cooper will work his magic, lots of Ferry Dock workers will be eating good tommorrow night! Next week looks pretty busy. Hopefully I can squeeze in a Cedar Island Drum trip or two in there somewhere! The picture is of the much desired Tropic Bird and he aint been flying around Hatteras lately in all these Storms! I still got a few days open. Call me at 252-241-8350. Let's go fishing!

Aug 16 Awesome Mackerel, Bluefish, and Amberjacks

All we did was catch fish today. Jeff and his 2 sons had a great day of fishing. Right out of Beaufort Inlet we were greeted by thousands of airborne Spanish Mackerel. They were not shy about biting either. We caught all Jeff wanted in 30 minutes of casting metal. Off to the Shoals and the hard part was finding a way across that didn't scare the boys. Once we found the easy path (the long way) we found the Bluefish motherlode. The boys got all they wanted in the box and stuffed the live well. Most of these fish were caught on top water plugs and that was great action! After that we ran to a wreck and the boys unsuccessfully fished for Barracuda and whacked the Amberjacks. Everybody caught a Jack. One Amberjack was a NC Citation at 50". the boys let all their Jacks swim off to fight another day. After a dark clound formed up we called it quits and tossed the last Bluefish from the live well in thewater. A Barracuda quickly devoured it in plain view. Why didn't I put a hook in it? Total Catch for the Day: 15 Spanish Mackerel, 25 Bluefish, and 4 Amberjack

Aug 15 Not Much Fishing

We went out to play today and we didn't catch a lot of fish. The East side of the Shoals were a little rough so we stayed on the west side. Those of you that fish with me in summer and fall know where I like to go! Anyway, we did see some impressive Blacktip Sharks in the skinny water. 100+ pounders. We tried but we didn't get a bite from anything but the baby Blacknoses. I did find a school of Red Drum on the beach and Kimi caught a 26" Red Drum on 6# test. Go. We also, as a team, caught Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, a Blacktip Shark on metal, Scup, and Flounder at AR315 in the afternoon. Closer to a boat ride than a fishing trip, but it was still fun. Total Catch for the Day: 2 Spanish Mackerel, 5 Bluefish, 1 Blacktip Shark, 1 Southern Flounder, 2 Scup, 2 Pinfish, 6 Blacknose Sharks, 1 Lizardfish, 2 Hogfish, and 4 Black Sea Bass

Aug 13 Great Bluefish Casting

Larry and his son joined me today for a half day of light tackle fishing. Conditions were much better than yesterday but still a little bouncy. On the Cape Lookout Shoals we found the best casting of the year for Bluefish. Every cast is an underestatement. Strike after strike on every cast and these Bluefish were 2-4 pounders. Top water plugs produced savage strikes. It was incredible. After stuffing the cooler and the live well, we headed east to a wreck to catch some big fish. there were plenty of big fish around, but our success percentage was low. Bitten off by Barracudas and wrecked by Amberjacks time after time. Larry finally released a 14 lb Barracuda. We finished up with a doubleheader of Amberjacks and they both escaped as well. Still a great day! Total Catch for the Day: 60 Bluefish and 1 Barracuda

Aug 12 Bluefish and Sharks

Howard and crew joined me for a half day of fishing, and as usual, we were greeted by gray skies and 20+ knot SW wind. The Ocean and all my favorite spots were closed out. So after wasting a trip to Cape Lookout, we headed back down to Beaufort Inlet and found a Bluefish feeding frenzy that lasted all morning. We pretty much caught Bluefish on nearly every cast and there was just enough Spanish Mackerel mixed in to make things interesting. After the fishing slowed down, we took advantage of the last of the incoming tide to do some Shark Fishing. After missing a small Shark and a big Shark, we worked out our problems and our last 3 sets produced a 75 lb Blacktip Shark, a 30 lb Blacknose Shark, and a 30 lb Southern Stingray. The weather was a downer, Howard has had the worst luck picking pretty days. I really hope he nails it this fall and we have an "epic day" he deserves it! Unfortunately, my bikini streak ended today too. Where are you KJ? Total Catch for the Day: 50 Bluefish, 3 Spanish Mackerel, a 75 lb Blacktip Shark, a 30 lb Blacknose Shark, and 1 So Stingray

Aug 10 Great Shark Fishing

Kimi and Taylor went fishing with me today and we got a really late start. Capt Darryl of Beaufort Inlet Watersports gave me the the secret sign and that was all I needed to see. All we neeeded then was to catch some bait. Down in front of Harkers Island we found a school of Menhaden...one throw of the cast net we had plenty of bait. Then three Bottlenosed Dolphin put on a great show for us, they were nearly eating the bait out of our hands. They were within 2ft of the boat. Back down to Beaufort Inlet we started the SHARK FRENZY, in 3 hrs we had caught and released 10 Blacknose Sharks, and 2 Blacktip Sharks. One of the Blacknose sharks was right around 40lbs very close to the IGFA WORLD RECORD of 41lbs 9oz. Our biggest Blacktip was around 85lbs. The high light of the day was when a 50lb Blacktip Shark latched onto my wrist, devoured my glove and shredded the skin on my wrist. The revenge of the Sharks!!!!! Total Catch of the Day: 10 Blacknose Sharks up to 40lbs. and 2 Blacktip Sharks up to 85lbs.

July 30 Bailing Bluefish and KJ

Today was a nice day and Kimi and I went out for a sight seeing trip and got in some casting on the Shoals. The Bluefish were there and they were larger than yesterday. There were some 2 pounders around and they were aggressive. The top water action in 2 feet of water was impressive. Lots of impressive sights today. Total Catch for the Day: 10 Bluefish

July 29 Monster Barracuda and Plenty of Jacks

Mark, Jeremy, and Scott went fishing with me today and the fishing was very good. First thing in the morning we sat beside 2 acres of Bluefish and "every casted" them until the live well was stuffed, a few where iced, and more were released. Then we headed east to a wreck to catch some big fish. I figured our best shot a Barracuda would be on the first bait in the water. Rigged up with wire on a spinning rod, it took just about 10 seconds and bam, Scott was hooked up to a tail walking 45lb Barracuda. 3 jumps later he was spooled and to the last wrap when I gunned the boat ahead and we chased him down. Minutes late Scott had a 54" Barracuda release. Then we traded trebles for Js and wire for mono and headed back to the wreck. Automatic. One Amberjack after another. Scott released 4, I released 3, Mark released 1. 4 Amberjacks were big enough for release citations. Scott had a 38lb Amberjack and Mark had a 35lb Amberjack in the box. Then we run inshore where I caught a baby Sand Tiger and we caught 3 baby Amberjacks on light spinning tackle. Then the clouds and the rain came and we ran home. We did stop long enough to cast up a couple of Spanish Mackerel and a few Bluefish. Mark finished up the day with a new species on Top Water Charters when he released a Atlantic Bumper. Great day. Total Catch for the Day: 45lb Barracuda, 13 Amberjacks up to 50", 1 Sand Tiger, 50 Bluefish, 2 Spanish Mackerel, and 1 Atlantic Bumper

July 28 Mackerel, Bluefish, and Shark

Scouting trip today. This is what I found. I was a little too late for the Jumbo Spanish Mackerel bite. I did get a 3 pound Mackerel and 4 smaller ones. I found plenty of Bluefish and caught many on metal and top water plugs. I also found some huge Sand Tigers in 6 feet of water and huge Blacktip Sharks in 2 feet of water. I failed to deliver on these opportunitys. Interestingly, I also found a nice group of small Barracudas that were eager to follow a bait, but unwilling to bite! Well, it counts tommorrow, get ready boys. The Beer Jaguar is coming! Total Catch for the Day: 40 Bluefish and 5 Spanish Mackerel

July 24 Stuck on the Ferry

While I'm Ferrying Pilgrims across Hatteras Inlet, this action taking place not far away. Looks like a good place to cast a line! These Red Drum and Sharks were photoged off Nags Head on July 20th.

July 19 Sharks and Mackerel and Platform Diving

This was a day that we had to fishing, regardless of the weather. I'm headed back to Hatteras tonight, and my 4 cousins wanted to go fishing. Today was our only shot. So despite being battered by a relentless 25 knot SW wind, we went looking for some action. This morning, Beaufort Inlet was a horrible sight. Low tide, dirty water, and white caps. It looked bad. So we made the run up to Cape Lookout and found better conditions and enough activity to keep us busy for a few hours. We caught 10 dozen Menhaden in the cast net and then we slow trolled live bait for a while. We caught a Bluefish near a bait school, but that action was too slow. Then we casted metal in and around a bait ball and caught 4 Spanish Mackerel up to 3lbs. We also caught a couple of Bluefish. After that we soaked bait on the bottom while the boys jumped off the roof! Then we went cruising and we chased a Blacktip Shark for quite a while in the shallows. That poor Shark will never be the same. He's probably off the west coast of Africa now...... Later in the afternoon, we went back to Beaufort Inlet where Dillon released a sweet 100 pound Blacktip Shark after a 10 minute battle. Dean also released a 17 pound Blacknose Shark. Brandon had a monster Shark hooked up that ate the 3 lb Mackerel. Too bad this one escaped. Unfortunately, the bite died and Nick never got to pull on a Shark. I guess fishing was pretty poor, but it was still a great day on the water. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of Dillon's Blacktip Shark, it was too much of a battle after we dumped the anchor and had to chase him down in the wind and seas!! Total Catch for the Day: 4 Spanish Mackerel, 4 Bluefish, 2 Blacknose Sharks, and a 100 lb Blacktip Shark

Big Toe

Looks like Capt Marty might be grounded with a hurt BIG TOE. No Fishing on Thursday July 15! Sorry. I'm still looking for anglers for Friday and/or Saturday. Fishing is Good even in challenging conditions!

July 14 Wind, Rain, Lightning, and Bluefish

The weather today was nasty. Brandon and I fished hard and we fished in very challenging conditions. The morning started out gray and 20 kts of SW wind. The Queen Anne's Revenge Shoals on the west side of Beaufort Inlet, where the Mackerel motherlode was yesterday, was completely un-fishable. Inside Beaufort Inlet was our best bet. Casting metal lures produced great numbers of Bluefish all day long. Unfortunately, the majority of these Blues were small ones, less than 1 pound. There were also a few Spanish Mackerel mixed in. We tried bait early at the Shark Slough and caught a 20lb Stingray. After that we threw metal for a few hours and caught our Bluefish and Spanish Mackerel. When the tide was nearly high, we re-entered the Shark Slough and we thought we were going to rack up some impressive Shark numbers. The first bait in the water got smoked by a 25lb Blacknose Shark. This one had a beautiful yellow tint. I've never seen that before. We also released 2 small Blacknose Sharks. Then we made a small adjustment in where we were fishing. Our confidence was soaring! Then, after setting back out, all hell broke loose. The sky turned black, the wind went from 20 to 35, rain poured, and lightning cracked all around. We pulled up all our gear and made a mad dash to Beaufort. After the worst had passed, we caught a few more Mackerel and Bluefish and we struck out on a Red Drum search. Total Catch for the Day: 70 Bluefish, 8 Spanish Mackerel, 3 Blacknose Shark up to 25lbs, and 20lb Southern Stingray

July 13 Spanish Mackerel Fishing

Matt and fished today and this trip has been planned for a long time. While the beautiful days passed, I wondered "how much longer can this last." Matt finally stepped aboard this morning and when we got to Beaufort Inlet we were greeted by a strong SW wind, heavy chop, and a ripping current. We were also greeted by acres of Spanish Mackerel. Too bad the best of the fishing was in the worst possible place. We were casting in a washing machine. It was great casting, but diffficult conditions. I'm sure Matt was wondering "What's wrong with this guy." After about an hour, we had boxed 14 Spanish Mackerel on metal, we moved on to the next stop. Conditions improved away from Beaufort Inlet and we found some excellent fishing a couple of miles west. In an hour we had 6 strikes and caught 3 Spanish Mackerel from 3-6lbs. We lost a bigger one by the boat, missed a strike, and had a Barracuda devour a 6lb Spanish behind the boat. Then we tricked Mr Barracuda into finishing what he started. For a couple of minutes Matt battled the 30lb Barracuda on a 10# spinning rod. We eventually lost him, but it was a great show. After the bite died, we went back to Beaufort Inlet and caught Bluefish and more Spanish Mackerel in calm waters. We also missed 2 Blacktip Sharks. Since I waited too late and missed the tide, we were forced to sight cast these Sharks. That sounds like fun, but it aint the best way to catch them. I had a good view of the action though. We had a 100+ pounder barely miss the hook in a Spanish Mackerel after a long run and we had a 40 pounder on for 3 minutes until he jumped, made about 3 rotations and pulled the hook. Oh well, all the big ones got away today! Total Catch for the Day: 28 Spanish Mackerel up to 6lbs and 15 Bluefish