Rainy Day Notes

One really crazy thing we saw yesterday was very noteworthy. After I spent all winter griping that "Unless Mary Lee (the tagged 3500 lb Great White Shark) swims up to my boat, I probably ain't gonna see anythjng out there that I haven't seen a thousand times before. " Well, I was wrong! Yesterday Rhino and I saw a Freak Show. One in a Million here in NC! We saw a Gannet surface with a fish in his beak. A menhaden in all likelihood.  Then, to our amazement,  a 7 foot Shark surfaced and attacked the Gannet. Probably in effort to get the Shad. All we saw was the Sharks tail whipping, his dorsal fin high and erect,  and his eyes above the surface and his jaws snapping at ghe Gannet. The Gannet was backpedaling and squawking up a storm. I turned Thr Top Water towards the scene and the Shark quickly spooked. The Shark may have succeeded, I'm not sure. In my experience, that size Shark doesn't spook so easily. Regardless, it was quite a sight. It just ended too quickly!

Captain Marty's Bonito Ceviche. Awesome Boat Food. Appetizer Food. Main Course even.

Grilled Bonito. Absolutely Delicious Grilled Fish!

As for the Bonito that Rhino and I caught 7 and I made a killer batch of Ceviche. As my Ceviche "cured" in the refrigerator, I cooked up four of the largest loins on the Grill. Lightly marinated and cooked medium rare and this Sarda Sarda was every but as good as any Yellowfin Tuna has ever been. No Shit..... Now today (May 1st) I ate some delicious Ceviche while I was fishing on the Sea Spray. It was kick ass as well and tomorrow my brother and I will be eating some Bonito Toro as Sashimi. I already know how good this is gonna be! Long Story Short..... Atlantic Bonito is THE INSHORE TUNA on the US East Coast. It is everything Yellowfin Tuna is except the size of the Loin and the "Flake" size of the meat..... Awesome Fish!

Indigo Bunting. Rare Bird sighting at Ferry Dock over at Ocracoke Island

Finally, the other day at South Dock on the Eastern End of Ocracoke Island I noticed a very unusual bird. Dark Blue. Almost "Duke" blue. He also had black wings. It was asmall bird, the size of a true Bluebird. His color caught my eye. I snapped a quick, but poor quality photo. I thought I knew what it was, and after checking a Field Guide, I was right..... This little birdie was an Indigo Bunting. A very prominent species for the Bird Watchers out there......

April 29- Bonito Barrage

Rhino and a Beautiful Bonito

We all like Ceviche made with Bonito and this will make two Huge Batches!

We had a few of these in the LiveWell at one time as we waited on Mako Mike to return!

"Walleye of the Ocean"

Poor Emma in the Background! Sleeping off a Trout and Bluefish Sushi Tray

Top Water Charters triumphantly returned to the Ocean this morning and hammered the Atlantic Bonito, Bluefish, Gray Trout, and Black Sea Bass. The Bonito, formerly known as "Striped Apes" by people "in the know" are one of my FAVORITE SPECIES. These fish have the IT FACTOR. They are elusive, fast, hard hitting, and incredible fighters. They are beautiful and must be seen alive to be appreciated. They are absolutely delicious on the plate. Grilled or as Ceviche, anywhere Yellowfin Tuna shine, these Bonito make a great substitute. Finally and adding greatly to their appeal, is the fact that they are only around about 6 weeks and they will be gone until next Spring! This morning, Capt Rhino Handsbro and I sailed on what I really considered a "Shake Down Cruise". I really and truly expected the WORST CASE SCENARIO. Last Fall, before the Punk Ass Faggots stole all my Rods and Reels, The Top Water Boat was not running right. I was having "fuel" problems and I had pretty much narrowed it down to a serious obstruction inside my 27 year old fuel tank. In other words, I had a big problem. Well, this past winter, I did NOTHING. I did double up on my Marine Sta-bil though. Hopefully, the high concentration of fuel additive somehow broke up or dissolved whatever had my pick-up strangled off last year! FAT CHANCE but that was my hope. I figured we'd experience the same old problems as last year and I'd be forced to pursue an expensive repair..... Rhino, on the other hand, was bristling with confidence and he was ready to go "Wreck Hopping" in search of an early season Cobia, or two! Well. owner operator, and fraidy-cat, Capt Marty had the final say and I opted for the relative safety of inshore. As we hit the Inlet at 730am, we quickly realized the calm seas and light winds would allow us to scour the Cape Lookout Shoals safely and still stay close to the Beach as I waited for the inevitable break down..... Well, the Break down never happened.... The Top Water Boat ran great all day. Unfortunately, the overcast sky lasted all day as well so Sight Casting to the Schools of Giant Red Drum or finding that first Cobia of the Year cruising the Beach,,,,, Those things never happened either. So finally, about 10am, Capt Rhino and I compromised all we meandered our way out to the nearest Wreck on the Eastside of the Shoals. Here we found a Motherlode of fish. Four extremely tasty and gamey species occupied the waters surrounding this Wreck in outstanding numbers. The first thing we encountered were vast numbers of Gray Trout on the bottom. Every drop resulted in a hook-up. Gray Trout up to 19" and over 2 lbs were there for the taking. We were chasing the ghost of an 8 lb "Rumor" Trout that was landed last week. We know how that goes. Closer to the Steel wreckage, the Weakfish gave way to Black Sea Bass of all sizes. Rhino quickly caught a 14" Bass, while right at the end of the day, I won The Battle of Basses with a 16" Blue Hump. The Wreck itself was enshrouded with an armada of Bluefish. Thousands of them. We tried not to catch them, but that was impossible! The Bluefish we encountered ranged up to 2 lbs. Finally, and most importantly, the Wreck also held some mysterious number of Capt Marty's FAVORITE Inshore Fish, The Atlantic Bonito. Known for surface forays at Dawn and Dusk; in the middle of the day they are harder to find and target, but in my opinion, they school up and revolve around the wreck. Like a planet in orbit around the sun, these Bonito "stand off" the wreck a few hundred yards and just circle. If food presents itself, they'll eat. But, they are pretty much waiting for the sun to dip towards the horizon again and that's their cue to rise to the surface again and start doing their thing. Busting Bait and putting on a show! Anyway, middle of the day, the trollers do well and the blind casters get lucky..... Well today, Rhino "got lucky" 4 times including a NC Citation 24" stud Bonito. Capt Marty hit 3 Bonito. The true highlight of the day was when Rhino had a 2 lb Trout chased down and slammed by a 90 lb Mako Shark. Holy Shit! Right by the Boat. Dammit, if we could've landed that 6 foot Trophy, it would've been incredible. However, the minute Rhino came tight with that 10# mono, it would've taken a freaking miracle to hold on to that Shark. It lasted 60 seconds. She peeled off 200 yards of line before the flouro shock leader parted...... Total Catch for the Day: 7 Atlantic Bonito up to 24", 35 Bluefish up to 2 lbs, 16 Gray Trout up to 19", 40 Black Sea Bass up to 15", 5 Pinfish, and 2 Spottail Pinfish 

April 25- Here It Comes

Good Morning Globe. Fishing Season is here. Awoke this morning to the sound of Charter Boats opening up the throttles and racing to the Gulf Stream up here at Hatteras. World Class (an over-used term by idiot Fishing Guides) Blackfin Tuna Fishing. World Class means, to me, best Fishing for a specific species that the "World" has to offer. It DOESN'T MEAN that Jackleg McGraw from Harker's Island caught 3 Red Drum and a limit of Speckled Trout! Joey Bell and I had "World Class Speckled Trout Fishing" on December 3, 2000 when we caught 20 Trout over 7 lbs with a big fish at 10 lbs 8oz. Anyhow, boats at Hatteras are crushing the Blackfin Tuna and in some cases, every single fish qualifies for an NC Fishing Citation. Florida considers their Blackfin Fishery World Class and a 20 pounder down there is a Ghost. Up here at Hatteras, some boys are filling the box with 28-32 lb Tunas. That, my friends, is a World Class Blackfin Tuna Bite.

April 21- Crazy Hatteras Inlet Fishing Tall Tale

We'll see if this one is believable! Later tonight there will be a picture to go along with this tale..... So I'm back to work, first day at Hatteras Inlet in 22 days. First trip across on the Ferry and at 8am Billy Harris and I walk out on the Beach on the north end of Ocracoke Island during our 30 minute layover. Check the Beach out, look for Shells and cool Driftwood. As we wonder south towards the Ocean, we cross a shot of yellow stren 20# mono that dead ends in the sand in a knot of seaweed and plastic debris. The other end disappears in the Inlet..... I tell Billy, "I wonder if someone's Rod N Reel is on the other end. I bend over and pick up the line and start hauling it in...... (Y'all know where this is headed?). Well, as I come tight, it quickly becomes apparent that there will be NO LOST ROD-N-REEL. Instead, the line starts fighting back! Amazing. 150 feet of line later, I reach a 10 ft section of Shock Leader, followed by a 8 lb Red Drum. Thankfully, Billy was there to photo my catch because I didn't have the heart to kill this Fish. Billy snapped a quick photo and I slid a dead tired Red Drum gently back into the Inlet. I did remove the circle hook from his throat, which still had a pretty fresh chunk of Mullet on it. My biggest dilemma was to re-cast the bait or clean up the plastic pollution. Wonder what I did? Total Catch for the Day: 1 Red Drum at 8 lbs

April 20- Bream Busting Fly Rod Adventure

Capt Christopher Columbus came by this morning to put some PowerPro on a couple of his reels and we had a long talk about Fishing and Boats and other stuff...... When Cbo left, I had an hour to blow before I had to catch the Ferry to Ocracoke. So, I grabbed my trusty 3wt Fly Rod and ran off to the Mung Holes..... Not much time, but I was quivering to try a GrassHopper imitation that Cbo had picked up at Cabelas.... Well, a beautiful bait, but........ With nearly NO ACTION. It looked great to me, but the fish were not rising. With time running out, I went to my traditional favorite, a Betts rubber-legged spider. With the little plop and splash. dark shapes quickly materialized out of the murky green water under my offering. Then....... Poweeeee it happened! A Beaufort Beauty, a Pumpkinseed slammed my fly and the fight was on! A quick release and right off the bat I had the "hardest  of the Beaufort Sweetwater GrandSlam"..... A couple of casts later and I had my Bluegill....... Now, I was looking for a Largemouth Bass. With sand falling through my hourglass, I found another Bluegill.... Then another.... Then another Bluegill...... Then another, and another, and another.... I never saw a Bass today. I never tried a larger Popper. I ran out of time. Great Fun Though.... I am loving and fascinated by the Fresh Water Fishing for some reason. I can only imagine the JOY that I would feel if I lived down by Santee Cooper, SC or Lake Erie or even close to the Tuckasegee River in the NC Mountains....... Its all I think about honestly. I'd like to add another thought: I wish I could find a fishable and accessible population of Crappie in Carteret County. That would slow my wunderlust! Total Catch for the Day: 6 Bluegill and 1 Pumpkinseed 

April 17- Santee Cooper Adventure

Long time Top Water Charters friend Tom invited me to join him on another Fresh Water Adventure yesterday and I jumped at the opportunity! Last year Tom put me on some great Walleye Fishing up on Lake Erie. Size and numbers of Walleye that I caught was OUTSTANDING! This time, the target species was Redear Sunfish, more affectionally known in the Southeast as a "Shellcracker". Unfortunately, the Shellcracker bite was a little slack, but there was great variety to be had on these twin, huge SC Lakes. I also caught a surprising White Crappie that was tagged and won me a 42" Striped Bass Mount made by King Sailfish Mounts. Thanks to Tom Burro's Fish Camp for sponsoring that incredibleness!! Back to the fishing, Tom really out performed me. He caught trophy sized Black Crappie and Shellcrackers. I may have got the better of him on numbers of keeper Bluegill though. We teamed up to catch around 50 total fish of 7 different species. We actually caught decent numbers of both Yellow Perch and White Perch too. Tragically, all of these delicious fish were "too small". Anyone that puts down either of these two's culinary qualities needs their Heads examined........ Our best fish of the trip was Tom's 2+ pound Black Crappie. Tom's much smaller Black Crappie was an extremely light in color and, at first glance I would've guessed it to be a White Crappie. Much later, at the cleaning table, I counted its dorsal spines of which it had 7 of them. A White Crappie, on the other hand, has 5-6 dorsal spines (Black Crappie have 7-8 dorsal spines). Remember this worthless piece of Fish Fact for proper Fish ID regardless to  the fishes actual color....Of course, the most outstanding Crappie was MINE. The one with the yellow spaghetti tag pinned just below his second dorsal fin!!!! Total Catch for the Day: 3 Black Crappie up to 2 lb 2oz, 25 Bluegill up to 1 lb 4oz, 6 Redear Sunfish up to 1 lb 4oz, 1 Pumpkinseed, 1 Hybrid Sunfish (Bluegill X Green Sunfish, I think???? This same combo when paired up in a Laboratory makes the Famous Georgia Giant), 8 White Perch, and 8 Yellow Perch

April 6- Ararat River Trout Failure

After a business trip to Winston Salem, Jennifer and I decided to drive up to Pilot Mountain for the fun of it. After a great time on the Mountain, we wondered over to Mount Airy. Of course, I kept my eyes on a constant lookout for "fishable" water. I just happened to have tossed my beloved 3wt Fly Rod in the truck for the ride. Once we arrived in Mt Airy, we quickly found the Ararat River. I remembered reading about this place. A great little easily wadeable and easily fished Trout Water. As matter of fact, this River is a well stocked, delayed harvest River. Luckily for me, I quickly found out from a couple of locals that the River had just been stocked two days ago. Hell yeah, hungry Rainbow Trout everywhere! Sadly, this may or msy not have been true but I couldn't catch the damn things. I tried a dozen different flies and several in-line spinners. I saw roll after roll. I saw Trout chase my offerings over and over. I maybe hooked 2 or 3. I landed NONE. It was The Most Frustrating Fishing Day In A Long Long Time. Especially when, as we were leaving,  a dude walked up and caught two Rainbow Trout on his first 2 casts. Jeminy Crimany. Total Catch for the Day: NOTHING

April 4- Fly Fishing Beaufort

Thirty minutes with the popper and the 3wt....Then a hen Mallard landed in the Pond and Emma lost all control. Hard to fish a small Pond with a pyscho Yellow Lab splashing around. Bluegills were verty very active in the late afternoon sun splash after a rainy morning! Total Catch for the Day: Bluegill and 1 Largemouth Bass

Rainy Saturday Blues

I wish this meant "Bluefish".

Sorry, I will say this..... when Jennifer sets up her laptop tonight, I WILL GET THIS BLOG IN ORDER and make a Statement. The 2015 Fishing Season is upon me. It's go time people. The Bonito and Cobia are coming!

April 1- Hickory Shad Fishing

Weird day, but....... It was fishing. Finally! Short version, Momma needed my Dad and their barking ass Black Snake dachshund, Tiny, out of the house for 4 hours... So I said, jump in the truck and we'll go for a ride! Cowpen Landing, Pitch Kettle Outpost, Maple Cypress, and Spring Garden were all visited! CPL and SG were "high hooks" with 3 Hickory Shad each. All bucks. Lost a huge Roe Shad at Cowpen. Darn it. All fish hit the white grub. The throb of the spoon felt good thoughPretty day. Felt good. Total Catch for the Day: 6 Hickory Shad

March 27- Capt Marty's World

Guys, first and foremost, I do apologize for the total lack of fishing reports and activity on this blog. I must say, when those punk ass thieves stole all my rods and reels, they really did steal my heart and soul. It has also been a very trying winter/early spring with family health issues. Big Time. Hard to see how those are going to work out but right now, I'd guess a LOT LESS FISHING this summer for Top Water Charters. Obviously, some things are more important. Just so yall know I'm okay, I am chomping at the bit to go Shad Fishing, Bonito Fishing, and Cobia Fishing.. It's coming. I will be available on a limited basis for Charter. Please call guys. We are gonna do okay on the Cobia this year! I can feel it.

Also, I know I've hit on this before but...... For some reason, I'm feeling some "Ocean Burnout". All I think about is freshwater fishing. And I ain't talking about the Mung Holes. I need to sample legendary Lakes and Rivers and I strongly desire to catch legendary Freshwater Gamefish. It's all I think about. Thinking about schools of Chopper Bluefish, or 100 lb Blacktips in skinny water, or even acres of hurling Yellowfin Tunas don't dominate my dreams anymore. After 40+ years of Ocean Piers, Docks, Jettys, and Boats..... From Cape Charles, Va to South Padre Island, Tx, I really feel like I've seen it all a thousand times.....  (Great Whites, Makos, and Killer Whales being the exception) dammit, I want to see an Arctic Grayling, a Steelhead, and a Northern Pike. When did this happen? How did this happen?


Better yet, how CAN I MAKE THIS HAPPEN?

March 24- Japanese Television

Capt Marty makes an International Splash!

Huh?  Here's how it happened! On Aug 17, 2014 I made a blog entry which showed my Pal Adriel's foot impaled by a Needlefish. Pretty gnarly stuff. Seven months later, a Japanese TV producer was doing a show on dangerous Sea Creatures and found Adriel's story on my Fishing Blog. They asked for my permission to use this story and I agreed.

So there it is..... Top Water Charters hits Japan.

The Ides of March

Julius Caesar and the Bonito are near!

Seriously the weather is improving and good fishing isn't so far away! Pretty soon I will have report for these pages. I promise.

For many reasons I have been too busy and too miserable to fish!

Hickory Shad are in the Rivers and its about to bust wide open.....

Feb 28- Cold Cold Cold

No fishing guys! I can't believe that my "no fishing streak" continues. It's sickening, really! Those thugs stole my soul. Hard to believe that theft happened on November 11. I think that's when it was!

Anyway, moving on, how about the weather. I tell you guys, February of 2015
has been the most brutal calendar month that I can recall. I'm talking cold. Extended cold. Brutal cold. Wind-driven cold. I started working on the Ferry in the Spring of 1992. So, starting in the winter of 1993, I have been following the weather pretty damn closely on the Central NC Coast. Standing out "in it" for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, every other week. That's a pretty thorough observation, I'd say! Regardless, without any real data or historical information in front of me...... I can easily say, based on Capt Marty's skin test.....

THIS WAS THE COLDEST, MOST MISERABLE FEBRUARY EVER. PERIOD.

Tomorrow begins March of 2015. Hopefully we are in for a change of direction. Capt Tuggwell and Capt Columbus are ready to go exploring to the Eastern..... Schools of Red Drum and Bluefish await us. Acres of Bullet Mackerel will taunt us. Huge Basking Sharks will frighten Tuggwell briefly. Something always turns routine days on the Ocean magically into amazing events and memories that last you a lifetime. That's the whole catch, right? It happened to me 40 some years ago and it has DEFINED WHO I AM. I turn 50 this year. I AM A FISHERMAN. Not for a Living. I AM A FISHERMAM BY THE GRACE OF GOD.

Feb 16- Brutal Cold and No Fishing

I'm in the longest "no fishing slump" of my life since 1986. Looking back, from 1981 until 1985, I discovered girls (live ones, I did grow up across the road from an X-rated Drive In Theatre)..... Anyway, when I got my Drivers License, I put the rods and reels down for s few years..... Funny that a Speeding Ticket brought ole Randy Sugg and I to Beaufort in April of 1986, and a stick of ganja influenced us to walk out on the old Causeway Pier. That single night, and a run of 15-20 lb Smooth Dogfish Re-ignited my passion and I fished every single opportunity of my life from that night on..... Up until the Pill Heads stole my Fishing Tackle!

It's been a Bad Winter. I'll get my mojo back. Fish will fall again. The Bonito and Cobia are coming....

Feb 5- Buying New Stuff

Hey Everybody! Well I've began the process of buying new stuff! I am going with a set of AVET Reels that will serve as multi-purpose Reels and I will use them for Cobia bait fishing, Live Bait King Mackerel Fishing, Grouper, Shark, Red Drum Fishing, as well as Offshore Trolling. One cool and fun thing about the AVETS is the colors that I decided to buy. I am getting a Blue Reel, a Red Reel, a Black Reel, and a Green Reel. This will allow me to intimately know each reel and also know the "catch history" of each individual AVET Reel. By the way, these small American made aluminium Reels will be matched with Shimano Trevalla Jigging Rods. Buying these Reels have ole Captain Marty slowly returning to normal and thinking about Spring Fishing!

FISHING TACKLE

Okay Guys, I have started replacing my stolen Fishing Tackle. Thanks to advances in quality and technology, I think I can get away with a whole lot fewer Rods and Reels and still do the many different jobs that I like to tackle..... And do it with smaller, lighter, and easier to handle tackle.... In other words, I believe that I can buy one set of colorful, full metal, small, and state of the art AVET REELS matched with incredible smart SHIMANO TREVALA jigging rods and I can replace SETS of COBIA, KING MACKEREL, and OFFSHORE TEOLLING combos all-in-one! Not to mention being able to use these for SHARK, GROUPER, and RED DRUM as well.....

After that, all I'll need to replace are my set of "everyday" spinning tackle as well as my Cobia Casting Combos..... The ONLY THING MISSING will then be my BLUEFIN TUNA TACKLE, right? Hell, I'll never use those again..... The Bluefins haven't bit off Beaufort Inlet since when, 2006?  Oh, WAIT A MINUTE! DAMN WHAT A YEAR TO LOSE MY TACKLE!

My stuff was stolen on November 12? The Bluefin Tuma blew up a few days later.... As far as I know, they are still coming in.... 600 lbs. 800 lbs. Even a State Record Sized 1000+ pounder!
Capt Marty needs a Tuna..... Bad!

Jan 4- Happy New Years and Checking In

Here it is, I am sorry for the lack of and, even worse, HALF REPORTS! The deal is, my LAP TOP is completely crapped out and this phone can't handle the larger Posts! Maybe I've learned my lesson.....

Little updates. I am ready to start replacing my Fishing Tackle. Farm Bureau has treated me well..... My holidays went good..... I'm at Hatteras right now and I'm working the Night Run. No Squid or Monkfish around the Ferry Docks.... Last winter was great in hindsight and this winter has been very disappointing... Fishing overall has been pretty disappointing. Thanks to two petty, dopehead thieves, I really haven't been motivated to Fish.. Been a LONG LONG time since I could make that statement! On a happier note, there's a GOOD CHANCE that I will be handed the names of my two thieves when I get home. It's gonna be interesting to see how this is finally resolved.

Until next update, good luck and good fishing to all my readers.

Dec 20- Red Drum!

So today I walked out on the Beach just north of the Frisco Pier and made a few casts. And the miracle of miracles happened! I caught a Red Drum. A small one about 18" long. Three casts later, I got another one. This one was nicer, a 25  Drum that weighed about 6 lbs. I sliped this lucky guy back into the surf..... Then I hit a lull.

Dec 20- Hatteras Inlet Hike

I wanted to say "Thank you" for all the kind words and encouragement lately... And the Fishing offers! From 4 lb Speckled Trout to Smallmouth Bass! I'm gonna surprise some guys soon and Show Up Ready to Fish!!!

Seriously, thanks a lot... Also, fishing is very slow up here in the surf and on the docks.... NO SQUID! Last year this time, it was a freaking SQUID BLITZ. Big Squid too.... I haven't seen a single one this week...

Right now, (12:11 am) I am standing in Hatteras Inlet. Ocracokes North End. It is DARK and COLD, but I feel very ALIVE!

Good night

Dec 17- Capt Marty, "Where you Been????"

Well, good question! And I do apologize to the guys that read my blog regularly and to Family Members that use "this" to keep track of me..... I honestly have done LESS FISHING over the past 6 weeks than any time in my life since 1985.... That is SAD.... People that know me, they know that I LIVE FOR FISHING and FISH in general. I love FISH. As a child, I learned to read on Peterson Field Guides and Salt Water Sportsman and Field and Stream..... Anyway, what's wrong with me? Good Question. Here is my best answer.....

Now, I could say that my Parents ongoing medical issues have had me tied up..... But, that aint true. I have tried to help a little more over at their house. I have taken my Dad to a few appointments.... Momma and Daddy both have had really painful and/or stressful medical issues and they are still being resolved.... But, I have not spent THAT MUCH of my TIME over there... I actually feel guilty sometimes because it seems my brother, Michael who lives in Raleigh has probably done more for them than I have.... Anyway. it's the Holidays and New Years is right around the corner and I WILL DO BETTER....

So, what is it then? Well, here it is..... As everyone knows, a PUNK or 2 PUNKS (it seems) stole 23 Rods and Reels out of my Garage on November 13..... All my stuff including reels that I have used, cared for, babied, and used to catch built My Personal 200,000* Fish Memory Bank (*- my estimate....well, I caught 2086 fish in 1988 and counted every last Pinfish!) with.... In other words, MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE SINCE 1985 HAS BEEN ABOUT FISHING.......

These Reels, some of which I have had since 1985. Those old reels were As Good As New..... The Penn 550SS that I caught a 50 lb Yellowfin Tuna on a stingsilver on 10# test mono on September 19, 1988..... GONE..... The Shimano TLD 15 that I caught a 240 lb Bluefin Tuna on 15# mono on a cigar minnow on November 30, 1996..... GONE...... The 12/0 Penn Senator that I caught a 58 lb Wahoo on a high speed lure pulling it 30 knots on April 15, 1988...... GONE....... The Penn Slammer 460 that I caught my 94 lb Cobia on, the Shimano TLD 15 that I caught my 83 lb Red Drum on, the Shimano Speedmasters that I caught my $52,900 King Mackerel and my 3 GIANT WAHOOS on, ALL THE RODS and REELS that I've used to collect my 800+ NC Citations on AND ALL THE RODS and REELS that I used to build TOP WATER CHARTERS with since 2001..... Over 700 Charters...... G O N E

All GONE.... It really took the wind out of my Sails....... Someone asked about "Did you catch a Bluefin Tuna" during that brief, but incredible BITE earlier this month? Well, the answer, sadly is NO, I didn't.... Unfortunately, the Tuesday and Wednesday of The KILLER BITE, I was back to Work. The Sunday fish started it, I heard about it and I honestly could've fished that Monday.... BUT, I didn't have the Rods and Reels capable of catching a BLUEFIN TUNA! That, is a PAINFUL STATEMENT...... Now, I must admit, I do have my "Trout Tackle".... I kept all that class of spinning tackle inside the house in my "Fishing Wardroom"..... And the Fishing has been up and down. Mostly Down.... But, like last week and so far this week, the weather has been great..... But I just haven't felt like it.... I've been a LOST SOUL. Having all that PERSONAL STUFF stolen, they stole my HEART and SOUL. It will not, can not be replaced.... The Memories tied up in those "armfulls" of Rods and Reels.... I can not explain it. I AM NOT YOUR AVERAGE FISHERMAN. Those that know me best, they know it.... My LIFE is CHANGED FOREVER, part of me is MISSING.....

Anyway, moving forward because I have NO OTHER CHOICE....... Here are some Facts.... I did actually go Fishing twice. I forget the dates. Once at Radio Island and once to the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty. Both days felt sad and empty. Both days the fishing sucked. I caught some fish but I couldn't get "into it".... The TOP WATER BOAT actually ran surprizingly well...... As far as my Missing Tackle..... I am currently waiting to hear back from FARM BUREAU and see how my HOME OWNERS POLICY handles this issue..... Hopefully, I will be happy with the outcome and start putting my gear back together....Capt Christopher Columbus went up into my attic last week and pulled down 3 Penn Senator 6/0s on beautiful 35 year old Magnaflex Boat Rods. We had toyed with the idea to chase a Tuna but it seemed like the bite had died on us.... So, I do have "some tackle"..... I can do Trout and probably heavy Trolling and heavy Bottom Fishing..... Grouper Fishing like its 1980 again! Thats what we used, 6/0 Penn Senators!

Hopefuylly, by Bonito and Cobia season, all these problems will be in the past! I love all you readers and family and I am SORRY for disappearing...... I'm at Hatteras this week and I am geared up for Ferry Dock Squid or Puppy Drum in the Surf.... Hopefully I will catch something this week and get my life back in order!

Total Catch for the Two Trips: 20 Speckled Trout and 1 Gray Trout

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

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....

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!

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.....

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

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

Fishing!

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

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

Oct 30- Tugwell Mackerel Massacre

Tuggwell collecting Pink Slips

180 lbs of gutted King Mackerels. Great Catch in less than 150 minutes of Fishing

Capt Tuggwell came racing to town this morning to get in on this Fall's epic King Mackerel bite before the weather goes to crap this weekend. Facing rough seas with wind and seas set to increase into the afternoon, it was important that we get this done quickly. Also, with the Top Water Boat down again, the smaller, quicker FlyN Fish was perfect for this task. I recruited hard core fish killer, Stacy to join us..... Departing at 7am, we had bait at 730am, and we were beating our way out there by 8am.... Once at NWP, first menhaden in the water got crushed and we were in for another incredible day of fishing! I aint got much time, so I'll give the short version.... Tuggwell, Stacy, and I fished in sloppy and wet conditions. It wasn't a camera day. We pretty much fished from 9am until 1130am. We never went 5 minutes without a hook-up. We fished 2 rods. Tuggwell held a rod and I held a rod. Stacy held the wheel and the gaff.... We missed very few bites. We caught 9 King Mackerel. We had 5 over 30 lbs. Tuggwell caught 2 twins that weighed 36 lbs each. We also caught a pair of Albacore, the second one had us thinking "Blackfin Tuna"..... That really was our only disappointment. If the size of King Mackerel ratchets up like it usually does when this fishery shifts to the East Side in November..... WATCH OUT  Total Catch for the Day: 9 King Mackerel including 36 lb King, 36 lb King, 34 lb King, 31 lb King, 31 lb King, 28 lb King, and 2 Albacore at 15 lbs and 16 lbs

Oct 29- Greatest Show on the Water

John Boy's first career King Mackerel

Kings were chewing. It was hard to get more than 2 lines in the water

Pesky Albacore moved in late in the day

As we were counting our catch, we dropped a live double-header in the pile

Our last couple of Kings were released to fight another day!

JohnBoy and I went King Mackerel Fishing and it was out of this world. For the first 3 hours, we never got more than 2 lines out...... Fishing was not only great, it was also spectacular as nearly every King Mackerel leaped out of the water on the strike..... We saw so many beautiful jumps it's hard to recall them all..... One particular is etched in my mind. It was a King that we missed! A 30-35 lb King that leaped upward in a classic pose.... Arched body..... Just like s Traditional Mount. Then he slowly turned his head down and entered the water prettier than Greg Louganis ever did in the 1984 Olympics.... It was one to remember, that's for sure. JohnBoy picked a great day to go King Mackerel Fishing for the first time. JohnBoy caught 3 King Mackerel that were large enough for a NC Citation. Unfortunately, the King Mackerel were biting so quickly and the action was so fast that I did a poor job taking pictures of all the fish. I got JohnBoy's first King with "live colors" but I never took another good King picture..... In my defense, it was very rough out there today and there was alot of boat's fishing in the area...... We ended up with a 135 lb limit of King Mackerel and 2 Albacore at 13 and 15 lbs. JohnBoy caught King Mackerel weighing 32 lbs, 30 lbs, and 30 lbs...... Congratulations JohnBoy and you're ready to tackle this on your 23 ft Parker next summer....... Total Catch for the Day: 11 King Mackerel from 12 to 32 lbs and 2 Albacore at 13 lbs and 15 lbs