Aug 12 Great Shark Fishing and Little Else

First thing this morning we found the Miss Sandy VI pulling a Shrimp Trawl right off Shackleford Banks.. In his wheel wash was hundreds of brown torpedos just dying to stretch a line..... So in quick order, my 4 anglers released a 100 lb Blacktip Shark, a 85 lb Blacktip Shark, a 22 lb Blacknose Shark, and a 28 lb Sharpnose Shark.... Then we left..... That was OUR MISTAKE because from that point on the Fishing was Poor.... The winds were supposed to lighten up in the afternoon.... By 2pm, I found myself at the Portland wreck with all kinds of problem.... A probable busted Stringer... Two broken and getting progressively worse welds on my Tower, and finally a leaking Steering Helm that had already crippled the upper station.... Also, the seas out at the tip of the Shoals were angry and the current was ripping... My anglers were having trouble making the quick movements required to fish for Big Fish on Light Tackle.... We found one bright spot in an otherwise "Dead Ocean"... We caught a 6 lb Spanish Mackerel and hooked another... The second one made a lightning quick move by the boat and left my angler off balance.... Looked like the 20# mono got wrapped around the rod tip and when the big Mackerel made his final run, he gained his freedom because the line popped..... After that, we ran 15 miles looking for something, anything, to cast to and we saw NOTHING.....ridiculous for mid August... We finally tried a little livebait fishing inside the Cape Lookout Bight and that failed..... Total Catch for the Day: 2 Blacktip Sharks at 85 lbs and 100 lbs, 2 Blacknose Sharks at 22 lbs and 28 lbs, and 1 Spanish Mackerel at 6 lbs

Aug 11 Poor Red Drum Fishing

The fishing was pretty slow where we were fishing. We did have a front row seat for Mother Nature's Greatest Lightshow.... Off to the west, and northwest, we watched a Giant Lightning Storm. The sky was just like a strobe light... We watched in awe as the cloud ceiling on the horizon shrank and shrank......We also witnessed hundreds of ground-stroke lightning strikes and thousands of "across the sky" lightning bolts..  Finally after 90 minutes of nothing, at 915 pm we caught a nice 45" Red Drum... Things were looking better... Then we hit an unexpected doldrum. Around 1015 and 1030, we missed 2 strikes... We also made an amazing catch! We had a 4" Croaker try to swim through the body cavity of a cut Menhaden that we were using for bait... The Croaker got stuck and when we reeled in to check the bait---there he was.... That we never happen again! Hey, if I'm bragging about crap llke that, the fishing couldn't have been good....... Then suddenly the sky overhead became pitch black. The wind went from 10 kts to 20  kts. The Sound was whitecapping. The temperature dropped 10 degrees. Raindrops fell.... And we picked up and ran like scared cock roaches when the lights come on..... Total Catch for the Night: a 45" Red Drum and 1 Atlantic Croaker

Aug 8 Part 2 Bad Trip

Tim, who struck out with me on Red Drum wednesday night, called me at 3pm and asked if I could help his daughter, Emily, catch a Shark.... Chris, Jalen, and I had just got back from Cape Lookout and the place was teeming with Sharks..... As bad as I wanted to go back up there rigged for Tarpon, I agreed to try for Shark instead... Tim was an exceptionally great client. Very funny and engaging, Happy even when experiencing "bad fishing"... I really wanted to help his daughter catch a nice Shark... After seeing what I just seen, I figured our best bet would be to sight cast to Blacktips with fresh Spanish Mackerel that we already had in the cooler... So we ran to the Cape Lookout Shoals, crossed to the eastside, and approached a finger shoal that ran east-west.... The sun was bright. The Sharks were there... I backed up to within casting range so the approaching swell would hit the bow instead of suprizing us broadside or breaking on the stern..... The first cast was off target, but the Shoal was very active. One 40-100 lb Blacktip after another... So I left the boat and bait in position... No takers... As we drifted out of range I cranked in the bait and prepared to re-position the Boat...... AND THEN A GIANT SLOW SLOW SLOW MOVING CLOUD ECLIPSED THE SUN and all our hopes went out the window.... We tried to anchor up and the current was all wrong... Emily caught 2 tiny Sharks. Newborns. I call them Sharpnose Sharks... I know newborn Blacktips are supposed to be 2 foot long. These were not that large... An hour passed and the sun came out... Now it was dead low tide and the shallow water, the glare, and every possible thing was against us... And when we finally delivered a bait to a cruising 50lb Blacktip, he went ballistic and made 3 quick circle around the bait and could not find it... As our boat drifted down on the frenetic Shark and the spot where the bait laid on the bottom, it was a race against time. Closer and closer we got. I know from experience that shifting into reverse will scare everything away within a 1000 feet....When we were 30 feet away and rapidly drifting towards the Shark, he saw the boat and took off across the Flat... That was the final straw... We gave up on the Shoals. We ran to inside Cape Lookout and tried bait fishing on anchor. Of course, that didn't work either, even though we caught a Cobia. Thinking about the thousands of disappointing Sharks caught Cobia fishing was no comfort... Thus ended the worst 24 hours of my Fishing Life. Total Catch for this Trip: 1 Cobia, 1 Bluefish, 1 Southern Stingray, and 2 Sharpnose Sharks

Aug Part 1 8 Good Trip (Almost Great)

Chris, Jalen, and I went out on a inshore casting expedition and we found varying degrees of success in catching the things we were after... We also found a couple of suprizes, one of which is always a heartbreaker because I am never completetly prepared.... I am referring to Tarpon. Every couple of years I encounter a single Tarpon or a small group of Tarpon on the Cape Lookout Shoals. Everytime it is while I am rigged up and searching for something entirely different. My thinking is, if there is ever a time that I see them consistently for a couple of straight days, or see them in "fishable" numbers, I would make a "Tarpon specific" trip up to the Shoals and fish for them... So far, that hasn't happened. When we found them this time, there were three of them. They were cruising in 3 foot of water. We were all rigged up with stingsilvers... We followed them around for 10 minutes and cast all around them, both with stingsilvers and top water plugs.... I would've loved to cast a blue crab, or even a fresh dead menhaden, or a live bait in front of them... There was a good long period of time when we were very close to them and they didn't know we were there.. It was a great opportunity to catch a Tarpon. As usual, I was up in the tower and any hope we had to catch a Tarpon (identical to the Sailfish on may 29) rested on my ability and agility to get down on deck, rig something up to interest a Tarpon and to potentially catch a Tarpon, then get back up into the tower, find them again, and then make it happen.... I dream of the day that I might actaully have someone, a mate or an angler, that has the experience, the ability, and the desire to fish and think like I do.... That's never going to happen. Most of the time the guys on my boat are "dreamimg of Deer or Duck" and could honestly care less if a Tarpon or a Permit or a Hammerhead Shark or a Sailfish or a Blue Marlin is swimming up to the Boat. Well, no one cares but me so its up to me to make it happen. I'm getting old and achy so flying up and down the Tower is getting more impossible all the time, and there's no way to carry rods and reels and tackle up there for every possibility. Besides, who can anticipate a Sailfish a mile off the Beach or a pod of Tarpon swimming by the boat... No one. So it doesn't really bother me anymore. With the tackle we had on the boat, a weighted treble hook was our best bet to catch a Tarpon yesterday. That being said, there was plenty of opportunity to snag the hell out of one... I'm pretty sure I could've caught a "scale"... A fish attached to that scale? I doubt it... Other than that, we caught real pretty Spanish Mackerel and Bluefish on metal... It was always difficult. Never even close to "every cast".... Total Catch for the Trip: 9 Spanish Mackerel up to 2lb 8oz, 18 Bluefish up to 3lbs, and a 40lb Blacktip Shark 

Aug 7 NO Drum Red Drum Fishing

The worst kind of Red Drum Fishing is the kind where no Red Drum bite.... That is pure genius right there! It seems like every year I will make a trip down to Cedar Island a week or so too early and the result is a night with one or even NO Red Drum... This trip was that trip for me... Never mind that there were quite a few Drum caught last night...We ran into Capt Hauser of Johnny's Good Time Charters at the boat ramp... He caught 8 Red Drum last night... Tonight he caught one! Good Time Charters bested Top Water Charters ONE to ZERO..... For either boat it was nothing to write home about.... Capt Hauser blamed it one the East Wind.... I blamed it on the Calender.... There are 13 days until the Full Moon... In 6 days, the week before the Full Moon, the fishing will get better and better and better... And by the Full Moon of August it will be EPIC.... Meanwhile, fishing will get better and better near Beaufort Inlet as well. This morning Capt Tugwell rocked the 2-4 lb Spanish Mackerel on metal. "Every cast" he said.... We'll see. I was not really amped up about this Red Drum trip. I tried my best though. I re-baited 4 rods every 10 minutes for nearly 5 hours... That's 120 baits. That's 120 casts. No wonder the tendonitis in my shoulder is killing me! How am I supposed to cast for Mackerel tomorrow! Total Catch for the Night: 1 Bluefish

TIGER SHARKS

****I just got the word that Sunday the Tiger Sharks were out "IN FORCE" in the area where I was talking about fishing for them... So if anyone wants to go out and Catch and Release one of Planet Earth's Apex Predators right now and the next Month is the time to do it off the Central North Carolina Coast****

My plan of attack is to stop and a wreck and catch of Barracudas/Amberjacks and then move to the Spot.... Once we arrive I expect 2-3 Tiger Sharks to come up for a visit and hooking them should be quite simple to hook one up.... If anyone is interested in this unique opportunity, please call me at 252-241-8350.... After the heydey of the "shark finning" years in the early 1990's,  I wondered if I'd ever have an opportunity to battle these giant Sharks in my home waters... The answer is YES and these Tiger Sharks and other species have made a remarkable recovery.....

Aug 4 Sick and Tired of Poor Fishing

It is a pretty depressing feeling. After all the horrible weather that I fished through this summer,here I sit at Hatteras for the second or third shift in a row and it is absolutely gorgeous on the water... Just like yesterday. Just like tomorrow. Just like last week I was up here.... I am sick of it..... But, its pretty and I'm at the Beach. I should quit complaining and go surf fishing.... I can promise everyone this much, take a poll of Fishing Writers, Fishing Hall of Famers, whoever you want,,,, Name the Top 5 "Surf Fishing Destinations in the World" and Cape Hatteras will make the cut everytime.... Well, I've been up here 180 days per year every year since 2002..... Let me tell you, The Fishing Must've Been Pretty Good Back In The Day because nowadays, it flat out sucks... And I realize that just like everywhere else, Cape Hatteras has its days... The fishing can be great. or, it can suck... Overall, I have been very disappointed in the quality of my "typical" day of surf fishing on Hatteras Island. I have also learned something else, and this one stings a little.... I am absolutely horrible at surf fishing... No insight, no skills... So, with all that information hanging around my neck like a dead Albatross and shackled to my ankle like a Ball and Chain, I set off once again, sacrificing sleep and rest, to try and conquer the mythical Pompano once and for all..... Funny this Pompano obsession. I have fishing as harder for Pompano than any other fish since my arrival at Hatteras in 2002. I have given up on chasing the glamour fish. The fish of Outer Banks Surf Lore.... The mighty Channel Bass, the noble Speckled Trout, the misunderstood Bluefish, and the World's Most Popular Surf Fishing Species the famed Striped Bass.... I'd rather watch Deadliest Catch re-runs than chase those loser fish in the Surf.... The Pompano though, that's another story.. I chase them quite often. And I'm not sure why... Clearly, I'm the worst Pompano Fisherman on the Outer Banks..... It wasn't always like that. I clearly remember catching coolers full of them off The Morehead Ocean Pier. By 1973, I kept my name on the board all summer.... Pompano--Marty Moore--3lbs 8oz.... I was 8 years old and life couldn't get any better.... Then in October of 1990, in the rain one day at the Iron Steamer Pier I caught 49, count em 49, Pompano by myself one day... Then came the crash. The end to all normalcy in my Pompano Fishing Life.... Since that day in 1990, I've caught less than 10 Pompano. I can nearly remember them all. Two are significant. And there is the one I caught today.... On July 4th of 2001, I was at Ocracoke. Back then it was a Pompano Fishing Crown Jewel of an Island.... Lots of Citations were being weighed at Tradewinds.... So I decided to "go Pompano Fishing"... I even bought a Sand Flea Trap. This is how you tell your hardcore Pompano fanatic. The Trap. Mine cost $75 and lasted up until last year... Anyway, on July 4, 2001 I fished for Pompano with live sand fleas in crystal clear water in an area that was a "red hot" Pompano Fishery... In 5 hours I never had the first bite.... A true foreshadowing of things to come in the years ahead, as far as "my Pompano Luck" would go... Except things were different then. Ole Capt Marty still had a little magic in him back then! So, in one of the greatest moments in MY FISHING HISTORY I announced sourly to anyone who was listening "I am freaking sick of Pompano Fishing to hell with them" and I tied on a Stingsilver and figured after wasting a half a day "Pompano Fishing" I'd try to catch a Spanish Mackerel.... I angrily flung my stingsilver into the wild blue yonder.... On approximately the 10th crank of the reel handle I had a strike (I thought)..... The rod tip bowed and line zipped off my reel. The fight told me it was no Spanish Mackerel. The little warrior was relentless and the rod conveyed a "throb" that made me guess it was probably a medium sized Crevalle Jack... A "worthless" trophy but somewhat of a rarity in NC waters. I would be thrilled to catch and release a nice little Crevalle Jack... Well, the fish finally wore it self out and as I pulled it in the last 30 feet, I couldn't believe the identity of the fish that was becoming clearer to my wonderous eyes. I'll be damned if it wasn't a Pompano.. Foul hooked by a stingsilver. A one in a million catch. A Pompano would not just not bite a stingsilver because there is nothing in a Pompano's diet that is even similar to a Stingsilver...  A Pompano is a shy and skittish creature that would actually flee from an approaching stingsilver..... And it wasn't like the Ocean was teeming with Pompano that day... Remember, I'd fished 5 hours and not had a nibble, but also I'd never even seen one caught on the Beach that day........ For me to "snag" one, on my first cast, that is so unbelievable I can't, to this day, comprehend it. I'd never done it before and I haven't done it since... And to make the story even better--- It was a 2lb 9oz NC Citation winning trophy Pompano. Since that day, I believe I've caught 3 more Pompano. THREE MORE POMPANO. That is so incredible.... My God, I've been rambling! Yesterday, of course I hooked and lost a big Pompano.. This morning I went to the same spot. Hoping that today was going to be MY DAY.... I was looking for a Pompano and hoping for a nice one. Incredibly 30 years ago a cooler full of Pompano wouldn't have suprized me, here I was today, looking for a single Pompano! Anyway, skipping breakfast and sleep, I went knee deep into the Atlantic Ocean after my nemesis... The Pompano... And believe it or not, I got one! I caught a Pompano... And amazingly, it was a repeat of history! I actually snagged a Pompano on a bottom rig today and unfortunately, the hook went through his abdomen and killed him.. Unlike the July 4th fish 12 years ago this was no trophy. As a matter of fact, today's Pompano was about the size of my big toe...Not even... The size of my big toe nail... So once again, I can not catch a Pompano. How does this one fish do this to me. The Pompano truly does have me defeated. It is an amazing sub plot to My Fishing Life Story.... Total Catch for the Day: 1 Gulf Sea Mullet and 1 Florida Pompano

Aug 3 Hatteras Beach Fishing

This morning I went out chasing rumors.... I was supposed to go out on the Miss Hatteras but this morning I had a few problems and I missed the boat. So, I hit the Beach instead. Supposedly, there was a Bluefish Blitz last night in Hatteras Inlet. So this morning, that's where I went. It all looked good. The tide was rising. The water was clear. Birds were everywhere... But that's where it ended. No fish were seen. No fish were caught..... I cast my stingsilver probably 150 times in 90 minutes..... Nothing..... I did scoop up about 6 dozen Sand Fleas before I left. I also figured there was way too much current down there for bottom fishing. So I drove out to just east of Hatteras Village where I knew there is always a nice slough. I got there at 8am and suprizingly, the tide was falling.. Weird.... Anyway, my first cast I hooked a big Pompano. Holy Toledo, this was my dream fish. The big Pompano throbbed on my line and smoked my drag, heading west and out to sea. I finally stopped him and then turned him towards shore... Silver flashed in the top of a wave. Then the Pompano's yellow tail broke the surface 50 feet away. I looked like I had my trophy and then..... PING...... the hook popped out. Oh My God. This is the worst event of my life (I obviously have a Happy, Carefree Existence) since I blew out my back.... ((Back Back > Lost Pompano))  I do want to clarify that! Anyway, I was stoked with the quick bite and bummed about the lost fish... Maybe I was in a good spot.... Then, in the next 90 minutes I caught 2 Sea Mullet.. Damn. I'm not complaining about catching 2 Sea Mullet.... They are a much sough after food fish....  But, if only I could've got that Pompano... So depressing..... Total Catch for the Morning: 2 Gulf Sea Mullet

July 30-Aug 5 Night Shift Fishing

Fishing around the Ferry Docks so far in 2013 has sucked.. No Flounder. No Sheepshead. The Ferry Division's Dredge is tied up over at South Dock and traditionally, or ever since my arrival in 2002, when the Dredge is over there, it messes up the fishing... Not sure why. Maybe the Flounder and baitfish follow the shoreline and they end up around the Ramps and under the Lights.. Maybe the Dredge pushes them off in a different direction, or holds them up, or simply repels them to leave the area. Regardless, the fishing has been awful....

On Wednesday night, I played with my fly rod and caught a few Pinfish and Bluefish.. I hooked 2 Flounders on the mudflats. One broke off the 5# test tippet and the other pulled off. I swam a live bait around for a couple of hour and had NO BITES..... I did manage to castnet 6 nice Jumping Mullets, which I cooked on the grill for lunch. Delicious...

Thursday and Friday nights, I have played around with my fly rod and I have not landed any fish.... Thursday night I had a Flounder eat my fly and he escaped.... Friday night I had a large Sand Perch eat my fly and he escaped. I also saw quite a few Squid. It might be time to break out a Squid Jig later in the week...

Saturday night I was up again and playing with my fly rod. Under the lights at South Dock, I caught a collection of Pinfish, Bluefish, and Sand Perch. Once again over on the north side, I had a small Flounder rise up and attack my fly. Once again, I failed to catch him... I've also been probing around with my Sea Urchins.... No Sheepsheads are biting. Summer of Disappointment on the Ferry Dock Fishing continues....

Total Catch for the Night Shift: 25 Pinfish, 4 Sand Perch, 3 Croaker, and 8 Bluefish

Special Fishing Trips---TIGER SHARKS

Here is something new..... Starting last year and continuing this year, there have been a large number of medium and large sized Tiger Sharks in our area... Just so everyone understands, the "medium sized" Tiger Shark I'm talking about will be 150-300 lbs! The large ones, like the one that swam around our boat last September, will weigh up to 1200 lbs... They are so numerous in a few areas on the East Side, I am going to offer trips to catch and release these contradicting Monsters.... I call them this because they appear slow and very gentle when they approach the Boat, but they are one of the great predators on Planet Earth and along with Great White Sharks and Bull Sharks, Tiger Sharks are probably in the Top 3 in the "Man-eater" Department... Thats off the top of my head and I have no documented facts to back that statement... I know they have dined on lots of humans throughout history and at various places in the World... Anyway, if anyone is interested in trying to catch a release a Tiger Shark, please let me know. I am absolutely stoked about this and I will definitely spend some of my own time trying to catch a Tiger Shark. I will be baiting up with huge chunks of Barracuda, Amberjack, or Albacore. One on the bottom and one on a float rig... I think its going to be pretty easy if the other Sharks leave us alone....  Tiger Shark Fishing will be availiable for $500 and I will offer this through October or until the first Hurricane slams the breaks on the fishing.....

July 30 BACK to WORK

I am headed back to work this morning..... And of course the Atlantic Ocean is absolutely Flat..... Just my luck.

Next week when I get home I expect the GIANT RED DRUM FISHING to be great. I also expect the King Mackerel Livebait Fishing to be picking up momentum.... Finally, on the obscure side, I expect the Ladyfish to be on a solid rampage in Taylor's Creek.... If anyone is interested in any of these thing, call me at 252-241-8350.... I think I have available:

Thursday August 8th afternoon/night 
Sunday August 11th morning half day

July 29 Spanish Mackerel Saved The Day

Another day of things going wrong. Today it was a low oil alarm and I added oil last night, so there was a problem somewhere.... Since it is a BOAT, I can't figure it out. We added 2 quarts of oil and took off.... Caught bait pretty quickly.... Seeing the light winds were blowing 15-17 knots from the SW (big suprize) and the 2-4 ft seas were really 4 foot seas.... All plans went out the window. We made it to the Trawler Bouy, chasing month old Amberjacks.... We caught one Shark there and that wasn't worth it. Then we ran back towards Beaufort Inlet where Hunter caught a 3 lb Spanish Mackerel on a live bait.... Then we hit the doldrums.... I was thinking "what on Earth can I do to save this day"....... Suddenly some Terns started dipping and screaming..... The water came to life with Spanish Mackerel cartwheeling and Anchovies flying in all directions..... For 25 minutes it was a donnybrook..... Metal lures flying..... Blood splattering...... Spanish Mackerel were hitting the deck..... Unfortunately, a big black cloud was descending on us as well... Lightning flashed, ground strokes.... The wind picked up and the temperature dropped 10 degrees.... We ran for home..... Sterling and the boys had caught a really nice bucket full of Spanish Mackerel. Many were over 2 lbs... First good casting session of the summer... Finally. Total Catch for the Day: 17 Spanish Mackerel up to 3 lbs and a 8 lb Sharpnose Shark

July 28 Fly Fishing for Beaufort Bass

Jalen tied me a Wooly Booger and he wanted me to give it a try... He was passing through town today about 4pm, so he and I planned to head out to some local ponds...... I only had a small window. My lovely bride, Jennifer, was due home from Pennsylvania and I really needed to be home and not ankle deep in a mud hole... Oh well, y'all know me. Jalen and I passed her 50 feet from my driveway and I sheepishly headed off to the Ponds anyway.... Sacrificing personal happiness and normalcy for a stunted Largemouth Bass on fly??? Leave it to Capt Marty..... Making a short story shorter.... Jalen got a Bass quickly on his wooly booger.... I got a Bass on mine at the next Pond. Then I lost my wooly booger in a treetop. I then tied on a popping bug and nailed 3 quick Largemouth Bass.... After that, I ran for home to see THE LOVE OF MY LIFE..... Not sure what else Jalen caught.... Total Catch up to that Point: 5 Largemouth Bass

The Whitebone Porgy

Since Chris made a comment...... And I did get a picture of the Whitebone Porgy.... Here it is..... Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the huge Pinfish.... Yesterday's true trophies were the 30+ pound Barracudas and Stacy's 2+ pound Pinfish.... Honestly, the Giant Pinfish is less common than the large Barracudas.... Anyway, here is Mr. Whitebone Porgy.....

July 27 Great Barracuda...... The Name Says It All

Today was not my best day. I had a rough night and this morning I was........SLOW. And I ran aground and got us stuck in a very bad way in a very bad spot.... Lennoxville Point. I've only been in and out of there 75-100 times this year. I didn't care how shallow it is or that it is unmarked.... I've done it time and time again. This morning I was blinking sleep out of my eyes, I was running my mouth, I was not concentrating and as I watched my track lines fade to the east, I turned slightly to the west.

WRONG MOVE

So we bumped once and came to a sudden stop. I short while later a Good Samaritan in the World's Strongest Carolina Skiff pulled us off.... After that episode, my confidence was shattered and the crew that senses the Captains weakness soon turned into a mutinous mob.... I was forced into the lifeboat with my loyal crew member, Jalen, and we sailed a dingy half way around the World.... Fletcher Christain and his supporters went back to Tahiti and grabbed all the pretty Island Girls and sailed to Pitcairn Island, where their descendants still live today..... Oh, wrong story!     Here's our story: The Amberjacks bit really good and they were larger than the one's we've been catching. Barracudas put on a great show. Swimming around the boat and hitting our baits like bolts of lightning. Smoking line off the reel and leaping high into the sky.... Reminding me as to why Great Barracudas are ONE of my Top 5 All-Time Favorite Gamefish! It was all good until our only Grouper got chomped in two.... "Danggone Barracuda, please leave us alone!" Then a suicidal Dolphin ate one of our baits.. He put on another good aerial performance. Lots of action... Stacy caught a solid 2 lb Pinfish that I didn't get a picture of. Dammit... Once again, the crew let my mate, Jalen reel in a few fish. He got a NC Citation winning 50" Barracuda and a pretty Almaco Jack.Thanks again to a very, very nice group. Bobby was first class and I am truly sorry that I made a few mistakes. Later in the day, the Top Water Boat wasn't acting right and I decided that we could not safely fish on the Cape Lookout Shoals in the manner that I am used too... Once again, I apologize to Bobby and his crew and despite a "big catch", I feel like I let the Crew down. I am very  sorrry....... Total Catch for the Day: 7 Amberjacks up to 33 lbs. 2 Great Barracuda at 50"+ each, 1 Almaco Jack at 15 lbs, 1 Gag Grouper at 9 lbs, 1 Dolphin at 10 lbs, 18 Black Sea Bass up to 16", 1 Pinfish at 2 lbs, 1 Whitebone Porgy at 1 lb 8oz, 1 small Tomtate, 2 Spottail Pinfish up to 1 lb 8oz, and 10 Sharpnose Sharks from 7-12 lbs each

July 25 Jim and Phil's Kayak Adventure

Everything early today was very difficult.... The Menhaden, while popping everywhere, were very difficult to catch.... The NE wind was definitely not blowing 5-10.... It was more like 14-16 knots and the seas were very choppy and confused as we approached our fishing grounds..... The guys were apprehensive and I don't blame them. Don't be confused by my pictures, it was rough as a cobb when we first got out there.... The SE Ground Swell sometimes hooks around the tip of the Cape Lookout Shoals and when it meets the north running longshore current, the waves tighten up and stack up. Toss in the building 2 foot windchop from a totally different direction and SHAZAM---you have conditions similar to being inside a GIANT WASHING MACHINE... Annoying in a 25 foot boat, but pretty damn scary in a Kayak I'd guess...... Anyway, I decided to "check it out" from my boat. And we hit "Rock Bottom". My first 2 drops got hung in the bottom and broke off. Rats.Then to make matters worse, my third drop resulted in country mile of 80# PowerPro wrapped up in my propeller. Nightmare... No one's fault but Capt Martys!!!! We were about to abort the mission and head inshore.... And then Jim said "get busy living or get busy dying" and sailed over the side into his Kayak and it was GAME ON.... Shortly afterwards, the wind and seas actually improved and the sun came out.... And the fish came out too.. Jim and Phil each caught multiple Amberjacks from the kayaks. Jim also lost a monster mystery fish that was dragging him into the wind and sea.... Meanwhile, back aboard my boat, my mate Jalen even caught a couple Amberjacks when we got a chance.... All in all, it was a very interesting day on the Top Water Boat.... Check out Jim and his friends in the NC Kayak Fishing Association.... Look up "NCKFA" on google if interested in this type of Fishing or Just Plain Fun appeals to you!  Total Catch for the Day: 10 Amberjack up to 30 lbs 

July 24 Beaufort Fly Fishing

I invited Jalen into town today for some Freshwater Flyfishing.... Pre-Payment for all the Brown Trout he's going to point me towards this fall in the Mountains! Fishing was decent, as I knew it would be..... As soon as we got there, the Largemouth Bass were back-flippin after dragonflies! Pretty ccol... At the first Pond, I caught a Beaufort Freshwater Grand Slam on Fly while Jalen was stunned that anything would actually live in such a small Pond. Before we left, we each caught a couple more Bass, and we saw many, many more that wouldn't bite... At the next Pond, Jalen's superior fly rod skills took over and he caught 4 or 5 Largemouth Bass while I caught only one... Anyway, it was a nice 90 minute fishing session and it nice watching someone cast that knew what he was doing. Jalen did not catch a Pumpkinseed so he missed his Grand Slam.... Oh well, there's always next time! Total Catch for the Day: 10 Largemouth Bass, 4 Bluegill, and 1 Pumpkinseed

Ready To Go FISHING

I'm back in Beaufort and ready to go.... Tomorrow is a big day. I am hauling a couple of Kayaks out to the where the Amberjacks are and my clients are planning to go on a "Beaufort Inlet Sleigh Ride".... Its going to be fun....

Fishing should be great with Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Amberjack and Shark chewing..... Plenty of other stuff available too....

TOP WATER GIRLS

These Top Water Girls have a lot going for them. Beauty. Brains. Charm. Wit. Humor. The Fish or the Fishermen will never get the best of them. They are on their way to greatness!

July 18 Top Water Amberjacks

Keith and I made a little excursion out to a Wreck 5 miles off Hatteras Inlet. He and I are working the Night Shift together and he brought his boat down from Kill Devil Hills. If there was ever a day for a 21 foot Carolina Skiff to go out in the Atlantic Ocean this was it! We were hoping for a Dolphin.... We found Amberjacks..... A lot of them. Keith also got a 16 lb King Mackerel. I pulled the hooks on a Barracuda that swiped at a top water plug. I also broke off a monster Blue Runner. Other than that, we caught Amberjacks on top water plugs. Beautiful day... Total Catch for the Day: 4 Amberjacks up to 20 lbs and a 16 lb King Mackerel

July 17-22 Night Shift at Hatteras

These Pics are of a Massive School of Red Drum and Sharks off the Outer Banks three summers ago. It just goes to show you how: Off the North Carolina Coast, anything can happen at any time. The Ocean is an amazing place and Fishing is an Amazing Way of Life.... Go Fishing and keep your eyes open. Don't Miss the Action!

A few years ago, a Night Shift in July or August would mean multiple Citation-Sized Sheepsheads. I think it peaked in 2009 when I got 17 Sheepsheads over 8 lbs. Most were over 10. Quite a few were 12 pounders..... Then we got all of our Clusters and Pilings replaced. Brand new stuff and the Sheepshead Fishing fell apart. Anyhow, I will be trying for a Sheepshead. I will be looking for a Flounder also. I may even "hit the Beach" for a couple of Jumbo Sea Mullet and/or Pompano... Here lately I go through this drill but I never seem to catch anything up here anymore..... It's very depressing. On a positive note, even if the fishing sucks, I will still be ecstatic if I can talk my stunningly beautiful, sneakily gorgeous, absolutely adorable (also smart, funny, witty, nerdy) bride, Jennifer, to come up to Hatteras for a visit.... 

More importantly, when I get home I am availiable July 24-28.... Im getting lots of inquiries, but nobody has "pulled the trigger" yet... I've got a feeling that someone is gonna get left out. Call now and reserve your day. The fishing is going to be good.... Just wait and see... Give me blue water and light wind and we are going to see some great action next week!

Call 252-241-8350.... Wednesday July 24 through Sunday July 28 is O P E N for now!

July 15 Best Amberjack Fishing in Years

It had been 2 weeks with no "real" fishing.... First, I got married. Then the wind blew. It also rained. Sheesh, the summer of 2013 looking like a "Summer of No Fishing"..... Captains Chris and Ryan are both home from Atlantic City (poor fellas)  Anyway, we've all been wanting to go fishing. Grouper Fishing to be exact. The day I got married was the best weather, but Jennifer was frowning at me with her beautiful big brown eyes..... So we passed on that day. Then came wind and rain and more wind.... Right down to the last day. So this morning the forecast was east wind at 10-15 with 3-5 foot seas.... I pretty much said, cancel the Grouper Fishing and we'll go the Cape Lookout Shoals and scour them for Bluefish, Red Drum, and Shark. The crew was mutinous..... We caught 7 dozen Menhaden just for the hell of it and cleared  Barden's Inlet at 7am! The water was beautiful and the seas weren't that bad, but got worse as we headed off the Beach. Too bad, we were committed not to head East or real far South or Southwest. All better fishing but the Conditions were not Optimal! So, we plodded off at 15 knots to the Southeast and we soon arrived at some "fishy looking spots" in 80 foot of water. This is where "Grouper Fishing starts"... Unfortunately, we could not catch any Grouper. Every bait was intercepted by an Amberjack. For 2 hours we caught Jack after Jack. We downsized our tackle. We ended up with the light spinning tackle. I caught a 22 lb Amberjack on 10# spin. Not great, but a 2:1 catch. I am not sure what Ryan and Chris were spooled up with, but they caught Jacks on their light stuff too.... After we'd had enough, we tried some other stuff and failed.... Once again, too much wind and sea to make a "big move" possible, so we headed in to the Shoals..... Once there we found the motherlode of Bluefish. Big black schools. Acres. It was every cast for 30 minutes. We kept enough for Jennifer's Dad to feast on..... The boat was bloodied! I had had enough. Thats a rarity.... So we headed towards Beaufort Inlet. Christopher seemed depressed. He whispered to Ryan, "What we gonna do now".... Hold on Boys, I spotted the "Capt Gunner" on the horizon with Tom Jr at the helm.... And in his wheel wash we found a light tackle utopia...... Dozens of Sharks racing back and forth. Singles. Doubles. Wolfpacks of 10-12 Sharks. 30 lb Blacknoses. 50 lb Spinners. 100 lb Blacktips..... God only knows what else..... Shark Fishing CAN NOT GET ANY BETTER. Every cast resulted in a hook-up. We were casting dead Shad and working them like Zara Spooks. But not for long, the strikes came fast and they were very explosive. It was awesome. Again the boys downsized. Catching action-packed Sharks on light spin. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.... But why was Christopher angry? He really wanted a Grouper. I am sorry old Pal...... Total Catch for the Day: 21 Amberjack up to 34 lbs, 45 Bluefish at 2 lbs each, 5 Blacktip Sharks up to 75 lbs, 3 Blacknose Sharks up to 32 lbs, 1 Spinner Shark at 33 lbs, and 7 Sharpnose Sharks up to 10 lbs  

July 10 Bluegills on the Fly Rod

The Bluegills were very active this morning in 2 of the 3 Ponds that I fished this morning... Nice ones. Small ones. All of them! They seemed to still be hanging around the Beds too. Mid-July seems a little late for bedding, but if the Chicks are hanging around dressed in their party colors, the boys will be there too, all swelled up and "purpled up"!  The Largemouth Bass, on the other hand, were quick to rise, but they all slammed on the brakes and refused to bite the popping bugs that I was throwing...... Also, I turned down a really good trip this morning too. Brandon and Chris are headed to the TOP SECRET POND, where Citation-Sized White Perch and Land-Locked Red Drum bite on nearly every cast. I'm already getting pics from Christopher rubbing it in.... I should've went.... But, I'm kinda busy this afternoon. Crazy little thing called.....

A wedding.......

I love Jennifer and this afternoon we are going to make it OFFICIAL! However, we are holding off on our "honeymoon trip" to the NC Mountains.... So, i will be available for Charter on July 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.

Call me up and Let's Go Fishing! Total Catch for the Day: 15 Bluegills