Feb 27- Capt Marty Actually Went Fishing

Ferry Crewmate Matt Williams and I hit the Point at Buxton today in search of Red Drum. They bit good yesterday. And the day before. Honestly, the Red Drum bite up here has been steady and strong since October. Why the hell these fish refuse to budge is a mystery to me. Red Drum are not teeming in the Surf off Cape Lookout, Shackleford Banks, or Bogue Banks. I'm not sure about Core Banks or Ocracoke Island. To me, it doesn't seem these fish want to cross Hatteras Inlet..... I mean, up here at Hatteras, people are catching many, many Red Drum day after day after day..... It's incredible. At Cape Point today, when we arrived two things stood out. #1 Nobody was fishing. Apparently the fish had stopped biting as the tide fell. Of course, we missed it by an hour and it was an "epic bite"....... #2 There were Horseshoe Crabs everywhere. Sadly, most of them were pushing up higher and higher into the dry sand where Herring Gulls were flipping them over and eating them like a crustacean on the half shell..... I saved a dozen of them and returned to fishing.... As for our fishing, I briefly casted "where the fish were". Nothing. Then I walked to a little point to the west.... I got grass on every cast. Then a tightly packed flock of terns caught my attention. Far to the east and a ways offshore. It was interesting how they were "picking" the water... It reminded me of the way I've found them hovering over the strange Bullet Mackerel that have showed up the last 2-3 years.... I don't know what I thought. Catching a rare Bullet Mackerel on a gulp from the Beach would be amazing.... if I was going to think crazy, why not fantasize up a Blue Marlin from the Mung Hole? Anyway, I made the long walk across the Point to the eastern-most point. I waded out towards the birds..... It was here that I found a little bar and eddy that I liked the looks of! Then on my first 4 casts, I lost 2 Drum and caught 2 Drum. I waved for Matt and he saw me, unfortunately so did the others.... The "Human SeaGulls"... The same guys that cop attitudes if you crowd them.... Regardless, the masses elbowed their way in...... The barrage of falling gulps, grubs, and other plastic soft baits pushed the Red Drum offshore.... My bait rod also caught a Clearnosed Skate. Finally, on the way out, we found a Ocean Sunfish that committed suicide because he was being constantly bullied by too damn many Red Drum! Total Catch for the Day: 2 Red Drum at 24" each and a Clearnosed Skate

BLUEFIN TUNA- 10 Years Ago and Yesterday

Up here on the northern end of the NC Coast a very welcome visitor has arrived.... The Bluefin Tuna. Making some people very happy. It's the end of the 2013-2014 Commercial Bluefin Season.  It was a bittersweet but happy reminder that it's been 10 years since my best Commercial Bluefin Season. The December of 2003/January 2004 season was laid out like this: Because the Quota was pretty tight that winter, there was a 10 day season in December of 2013. The limit was one fish per day. My season went like this. I missed the first day completely. The second day I caught a Bluefin Tuna that had a dressed weight of 187 pounds. I estimated that the live weight was 227 pounds. The following 7 days, I caught a Bluefin Tuna each day that weighed from 213 lbs dressed to 292 lbs dressed. One day, I caught 2 Bluefin Tuna and we passed one of them over to another boat. The final day of the December season was rough, cold, windy, and foggy. We didn't catch a Tuna. So, for the 10 day December season, I caught 9 Bluefin Tuna and sold 8 Bluefin Tuna. The "live weights" of fish were estimated from the smallest at 227 lbs to the largest at 342 lbs. I lost one very close to the boat that was well over 500 lbs. It was minutes away from the gaff and the hook pulled...... I also remember Capt Skip Conklin and Capt Jay Russel fought a Giant Tuna for 6-7 hours one day. These boys catch lots of big fish. They are great fishermen. This Giant Tuna escaped after an epic battle. Jay claimed this one was pushing 10 feet long and 1000 pounds.... Those guys were devastated and exhausted..... All around Carteret County, the Docks and Fish Houses times were good. The money was great. There was an electricity "in the air".  The entire Beaufort Inlet area had an incredible vibe

Come January of 2004 the Quota was so tight that the NMFS decided on two separate 2 day seasons. On the first day, we caught a huge Tuna right off the bat. This one weighed 330 lbs dressed. I estimated that it weighed 380 lbs when it was caught. I also remember this one well because we only got $3.81 per pound for this fish.... In comparison, every other fish that we sold fetched from $10 to $15 per pound. Getting less than $4 was a dose. A bad dose. The following day and the first day of the second set we very quickly caught, killed, and sold 300+ pound Tunas. Our Fishing World was "On Fire"..... Then came the last day of the 2003/2004 season. Bad weather was coming! The prospect of making "another" quick $4000 to $8000 bucks had the fleet sailing early. Like 3am. The Tunas, were moving farther south with every day. The final morning, everyone was looking at an area about 25 miles south of Beaufort Inlet..... By 530am the fleet, and I mean 200+ boats of every kind. Custom Sportfishing Boats, Charter Boats, Corporate Fishing Yachts, 100 ft Super Headboats, 25 to 36 ft Center Consoles with 500-750 HP, all the way down to 21 ft cuddy cabins with 150 HP. I was on Admiral Gerald Currin's top flight, high dollar Yamaha powered 27 ft Contender called "The Big Duck III"..... Amazingly the damn future "Top Water Boat" was out there too.... She was called "Lookout Lady" back then.... We were all, the entire fleet, headed for TROUBLE......

Morehead City's Best and most Experienced Fishermen, guys like Capt Woo Woo Harker long time owner and Captain of the "Carolina Princess" said they'd NEVER seen it get so rough so quick. The conditions in the atmosphere didn't add up to the effect that it had on the Ocean's surface. It was a January Southwester and that's unusual, but the seas got so steep and so high and the interval so short... It was a FREAK of NATURE. It hit us one mile from where we planned to fish. We turned around immediately and started for home. It took 90 minutes to get there "in the dark"..... It took 7 hours to get home "in broad daylight". It was a Life Changing Event for some. It was, at very least, a day Never To Be Forgotten for all the others.... The owner of the 25 foot Downeaster called "Lookout Lady" spent a long, long day fighting its way towards home..... (I know how that thing handles Rough Seas----Terribly) When the "Lookout Lady" hit the dock, she NEVER SAILED AGAIN until she was SOLD.... As for us, we dipped the bow of that Contender into the wave "in front of us" 10,000 times that day as "the wave behind us" tossed us forward. Knee Deep Water in a boat not designed to hold a drop for 7 straight hours is quite unsettling.... Lose power and DIE. Ride in "a trough" for hours and all you can see is a wall of cold green water in front of you (that's comforting compared to.....) Look behind you and all you can see is a cresting 10 foot high wall of cold green water towering over your stern... Literally make ONE MISTAKE and you're going to Pitchpole. Lose power, lose headway and you will be tossed into INSTANT CALAMITY. It was a scary day and I'll be damned if it didn't suck all the fun right out of all those other days. Dude's would've traded all their "Tuna Money" back just to get back home..... Lotta prayers mumbled through clinched teeth that day... Well, we ALL made it back if you're wondering.

Well thats the way it ended.... I caught 12 Bluefin Tuna, I sold 11 Bluefin Tuna, I caught my career best, a 380 lb Bluefin Tuna during a 14 day Commercial Season. As fate would have it, I also found my present boat, The Top Water Boat, as a result of that last day. Plus, I learned a few lessons that I will never, ever forget that last day. It's now been a little over 10 years.... By the way, I wrote all this from memory. My notes and fishing logs from 2003 and 2004 are in Beaufort and I'm at Hatteras, closer to the Tuna. They are swimming a few miles away. I feel them.

Feb 25- HARD AGROUND

Last week had some damn pretty days and I didn't even GO FISHING..... Let's see, I bought a new truck. Chris got married. I did my taxes. By Sunday I was desperate and suddenly opportunity knocked! And hell no it wasn't the Mung Hole. It wasn't even the Top Water Boat.... Jeff Garner, the owner of Morehead City's oldest, largest, and most prestigious restaurant, The Sanitary Fish Market Restaurant invited me to go fishing! Jeff owns a 62 foot Custom Sportfishing Boat named The Yellowfin. Jeff wanted and needed Wahoo, Dolphin, and Tuna for the Restaurant and I was going to be the Angler (and mate as it turned out because the crew fell apart and it looked like just the two of us!) Anyway, as luck would have it, Jeff had a fuel transfer pump die and we never went fishing....

DAMNATION

So later, Capt Tuggy and his girlfriend Lauren drove to Beaufort and they joined my beautiful wife Jennifer and I on a calm peaceful boat ride. Hindsight being 20/20, we either should've stayed in bed or stayed in Taylor's Creek.....Y'all know me. it was very light seas so even though it was pretty cold on the water, I soon had us headed towards the Cape Lookout Shoals at a fast clip. The ole Top Water Boat hadn't seen any action in nearly 6 weeks so she needed to "get hot"..... I figured we had a one in million shot to find a school of Red Drum.

What we found was something else entirely! We found a very nice 45-50 foot sailboat keeled over 45 degrees, with full sail still up, surrounded by angry breakers and ripping currents, and a sole Japanese survivor frantically waving his arms..... We worked across the breakers offshore of his position to get on the Eastside of the Shoals and then we approached to within 300 yards of his bow before we ran into very shallow and rough water. To make matters worse, we also had 4-6 foot breakers coming in on us from behind.... That's my worst case scenario and with 2 sunny day chickadees on board, it wasn't in our best interest to make this a 2-boat pile-up. So I called Sea Tow and Tuggwell called The United States Coast Guard and made them aware of the situation. (Of course, out of the corner of my eye I also scoured the area for Red Drum)..... Anyway, as I struggled to keep my crew safe (and dry) I also studied the situation and found a different approach pattern. Once Sea Tow and the Coast Guard were underway, we left the scene the same way we came in..... Back across the Shoals to the Westside and then we approached the crippled Sailboat from an area that last summer I called "Bluefish Alley". I know this spot like the back of my hand.....As Tuggwell and I discussed the likelihood that the Asian Sailor was an eccentric retired CEO of a HUGE CORPORATION and how we were likely to divide up a 100 to 200 MILLION DOLLAR REWARD.... It wasn't an easy track but we were keeping 4-5 feet of frothy green water under our hull.... Getting closer, we were weaving in and out of finger shoals and hollow green breakers we this time approached the Sailboat from his starboard side to within 100 feet. Unfortunately, here we ran aground and I read my wife's look as if she said "You think that Sailboats in trouble you ain't seen nothing yet" Anyway, we got close enough to see that as the tide ebbed out; the Sailboat's occupant could hop overboard and walk to Cape Point in waist deep water if necessary. Attempts to communicate failed because he didn't seem to speak English, and there was no way we could help him because he seemed to want a "tow".... At this point I was more interested in saving "my boat" from finding a Dead End Shoal..... Visions of GOLD LIFE SAVING MEDALLIONS and MILLION DOLLAR REWARDS faded as we powered trough sand and white water to safety as Sea Tow and The Coast Guard was arriving.

Remember WET PLUS COLD PLUS SCARED MINUS REWARD MONEY EQUALS MAD WIFE which results in AWFUL EXPERIENCE for Capt Marty

So, we did a good deed but accomplished nothing. I scared Jennifer off the water again. The fishing highlight of the day (the entire week unless I can count the excitement of watching Wicked Tuna) was when we chased some Gannets off the water and they regurgitated up some hefty Menhaden before taking flight. Damn that's it. Total Catch for the Day: Nothing 

Feb 10-12 Back to Work in time for the BLIZZARD of 2014

The weeks fly by........ Here I sit, back in my room at Hatteras. Seems like I just did this! Hell, I took a job with the Ferry Division in April of 1992. For ONE SUMMER. And I'm still here! Endless Summer. Sure don't seem like it. Back then, cold wasn't cold and fishing was good 11 months of the year. My how times have changed....

Anyway, without getting nostalgic, I see another Winter Storm Warning is posted... All I wish for is TO PLEASE LET ME BE HOME for one of these events... I'd love to play and frolic with my WIFE (and animals) for once....

Now that its over, we did get 6"-8" snow here at Cape Hatteras. It was a beautiful event. During the height of the Blizzard, a few guys were FLAT OUT SMOKING the Red Drum in the surf directly across from the Hatteras Ferry Facility... We were tied up due to iced up Ferry Decks and I had my chance to go wallop them..... But, I can't believe this, but..... This was THE FIRST TIME since I came up here in November of 2002 that I didn't bring a rod and reel with me..... As I watched a grizzled Hatterasman haul his 8th, 9th, and 10th Drum off the Beach, I briefly considered going to the Pelican's Roost and buying a new rod-n-reel.... Unfortunately, I needed Waders too.... I decided against it. Damn it. In my crappiest fishing winter since 1987, a Red Drum Frenzy during a Blizzard is a Major Major Major Failure in Capt Marty's Book. 

A few pictures from around Hatteras Village since I couldn't go Drum Fishing. FYI: The Big Tahuna and Capt Kenny kick arse offshore at Hatteras Inlet

Feb 9- Winter Bluegills

A pretty day. However, the forecast wasn't so great. Today's sunshine and warmth snuck up on me.... I probably would've gone Dog Sharking or searching for Red Drum. Instead, Emma and I went to the old favorite Mung Hole. I can't believe how bad the fishing is in this location as compared to across the street. This one used to be stuffed full of Bass and Bream. I thought their was a "stunting" problem in this Pond. Now I belief the is a "No Fish" problem in this Pond..... Well anyway, in an hour I caught some Bluegills. Size ranged from small to tiny..... Total Catch for the Day: 9 Bluegill

Poor Speckled Trout

Another Speckled Trout Winter Freeze Die Off is Happening Right Now!

Feb 2- The SuperBowl of Fishing

I'm home early with an injury. Severely bruised ribs and lung. Ouch. Feeling better this afternoon, I actually talked Jennifer into a little "Mung Hole Fishing Super Bowl".... Me against her. So, how do we judge this? First Fish?  Most Fish?  Biggest Fish? I figured a easy victory in all three areas, but in actuality, the BIGGEST FISH is always how we are judged...... So we arroved on the Fishing Grounds and I quickly caught a Bluegill while demonstrating how to cast.... Once Jennifer got up and running she quickly caught a Bluegill too.... When she needed no more help or advice I wondered off..... I got her pretty good in the numbers game... Then I noticed her down by the Dam. Her bobber was down and she was struggling. Suddenly a large green back broke the surface and water was spraying as a hand-sized tail swept back and forth. Oh Damn she had hooked one of the Mung Holes "Top Secret" Largemouth Bass. Then the big Bass jumped and turned a complete somersalt before hitting the water and burying into a raft of green slimy algae. Jennifer now needed my help! With the Super Bowl of Fishing hanging in the balance, I silently ackowledged that my defeat was imminent as I took to my knees and reached out into the cold, nasty Pond water. Finding the Bass's sizeable lower jaw with my fingers, I sat upright and rolled Jennifer's monster 5 lb Largemouth Bass up into the sunlight. With screams of joy, Jennifer had soundly defeated Capt Marty in the Super Bowl of Fishing. She had her a trophy Largemouth Bass. What a great sight it was for me though. My wife doing her "Victory Dance" with Emma howling in the Background. The Mung Hole will never be the same and maybe I witnessed the birth of a new fisherperson today! The Super Bowl of Fishing One belongs to Jennifer! Total Catch for the Day: a 5 lb Largemouth Bass and 13 Bluegill

Getting Old and Thinking Back....... Way Back

Pictures Above are of my Grandma, Sally Washington and my Aunt Joyce

I guess most people in Eastern NC are cooped up tonight. Outside, the temps are in the 20's and everything is covered by a layer of ice. Pretty miserable and dangerous.... Today I continued from my transition from a carefree kid to a crippled old man. How did I accomplish this? Well, I stepped out of truck and onto a solid sheet of ice. At exactly the wrong time, my phone started ringing. So, while multi-tasking consisting of stepping out and slinging a backpack over my shoulder..... I was distracted by and attempted to look at my phone. Seconds later I was horizontal and airborne. Solid ice backed by pavement loomed below. Well, this aint good! I took the FULL IMPACT on my left shoulder. Now, 9 hours later and in great pain, after much searching and reading on the Internet, my self diagnosis is that I have a Bruised Lung. Capt Tuggy who is a highly decorated "flying" EMT is betting on a Pneumothorax. Nice word. Either way, I just want to survive the night so I can make a decision about going to the Doctor..... Anyway, immediately after falling, the pain wasn't so bad. However, there was a 4-6 hour period late this afternoon/early evening where my pain was increasing rapidly and breathing was getting difficult. All my pain was radiating from my left armpit and across my chest.... Any Tackle Box MD's out there want to add an opinion? We can do an Office Pool. I got bruised Lung. Tuggwell got Collapsed Lung.......

Pictures above are my Granny's quarry: The White Sucker and the Golden Redhorse

Also, a while back, my cousin Gail sent me a couple pictures of my Mother's Mother. I haven't seen my Granny since November of 1983. Unfortunately, our family really didn't have many good pictures of her. She worked too hard to ever stop long enough for a picture. Also, she was (of course) the World's Greatest Cook! She really has to get lots of the credit for raising my brother and I because my momma worked and Granny was ALWAYS there. She was (is) one of the most influential people in my life and nothing will ever change that. She taught me how to read and by age 5 I was reading "Fish of the World", "Sharks of North Carolina", and other books she had NO interest in to her! As a very young boy I was fascinated by her tales of the "men folk" seining a River (Dan River, Tar River, not sure) to catch the White Suckers when they ran in the Spring and they would have a huge Community Fish Fry on the River Bank. We all have regrets but I surely wish I could go back to 1983 and say goodbye and I Love You and Thank You properly. And since this is a Fishing Blog, I'd love to see my Granny waiting by the River to see what was in those nets when they were hauled up on that Shoreline.....

Jan 28 Back to Work, Captain's Notes, and The Winter Storm

This picture is of the Hatteras Inlet Ferry Headquarters on Jan 28, 2011. Our last major snow event.

It's time for me to leave again....

Working the Day Shift means NO FISHING

NO FISHING means NO FUN

More importantly, they say a Blizzard coming!!!!!!! Time will Tell.... A little snow would be fun, but I'd rather be at Home. Day-Um.......

Please be patient my Fishing Fans. Remember, the Hickory Shad are coming and Capt Tuggy and I are going to Whack Em! If you've never been Shad Fishing and if you want to try it, I can work out a great deal..... But here's your warning: IT IS VERY ADDICTIVE. Hopefully there will be some American Shad mixed in and a few Salt Water Adventures as well! Sight casting to Roving Hordes of Giant Red Drum would be nice! Duhhhhhh

Also, don't forget about my friend Jalen. He is having a great winter in the Mountains. His Blog is a www.fishyourfly.blogspot.com   His adventure's are driving me crazy with jealousy! Anyone out near Cullowhee, NC or traveling through that area--PAY ATTENTION--Jalen can fix you up for a reasonable cost if he's availiable (he is a Senior at Western Carolina). He can expertly "guide" you to all the Rainbow Trout you can imagine. If you're lucky, you might even get a Brook Trout and/or a Brown Trout as well..... In a nutshell, Jalen has the much coveted Capt Marty Stamp of Approval!

Finally, I run into people all the time that say "Hey Captain Marty, I read your Blog all the time"....... I want to say "Thank You" to everyone that reads my Blog. I really get a kick out of writing this Blog. It is an extension of my Fishing and my Life. And I am pleased and I am proud that so many people take a few minutes out of their busy day to read about my adventures, my rants, and my little information tid-bits..... Hopefully, all my reader's will survive the Winter and before we know it the Sun's Rays migrate north far enough to bring us our Spring and great Spring-time fishing! Give me something to write about!

Update:

The weather outside is frightening

Conditions headed bad to worse

Hatteras Inlet..... Hallowed Fishing Grounds, where the IGFA ALL-TACKLE WORLD RECORD Bluefish was taken, is about to be hammered by "the Great Blizzard 2014"
9:18 am the first frozen rain pellets and snowflakes fall and so it begins.....

Jan 27- FINALLY FISHING

Hey, it ain't what we hope for. It ain't what we used to expect. Times have changed. It's not 2004 and Mr Bluefin Tuna or Mr Striped Bass ain't walking through my door! Yes, I could've should've rolled the dice and went looking for Speckled Trout or Red Drum but I didn't..... The weather has been brutally cold and even though today was warm and sunny, my SALT WATER CONFIDENCE is not really high this winter.... Things are different at Hatteras. Warm Water. Red Drum in the Surf. But here, in Carteret County waters, it has been a Stink-Fest.... So today, I grabbed 2 of Lil Sid's night crawlers and went 5,000 yards to the Northeast...... Emma and I. And it was a pleasure. I did not figure I'd get a Grand Slam but after catching a real nice Pumpkinseed, I was one Bass away from a Beaufort Slam. I shortened my leader and fishing closer to the Bank. that didn't work. I probed the deepest part of the Mung Hole. Deep Dropping! Nothing..... I couldn't find a Largemouth Bass. I found a hungry and agressive population of Bluegill. One unfortunate Bluegill became Emma's lunch. Other than that, they all got released. After 30 minutes of action I had a revelation. In this Mung Hole, stunting is not present. I honestly believe that it is possible to catch a pan full of hand-sized Bluegills. Make a great fish fry. I never thought I'd see a keeper stringer of Bluegills come from a Beaufort Pond. Fortunately for the fish and unfortunately for me, I never liked fried Bream.... So, who the Hell cares.... Well, next week I'm gonna ask my Daddy if he wants a mess of Bream. If he says "yes", watch out..... Anyway, fun on a winter day. Total Catch for the Day: 24 Bluegill and 1 Pumpkinseed 

Jan 18- Good Weather and Good Fishing Please Hurry

Its about time to hit a pretty day. Warm and sunny. Light winds and slight seas. Go ride around and look for some action or at least some wild scenery. Check the Rock Jetty. Scour the Shoals. Maybe cast to Albacore and even encounter the Bullet Mackerel again. Who knows! The past two winters I've managed to hit the Jackpot on the Red Drum around a certain wreck. Black Drum have occasionally showed up around the ARs off Atlantic Beach in the past. Humpback Whales and Basking Sharks are around in Winter and it wasn't so long ago that Bluefin Tuna were thick in January. Maybe I should pull a couple of Horse Ballyhoo around Big 10 just for old times sakes? Anybody want to go? Call me at 252-241-8350.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY

In the winter, the weather up here at Cape Hatteras is always extreme. If it's pretty.... It's really pretty. That just don't happen very often. If it's windy where you are, then tack on another 15-20 kts out here. At this time of the year, when its cold and windy out here, it's brutal. Long ago, mariners and coastal residents depended on the local Weather Bureau Offices or the nearest Coast Guard Station for the weather forecast. Especially the Maritime Forecast. The Coast Guard's method of relaying this forecast was by a system of flags and pennants that they'd raise up a "forecast pole" every morning. a A flag up a pole is still very important to us "modern day" mariners. I use the huge US flag that flies at Fort Macon every morning that I fish out of Beaufort Inlet to gauge wind and sea conditions and to formulate my Fishing Plan, at least for the early morning hours. Certainly how hard a flag is flapping and the direction its flapping aren't the same as a color and shape coded system to deliver information to mariners, but hey, it works for me and its an important little piece to my puzzle.

The Single Red Pennant flying over at the Cape Hatteras Coast Guard Station means that a Small Craft Advisory is up. We've all heard it. If you've ever wondered exactly what it means, here it is:

It means winds from 25 to 38 miles per hour (22 to 33 knots) are expected to occur over the forecast area within the next 12 hours

As a Center Console Boat Operator and Fishing Guide, it pretty much means sleep late and cancel any Fishing Trip until tomorrow. The exception, for me, is that in May or June we are able to fish in relative comfort inside the Cape Lookout Bight even if there is a Small Craft Warning posted. A Cobia would still definitely be possible! Also, Albacore Fishing in the fall on a SCA for north winds can produce great fishing in the Inlets or right along the Beaches....

Top Water Charters Miracles WAHOO and LEMONFISH

Last night I was playing with this Blog's Layout. Basically changing things around on the right margin. Re-arranging descriptions of "up coming fishing" and adding pictures of different things. I hope my readers pay attention to those things in addition to reading the Fishing Reports. There is a lot of good information and great pictures over there....

I found a picture on my computer that reminded me of a great day and I wanted to incorporate it into my Blog. Now a day later, I think I'll expand on it and make it one of my "winter time" essays.... As y'all can tell by now, they take two forms.... Negative Rants or Positive Reviews, Stats, or just Feel Good Stories. This is definitely a "Feel Good".

So thinking about Top Water Miracles. I mean T-Total Miracles. Unbelievable "No Way Possible" Fishing Stories... Not just freaks like the 50 lb Yellowfin Tuna I caught casting a stingsilver on light spinning tackle to schools of Albacore a mile off the Beach or the 66 lb Amberjack that ate the Spanish Mackerel that I was reeling in and somehow got hooked by the size 00 Clarkspoon that had hooked the Mackerel while trolling in Beaufort Inlet or the 30 lb King Mackerel that I caught on a bare chartreuse Sea Witch that I was pulling 30 kts... Those are TRUE STORIES, but not enough to qualify as a Top Water Miracle. There has been two of them! Here is their stories:

On Sept 3, 2005 Put Putnam paid for a half day inshore fishing trip so he could spend some time with his son Charles. Charles, who was a Lieutenant in the US Army Special Forces, and was getting ready to deploy to Sierra Leone to train their military to fight a "Diamond War" against a group of Insurgents... Very Interesting... Anyway, I asked Charles the night before we fished what he would like to target and I would try to accommodate his wishes. Charles explained that he'd fished all over the World and one of the fish that had eluded him and he would most like to catch was a........ Wahoo! Oh damn, I explained to him that on a half day, inshore, a Wahoo was about as unlikely as anything he could've named... Too bad. Damn, I thought, "No way I satisfy this guy".... Anyway, I figured live bait for King Mackerel would be the most action I could supply these guys.... So, 4 hours into the trip, it was Hot as Hell and Fishing was SLOW... (Surely you guys know where this is headed!) With a perfect level of IMPOSSIBLE and as DRAMATIC as I can make this..... We were down to our LAST live Menhaden. I fished it right in the wheel wash... Right over the Hutton wreck, we all had our backs turned and missed seeing a pretty violent strike on the live bait. Much different than our previous bites. I think we had caught a couple of Spanish Mackerel and a Houndfish.... Anyway, this fish ran hard, steady, and deep. An hour later and we were still fighting..... A big Shark? It sure seemed slow and lethargic! Finally Charles tipped the big fish up. There comes a time in every fight with a big fish when he loses his balance. This is the angler's chance to gain line! Charles kept him coming, up from 70 feet. Finally we saw color. We all peered over the side into the clear blue water. "What is it Charles asked"...... "I'll be damned" I said Astonished. "Its a Big Ass Wahoo dude"   A few minutes later Charles had his dream fish. A 68 lb Wahoo.... On a half day trip. On the Last Bait in the baitwell.... UNBELIEVABLE. Mission Accomplished. A Top Water Miracle

On May 19, 2011 I had Jim and Phil Leisey aboard for a half day of Cobia Fishing. Jim is my favorite customer and we have had many great days through the years. A big Cobia had eluded us though in a few attempts. Fishing was looking good when we set this day up a week earlier. May 10-12 had seen great Cobia fishing in our area. Then it had fell apart. Fishing was slow and I was in a "slump". On the big day, conditions were great for sight casting. As we ran east, I quickly spotted a little Cobia. Phil couldn't see him so I cast a swimbait and quickly hooked up. I passed the rod down and Phil released a 32" Cobia. The skunk was kicked off quickly and this day was looking good.... Then we hit a "DEAD SPOT" and we rode for 3 hours and saw NOTHING. Oh Lord, another failure..... Grasping for straws and giving up on Cobia Fishing, I asked Jim that since our day was winding down would he like to cast some top water plugs to some 10-14 lb Bluefish? Jim reluctantly agreed and we hung our heads and headed inside the Bight at Cape Lookout...... To add salt to our wounds.... I freaking T-Boned a 50+ pound Cobia on the way to the Bluefish spot. SHIT! I screamed. "Just forget it Marty, it aint our day" Jim replied. Then, to make matters worse the damn Bluefish numbers were pitiful..... Jim and Phil each released one. Our BAD LUCK was really a gigantic stroke of Good Luck we just didn't know it.... With our time up, the Leisey boys needed to hit the road to Raleigh... I said look, let's anchor up and give it 30 minutes on the bottom. What the heck, we know 1 Cobia was back here because I ran over it. Jim and Phil reluctantly agreed... So I dropped anchor and baited up with "yesterday's bait"... Not perfect, but I felt really bad. I wanted to please and impress these guys bad! Twenty minutes later Jim and I were jumping for joy as Phil was locked up in a battle with a Cobia! A few minutes later Phil decked a stud 61 lb Cobia. After much rejoicing, I started to pack up... And Jim said, "Hey look we are already late. If you don't mind, I'd like to give it 10 more minutes...... because Phil got his 60 pounder, I'd like to get my 80 pounder"......  I chuckled to myself and thought "okay Jim-Bob, whatever you say!" (once again my readers know exactly where this is headed) Anyway, a couple minutes later we got a bite. Jim set the hook and the fish moved off slowly. A long steady run. Then the fish stopped and Jim started to make headway..... As it got closer, the line began to rise and the fish veered off to the left. Slowly he kept rising and finally we saw him. A Lemonfish. A huge, light colored Cobia. Light brown, a subtle yellow glow to him. A Calico. Long and Lean. Then the game changed. The Cobia turned and smoked it, headed to the west and he was not stopping. I had to drop anchor and the chase was on. 45 minutes later, we were just off the crashing surf. Turning circles in 5-10 feet of water in the late afternoon sun. I finally, finally sank the gaff... Phil ran around and sank the second gaff. Together, we dropped him on deck. I took off from the breakers and ran back to the anchor. Here we finally looked at our prize. Freaking huge. I would be damned if Jim didn't catch is 80 pound Cobia. UNBELIEVABLE. Mission Accomplished. A Top Water Miracle

My Career Best Cobia Comes Home

I just received my mounted 94 lb Cobia from Capt Chris Kimrey of Mountmaker Charters and Custom Saltwater Taxidermy. Chris works fiberglass and paint like the Johann Sebastion Bach works sheet music. He reads happy Fishermen's minds like Peyton Manning reads Cover Two at the Line of Scrimage. He folds in colors like Emeril Lagasse mixes in spice. He creates life out of a dead plug of fiberglass like....... Okay enough. Chris is an artist, saltwater fish is his thing, and taxidermy is his genre. I highly recommend anyone considering getting a fish mounted to contact him. www.customsaltwatertaxidermy.com

Back to my Cobia. It's been a few years. This fish came during a 17 Cobia day. It swam up as my 2 anglers were both fighting fish. I told them that "this was a big one" but neither was interested. So, from my perch high above in the Tower, I grabbed a Penn 550SS on an Ugly Stick Rod rated 12-14, I believe it was spooled with new 12# mono, and cast my bucktail. The big fish ate it immediately. So then I patiently waited for Josh and Jeremy to each land their 30-35 lb Cobias. Thankfully my big Cobia wasn't much interested in running. He sorta circled slowly in 6-10 feet of water and never pressured me to chase him. Eventually the boys gaffed the other fish and I got serious with mine.  Still in the Tower, I quickly maneuvered very close to my Cobia. Feeling a real threat for the first time, my Cobia surged offshore into a vast area of deeper, gin clear water. Here is where we spent the next hour. Pretty much straight up and down over my Cobia in 12-14 feet of water. My light rod simply wouldn't lift him. Persistence, in the end, finally wore him out and as I got him very close to gaffing range Josh expressed some fear and apprehension in the Gaffing Department. As a matter of fact, he said, he'd only gaffed one fish in his entire life and that was Jeremy's Cobia an hour ago. I assured him to just do his best. Gaff him in the shoulder and snug him up beside the boat. I told Jeremy to quickly move in behind Josh and sink the second gaff in the thickest part of the Cobia. The moment of truth came and the boys performed perfectly. I remember being astonished at the size of my Cobia as they wrestled it over the gunnel. It landed with a thud and laid beside Josh's first fish of the day, a 72 lb Cobia that had been chewed up and spit out by a Giant Shark. My Cobia dwarfed the one Josh caught. I was hoping for a magical 100 pounder but we kept fishing. Probably wouldn't have made it anyway, but it wasn't weighed until the following morning when it pulled the needle down to 94 lbs. So far that's my best Cobia and the Top Water Charters Record. Top Five are 1. Capt Marty's 94 lb Cobia, 2. Marcus R Rouse's 92 lb Cobia, 3. Connie Culverwell's 84 lb Cobia, 4. Capt Marty's 83 lb Cobia, and 5. Jim Leisey's 81 lb Cobia.... Let's hope those records fall this year lets hope one of y'all call Chris up to mount a Giant Cobia caught on the Top Water Boat!

Jan 13- Hatteras Bound

Back to Work. I'm not happy. Got a Day Shift so there isn't much of a chance to have any fun..... It sucks because, even though it's the DEAD OF WINTER at home...... Even though Beaufort Inlet is 40-50 miles SOUTH of here.... Despite that, Fishing is ALIVE and WELL on Hatteras Island! The Ocean temp is much warmer than it is in adjacent waters both to the north and south, especially at Cape Point........ Now every Cape has a Point, but right now I am referring to Cape Hatteras and "the most famous Cape Point of all". The surf up here is teeming with Red Drum. No surprise here, it's been that way for months! There are also Speckled Trout and Flounder around. Not many, but enough to keep casting. If that ain't enough, there are days when Big Ass Sharks are right in the surf zone. I'm not talking Dogs here.... Anything is possible from Sand Tigers to Tigers to Sandbars to Hammers to Threshers...... I even heard of a Mako Shark released from the Beach 2 weeks ago. I said before, and I'll say again. I wouldn't be surprised to hear about a Great White Shark cruising the surf line up here... Anything is possible! And I'm working Days..... Damnation!

Jan 10- The Fishing on Foot Tour

What a beautiful day. This morning the Top Water Boat was begging to go swimming. It was a tough decision. I'm pretty sure I could've caught some Black Drum at the Cape Lookout Rock Jetty. Or I could've gone out to the ARs. Plenty of action is not only possible, but probable. Black Sea Bass, Dog Sharks, and more. But, in the end, I decided to save my hard earned money and let the Boat sit where she was.... Instead I went on a truck ride and fished several different spots that have all produced fair to great fishing at different times in the past. Driving on Hwy 70 east of Beaufort you will encounter lots of Bridges and plenty of water. Some are productive, some are not. Remember, though that as I encountered poor fishing after poor fishing.... Remember that it is mid-January and we have had some brutally cold weather and the fishing is now absolutely in the "dead of winter" pattern.... So, today I fished Ward's Creek, Oyster Creek, and Smyrna Creek. I also fished Radio Island. I cast Gulps and Grubs on lead heads. I caught nothing and I had no bites. I can also say this, as compared to last week, the water is much, much colder. The sensation of the cold water collapsing my waders tightly against my legs made it plainly obvious that the water has cooled off greatly since the last time I entered the water down here.. The water at Cape Hatteras is very obviously much warmer.... Anyway, I made a 100 casts today and it felt good just to try..... However, the catch was non-existent.  Total Catch for the Day: Nothing

2013 Year in Review

A FEW GREAT PICTURES FROM 2013





3,388 Total Fish Caught by Capt Marty, Clients, and Friends
66 Saltwater Species Represented
14 Freshwater Species Represented
53 NC Saltwater Citations for 10 different species
26 NC Freshwater Citations for 3 different species

Saltwater
Fish of the Year (Client)- Alan and his 130 lb Sandbar Shark
Fish of the Year (Capt Marty)- My career largest 9 lb Spanish Mackerel
Species of the Year- Amberjack. Incredible numbers and Top Water Action 
Day of the Year- (Dec 16) Casting light tackle in the Hatteras Surf. Red Drum on every cast

Freshwater
Fish of the Year (Friend)- Jalen and his 4 lb Rainbow Trout on Fly
Fish of the Year (Capt Marty)- My career largest 5 lb American Shad
Species of the Year- Largemouth Bass. Many Bass on Fly and Spin. Lots of 3-5 lb Bass and I caught Bass in every month of the Year
Day of the Year- (Feb 26) Chris and I: 36 Largemouth Bass many 5-6 lbs each and a few huge Golden Shiners


Top 10 Great Days and/or Great Fish

Jan 29- Tuggy and I fished the Shoals and to the East. Pretty day, low expectations and we found a Gold Mine! We caught 14 Red Drum up to 28" on a Wreck. Also Bluefish, Black Sea Bass, etc
Feb 6- Brandon and I fished a Private Pond that he has access to. We caught 110 White Perch and 7 landlocked Red Drum. Many Perch were 12" to 13". Big enough for NC Freshwater Citations
Feb 26- Chris and I fished Amy's Daddy's Pond and whacked the Largemouth Bass. Between the 2 of us we released 36 Largemouth Bass up to 6 lbs. We each caught multiple 5 lb Bass. We also each caught a couple Giant Golden Shiners! Probably the best Freshwater Fishing Session of my Career
March 19- Tuggy and I fished Pitch Kettle Creek and caught 52 Hickory Shad on light spinning tackle. Average size was extremely large. My largest was a 2 lb 9oz Trophy Hickory Shad.
May 18- Joey Bell, Chris, and I on a Slow Cobia Trip "settled" for 2 Red Drum over 40 lbs, 6 Gag Grouper up to 14 lbs, and 8 Amberjacks up to 28 lbs
May 21- Bob Becker and I went on our annual Cobia Trip. We found lots of Cobia on Leatherback Turtles and finished up with 10 Cobia up to 57 lbs.
June 3- Larry and Anne try something different with me every year. This year it was Cobia Fishing. Unfortunately, it was blowing and pouring rain. Terrible conditions. We anchored up at Cape Lookout by default. Amazingly, we caught 7 Cobia up to 43 lbs. Larry even lost a Monster on the motor. Ouch, but it didn't matter on this day!
June 27- Alan and his came a longs way to go fishing. From Colorado. Unfortunately, it was Rough as Hell, so we had to stay inside. So after catching bait, we anchored up inside the Bight at Cape Lookout in an attempt to get a "late season" Cobia. Action was steady with Stingrays, as expected. After a few "big bite" failures, Alan landed a 130 lb Sandbar Shark after a mile chase and 30 minute struggle. Awesome. We also caught a 16 lb Cobia right at the top of the tide for good measure!
July 15- Ryan, Chris, and I caught 21 Amberjacks up to 34 lbs. We caught them on live bait at first as we were hoping for a Grouper. We quickly went to top water plugs and spinning tackle. Great Action
July 25- Jim and Phil wanted to do something different. So we loaded the Top Water Boat down with Kayaks and hauled them offshore. Once we arrived at the "spot", the boys launched their Kayaks and caught and released 10 Amberjacks. Jim also lost a Big Mystery Fish but had a memorable pull from onboard his Kayak 
July 27- Bobby's crew started with me running aground hard. It looked bleak. We finally got underway and we found a ton of action. 7 Amberjacks up to 33 lbs, 2 Barracuda over 50", Almaco Jack, Dolphin, Bass, Shark, Porgy, etc etc etc
Aug 24 and 25- Capt Marty was 'boatless" and apparently none of my friends have boats either... Funny, I see boats in there driveways??? Anyway, shorebound and bored to death and took my 3wt fly rod over to the Mung Holes and actually fishing in one that we gave up on 5 years ago, I caught a 5 lb Largemouth Bass and 2 other Bass that weighed 4 lbs each. All on tiny popping bugs and the small fly rod. I loved it!
Sept 4 and 5- Orrin's crew and Johnboy and I. Similar days. Great Great Great Action on light spinning tackle casting metal lures to hordes of gamefish on the Cape Lookout Shoals. Combined: 110 Bluefish, 14 Spanish Mackerel, 7 Albacore, 4 Red Drum. Plus Blue Runners, Crevalle Jacks, and Ladyfish
Sept 6- Capt Marty fishing by himself caught a 37 lb King Mackerel, 7 lb Spanish Mackerel, and a 40 lb Scalloped Hammerhead Shark 
Sept 10- Capt Marty fishing by myself caught a New Career Best 9 lb Spanish Mackerel
Sept 21- Parker and Linus and crew had a very good day. Early in the morning we were held up by thunderstorms. While waiting out the bad weather, Parker caught a 36 lb King Mackerel. Later the crew caught Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, and Crevalle Jacks. A couple of the Mackerel were Citations.
Oct 2- Tom's crew always has a great catch. This year was no exception. They caught 6 Amberjacks up to 50 lbs and 8 Red Drum from 6 to 8 lbs each. They also caught Albacores, Barracuda, and Bluefish
Oct 17- George, Antonio, and I had a very interesting trip. We caught 27 Dolphin from 2-5 lbs, 15 Vermilion Snapper from 3-5 lbs, and 12 Triggerfish from 4-6 lbs each. We also caught Jacks and a 150 lb Bignose Shark
Nov 25- Jalen and I fished the Tuckasegee River. Between the two of us, we released 45 Rainbow Trout, 15 Brook Trout, and 1 Brown Trout. I got a Grand Slam and Jalen released a 4 lb Trophy Rainbow Trout
Dec 16- Capt Marty fishing in the Surf on Hatteras Island got in an "every cast" school of Red Drum. That afternoon I caught 24 Red Drum from 23" to 27" on light spinning tackle. 

Top 5 Great Failures and/or Fish Lost

May 29- Probably my Worst Charter Fishing Day ever. Dan's charter. Dan was a great repeat customer and unfortunately, I'll probably never hear from again. That hurts. So here goes "Bad Day Part 1"... Honestly, Dan's friends were poorly prepared to catch "big fish". As a Captain, I did a poor job dealing with that fact. Anyway, first thing in the morning, I hooked a 40 lb+ Cobia from the Tower and passed the rod down to an angler other than Dan. As I climbed down, I'm not sure what happened but out of the corner of my eye, I could see an Angler that had never fought a Big Fish. By the time my feet were on the deck of my boat, the Cobia was Gone!  Then came "Bad Day Part 2". Not much we could do about this but....... Right out of nowhere, a fully lit up Sailfish swims right up to the Boat. Okay, we are inshore and sight casting Cobia in 74 degree water. We are probably 50 miles from where I'd expect too see a Sailfish in May! Regardless, there HE WAS and just dying to be hooked... Of course, every rod was fitted with a bucktail! Not exactly the ideal "Sailfish Bait". Anyway, I had the Sailfish flirt with MY Bucktail for 90 seconds and I COULD NOT get him hooked up.... Epic Failure..... Finally "Bad Day Part 3", we have now run 75 miles and have nothing to show for it. Running Back towards Cape Lookout there he is.... A stud 75 lb Cobia cruising on top. A Day Saver. I ask Dan to move the Bow to make a cast to this Cobia..... Too bad, Dan's cast sails off target. So I cast. Of course, I hook the Cobia. I need to get the rod on Deck because the Big Cobia is swimming right at the Boat. Dan, of course, is still reeling in his "bad cast". Somehow, the HOT ROD ends up in the wrong hands again. The angler with the Rod freezes and allows the big Cobia to pass under the boat while also angling towards the stern (and motor) I am screaming to PUT YOUR ROD-TIP IN THE WATER AND WALK TO THE STERN. Feet frozen. Angler on Port side, The Cobia lunges out of the water on the Starboard side. Line breaks. It's over. I cuss. I lost a great client. Late that day we released 7 Cobia off Turtles but the damage was done...........

May 31- Bad karma lingers. On another Cobia charter, we fail to find any Cobia. We did find a 12 lb Dolphin very much inshore. A Day Saver on a slow day! We are ready this time. I actually have a live menhaden rigged up. And I swear to God, that Dolphin cannot catch that damn Shad. It chases it all over the Ocean, finally pinning it to the side of my Boat and it still can't eat this menhaden. As we scramble for a back up bait, the Dolphin finally spooks and disappears into the green water. Unbelievable. Later that day, I found a pod of cruising 100 lb+ Tarpon cruising in 4 ft of water. I make perfect cast after perfect cast. Live bait, fresh dead bait, top water plugs, bucktails. Nothing worked. I was not surprised that the Tarpon didn't bite, but it would've been nice if they had!

June 2- Just a continuation of bad luck. But this marked the end of it... Didn't help my client John though... So we ran to the massive baitballs off Emerald Isle where the "monster catches" were coming from. of course, when we arrived the Bogue Inlet Boats had already cleaned up the morning action. So we wandered back to the west. Just west of Beaufort Inlet I saw a Baitball with 2 Cobia on it. I eased the Boat into place. I instructed John to cast.... Naturally his cast was way off base. He cast again. Another poorly aimed cast. I wondered if he even saw what I saw. So, just to make me feel even worse! I cast from the Tower and naturally a 60-65 lb Cobia peeled off the Baitball and followed my bucktail. Not a "bull rush striker", so I hestitated and let my bucktail sink. The big Cobia did a headstand on my bucktail. Experience tells me this is a good thing. One twitch of the rodtip and Ka-Boom. Fish On! I set the hook over and over. Like Sammy Sosa swinging for the fence. Line peeled off my reel. I handed the bucking rod down to John and quickly climbed down from the Tower. When I arrived at Deck Level the fish was GONE. I don't know what to say, Then or Now....

Sept 16- Capt Marty broke off an estimated 16 lb Sheepshead that ate a Sea Urchin in "plain sight", right off the surface, right in front of me! This happened in between Ferry Runs in the middle of the day at South Dock, which is at the north end of Ocracoke Island. This Giant Sheepshead pulled line off the reel at ease despite a locked down drag and 80 lb PowerPro. Wrapped around a 40 piling cluster and cut me off on a barnacle. Ouch!

Oct 18- Capt Marty's haste to land a Spanish Mackerel quickly cost long time client Brent a Real Trophy and a Spanish Mackerel of a Lifetime. My decision to net Brent's Mackerel as opposed to gaff him was based on: #1 The Net is In Hand  #2 Spanish Mackerel are traditionally hard to gaff because the 3" gaff hooks commonly "stradle" the Mackerel's flanks and flip them over without gaffing him.... Anyone that spends lots of time King Mackerel Fishing knows what I'm referring too. It happens with Snake Kings and Jumbo Spanish.... Anyhow, in hindsight, I also underestimated the size of Brent's Spanish Mackerel. Absolutely a Top Water Charter's Boat Record and a 10+ pounder! The urgency that I felt was because we were directly over a Wreck and we had a doubleheader of Big Fish hooked up on the live bait rods and the reels were screaming. So when I tried to "net" the big Spanish, his head jammed in the net. Then he flipped powerfully upward. This action ripped the hook out of the fish's mouth and left in hopelessly tangled in the net. Of course, the Mackerel flipped out of the Net and disappeared in a Flash and a Splash...... I suspect long time client and highly skilled angler Brent will be "looking for a new Fishing Guide" next year.....