December 26- Chritmas and Thanksgiving Past

Both of these very important, late season Holidays have passed and like nearly everything else in the Life of Capt Marty, they passed silently and without incident. Good or Bad. Almost like I don't exist!

But, I not in a Witness Protection Program. I'm a JAG. Just a Guy. A Ferry Engineer (Nobody Cares) and a Fishing Guide (Plenty of People Cared). Once again, to those that cared, here I mean my old Fishing Clients and Friends and MORE IMPORTANTLY, the hundreds of people that read and enjoyed my Blog on a regular basis, I am sorry. I am sorry I quit posting on a regular basis. I am also sorry that I sold my Boat and severely reduced the time that I spend on the water. Unfortunately, that was probably necessary for my skin, knees, and back. At least, staying off the Ocean and avoiding things like Southern Stingrays and Amberjacks. (LOL)

Anyway, I think in the past several days, I've come to recognize, that my lack of Fishing and Posting has lead to feeling that I have Lost a Huge Part of my Identity..... Therefore, IF there are Any of my Long Time Readers still out there, bored and looking for reading material, I am (Once Again) going to make an Effort to get this thing going again. I also still hope and pray to have a skiff and be up and going again next Spring.

Once again, Happy Belated Thanksgiving. Merry Chritmas. Happy Holidays. Also, tonight I will try to update a few other things on my Blog and touch on a few FISHING trips that I failed to post.... I used to easily fish 100 days per year. Hell, prbably closer to 200 days on lots of years.

I realize I have tried this before..... only to get sidetracked. My life feels empty now. There were things that were important in my life that have been lost. This may seem silly, but here goes...... My Daddy aint coming back. My Wife aint coming back. Emma aint coming back. My knees and Back are not going to be 30 years old again.... However, I CAN go FISHING AND I CAN make Fishing Reports at the end of the day. I may be the Only Person to read about it, but Capt Marty will have that part of his life back!!!!!1

Sept 11- Why we should be Scared in Beaufort, NC

Okay, here goes.....and this goes for Hurricane Florence and any storms in the future. I want to point out, in my dumbass, uneducated, typically wrong opinion, Beaufort Inlet IS NOT THE SAME PLACE it was in 1996, 1999, 2005, or any of the other MAJOR HURRICANE EVENT YEARS.

Here is what Ive seen, what I see, what I know, and what I think.

On Sept 4, 2012, Gerald Currin and I had a very memorable day fishing at AR-315 off At Beach. We caught a tiny Sailfish. Around 14" long. Cool as Hell. That day, we also fought a huge Hurricane Swell coming off an obscure storm named LESLIE that was dar away in the Atlantic. That afternoon, when came back in the Inlet, we both noted the incredible erosion that had occured in the mere 5 hours that we had fished. The western end of Shackleford Banks, while the scene of some incredible surfing, had been incredibly eroded by the monster swell that rolled up the Beach from the SW.

Jump ahead 6 years. It is now 2018. What began THAT DAY IN 2012, has never been reversed and has now eroded a massive amount of the western end of Shackleford Banks. Range Finders and Day Boards that once stood in the sand dunes 1,000's of feet from the water, now stand in the Ocean nearly a 3/8 of a mile from the nearest sand. The exact same phenomenom has happened in Hatteras Inlet. The west end of Hatteras Island is GONE.

As a result of this erosion down here in Carteret County, this is what I see and its got me a little spooked. Beaufort Inlet, for years, was a very nicely defined and narrow Inlet. Standing on Front Street in Beaufort and facing South, you had 2 massive bodies of land standing between Beaufort and the Open Ocean. Shackleford Banks and Carrot Island. As the landmass on Shackleford Banks has been peeled back to the east, its like a window has been opened that COULD ALLOW giant Ocean Waves, that wouldve smacked Shackleford Banks to now Roll Right On to Carrot Island before dumping its energy. Now, I realize that the Beaufort Waterfront is still guarded by a Double Island Wave Break if the waves approach from either the SE or SW. But, if by fate, Hurricane Florence was to push a 10+ foot Storm Surge and throw in a 18 foot Swell from the DUE SOUTH, look for an absolute disaster for the town of Beaufort. All the boarding up in the world aint gonna make much difference. Giant Ocean Combers breaking on Carrot Island. The very waves that slipped in Beaufort Inlet, through an area that a mere 6 years ago the same waves would've encountered 20 foot high sand dunes!!!!. Look for dead horses, scrub Oaks, docks and boats to be piled up in front of Clawsons. It aint good and hopefully it wont happen. I can not understand WHY THE EROSION HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED IN THE MEDIA. But ask anyone who fishes regularly in and out of Beaufort Inlet. That'll tell you. Something very bad is happening and unfortunately, its about to get worse.

Sept 9- Offshore Again Finally

Ive got alot going on so (I feel the hot breath of a Cat 4 Hurricane on the back of my neck).

So I get a chance to go aboard Capt CL Lupton's new gig, a badass 57 ft Sportfishing Rig called "Feet First". Good chance, in September of 3 things happening Offshore in September off North Carolina south of Hatteras. Could be EPIC fishing for Wahoo. Could be EPIC fishing for Sailfish. OR...... It could be EPICALLY SLOW FISHING. I guess there are "average" days too. Anyhow, in a crazy spin of Fishing Fate, we kinda got all three rolled into One Day. How one wonders?

Well, here goes. Arriving at "the spot" at 7am, the first ballyhoo in the water literally gets picked off the rodtip by a 35lb Sailfish. Crazy. By 7:05am, we've got a Sailfish release. Making this brief.....By 10am, things are ROLLING. 2 out 4 Sailfish. 3 out a 6 Wahoo. A Blackfin Tuna and a Dolphin. Also captured 2 Great Barracuda. At this pace, by 2pm we box will be stuffed and the clothes line will be covered with flags.....

And then we went 4 hours and 30 minutes with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Nary a Bite. The end. Total Catch for the Day: 2 Sailfish at 35 and 40 lbs, 3 Wahoo from 33 to 37 lbs, 10 lb Blackfin Tuna, 7 lb Dolphin, and 2 Great Barracuda at 8 lbs each

Sept 1- Near Miss

Dammit. I missed that boat by 1 hour. When I talked to its owner on friday afternoon, and we were trying to set up a meeting time. I tried to be "Mr Nice Guy" and let this guy sleep in/lay up with his woman. Whatever. Hell I was working Night Shift, I wanted to meet him a 6am. But NO. HELL NO. Mr Nice Guy suggested 11am. Not to rush Mr Boat Owner, Mr Hard Working 8 to 5, Monday through Friday Working Class American. Let him relax and take his time.... 

So, anyway, at 10:45, I called to firm up our meeting time and place. No Answer. I texted him. Left all those same intentions. No response....... Here we go. Called back at 11am. Our original meeting time. No Answer. Repeat. Repeat. Finally, I drove to the boat. Here I found my future boat. Sitting there. There were, I noticed, 2 sets of vehicle tracks in the high grass. Right up to my boat. Some had been checking her out. Recently. I called again. Text again. By 3pm, the writing was on the wall. It wasnt going to be my boat. Finally, just as I was heading out the door to work, Mr Boat Owner reluctantly called me and apologized to me. Someone, it seems, had waved $6000 bucks in his face at 1030am. He took it.

Pretty much, I was struggling to STAY AWAKE in order for this dude to SLEEP LATE. Because I tried to be considerate, I got stood up and never got a chance to 6buy that little boat. Life Sucks Again.. Capt Marty Moore is still boatless. No Dad. No Dog. No Boat. And......cant fish off the Dock on Front Street that I had exclusive rights to from 1978 until 2017. Having a spot to walk to, where Ive caught thousands of Red Drum and Flounder from is a NICE ASSET TO HAVE IN LIFE, especially as a Fishing Fanatic.

So Long, Crowd

July 17- New Boat......Almost

I had finally convinced myself of 2 things....

#1 My friends AINT taking me fishing

#2 It is TIME for a New Boat

So, I found a great deal on a Skiff like I'd been looking for. Watch out Shad in Pitch Kettle Creek. Watch out big ass Doormat Flounder every where. Watch out Ladyfish in Taylor's Creek. Watch out Speckled Trout at the Rock Jetty.... But, as luck would have it, I was an Hour Late.

Now I'm really depressed. Watch out Pinfish in the Cedar Island Ferry Basin.

June 15- Capt Marty Explores Lake Mead, The Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas

This great trip was planned and executed by my brother,
Mike. Great job Mike. Four great travel segments, booked by Mike and executed by American Airways. New Bern to Charlotte to Las Vegas to Charlotte back to New Berr n. Perfect flying. Bad Ass fully loaded Chevy Tahoe from Thrifty Rentals. Mike and I drove this extremely nice and high tech SUV from Las Vegas to The Grand Canyon and back to Vegas. We stayed one night at The Hoover Dam Lodge. This place is a CLASSIC MIX of olde tyme ambience and modern fun. 1970's feel inside with a mix of restaurants, gambling areas, gift shops, even "indoor" gem mining.... In constrast, out the side door are helicopters for Hoover Dam Tours and plenty of boats, jetskis, and 4WD jeeps and buggies. All that "tucked" away in this crazy lil Mountain Range... Very Brown, hardly no plant life, and consisting of millions upon millions of Rocks. Some of which are huge boulders. The Colora
do River slides out from under Hoover Dam and  continues on towards the Baja California. Incredible.

My contribution to this trip was on morning one.  Before heading off to The Grand Canyon, we shot over to the LAS VEGAS BOAT HARBOR, and Mike and I rented a 22foot Jet Boat. That turned out great. Fun boating, great lil boat, explored the sapphire clear dark water. Incredable shoreline as mountains with multi-colored bands of rock suddenly ri se majestically from the Lake's shoreline. We took it all in as we zipped over Lake Mead's surface from our jetboat. From my "FISHING PERSPECTION" Lake Mead is absolutely full of  Carp and Striped Bass. Millions of them. They are all over the Marina, patiently waiting for kids to feed them popcorn. All in All, Lake Mead was a great part of this trip

To be

May 27- 30 Years Ago Today

Jeez, 30 years ago today I caught my career best Yellowfin Tuna. 83 pounds. First Yellowfin ever and still to this day my career best. I will always remember a few fishing veterans whispering "Allison" when that Tuna was pulled from the box. I always intended to bust that open down off Costa Rico. Damn never made it. Life ain't over, but right now, that's a Life Failure......

May 1- Bass Out The Ass

Best day in over a Year. 7 to 8 pound Bookend Largemouth Bass. Back to Back. Same Nest. Pics and Details later. This is a pain in the ass with the phone but here's the pics. Both fish came from a Farm Pond in Harnett County. Both fish ate a Plastic Worm. First one ate a Red Shad Culprit and the second one ate a Blue Worm with a Red Tail. Both off the same bed, 3 minutes apart. At last check, both Bass were back on the Bed when I left. It was nice to actually "do something" with a Rod and Reel. It had been a while!

April 3- Worst Days Ever

One of these days Im going to examine the worst days of my life and figure out where it "all went wrong"......

As for the fishing.... Tomorrow is a perfect example of the past 18 months of my life... Last shift at work,  I worked with Capt Tyler Thomas and Capt Josh Faglie. Captains and Good Guys EXTRAORDINARE. Capt Tyler is/was one of the Few Center Console Fishing Guides (can do it all, catch it all, and succeed consistently) that I considered my equal. Capt Tyler WAS/IS the only person that I considered BETTER than mewhen it came to Bait Fishing for Cobia. Cocky on my part, YES. Thats how I rolled for 15-16 years. Complimemtary of Tyler? YES...I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH. TYLER WAS MY EQUAL. Now, of course, Ive lost it. Casting into packs of marauding Blackfin Tuna in May of 2016 unsuccessfully over and over didnt seem like a Life Changing Catastrophy at the Time . However, that day proved to be very pivotable in my life. Up until that point, I caught any and every fish I wanted. Singlehanded Blue Marlins and Singlehanded Bluefin Tunas to 6 pound Goldfish on fly. That day in  May, 20 to 25 piund Blackfin Tunas were hurling 8 to 10 at a time. All in 15 feet of water right off the Circle. Fourth year in a row. May Full Moon. I made perfect cast after cast after cast. Stunned nothing...... and I aint caught shit since....sheeesh...

Anyway, back to Tyler and Josh. We talked about going this week on Tylers boat. We were all too busy tuesday and it was pretty. Wednesday and Thursday were blow out and rain outs. Now comes Friday. .....Looking pretty. Oh yeah.... Shark Island here we come. Home again. A good client and friend of mine put me up a mailbox out there. I was there nearly every damn day. A truly GREAT INSHORE/NEARSHORE FISHING DESTINATION..... Well, wouldnt you know it.....Momma's got an appointment at 10am. Just perfect timing to eff up the morning AND the afternoon.

Oh well.... Im sure this is senseless babble....Good Night

If Tyler and Josh go fishing, I will try to report their catch

March 5- Containers Adrift off Hatteras

Sorry guys.... I've been offshore!

Just thinking, 70+ shipping containers adrift North of Hatteras. Probably easing closer to shore.....

Back in 2006, a container was lost at Sea right before Thanksgiving. A week or so later, it washed up on the Beach at Frisco. The local Land Pirates, living up to their heritage beautifully, cracked it open and it began to empty it. Somewhat disappointing, but not a total loss, it was FULL OF.......

Ready.....

Doritos. Yep, everyone on Hatteras Island had free Doritos for weeks. All we needed was a container full of Mt Dew

Sept 28- Mary Lee Missing

I didnt realize that Mary Lee, the beloved 3000+ pound Great White Shark, has not pinged since June 17th. That makes her about as reliable as Capt Marty.  Well, I hope she pops up soon.Im afraid that she had a run in with a Long Line Boat. Federally protected and against the law to possess.... However some cut throat deckhands would be salivating over the thought of selling all those beautiful teeth for 1000+ dollars apiece. That'd buy alot of Dope. What a shame, thats the world we live in......

Sept 28- Top Water Alumni Check In

Heard from a very interesting past Fishing Guest yesterday.....Capt John Fentress. Calt John has a great job. He is the Personal Yacht Captain for the World's Greatest Golfer Jack Nicklous. The Golden Bear.Several years ago, John wanted to get his son out on the water for a quick adventure. It was cold and blustery, but we managed a nice catch of small Speckled and Gray Trout..... Then right at the end, John Jr shocked us both with a 6lb Black Drum. Awesome fish for an awesome kid!

Well father and son are here again, Im not sure I will be able to take them but I did catch with John. The boys just spent some time in tne Bahamas on the Golden Bear and also some time in Jupiter, Florida. Little John had a great fishing trip with firsts on: Snook, Dolphin, Bonefish, Peacock Bass, and Spiny Lobster. Great work John!

Sept 28- Thanks Everybody

I would like to thing everyone for reading my blog! I know that I have been slack and 2017 has been my worst year ever for both Fishing and Blogging! Despite this, I was recently offered a free trip to Jackson Hole Wyoming to attennd an Outdoor Blog Writing Convention.

I spitevof the fact thay I wont be attending, I still see this as a very nice honor and also proff that I must be doing something right

Sep 26-Virginia Creeper Trail

I DID RIDE THE VA CREEPER TRAIL and I loved it......I will post about it soon and put up some pictures soon

I recommend that to Anyone and WILL try to post some pictures

JUST REMEMBER:


18 MILES MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE 
                  thats
    ALL     DOWNHILL

Sept 9 - Capt Marty Update

Well, 2017 has nearly been a year without fishing. Pretty amazing after the past 31 years of FISHING 100 to 250 days per year. Obviously, I don't mean ALL DAY FISHING TRIPS in that TOTAL. But I do mean, significant time spent fishing during that day equals "fishing THAT day. I also recorded 1001 successful Fishing Charters that I ran from 2000 until 2016 .......

Then 2016 hit and my LIFE forever changed. In rapid succession, my Daddy's Health went from pretty bad to somebody needs to be with him nearly all the time. My Momma was diagnosed with Breast Cancer for the 7th time. Both my parents were 80 so even as it was serious, sad, stressful, and time consuming, it was somewhat expected and a labor of love.....

Then on June 30, the Love of My Life and Woman I was absolutely planning to spend the rest of my life with.......well she packed her stuff up. Including her lightning rod 15 yr old daughter. A very very accomplished ballerina and childhood prodigy THAT I COULD NOT MAKE LIKE ME (or even NOT HATE ME)..... Well Savanna walked out of my life BUT she dragged my beloved wife Jennifer out with her. Nearly as hurtful was Jennifer took the GREATEST DOG EVER, Emma with her.

Once again, and again, to make matters......

EVEN WORSE, just as Jennifer pulled out......Dr Bates, whom had ordered an MRI on my knees called and said "Oh, By the way, you need 2 knee replacements.....Are we seeing a trend here. Capt Marty Moore, who had it made for 50 years. Now, everything has fell completely apart. The wheels have came off my life.

Well by March, my Daddy had passed away. By April, I sold my boat....I pretty much stay with my Momma now. I'm paying a mortgage for a house I don't live in..... It sucks. I've only been fishing 5 times. I have no wife. Obviously. I have No Significant Other. I'm still "in love" with my wife and she hates me. But....I can't help it. Hopefully one morning soon, I will wake up and it'll be over for me.a Because it damn sure ended for her 18 months ago.

I miss Emma so bad, I break down and cry thinking about that poor Yellow Lab. She was so smart and she loved me sooooo much. We spent 24 hours a day together. I guess I need a puppy. But all I want to day is travel. A dog will be problematic.

As for fishing, thanks to Capt Ryan Guthrie and CaptnTuggwell, I have seen some great fishing . We have had great days with Bluefish twice. Monster Blues once and 2 to 4 pounders once. Great action. Tuggy and I had Sharks and Amberjacks once. I officially released a 120" app 800 lb Tiger Shark that ate a 40 lb Amberjack. I reeled the Shark "to the boat" and Tuggy touched the leader...... So there you go.....Official Release!

I had a great trip to Lake Erie with Tom and Timmy. The Walleye were running small this year.. We had some nice 5 to 6 pounders. In years past, we'd catch limits of those with 8-9 pounders for bragging. None of those this year. To the contrary, this year we actually had dozens of throwbacks and we never found limits of keepers. I did manage to land a few significant other like Smallmouth Bass, Feshwater Drum, Rock Bass, White Bass, and White and Yellow Persh.

Finally Capt Ryan put me on the best fight of the year when I settled us down one afternoon recently over the Atlas Tanker. It was relatively dead on this day. Very few Jacks and the Barracudas were skittish too. Anyway, even though it ended in a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT I got a mystery bite while jigging a white stingsiver in 124 feet of water. I was shaking it about 95 ft deep.....this fish smoked it horizontally but at a depth of 95 feet, it was an odd sensation. What wasn't odd was thr throbbing tail beat that told me "tuna species". It was a little more defined than then "throb of a jack species".. In my mind, the remaining mystery had 2 great outcomes (Blackfin or Yellowfin) or 1 let down outcome! (False Albacore)......  well, of course, 20 minutes later, I landed a 20+ pound False Albacore. Great Fight greater letdown. We ended up that day with several Sandbar Sharks in the 100 lb class. Groupers, Dolphins, Kings, and things were missing in action.

Finally last week at work, I believe it was Monday night September 18. Very late at night and in horrible conditions, blowing from the north about 30 kts........ Suddenly a Striped Bass frenzy developed out of nowhere right under the lights at one of the Ferry Docks. Good thing It was my turn to stay up all night. I checked my trusty "fishing wagon" and pulled out the trusty 5 wt fly rod.
Over the next 45 minutes, All I had to to was "hit the water". Easier than it seemed. The wind was ripping from the North. From Left to Right and in my face.... Regardless, in the next 45 minutes, I hooked and lost 6 Striped Bass, I lost 4 Flys, I released 5 Striped Bass from 4 to 7 lbs each, and I had quite a collection of Striped Bass rolling around in the grass behind me. Of course, I recruited Joey to help me. He's one of mu ole Hatteras Outlaws......So, there you go.

Capt Marty Fishing in 2017 so far:
800 lb Tiger Shark released
25" False Albacore released
100 lb Sandbar Sharks released
Striped Bass, Walleye, Bluefish, Sp Mackerel, Red Drum, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass
Rainbow Trout, Book Trout,

Thats about it

And, I am going to try to get it going again THIS FALL  and Maybe

CRANK IT BACK UP NEXT SPRING

April 20- UN BELIEVABLE BLUEFISH EXTRAVAGANZA

When I sold my Boat last week, I convinced myself, there was nothing that I could see that I hadn't seen 10,000 times before.... Unless Mary Lee, the Shark, swims up to me..... I have SEEN IT ALL and I've seen it over and over and over again. Part of that I believed and part of that was "just to make me feel better about being boatless". Wouldn't you know that on MY FIRST FISHING TRIP since I had sold mt Boat, that it would be one of those "Once in a Lifetime" fishing trips. Beyond that, it was "Once in a Lifetime Natural Wonders of the Fish World" taking place. Here is how our day went..... Capt Ryan called me up and planned a Casting to Bonito Trip. then, Engine Troubles derailed our morning at the Boat Ramp and I found myself back on the couch at 830am... Then Ryan called me up and the Boat was fixed and the new plan called for casting Top Water Plugs to marauding Bluefish and we were set to leave at 9am.... By 10am we were cruising the shoreline inside the Bight at Cape Lookout, searching for cruising Green Hornets in 2-3 foot of water... We quickly found our Chopper Bluefish, swimming in loose groups of 5 to 25 Fish and they responded well to our Top Water Plugs. An hour later, we had each boated a large Bluefish and we had released 10 more. Ryan and I were satisfied with our morning. Explosive surface strikes, blistering runs, direction changes, gill rattling jumps, and total back flips characterize the shallow water antics of these gladiators. Great Gamefish by anyone's criteria. The adult Bluefish's only downside is that they are not good table fare. Some might say that they are "to easy to catch". That might be true, but their relative scarcity cancels that out, in my opinion. What I mean by that is, They may be easy to catch when they are swimming in front of you, but there may be years that go by that you never see a Bluefish over 7 lbs in North Carolina. Even on years that they show up in great abundance, they are typically only around for about 8 weeks. Mid April until mid June. That's it, catchem if you can. In the old days, we had another run, primarily on the Outer Banks, from around Thanksgiving until New Years Day. About 1988 was the last of those runs. I promise you, the Outer Banks Economy would love to see those runs come back..... Anyway, I digress, as usual..... So, after catching Chopper Blues inside the Bight, we decided to go check around Shark Island to see if we could find Schools of Red Drum. I expected them to be there. By the hundreds. Giant Red Drum in the 30 to 60 lb class..... Let me tell you, yesterday, the Shoals at Cape Lookout were NO PLACE for Red Drum. No sir. They would've been devoured..... Why? Well, in my opinion, there must've been 10 million Adult, Giant, Chopper Bluefish on the Shoals yesterday. I saw more Chopper Bluefish in one school yesterday than I've seen in 50 years of fishing added together. And that was ONE SCHOOL. By some opinions, there was 5 to 6 Schools up there. You could also say, it was one GIANT SCHOOL. The huge areas of Bluefish that would've measured by acres were all joined by strings of Bluefish that were 4 to 6 fish wide. All fish were milling southward along the western edge of the Shoals and/or Shark Island. They were crossing the Shoals south of Shark Island. There were at least 6 bodies of Fish that would've numbered in the hundreds of thousands. It was one of THE MOST INCREDIBLE SIGHTS that I have ever seen in all my years of fishing. Needless to say, Ryan and I caught at least 10 more Bluefish each. I ended my day casting an empty Mt Dew bottle tied on my spinning rod. All I had to do was twitch the bottle and 50-60 Bluefish would crash the bottle. They knocked it 15 feet in the air at one time. After they finally had punctured the plastic and it took on my water, one bluefish finally got a good hold on the bottle and took it down. A minute later, it floated back up and allowed us to retrieve it. Then I tried something a little different. I cut a Menhaden up into strips and jammed them into the mouth piece of the bottle...... Cast it out there and it is hard to describe the frenzy that followed.... Like I said, ONCE IN A LIFETIME stuff. Fishing Dreams are made on days like that..... ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.... Total Catch for the Day: 30 Bluefish from 8 to 13 lbs and 1 large Menhaden    

April 16- Capt Marty Avaliable as Captain for Hire

For those who didn't hear, I have sold my Boat. This is the first time I've been without a Boat since the 1980's. This Spring, Summer, and Fall I will be avaiiliable as a "Captain for Hire" for Fishing the Beaufort Inlet and Cape Lookout areas. Anyone new to the area and wants to learn the area, lay down some track lines and points of fishy interest on their GPS Chart Trackers, or just want to catch some fish should give me a call. My rates are going to be affordable enough. I'm starting out at $100 for a Half Day or $200 for a Full Day. Anything from Pinfish to Blue Marlin. I can help with the bait and some tackle, but I will primarily be allowing you guys to use your own stuff..... Anyway, we will see how this goes. Call me at 252-241-8350 and see if I can help.

April 14- Beaufort on the Fly and Life's Changes

One year ago, I was (I thought) happily married.I had a great Dog. Both my Parents were alive. I had a great 25 foot Boat with a Tower, which is now the "rage" for sight casting...... Now, here I sit a year later, I feel like a completely different person living a totally different life...... Most importantly, my Father passed away. Then,  I was completely dumbfounded by my wife, who woke up one morning and didn't love me anymore. Hell, she didn't like me either. She froze me out of her life and 2 weeks later...... She was gone. Moved 40 miles away. Six months later, she re-claimed her Dog as if it was a pair of boots left in the attic. Then.....last week, I sold my boat. I listened to my knees and the spots on my skin on that decision..... I honestly think everyday about selling my truck, selling my house, and finding a new career as well. Not so fast though. I would hate to make an important decision too quickly. Perhaps I will buy a boat and a puppy. Not sure. I miss my Daddy. He was 80 and his quality of life was awful. Doesnt make it any easier on me, or my Mommma or Brother, but he is in a better place...... I miss my wife. One of our last nights out together, she said you decide where we are going to eat. She said, quote, "you need to make all our decisions because I always make bad decisions".... Well, a week later, she actually "made a decision on her own" and decided to leave me. Why did she do it? I dont know. Self fulfilling prophency? I dont know, but I do know that our life together would've been so much better moving forward. I truly loved that woman....... I miss Emma the most (except Dad), she loved me uncoditionally and was innocent. She fell victim, like many children, to the failure of 2 loving adults to hold a relationship together. She is a "divorce dog". Emma suffered the most on this one.......Finally, I miss my Boat already. My knees are happy but my heart is broke again. Of course, the Chopper Bluefish and Giant Red Drum both show up on the Shoals and Flats right as the Top Water Boat is pulled away..... Any way, back to my new fatherless, wifeless, dogless, boatless life.... I did manage to catch a pretty little Largemouth Bass on a popping bug last week. Thats just great. A small victory and it brought a small smile to my face. Total Catch Last Week: 1 Largemouth Bass

March 24- Life Goes On

Obviously, if you guys read my March 15 Post, my Daddy passed away. Some of yall may have read the 600-700 word tribute to him I posted late that night. The following morning, while correcting some misspelled words, I accidently deleted the entire post. BUMMER. I liked it. It was an emotional, heart felt, truthful description of the Love and Admiration that I had for my Father. Charles Allen Moore . A short summary: There is NO WAY POSSIBLE that my Father could've given me a better, or more favorable upbringing. He supplied me with everything I ever needed to succeed in life. From Money to Morals to Discipline. From Tough Love to Tender Loving Care. I had the World's Greatest Daddy. I hope that my Father is at peace now and after 77 great years, the last 3 and half years he suffered and his Quality of Life was poor. I am pleased that he has passed to Heaven. And I hope and pray that I was half the son that he was a father. I hope that I didnt ever truly disappoint him or let him down because he surely never disappointed me or let me down. (except when I wanted that Brown 1979 Camaro for my 16th birthday and he bought me a Toyota Celica instead) ha ha. Dad knew better, just like Ralphie was gonna shoot his eye out, Dad knew I'd kill myself in that HotRod!

I would also like to take a second to say, my Momma is also Everything that I could ever ask for, pray for, in a Mother. Right now, I am going to stick by her side, through every struggle and every challenge. She and I, and my Brother, are going to survive this together. I truly love my Mother. I loved my Father. For Parents, I had the best I could've ever asked for.

As for FISHING. Thats what you guys are here for, right? I remember last August, Dad was sick. I was trying to Fish because my knee pain had let up a bit.... Anyway, there was 5 straight trips that I never made it to Beaufort Inlet because something would happen to Dad. Twice the Ambulance rushed him to the Hospital. It was tough. My Momma and Daddy came first. Hopefully 2017 will be different. Better I hope. My Momma, helping her and driving her to appts, etc will come first, but hopefully, it will not come at the expense of fishing. If it does, then it does. I am down to one parent. Together Mom and I will be alright, but we are in it together. No matter what.  The Fish were lucky last year. This year, time will tell!

I would also like to Thank all our Family and Friends that did SO MUCH for us last week. Its a shame that nowadays it takes an event like a death to bring a large family together, but it was still great seeing everyone that came to Dad's Memorial Service. Friends too. I Love You All. Very much. Thank you to all my Blog Readers, as Im sure many of you will at least have kind thoughts and include my Family in your Prayers. Hope to see everyone on the water soon. Bent rod and screaming reel in hand. "FISH ON!"

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March 9 and 11- Hickory Dickory Dock

Nothing like an Andrew Dice Clay joke. Unfornately. Two days of casting off the bank sandwiched around a day of hauling my Daddy ftom Harborview, on the MHC Waterfront to a Greenville, NC Doctor's Office, when a simply phone call would've worked better. Whatever...... Back to the Fishing. I am nearly completely disgusted. My frustrations with life have definitely bled over into fishing. I keep thinking that the joy and wonderment that I used to derive from fishing will suddenly overpower the anguish caused my my own physical pain AND the pain and mental anxiety of watching my aging parents struggle. Throw in the incredible sneak peak into the future where my Mom and Dads Life Savings will be devoured by Insurance Premiums and Hospitals and Doctors and .......... There you go. Chris and I caught app 30 Hickory Shad in 2 days. Approximately. Well no, exactly 11 were females. Those yielded 22 fish roes. Together we spent app $80 in gas to travel to far away exotic locales like CowPen Landing, Spring Garden, and Falkland, NC. Great. My brother and I cancelled a trip to Key West, Dry Tortugas, Islamorada. My, my aint life grand. Daddy is laying beside me, 25 days into his "re-hab". Thanks to Obama or Trump, or whoever, what was 100% covered by the Medicare (that he paid into for 40 years); what was free on Dec 31, 2016..... Now costs $100 a day effective January 1, 2017. Tick Tock Tick Tock. The Clock is Running.  Get ready America, beside me lays a MAN who started a Bank from the Ground Up (Raleigh Savings and Loan) and  He was successful enough at it for Raleigh Federal Savings and Loan to be bought out by First Union, which became Wachovia, which became Wells Fargo. In other words, my Da isddy and his Partners were BIG Time. Highly Successful. And Life and the System is gonna suck him dry. Watch out America. This, and Past, Goverments will suck  you dry. And unfortunately, Dad's son (me) aint half the son he deserves. I am truly sorry, my Daddy deserves better. I will do my best. Time for fishing..... Its hardly worth the time or effort. Total Catch for 2 days: 30 Hickory Shad up to 1.5 pounds and 1 small Striped Bass

March 7- Hickory Shad on Foot

Capt Chris thought it'd be a good time to take me out along the Neuse River and go Shad Fishing. Help me get my mind off my Dad, whose having a hard time up at Harborview right now. So off we went to Cowpen Landing. Later, we crossed the River and tried our luck at Spring Garden. Overall fishing was pretty good with good runs followed by doldrums. Amazingly, Chris's first cast at CPL produced a doublehea!er, while my last cast of the day at SG produced my only double. Our total catch was right around 40 Hickory Shad with 8 being Red Roe Keepers. Pretty good afternoon. Total Catch for the Day: 40 Hickory Shad up to 2 lbs

Chris first cast bounty at CowPen

Spring Garden

Red Roe Delicacy

Capt Marty with our 8 Hens

March 6- Ship of Fools

Chasing Facebook Fishing Reports. I knew better. Armed with "all the wrong stuff", we found Red Drum and watched them swim. Never found our quarry. I finally caught a few fish while the others flailed wildly. I remember why this got old to me. Freaking Miserable. If we had only grabbed leadheads and gulps/grubs, it would've been a great day! Total Catch for the Day: 3 Northern Puffer, 2 Smooth Dogfish, 1 Black Sea Bass, 1 Northern Sea Robin, 1 Summer Flounder, and 1 gigantic Bay Anchovy

Anchovy by Diane Rome Peebles

March 2- Sanitary Restaurant and White Shad

I had my second broiled White Shad of the season today. Great eating and highly recommended for those of you that like a fish that tasted like a fish and arent afraid of a few bones. Well, actually a bone in every bite. But, worth it. This glorious fish is spawned in the headwaters of our major rivers and migrates to and from the Open Atlantic Ocean many times over its lifetime. Unless it winds up on someone's dinner plate. A bad day for a majestic fish and a great day for a hungry fisherman.

Time to go Shad Fishing. Hickory Shad on the Neuse and Roanoke. American Shad on the Tar and Pee Dee. Pity the Angler that misses this annual Rite of Spring.

Feb 23- Where's Winter?

I know that I'm in the minority. I know I will get a few "Shut the Hell Ups"......  But I miss Winter. I remember some growing up that were a little too cold or too wet, however, I can never once in my life, remember saying, " thats too much snow, thats too much ice!" And I'm not that much of a glutton for punishment. I would just like to see a couple of weeks were we had lows in the 20's and high's in 30's. One or two little "snow events"....  Would that be so bad? Oh well, looks like we pretty much got another pretty week ahead. Highs approaching 70........ Im not complaining. I just like Winter. In the past, I loved bundling up, warming up a cold bed. Walking through the Woods when there was snow on the ground. I miss those things. I really miss my wife and I really miss my Dog too. Back in November, I asked in a Blog Entry:" Can Things Get Worse"....... The answer is YES. Back then I had Winter's first Snow to look forward to!  Well, scratch that..... Bring on the Fishing

Also.......

Tne TOP WATER, my 25 foot Downeaster Center Console is FOR SALE

I am asking $16,000

I am looking to downsize and after the 17 hard fishing years, I will be looking to catch a ride to the 14 Bouy.

Feb 2, 2017- Great Bass Fishing

Cbo and the first fish of the day

First Bass Landed

One of my first

It started getting old pulling the Phone Out

Chris with a fat Bass

Fish of the Day. 8 lb Largemouth Bass

Fish of the Year 2017 (so far........)

Chris and I went over near Pollacksville today to fish a Pond on his Father In-Law's Farm. A Farm Pond. I have fished plenty of Farm Ponds in my career, and this one is head and shoulders above ALL THE REST. Maybe 3 years ago, Chris took me there and in 3 hours we caught an estimated 35 Largemouth Bass and 20 of them were cookie cutter 4 pounders. It was stunning for such a small pond. I have patiently waited for another opportunity. Today was the Day. The Pond didn't disappoint. After a tough start because of a shoreline that has become hard to access because of overgrowth and weeds and trees. We finally settled on a spot opposite of where we found large numbers of fish in the past. It didn't matter. Im pretty sure that our activity eventually attracted the Bass "to us". In the following 2 hours, Chris and I once again caught an estimated 35 Largemouth Bass. I caught an 8 pound Largemouth Bass and a 5 pound Largemouth Bass. Chris also caught a 5 pound Largemouth Bass. We caught over 20 Largemouth Bass from weighed between 2 to 4 pounds each. Amazing consistency. Finally, we probably had 5 baby Bass in the 1 pound range. Once again, this was a World Class Largemouth Bass Fishing afternoon. This Pond is amazing. Total Catch for the Day: 35 Largemouth Bass from 1 to 8 pounds each

Jan 27- Ducks and Crappies

Capt Rhino Hanzguthrie admires his FIT

Beautiful Morning for a Duck Killing

Capt Cbo with our First Crappie of the Millenium

My Jumbo Crappie

Ryno's Crappie. We each caught 2 of them

My Suprize Largemouth Bass

And the best part of the day was when Capt Chris said, "aptly named Crappie Fishing"........ Because, in North Carolina, Me and Chris are the World's Worst Crappie Fisherman. In fact, I hadn't caught a single Crappie since probably 1982. I dont fish for them much, but there is a reason for that. Its called Bad Fishing. I have no idea WHERE to catch Crappie. In my past, I could figure out ANY FISH I really wanted to catch. Mastered a few. Inshore Fishing Wisdom has traditionally held that Sheepshead are the trickiest, hardest fish to catch in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Then in 2008, I caught 19 NC Citation Sheepshead........Crappie? I never figured out....... So yesterday, after I returned to the Duck Hunting Arena for the first time in 17 years. Poor hunting or Poor location caused that to be a BUST! No good ducks were seen. Merganzers were flying and some like to take their frustrations out on them.... Not me. Poor little bastards. Anyway, on our way home up Slocum Creek, we decided to try to catch a few fish. From our location and the look of the environment, I wouldve guessed Speckled Trout or Striped Bass. I was surprized when Capt Columbus got the first bite and pulled up a Black Crappie. Damn. Three hours later, Chris, Ryan, and I had caught 2 Crappie each and I had caught a fiesty Largemouth Bass. We never quite figured out a pattern on the Crappie. It was fun and it was a challenge. Something tells me Chris and I will be back! Total Catch for the Day: 6 Black Crappie up to 1 lb and 1 Largemouth Bass at 1 lb 8oz

Nov 21- When you think things can't get any worse

They do...... I will explain later today. By the way, fishing and the weather has generally been great.

Nov 5 and Nov 6- Took a Couple Days off from Fishing

Made the walk down to Radio Island with Emma on thursday. Nothing to see, too pretty. The water looked tropical, certainly it was a far cry from the dingy brown "trout filled waters" after the Hurricane. It seems to be, with the Trout anyway, we have reached a lull..... At least until the week of the Nov Full Moon.  I'd guess that itll blow back up then.

Nov 2- Spotted Sea Trout aka Speckled Trout En Fuego

Continuing to bite with reckless abandon down on the Southeast Corner of Radio Island. I made the hike down there today during a break from running errands with and for my daddy...... More importantly, I also got up early this morning and made the trip to Havelock to meet up with Jennifer. My Wife and The Love Of My Life, whom is No Longer In-Love with me. Life is always chunking knuckle curveballs high and inside to me and I strike out more than ole Mark McGuire did. As for Jennifer, she looked great and I hope she is happy. History has a way of repeating itself so I worry......But she clearly doesnt want or need me in her life. To the contrary, she surely acts as if I am a stranger, an annoyance.....even an escapee from a Leper Colony. Its not getting any better, only more and more distant.....BUT...... Most Importantly and The Purpose of ALL THIS:

She did bring Emma and pass her off to me! So, most importantly, I got Emma back. Thank God, I LOVE THAT DOG.  I will keep her for 7 or so days, maybe more. We shall see what works.....

Finally, back to the Fishing, back to Radio Island, and back to the Purpose of this BLOG. I did make the hike and I bombarded the Spotted Seatrout, the actual name for the more popularly called Speckled Trout. Today, it was an easy 19 cast limit and the size ran from 17" to 19". All fish were captured on red lead head/green curly tail grub. THIS IS THE GREATEST SPOTTED SEA TROUT LURE/COMBO OF ALL TIME.  Tommorrow I will make my first attempt at Smoking Fish. Emma will be my test taster, nevermind, she eats the skin off raw trout. Like a Kodak Brown Bearon the Yukon River....... Love Dad. Love Mom. Love Ellen. Love BJ. Love Emma.........Total Catch for the Day: 4 Speckled Trout 17" to 19"

Nov 2- News Flash

Pics coming on this one, but HOLY SHIT WHAT A WAHOO!!!!! A 202 lb Wahoo landed down off Lake Worth, Fl.

Got Emma back after a 2 week sabbatical.

Apparently, both my ex-wifes hate me. Not sure I ever did anything but be nice to either of them.

Finally, hiked down to Radio Island last night. Fished 50 casts. 10pm until 11pm. No bites. My Life Sucks.

Wahoo and Emma pics coming

Nov 1- Speckled Trout On Fire

One Fang

2 Fangs

Great Limit of 2+ pound Speckled Trout

Had a window of opportunity, walked out to Radio Island, 25 minutes later I had 4 Speckled Trout on my stringer and released 3 more. And, of course, you should've seen the one that got away! I highly recommend anyone wanting to catch some Speckled Trout to get down here. Fishing is the Best Ive seen in 9 years. So good in fact, I HAVE NOT EVEN LAUNCHED MY BOAT. Speckled Trout are crushing it, on foot......on boats......wherever! Total Catch for the Day: 7 Speckled Trout from 14" to 19"

Oct 31- Happy Halloween & Fish Killed Me

Forget Halloween, but I was haunted by hundreds upon hundreds of Striped Bass in a feeding frenzy from sundown until 5am. Non stop busting bait on the surface. The winds on the Southern Pamlico Sound were strong and NE. It blew bait up against the Rocks and then pushed them all through my circle of light. A perfect recipe for a Fishing Massacre....... I had my 5wt Fly Rod and a dozen flies that were fair mimics of the silversides the Stripers were pulverizing....... So, 2500 casts later, I pulled off two fish and landed 1 Striped Bass.
What the Hell just happened? I do not have an explanation. I had 11hours and I could not figure out to make it work! Total Catch for the Night: 1 Striped Bass at 12"

Oct 30- Striped Bass Again

No sad stories.... No big Fish either... Caught several Striped Bass on fly and only lost a couple. Most fish were caught by slow titching a damn Fly that is a famous Atlantic Salmon Fly called a Silver Doctor. My Fly collection is getting used up in all this heavy structure! Total Catch for the Night: 8 Striped Bass from 10" to 14'

Oct 28- The Wolfpack of Fishing

No, I aint talking about Club Championships in Collegiate Bass Fishing! I am talking about me, hooking 7 Striped Bass on Fly and losing every damn one of them. Couldn't finish a game. Lost every battle. Is Coach Dave Doeren my "Fly Fishing Coach" all the sudden? Then THIS happened......

After moving to a different dock, this one has a narrow window between a Rock Jetty and a huge Tripod that holds one side of a Ferry Ramp. 40 feet out is the edge of the lights that hold the fish. So, Im casting parallel to a Rock Wall to my left and plenty of huge structures to my right. Now, all summer and fall I have hooked and landed 12" to 20" Striped and White Bass in this narrow avenue. No problem....... Tonight, I was 0 for 7 on Striped Bass and walked over to the Dock for a quick try before conceding defeat..... My first cast landed 35 feet out and I let it sink for 6 seconds. Strip strip strip Ka-Boom. A bite. Suddenly the fly line was ripped from my hands. This was different! Luckily, he ran straight offshore and missed all the pilings. Quickly this fish got into my backing. That is a first for me since last November's NY Chinnok Salmon! Suddenly this big fish did a 180 degree turn and raced back towards the spot it was hooked. I furiously reeled to regain control. All the sudden the quiet 3am darkness and silence was shattered by a huge Striped Bass leaping out of the water and it landed in about 6" of water on top of the Rocks. As I came tight again, I couldnt believe what I was seeing thrashing white water on top of the Rocks. A 40" to 45" Striped Bass. Im guessing 25 to 35 pounds. It was hard to decifer in total darkness and app 10 feet away. In the next 10 seconds, he flopped and fought his way back over the edge into deep water. Still stunned, I had just started to process and plan to land this fish. The Seawall and Dock was a good 5-6 feet high, so it was probably gonna be impossible, especially on the 5wt Fly Rod. In the end, it didnt matter. When the big Striped Bass made it back to deep water, he left my fly line wrapped around a boulder. As I worked different angles to free my line, for the first 30 seconds, the fish was thrashing on the surface 2 different times. I will never forget his massive tail waving out of the water, slinging phospherous lit white water. Then the leader popped and eventually I even had to break the fly line to free it. End of Story. End of the Nights Fishing (no more leader material) SUCKS, but I wouldn't trade that experience for nothing! Total Catch for the Night: Nothing Zilch 0 for 8

Oct 27- Striped Bass on the Fly at Night

Once again, at my secret Southern Pamlico Sound location, I noticed lots of activity under a shoreside light. One toss of a blue/white/mylar fly and....... BOOM! Fish On! In the brief flurry that followed, I landed 3 Striped Bass and missed about 5 strikes. It all ended when 2 Otters wandered into the area. My largest Striper was 20". I only photoed the first one which was quite smaller. Always fun on the Fly Rod. It doesnt look like I will make it to the Mountains this fall, so any Fly action I can find is a plus. Total Catch for the Night: 3 Striped Bass up to 20"