Sept 9- Huge Flouder

 Okay, this Could Should Would put Capt Marty back in the Fishing Game...... One Problem.....

The problem is: I HAVE NOT CAUGHT HIM YET..   

Okay, so I was fishing on foot tonight. I had caught 3 Red Drum and 2 Southern Flounder so far. All small and all released. Then, I was about to go home. One Long Cast. Unfortunately, I cast across a rope that ran from a Dock to a freestanding piling. I figured I was about to lose a lead head. Okay, to hell with it..... Then Bam! A strike like a lead weight dropped on my rod tip. I gave it a second...... Lifted  my rod tip sharply and Boom..... The heavy weight. The surge. The head shake. My fish rose to the surface under the Dock Lights. Holy Shit, 8 pound is the Floor. I'd say 10 pound is the Ceiling. Either way, my problems developed quickly. I was already over a rope. The Dock was off limits. Locked. Even if I could get on it, it would still be problems.  My line was 10 lb test. Structure everywhere. I was on foot. No net. No nothing. Suddenly, my big Flounder was also around a piling. Over a rope and around a pilimg...... After 10 minutes of thinking and pondering..... my rod tip was delivering pulses of movement, I decided to break my line and tie it off. Tom.orrow morning I will see if my fish is still there. In the light of day, I will go after him. No deal in the dark. 

I know my odds are low. Very low. It makes me feel good just to hook a fish like this again. I'm stoked...... Total Catch for the Night: 3 Red Drum up to 14", 2 Southern Flounder up to 14", and 2 Inshore Lizardfish.

Sept 5- No Wreck Wreck Fishing

 The Big Duck 5 has sailed a few times without me. Today I made my first "reel" trip. Gerald had a nice tip from a Dive Boat Operator that the D Wreck was crawling with American Red Snappers and the bottom was paved with Flounders. Bobby Edward's is a great source so Gerald called me up Sat Nite and said let's go!! Two parameters. No leaving before 7 and heading in by Noon...... Sounded good to me! Our problem was bait. Menhaden should've been a ten minute problem. No problem. Instead, them slimy little turds eluded us for an hour. Finally, after I caught 5 baits on my fifth throw, Gerald caught 12 dozen on his fifth throw. No bait to way too many baits. Sheesh.

Finally headed to the D Wreck. The big 28 foot Big Duck 5 jumped the Shoals at 40 knots and sprinted to the spot in 20 minutes. Nice. One problem, well 3 problems actually. Three Dive Boats sitting on the Wreck. Damn son, that sucked...... With Noon rapidly approaching, we hit 2 nearby Ledges instead. I fished my spinning rod with a stingsilver after I quickly became aggravated with the nibbles. On my stingsilver I caught 2 American Red Snappers and 2 nice Spanish Mackerel. Gerald caught a Snapper, a nice Bass, and an Octopus. That was it. Seemed like a good little shakedown cruise. Enough filets to feed his household and mine. Total Catch for the Day: 3 American Red Snappers up to 5lbs, 2 Spanish Mackerel up to 3lbs, 1  Black Sea Bass, 1 Spottail Pinfish, 1 Tomtate, 1 Sand Perch, and 1 Octopus

Sept 2- Radio Islan

 I'm feeling really good here lately. No back pain, which is great but I know how quick that can change. A herniated disk is pretty much "herniated" forever. It can flare up at any time. My knees are still "bone on bone". Once the cartilage is worn away, it never grows back. Why my knees aren't killing me on every step now, I Don't Know! But I'm not complaining.  It can all change in a wink. Bend over and tying my shoe.....Boom, my backs out! Step in a hole......Boom, my knee is out! 

Anyway, I'm feeling good. I've been walking out on Radio Island every morning. Bring a little box of metal lures and soft baits. There's been a lot of activity and bait up and down the east facing shoreline. Bluefish and Spanish Mackerel having had big schools of what we always called "red bait". Today, my walk was a big adventure and nice exercise, but no fish caught.

But more was to come.....

So, I ended up at the Fabled Mung Hole. Its been a while but, I figured those fish probably missed me. As much time as spent at those ponds!

So, I took my little 3wt Fly Rod and a box of popping bugs. My favorite. Rubber legged Waterbury flies. LOL First cast I hooked a Bass. A little joker. Suddenly, a huge swirl, whats up? My little fighter has surged out to deep water and bogged down. Heavy weight. Then my line starts rising. Little Bass has a big heart. All the sudden a Big Bass breaks the surface with my little Bass hanging out of the big boys mouth. The, "probable 7 pounder" leaps and shakes his head violently. I figured my little rascal would get tossed from the leviathan's mouth. No such luck, not on the first jump. I've done this before. Years ago, on my way to Miami. At a Wal Mart storm water collection pond. Got a 7lb Bass on my lil 3wt Fly Rod. It ate a Bluegill that ate a popping bug. Never will I forget that day. Unfortunately, I used up my luck, and by the time I dropped my live lobster 200 feet deep and into a school of spawning Cubera Snapper on a wreck off Homestead. Hey, back to my fish today....Second jump, my lil Bass escapes the jaws of the big Bass. No way that large Bass could've swallowed the one that I had hooked...... Moving on, good bite in the little Pond I fished. Total Catch for the Day: 8 Largemouth Bass (up to 13") and 4 Bluegill

Sept 1-- Muskie Fishing in NC

 Today I ventured West to the Fabled French Broad River, well known as NC's only water capable of producing One of Planet Earth's Top 10 Freshwater Gamefish. The Muskelunge. Known as the Fish of 1000 casts. Guys cast plugs for a week and brag about a "follow" or a "swirl". In my 20 years of guiding in Salt Water, when a client showed up on my boat and told me he was a "Muskie" Fisherman, I knew he was going to be okay. Great caster, patient,  and fast learner......

By the way, I'm day dreaming. I'm not in Asheville. I didn't go to the French Broad River. I didn't go Muskie Fishing. I went to Radio Island. I casted my trusty ole Stingsilver. No Mackerel, no Bluefish. I hooked one Needlefish but he escaped. I probably made 250 casts. Made me think of "the fish of 1000 casts". Day Dreaming. Sad. Gotta get back to it...... Total Fish of the Day: ZERO Zilch Nada Nothing Skunk

Aug 29- Spanish Mackerel on Foot

 Hello. I'm back. Its been a long strange trip indeed..... Anyway, this morning I walked out on Radio Island armed with a spinning rod and a stimgsilver. Yesterday had seen a great run of Bluefish up Bulkhead Channel and today I was all set to get my share. Ridiculous that the limit of Bluefish is set at 3 per person. For years I sat in my boat on the Cape Lookout Shoals and lorded over vast schools of 3 pound Bluefish. These black schools of ravenous Bluefish stretched for miles on some days and the great fishing lasted for months. As a matter of fact, some years I could find vast numbers of Bluefish 12 months a year. From on Wrecks from Jan to March, the Ocean Beaches in April, the Shoals ar Cape Lookout from May until December. And..... of course, nearly everywhere there's Salt Water from July through October..... THREE PER PERSON. Capt Marty Moore of the Famous Top Water Charters could get his limit of Bluefish if the limit was 300, right? Well.... not today. In about 3 hours of casting metal, I figure I made probably 400 casts...   I had about 6 strikes. I caught one Spanish Mackerel at 2lbs. Nice. I caught 3 Spanish Mackerel that were about 9-10 inches and I caught a Preachers Prick.  No Bluefish. I had one lure bitten off. I'm pretty certain it was a Bluefish. oh well. 99 % of the Coastal North Carolina Fishermen would rather have a Spanish Mackerel than a Bluefish. Not me. I would've preferred to have had my limit of 3 Bluefish plus a bonus Mackerel. Didn't happen, not today! Total Catch for the Day: 4 Spanish Mackerel up to 2 lbs and 1 Inshore Lizardfish

Sept 9&10- Feed the Crew Again

 Brandon and I have once again took on the challenge of feeding the Ferry Crew. Two hook bottom rigs and a sack of shrimp and off we went..... Two solid hours of fishing later and I'm at Piggly Wiggly buying Seafood Breader and Vegetable Oil. That is a good sign! Back to the Fishing..... It definitely happened in flurries. Rallys, I used to say. Well, during one rally yesterday, I caught doubleheaders on 6 of 7 casts. That's strong fishing people! Hell the clerk at the Pet Store can't beat that with his dip net in the damn Guppy Tank. My Big Rally started with a double of mature Silver Perch. The first "Sandies" I've caught in 20 years. Then came an odd couple. A doubleheader of Sea Robin and a Preacher's Prick. Reminded me of Date Night at Cape Hatteras. Next was an "eating double" of a Spot and a Hogfish. Then came a streak breaking solo Pinfish. Thanks a lot, Mr Pinrod. The only "good" Pinfish in my memory was caught in June of 1988. Late night, drinking and fishing. I tossed a Pinfish behind me on Hunters Dock. Caught him on a Fly Rod as a matter of fact. As I sang, "Pin on a Fly at Night" Marcus R Rouse ran up behind me and kicked my Pinfish. An attempt to kick him back in the water?  An attempt to injure my Pinfish? I don't know...... What I do remember and WILL NEVER FORGET is that Rouse was styling that night. Flip Flops and White Socks. Well, Mr Pinfish saw Mr Rouse approaching and as Marcus R cocked his leg to deliver the blow, Mr Pinfish flexed his muscles and raised and locked his dreaded Dorsal Spines. So.....As House's Big Toe struck Mr Pinfish, Mr Pinfish's SPIKE penetrated Rouse's Big Toe and stuck there. Mr Pinfish went nowhere. Nowhere that Rouse's Big Toe didn't go. I made sure that Pinfish was properly released and we laughed at Marcus R and his white socks the rest of the night. His Big Toe had a big red spot on It! LOL I got sidetracked......To hell with it.....Total Catch for Two Days: 6 Spot, 2 Croaker, 1 Southern Sea Mullet, 10 Bluefish, 12 Hogfish, 6 Black Sea Bass, 1 Rock Sea Bass, 8 Striped Sea Robin, 4 Inshore Lizardfish, 2 Silver Perch, and 60 Pinfish

Sept 5- North Wind and Horrible Fishing

 Still breaking in the Big Duck 5. It would be nice to get some blood splattered on the damn deck. We were successful in catching bait though. Gerald got 25 pretty menhaden  on the third toss of the castnet. Once in the Ocean, the North wind took over and the Fishing Sucked. Live Bait Fishing was terrible. Every once in a while, small, fast moving pods of Albacore would blow up near the boat. We'd get one chance at them, if we got a chance at all. Gerald hooked one inside the Bight at Cape Lookout. Seemed like a 8-10 pounder. After the hookup, Gerald's fish smoked off line like a Freight Train, but an instant later the line went slack! The Fat Albert had escaped! Several miles and an hour later, I hooked up and landed the smallest Albacore of my life. Maybe close to 8oz. After about 3 hours pulling Menhaden around by the nose, we gave up and headed home. Total Catch for the Day: 1 Little Tunny app 8oz

Aug 30- Feed the Ferry Crew

 While playing around this morning with a cast net I caught a jumbo Jumping  Mullet and app 75lbs of Menhaden. Impressive, but a useless mess. A short time later, a 20" Red Drum found my bucktail. So as 4 hungry Ferry Crewmen stared at 2 "edible" fish, a plan was hatched. We were going to eat fish on Monday and we needed fish! A quick trip to Sherman's yielded bottom rigs, hooks, and sinkers. We also bought a 12 dollar bag of shrimp. Pretty shrimp. The kind of bait that turns a fish dinner into a Fish & Shrimp Combo! So, 2 hours later, Brandon, Bob, and I had caught a big mess of fish. We kept 7 Croakers, 5 Spot,  1 Sea Mullet, 2 Black Sea Bass, 5 Hogfish, and 1 Red Drum for lunch the next day. If Admiral Robert Hotchkiss will volunteer to cook!! Total Catch for the Day: 2 Red Drum up to 3 lbs, 5 Bluefish, 5 Spot, 7 Atlantic Croaker, 1 Northern Sea Mullet, 1 Southern Sea Mullet, 6 Black Sea Bass, 3 Rock Sea Bass, 3 Inshore Lizardfish, 3 Striped Sea Robin, 10 Hogfish, and 45 Pinfish

March 13- Capt Cbo and the Crappie King

Well, my friend Capt Chris has successfully reproduced a couple of times and his spawn has returned to fresh water and has surpassed Capt Marty in the Field of Crappie Fishing. Crappie are a very important Fresh Water Game and Food Fish wherever they are found and

March 5- BIG DUCK 5

She's here. The FV Big Duck 5.28 foot Privateer with 600 HP Suzukis for Power. Yes, there's been 4 other Big Ducks. Its what I fished on before the Top Water Charter days!! Big Duck, sheeeesh, its a Long Story man. Capt Gerald Currin. he and I killed a TON of Fish throughout the late 80's and entire 1990's. Groupers and King Mackerels were our main targets. Gerald could fuck em up too... He caught the biggest King Mackerel in Carteret County in 1997 with a 65 pounder. Caught him on a damn Pinfish too. LOL. I was on the Ferry that day......

Not sure if I got any fans left here, so its no big deal..... But, Capt Marty will be soon fishing again. I turn 55 this summer. I'm going to try to get a few more fish before I hang it up for good!!!

March 1- Red Drum

Okay there has been some Red Drum around. I caught about 20 in 3 days of casting. Most were out of the slot. Some were up to 33". There was a school of about 10,000. Nice to see them.

getting ready for BIG DUCK 5

Total Catch: 20 Red Drum up to 10lbs

Feb 17, 2020- New Boat Coming

Not mine, but Im going to be fishing a new 28 ft Privateer with 600 HP Suzukis. Pretty damn excited. Grouper, Kings, Tuna, and Cobia beware

Jan 21- Super Blood Wolf Moon & Football

Two incredible NFL Conference Championship Games to set up the 2019 Super Bowl...... New England again vs the Los Angeles Rams, and Tarboro's very own Todd Gurley. I remember running into Gurley one morning with Capt Tuggwell at Hardees in Tarboro. Tuggs was showing me around the Tar River and Fishing Creek. We were on a White Shad expedition. I followed High School Football pretty closely. Close enough to recognize North Carolina's Top Running Back and as I termed it that day, as I pointed Mr Gurley to Tuggwell, "the next couple times you hear his name called it'll be on his way to a Sugar Bowl and then to a Super Bowl....

Well tonight, that Super Bowl is ALIVE and WELL thanks to an incredible 57 yard FG in Overtime AND thanks to ONE OF THE WORST OFFICIATING BLUNDERS OF ALL TIME.

In the meantime, everybody in eastern NC should rejoice the clearing skies and prepare to fight off the coldest weather of the '18-'19 Winter so far and get your ass outside to view the SUPER BLOOD WOLF MOON. If you miss it, according to CNN, it will be 18 years before President Trump...... Oopps wait, wrong story. It will be 18 years before this phenomenon occurs again. Get dressed. Get Warm. Find a Warm Spot. Go find that Super Blood Wolf Moon. I miss Jen and Emma. They wouldve shared my enthusiasm.

No Fishing Lately.

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!"

,

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