Top Water Charters Fishing Reports and News Beaufort Morehead City Atlantic Beach Pamlico Sound

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

I had a great time fishing in 2007. The weather was my biggest challenge. How can I forget the 14 straight days of Small Craft Advisories in Oct-Nov! I had a nice year for Big Fish. I finished up with 62 NC Citation Fish landed by either me or my clients. There were 12 different species represented. There was also 63 fish landed on my boat that weighed over 50 pounds. The great Shark Fishing during July and August really helped that number swell. My personal highlights included my first Citation Sheepshead and a 15 Citation Trout Day.

My clients landed some impressive fish as well. Marc Rouse's 92 pound Cobia, Brent Davis had a 85 pound Amberjack, and Chuck Laughridge released a monster Gray Trout on Fly. On the negative side, I pulled off a big Mako Shark in March and missed 2 opportunities at Tarpon in June and October.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Dec 19 Good Numbers of Small Trout

Bob and Herbert wanted big Trout today and they figured I was on a hot streak. Unfortunately, it all came to an end today. We were constantly out of position and we ran through our live bait very quickly. After a couple of hours, we had nothing but a pile of 12" to 14" released Trout. We finally hit a little stretch where we caught a few 15" Speckled Trout and 4 nice Gray Trout, so we did get to kill a few. For the day, I guess the guys caught around 60 Speckled Trout, 4 Gray Trout, 20 Bluefish, and a couple of Sheepsheads. I know my anglers were disappointed with the size of the Trout that we caught today, but I started in the same exact spot that has produced 19 Citations in my last 3 trips and they just weren't there today. what can I say?

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Dec 18 Another Citation Speckled Trout

Chris got his first NC Citation Speckled Trout today when he pulled up a 4 lb. 12 oz. trophy. Between the 2 of us, we caught around 25 Speckled Trout, 3 Gray Trout, and 10 Bluefish. We kept 12 Speckled Trout from 18" to 23". Our Gray Trout were keepers from 18" to 20". We also rode the Shoals looking for Stripers and Drum and came up empty. Conditions on the Shoals today were not ideal, but I believe that if it's going to happen this year, that it's going to be this week. Stay tuned!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Dec 9 Monster Shark and 80 Speckled Trout

Great Trout bite on the smaller class of fish. We kept 20 out of 80 today and had a few Gray and Speckled Trout in the 2-3 pound class. A bunch of other in the 17" to 18" range. We also caught Sheepheads, Bluefish, and Hogfish. On the way in the Trouser snagged a 12 foot long, 1000+ pound Basking Shark on 12 lb. test line. I ran the boat up to him and we recorded an "official release". I'm not sure if the Shark ever knew that he was part of our "fun". He just kept on swimming to the southern without a care in the world!

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Dec 8 Big Trout Bite

I was in the right place this morning! In less than 3 hours, we had 20 Speckled Trout. We had a pair of 6 lb. 4 oz twins. We had 6 over 6 pounds. We had 10 over 5 pounds. We had 15 over 4 pounds that were big enough for a NC Fishing Citation. Our small ones were 20"! Our 20 fish limit totaled out at 97 pounds! We also caught 2 Red Drums, 10 Sheepsheads, and 3 Bluefish.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Dec 5 Hot Speckled Trout Bite

Columbo and I went head to head today on Speckled Trout. He had a slight advantage and he used it to defeat me 47 to 44. That's good fishing though. From 11am until 3:30pm, we caught 91 Speckled Trout. I'll take that kind of fishing anyday!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Nov 27-30 Squid Fishing

What? Trust me, it was amazing. In 4 nights of Fishing, Squid was the main attraction. All together I probably caught 80 to 100 Squid, up to 25". These were the Calamari Quality, Loligo Squid and I caught them on mirrorlures, gulps, and top water plugs. I also caught quite a few Striped Bass and a 19" Flounder.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Nov 26 Speckled Trout and Rain

I fished an hour in pouring rain and dead low tide, but it was worth it today. I got a good tip from a fishing buddy and quickly landed some very nice Trout and released a few small ones. The keepers were from 18" to 22". A 22" Trout weighs between 3 and 4 pounds. It was a nice way to end the week.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Nov 24 More Speckled Trout

Today was another Speckled Trout Day. I fished from the Sheraton at At Beach to Radio Island and found them in pretty much the same place as yesterday. Today I probably caught 30 Trout, 27 of them were 9" to 12". The other 3 were nice ones between 2-3 pounds. So far since I've been home I've caught over 160 Gray and Speckled Trout!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Nov 23 Trout Fishing on Foot

This afternoon I walked out to the end of Radio Island and caught lots of Gray Trout. In less than an hour, I caught around 30 Grays that ranged from 12" to 20". On my way back to the truck, I also caught 8 Speckled Trout and a few Jumbo Spots. My Speckled Trout were in the 11" to 13" range. I ended up keeping 4 Gray Trout and 3 Spots. From what I saw, there were lots of small Speckled Trout caught up and down the Radio Island Beach this afternoon.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Nov 22 Speckled Trout Fishing

This morning it was more about numbers than size as Mark and I caught 45 Speckled Trout in around 3 hours of fishing time. Lots of our fish were from 12" to 14", but we did catch a few big ones. We caught most of our fish in the Newport River and off Radio Island. We only kept 2 and released the rest. I caught many of my fish on mirrorlures, which is my favorite way to catch Speckled Trout!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Nov 20 Speckled Trout and FOG

Stacy and I made a mad dash up to Cape Lookout today at lunchtime and when we got there the weather changed in 5 minutes from a nice sunny, warm day to a total "gray out", zero visibility fog, and a cold, damp SW wind at 10-15 knots. Where did that come from? We caught over 50 Speckled Trout, however most of them were babies in the 11"-13" range and we released them. We did kill around 12 and we had a few that were slightly over 2 pounds. We also caught a pile of Bluefish, a Flounder, a Skate, and quite a few big Shrimp.

Nov 18-19 Surf Fishing for Speckled Trout

Speckled Trout invaded the Hatteras Island surf and fishing was great with mirrorlures and soft plastics. Lots of these Trout were up to 4 pounds, but I wasn't so lucky. Most of mine were between 1 and 2 pounds. I did very well on Puppy Drum though. On the 19th, I caught 7 Drum up to 30" and couldn't hardly catch a Trout because the Drum were so aggressive.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Nov 12 Giant Amberjacks and Light Tackle Albacore

Brent caught a 80+ pound Amberjack, Hunter got a 75+ pound Amberjack, and Preston was right behind them with a 65+ pound Amberjack. The problem was that Brent got his on the King Mackerel Rod and took nearly an hour to land. A fish like that zaps your strength and eats up fishing time! After those Jacks the guys released 2 Albacores each and called it a great day of fishing! We kept Brent's Amberjack and it weighed 79 pounds 28 hours after it's death. Unbelievably, we never got a picture of Brent's fish, however it looked a lot like the one that Hunter caught, only slightly larger. I think!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

New Tournament Series Next Year

Capt. Lee Willis is launching a new series of Red Drum Tournaments in the Cape Lookout area next year. It will be modeled after the Oberto Redfish Series and it will be very interesting to see where all this leads. Lee has a great idea for our area and hopefully this Tournament Series will be a great success. His website is http://www.redfishaction.com/. Check it out.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Nov 9 Citation Sea Mullet and Speckled Trout

This morning I hit the surf over at Shackleford Banks for the first time this fall and the fishing was pretty good. I cast out a bottom rig and left it in a sand spike on then worked the area over with a mirrorlure. In 2 hours, the bottom rig had accounted for 3 nice Sea Mullets and the mirrorlure had caught 3 nice Speckled Trout. The highlight of the morning was my 16.5", 1 lb. 8 oz Sea Mullet that was big enough for a NC Fishing Citation!

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Nov 8 Citation Pompano and Much More

I took a ride on "Rouse's Luck" today with the Trouser and the fishing was very interesting. The weatherman missed his forecast by about 15 knots and that made it tough, but we still made a good haul of 20 Speckled Trout in the 2-3 pound range and a couple of nice suprizes as well. First was my 2 lb. 4 oz. Pompano that ate a live shrimp and put up a great fight on 6 lb. test. After that came my 4 lb. 8 oz. Flounder and Trouser's nice Black Drum. We also caught Sheepsheads, Bluefish, Hogfish, Groupers, and several more small Flounders.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Nov 7 Red Drums and Finger Mullets

The Drum were biting on the back side of Shackleford Banks this afternoon from east of the Rock Jetty to the beach past the NPS Dock. These Drum were hitting live mullet as well as plastic artificials. These Drums ranged up to 25".

Also, Taylor's Creek was swarming with Finger Mullet today. One throw with the cast net and I'm set for several days of fishing.

Monday, November 5, 2007

Nov 5 Kings, Drums, Albacore and More

Today the fishing improved. I found all the things that I've been searching for and found a couple of suprizes as well. I got my first King Mackerel on fly today. To be honest, I've never tried before. It was pretty cool and suprizing to find Kings where I found them today. I also caught 7 Red Drum, 17 Speckled and Gray Trout, 2 Albacore, and lots of Bluefish. Most of the Drum today were over the slot, closer to 30", which are 10+ pound fish.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Nov 1 Albacore Fishing

When the Speckled Trout and the Red Drum failed, and the 15 knot NW wind kept me near the beach, the only option left was Albacore. That ain't too bad. My first cast connected amid a fleet of flyrodders and frustrated guides. I left the fleet and the staredowns behind and Chris and I found our very own school and couple of miles away and we released 4 more before we continued our fruitless search for Drum in the surf. Not that bad, 5 Albacores released with very little direct effort. We also caught Bluefish, Sheepsheads, Pinfish, and Hogfish. The Albacore are here!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Oct 31 Citation Trout

This morning we had 1 Speckled Trout bite. Steve made it count with a big one, a 5+ pounder. Other than that, it was tough. We caught a mess of Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Sheepshead, and Hogfish. We also threw back Pinfish, Sea Bass, Flounders, Tomtates, Ringtails, Groupers, and a Ribbonfish. Lots of variety, I'm sure I forgot something

Big Fish on Light Tackle

Top Water Charters and Capt. Marty Moore is one of North Carolina's Premier Nearshore and Inshore Big Fish on Light Tackle Fishing Guides. Consistently producing Fish that earn NC Citations is my trademark. Since 1988, I have personally landed 846 NC Citation winning Fish for 34 Different Species. A few of my Personal Top Fish are 10 lb 11 oz and 10 lb 6 oz Flounders, a 83 lb Red Drum, 94 and 83 lb Cobias, a 83 lb Yellowfin Tuna, 96, 85, and 83 lb Wahoos, a 66 lb Amberjack, a 67 lb Black Drum, a 9 lb 6 oz Speckled Trout, a 53 lb King Mackerel, a 33 lb Permit, a 12 lb 8 oz Sheepshead, a 19 lb 4 oz False Albacore, a 11 lb Spadefish, a 12lb 4 oz Bonefish, a 4 lb 8 oz Ladyfish, a 2 lb 14 oz Sea Mullet, a 140 lb Tarpon, a 66 lb Swordfish and a 380 lb Bluefin Tuna.

A few of my Best Light Tackle Catches are a 240 lb Bluefin Tuna caught on a 20# live bait tackle, a 350 lb Blue Marlin caught on a 30# trolling tackle, a 50 lb Yellowfin Tuna caught on 10# spinning tackle, a 34 lb 8 oz King Mackerel caught from the Beach on 10# spinning tackle, 75 lb Cobia caught on 15# spinning gear, 73 lb Cobia caught on 20# spinning tackle, 61 lb Cobia caught on 10# spinning tackle, a 60+ lb Red Drum caught on 10# spinning tackle, 83 lb, 85 lb, and 96 lb Wahoos all caught on 20# livebait tackle, a 46 lb Red Drum caught on 8# conventional tackle, a 39 lb Red Drum caught on a 7wt fly rod, a 7 lb Largemouth Bass caught on a 3wt fly rod and a 135 lb Sandbar Shark caught on 12# spinning tackle.

I also caught a 37 lb 4 oz King Mackerel in 2001 that was worth $52,000 in the Snead's Ferry King Mackerel Tournament

My Clients and Guests have landed over 500 NC Citations since 1998 with Standout Fish like the N.C. State Record 11 lb 3oz Spadefish, a 68 lb Wahoo, a 67 lb Wahoo, a 92 lb Cobia, a 85 lb Cobia, a 84 lb Cobia, a 82 lb Cobia, a 81 lb Cobia, a 85 lb Amberjack, a 83 lb Amberjack, a 80 lb Amberjack, a 375 lb Bluefin Tuna, a 500 lb Great Hammerhead Shark, a 200 lb Sand Tiger Shark, a 62 lb Black Drum, a 24 lb False Albacore, a 15 lb Sheepshead, a 10 lb 8 oz Speckled Trout, 47 lb Striped Bass and too many Red Drum and Flounders to count.

UPCOMING BEST FISHING

In the Boxes that follow are the types of FISHING and varieties of FISH that Capt Marty recommends fishing for! I try to keep this pretty current as we move forward through the calendar year. As the seasons change the Fish available and the methods of Fishing change. I will do my best to accommodate my Clients wishes, but I will also be completely honest about our chances if a Client wants to Fish for a specific type of Fish. I will always recommend what I believe is our "best bet for success" based on the weather, the time of year, and what happened yesterday! This is how I fish and it's based on 30+ years of Experience and Learning the Hard Way

So what's happening NOW or what's coming soon..... Look Below and Keep Reading

Live Bait Fishing for King Mackerel

Live Bait Fishing for King Mackerel is usually done with 20# mono on light rods and small conventional reels. We fish with very light drags and small treble hooks. When a King Mackerel strikes, usually a live Menhaden, you have no idea whether you have 2 treble hooks stuck in the jaw and throat of the King Mackerel, or you could also have 1 prong of one hook snagged into the Mackerel's skin. Therefore, the idea is to let the King burn off line versus a light drag. After withstanding the initial blistering run, we move the angler to the bow of the boat and we track him down! Without a doubt, on pretty days in October and November, this is what we "need" to be doing.... Since I took up this fishery seriously, back in 1988, in addition to the targetted King Mackerel, the potential bycatch is staggering... Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna, Blackfin Tuna, Bluefin Tuna, Sailfish, Barracuda, Amberjack, Crevalle Jack, Spanish Mackerel, Cobia, Red Drum, Red Snapper, Grouper, a dozen Shark species, False Albacore, Houndfish, Gafftopsail Catfish, Tarpon have all been hooked and/or landed onboard Boats that I was personally fishing aboard..... Oh yeah, back in 1998 during the Hardee's Atlantic Beach KMT we hooked up 4 Billfish at one time. Two pulled off, and we released a Sailfish and I tried my best to release my catch... Because it was caught on a ribbonfish, it had 4 treble hooks in it. By the time I got him unhooked, he had expired! What was it? It was a 44", 8 lb SPEARFISH! So yeah, when Live Bait Fishing for King Mackerel, anything is possible

Run and Gun Casting.... Spring Summer & Fall

Casting Metal Lures, Top Water Plugs, and Flys in the Spring, Summer, and Fall is one of my all-time favorite fisheries. Our main targets are Albacore, Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Atlantic Bonito, and Bluefish. The Red Drum are usually found on the Shoals at Cape Lookout and generally, we are casting into huge schools of fish in crystal clear water. These Drum schools are a year-round possibility. The Atlantic Bonito is a special fish for a few reasons. They are a handsome fish that also happens to be a rugged fighter. Very similar to Albacore, but there's one major difference. The Atlantic Bonito is delicious on the table, it prepares and eats just like Yellowfin Tuna. No Joke! Another thing that makes the Atlantic Bonito so special is that they are usually only around for about a month and on a day to day basis, they are usually only worth fishing for about 2 hours every morning. We really need to be sitting on the spot at first light. Atlantic Bonito are one of the few fish that are worth this kind of trouble! Adult or "Chopper" Bluefish also provide many thrills in the Spring. Finding vast schools of 8-12 pound Bluefish in 2-3 foot of water guarrantees a great day of fishing. Great jumpers and surface strikers, these Chopper Bluefish aren't really that good to eat, however I'd never pass up an opportunity to catch a couple of them! Smaller Bluefish can usually be found at various places and at various sizes throughout much of the year. The 1-4 lb class of Bluefish is often a trip saver from April through November. These smaller Bluefish are still great fighters, but are also very tasty. Spanish Mackererel are very reliable from May through October. These Mackerel are beautiful, sporty, and great eating. Spanish Mackerel tend to get progressively larger throughout their season, and large numbers of 5-7 lb fish are sometimes common. They are a very popular fish. Albacore are a good possibility in the Spring, great in September, and keep right getting better right through November! Albacore are lengendary fighters and they are definitely the best game in town on many windy, cold mornings in the Fall when fishing is impossible for anything else!

Cobia Fishing

Cobia Fishing is one of the most exciting inshore Fisheries that we have here in NC. It offers the inshore angler a chance at catching a tough fighting, great eating gamefish that averages 30 pounds and grows to weights over 100 pounds. Fishing for Cobia is availiable by 2 completetly different methods. The "old way" is to fish with bait on the bottom and wait for a Cobia to find you. This method can produce great fishing at times and there is usually enough bycatch (Bluefish, Sharks, and Rays) to keep you busy. The other method is far more exciting, but can be limited by the weather. In this fishery, we ride around and search for Cobias and cast to them. This is probably the most exciting and suspenseful inshore fishery that we have going right now. Delivering a bucktail to a cruising 50+ pound Cobia is very exciting. This method also allows us to fish with much lighter tackle since there is usually no anchor lines and other boats in the immediate vicinity. By either method, catching a big Cobia is a fish that will always be worth bragging about and provide lots of great fish dinners.

NIGHT (and Day) FISHING for GIANT RED DRUM

In August and September we have a very reliable and outstanding fishery in the Southern Pamlico Sound and Neuse River for Trophy Red Drum. These fish will average from 30 to 50 lbs. My personal best came in August of 2000. Caught just a couple hundred yards off the Beach at Cedar Island, this huge Red Drum was 59" long and weighed 83 lbs. I started fishing for these Red Drum in the Cedar Island area back in 1997 and since that year, my success rate has hovered around the 90% mark. Catches of 20-30 Red Drum per night isn't all that uncommon.... I offer this type of fishing from mid-August through September. I fish out of Cedar Island, right by the NC Ferry Operation. The hours for this trip are usually 6pm until midnight. Cost is $350

In addition, Red Drum commonly "turn up" in the Ocean as I run my regular trips out of Beaufort Inlet. Sight casting when conditions are good and fish are avaliable is a Fantastic Fishing Experience! If I had to generalize, I'd say March through June is our best bet for sight casting to Large Red Drum. Then I would guess that August through December are mt best months to find schools of Slot-sized (18" to 27"). Red Drum also turn up while fishing for other fish. They are a distinct possibility 12 months of the year!

Sight Casting to Red Drum

This is why I bought the Tower! I feel like for the first time, I will be able to consistently sight cast to schools of Red Drum in the Ocean nearly year round. These Drum will average from 7 to 15 pounds and when we find them it will be a very memorable fishing experience. I expect that I will be able to target these Red Drum consistently from April through May and again from August through mid-November. Possibly even on into January and beyond! Finding schools of Giant Red Drum is also becoming more common at Cape Lookout! Sight Casting for Red Drum is something that we can easily combine with other types of Fishing trips such as Cobia, Albacore or Speckled Trout. It would usually only take an hour or so to determine if the schools of Drum that I like to target are availiable.

Wreck Fishing

Wreck Fishing is a great way to spend a day on the water. Two of my all-time favorites, Amberjack and Barracuda, are very exciting and fun fish to catch. Amberjacks can be caught on Top Water Plugs, Bucktails, Metal Jigs, or Live Bait. Top Water Plugs draw awesome surface strikes and provide a great visual experience. Live Bait would be my second choice. Watching a pack of aggressive Jacks chase a 2 pound Bluefish down is incredible. Either way most people who haven't fished a Wreck before have never experienced seeing dozens of "big" fish swimming around the boat. Amberjacks frequently do this! Barracudas are another great fish. They respond best to live baits and tube lures. They are awesome jumpers for both height and distance, easily out-performing King Mackerels and Wahoos in this department. They have blinding speed and are also rugged fighters. Bigger Cudas fall for live baits more frequently, but the ones that chase down and bite tube baits are amazing too. You simply CAN NOT reel these baits too fast. It is impossible. Other Wreck Fish include: Flounders, King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Spadefish, Crevalle Jacks, Cobia, Sea Bass, Sharks, and others. Anything is possible on a Wreck off Beaufort Inlet!

Dolphin Fishing

The traditional "Big 3" of the offshore meat fishing world is Wahoo, Dolphin, and Tuna. Of these 3, Dolphin are the most common and readily accessible to the Small Boat, Center Console Fleet. From early summer until mid-October I am able to target for Dolphin with some degree of consistency from Boat and I can usually do this within 25 miles of land. Wahoo and Tuna are also possible, especially later in the season. Giant Wahoo actually are fairly common catches among the small boat fleet in late October and early November. My 3 career largest Wahoos all came within 10 miles of land and were all caught close to Halloween. I would never claim to compete with the regular Charter Boat Fleets in the offshore trolling game, but I do offer this type of Fishing at half their price and lots of "hands on action" for my clients. Of course, great weather is absolutely necessary!

Bottom Fishing

Bottom Fishing or Jigging with Metal Jigs or Bucktails off Beaufort Inlet is a great way to spend a day on the water. This is a Year Round fishery, only affected by NMFS closures. On pretty days, it is possible to fish farther offshore in deeper water and catch a variety of Groupers, Snappers, Amberjacks, Porgys, Black Sea Bass, Grunts, and Sharks. This type of Fishing is for Full Days only and very weather dependant on my 25 foot Center console for obvious reasons, but the fishing can be awesome when conditions are favorable.

A totally different fishing experience can be had by bottom fishing or jigging speck rigs much closer to the Beach. This fishery is best during Fall and Winter. Staying within 3-4 miles of shore allows me to fish many more days with type of weather that is common in winter. Fishing can be excellent for Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, Gray Trout, Sea Mullet, Black Drum, Croaker, Hogfish, Dog Sharks, and many other varieties.

Bottom Fishing in the Sounds and Inland Waterways can be fantastic from September through November. This is a great way to introduce children to fishing. Our most commonly targetted fish is the small, but tasty Spot. If we can find a Spot we jusy might find a cooler full! Other fish caught while "Spot Fishing" include Croakers, Sea Mullet, Gray Trout, Bluefish, Flounder, Black Drum, Red Drum, Hogish and more.

Capt Marty's Top 15 Catches

1. 50 lb. Yellowfin Tuna (my 1st Tuna) caught on 10# and a stingsilver while casting to Albacore 5 miles off the Beach on 9-19-1988. Amazing.
2. 240 lb Bluefin Tuna caught on 20# and a cigar minnow light line while Grouper fishing on 11-28-1997. I fought this fish for 4 hours and covered 7 miles.
3. 83 lb. Wahoo caught while King Mackerel fishing by myself out of a huge fleet of Carteret County's best fishermen on 11-8-1995. This story is too long to tell here...
4. 66 lb. Amberjack caught on a #00 Clark Spoon on 6-24-1988. The Amberjack swallowed a 2 lb. Mackerel I was reeling in. This fish really got me "HOOKED".
5. 96 lb. Wahoo caught on 15# and a boston mackerel on a light line while Grouper fishing on 10-2-2001. I hooked this one seconds after Gerald Currin had decked a 67 pound Wahoo and was still "bragging".
6. 10 lb. 11 oz Flounder caught in Taylor's Creek on a windy day on 10-18-2003. My career largest Flounder was caught in a place I'd ignored during 20 years of Flounder Fishing!
7. 83 lb. Cobia caught off Cape Lookout while fishing by myself on 5-15-2002. I hate to admit this, I actually tried to break this one off because I was convinced it was a Stingray!
8. 350 lb. Blue Marlin caught on 30# while Dolphin fishing off Ocracoke on 5-20-2001. I rigged the baits, set out the lines, hooked the fish, fought the fish, wired the fish, tagged the fish, and released the fish!
9. 7 lb. 4 oz. Largemouth Bass that I caught on 5-2-09 on a 3 wt fly rod and a tiny rubber-legged spider. I hooked a tiny Bream that the Bass swallowed. I knew when she jumped, she'd throw the Bream... When she did, as the Bass re-entered the water, line started to peel off my reel again. the tiny fly was somehow lodged in the Bass's lip! Caught in a tiny pond at MHC Wal-Mart. Unbelievable!
10. 3 lb 8oz Spanish Mackerel caught on the Morehead Ocean Pier in August of 1974. My first "REAL" fish. I turned down a trip to the movies so I could stay out on the Pier that afternoon.
11. 37 lb. 4 oz. King Mackerel (combined with a 30 lb.4 oz the day before) that won $52,900 in the Snead's Ferry KMT on 8-12-2000
12. 34 lb. 8 oz King Mackerel caught from the Shackleford Banks surf on a peanut shad rigged up on a Penn 440SS (small spinning reel) with 8# on 7-14-2001.
13. 12 lb. 8 oz Sheepshead that ended a 10 year quest to catch a Citation Sheepshead on 8-12-2007.
14. 24 lb Blackfin Tuna that ate a stingsilver one mile off Atlantic Beach on 5-6-2010. I was casting for Bonito with a 10# spinning rod and had chased some Albacore inshore of AR-315. The Tuna was a blind strike and took an hour to land!
15. 67 lb. Black Drum caught on 5-3-2011 that outweighed my previous best Black Drum by 62 lbs and made me actually believe (for the first time) that I might actually accomplish my life's mission of collecting all the NC Citations!

Capt Marty's Personal NC Saltwater Citation Tally

All Fish caught by Capt Marty on Rod n Reel
Starting with a 66 lb Amberjack caught on June 24, 1988 in Beaufort Inlet
Species / # Citations / Largest Wt
1. Red Drum / 363/ 83 lbs
2. Flounder / 70 / 10 lb 11oz
3. Speckled Trout / 68 / 9lb 6oz
4. Cobia / 67 / 94 lbs
5. Amberjack / 48 / 66 lbs
6. Sheepshead / 34 / 12lb 8oz
7. Spanish Mackerel / 31 / 9 lbs
8. King Mackerel / 30 / 53 lbs
9. Bluefin Tuna / 21 / 380 lbs
10. Wahoo / 21 / 96 lbs
11. Barracuda / 15 / 36lb 8oz
12. Shark / 8 / 241 lbs
13. Black Drum / 8 / 67 lbs
14. Sailfish / 7 / 88"
15. Striped Bass / 7 / 35lb 8oz
16. Grouper / 5 / 35 lbs
17. Florida Pompano / 5 / 2lb 9oz
18. Black Sea Bass / 5 / 4 lbs
19. Crevalle Jack / 4 / 28 lbs
20. Red Snapper / 4 / 15lb 6oz
21. Tilefish / 4 / 12lb 8oz
22. Atlantic Bonito / 3 / 25"
23. Yellowfin Tuna / 3 / 83 lbs
24. Sea Mullet / 3 / 2lb 14oz
25. Triggerfish / 3 / 7lb 15oz
26. Blackfin Tuna / 2 / 24lb 8oz
27. False Albacore / 2 / 19lb 3oz
28. Gray Trout / 2 / 6lb 2oz
29. Blue Marlin / 1 / app 400 lbs
30. White Marlin / 1 / app 60 lbs
31. Spearfish / 1 / app 8 lbs
32. Dolphin / 1 / 40 lbs
33. Spot / 1 / 1 lb
34. Porgy / 1 / 6lb 7oz
TOTAL 849
Citation Saltwater Fish from other States
Snook / 4 / 35" (Texas)
Striped Bass / 1 / 47 lbs (Virginia)

Capt Marty's Personal NC Freshwater Citation Tally

Starting with an 8" Flier caught in a Wake County Pond in July of 1982
Species / # Citations / Largest Wt
1. Hickory Shad / 38 / 2 lb 9oz
2. White Perch / 25 / 1 lb 4oz
3. Blue Catfish / 6 / 42 lbs
4. American Shad / 6 / 5 lbs
5. Rainbow Trout / 5 / 21"
6. Largemouth Bass / 3 / 8 lb 4oz
7. Bluegill / 3 / 2 lb 2oz
8. Bowfin / 2 / 33"
9. Chain Pickerel / 2 / 28"
10. Green Sunfish / 2 / 10"
11. Pumpkinseed / 2 / 11"
13. Yellow Perch / 2 / 1 lb 6oz
12. Brook Trout / 2 / 20"
14. White Catfish / 1 / 4 lbs
15. Bullhead / 1 / 2 lb 8oz
16. Redfin Pickerel / 1 / 14"
17. Flier / 1 / 8"
Total 102
Citation Freshwater Fish from other States
Brown Trout / 2 / 16 lbs (NY)
Walleye / 6 / 28 7/8" (Ohio)
Freshwater Drum / 3 / 24" (Ohio)

2001 NC Citation Count

Citation sized fish caught by Capt Marty or Top Water Clients and Guests
1. Blue Marlin 1
2. Bluefin Tuna 4
3. Cobia 4
4. Dolphin 1
5. Flounder 2
6. Grouper 1
7. Pompano 1
8. Red Drum 70
9. Red Snapper 2
10. Sailfish 2
11. Speckled Trout 7
12. Spot 1
13. Wahoo 5
Total 101
***I spent 45 days in South Padre Island, Texas from early October until Thanksgiving catching Mangrove Snapper (up to 3 lbs), King Mackerel (up to 19 lbs), Spanish Mackerel, Hardhead Catfish, Pompano, Speckled Trout (up to 3 lbs), Red Drum (up to 5 lbs), Ladyfish (up to 5 lbs), Palometa, Gulf Sea Mullet (up to 2 lbs), Little Tunny, Bluefish, Sand Sea Trout, and (finally) SNOOK (up to 9 lbs). Of course, I fished every day or night possible.***.