April 21 More Freshwater Fly Rod Action

Once again, due to high winds, I got my daily Fishing Fix in the Ponds today. With SW winds at Cape Lookout gusting up to 24 knots by mid-morning and Beaufort Inlet covered with white water all day long, I scrapped plans for launching the Boat today. I just couldn't get to excited by the prospect of catching a load of small Croakers and a few Sea Mullet. So I broke out the little 3wt Fly Rod and went bugging. I saw plenty of Bass and Bream on the Beds, but my poor skills and the wind make it difficult to make great casts. I got a few bites on a sinking spider and released a few fish, including a pair of little Largemouth Bass. Total Catch for the Day: 2 Largemouth Bass, 5 Bluegills, and 3 Pumpkinseeds

April 13 Fly Rod Bass

On my way to work and I had to make a few casts before I left town! So I made a quick stop in one of Beaufort's finest fishing "storm water run-off ponds" and used my little 3wt Fly Rod to toss a popping bug around several freshly built Bass Beds. Fishing was a little hard due to rain and wind. I got a few lookers that wouldn't bite and a few that did. I got one fiesty little Largemouth Bass. I also caught and missed a few Bluegills. Total Catch for the Day: 1 Largemouth Bass and 3 Bluegill

April 10 Dog Sharks

Inshore Fishing is tough right now. The good fish, Sea Mullets, Bluefish, and Gray Trout, are hard to find. The SW wind that has been howling for days has not let up and the water is dirty. The Full Moon has the tides running very hard and that has the fish scattered and hard (impossible) to locate. Hopefully, as the moon wanes, the fishing will get better. Today, I had Jeff and his two sons, John and Paul on a half day trip. The fishing was not good, but intereresting. Using very high quality fresh shrimp for bait, we managed very few bites. We did find enough Dog Sharks to povide the boys with some action. Pretty good action. I hope I get this right because, in the name of brotherly competition, it is important. I think John caught a "Boat Record" Smooth Dogfish that measured 45" and weighed at least 20 pounds. Jeff caught a 25 pound Cownose Ray. I think Paul's best catch was a pregnant Spiny Dogfish that weighed around 10 pounds and 2 nice 12" Black Sea Bass. Total Catch for the Day: 2 Black Sea Bass, 1 Bluefish, 1 Gray Trout, 1 Pinfish, 2 Spiny Dogfish, 1 Cownose Rays, and 12 Smooth Dogfish.

April 8 Sea Mullet and Mixed Bag in the Wind

Columbo and I fished in extremely poor conditions today (Westsouthwest winds blowing steady at 20+ Knots) and our catch reflected how tough it was out on the water. This wind direction and velocity are notorious for making the inshore water very dirty. The surf on the Ocean Beaches is very rough and it that mixes up the water outside and inside Beaufort Inlet. Our final obstacle was the tide, which was high very early this morning. Because of that, we pretty much fished around the low end of the tide cycle today. This is when dirty water is at it's "dirtiest." The tide later in the week will be more favorable, even if the wind keeps blowing. Making drifts for Sea Mullet was difficult today due to the hard running current and high winds. Beaufort Inlet was too rough to fish and scrapped our plan to run up Cape Lookout. There was absolutely NO ACTION in the MHC Shipping Channel or the Turning Basin. All that being said, we finally found a nice spot to drop anchor and there was a few fish biting. There was a good variety in the catch today. I caught 7 different species on 7 straight drops during one stretch. Unfortunately, everything we caught today was pretty small. I did keep 4 Sea Mullet and the left over Shrimp for supper tonight. Columbo had the big fish of the day with his 6 lb. Spiny Dogfish. Total catch for the Day: 4 Southern Sea Mullet, 2 Gulf Sea Mullet, 8 Croaker, 4 Spot, 4 Black Sea Bass, 8 Silver Perch, 1 Hogfish, 1 Pinfish, 1 Smooth Dogfish, and 1 Spiny Dogfish

Right Around the Corner

April and May are two of my favorite months to fish. Honestly, the fishing is usually as inconsistent as the weather, but when it's good it can be very good. A day spent fishing in the Spring when the weather is good is a refreshing experience. It is a time when nature starts over and it is the beginning of a new fishing season. My favorite thing to do in April and early May are casting metal lures for Atlantic Bonito, Albacore, and Bluefish. Vertical jigging for Gray Trout can also be excellent. Bonito also love a deep jig once their early morning surface frenzy subsides. I also love to hunt shallow water for Adult Red Drum and Adult Bluefish. Two of the most thrilling things that happen all year are casting bucktails to 30-50 pound Red Drum and casting top water plugs to schools of 8-15 pound Bluefish. I am Open for Charter and highly recommending this type of Fishing on April 21-27. Also May 10-11 and May 19-25

March 30 Bluegills and Bass on the Fly

Poor fishing today, or I am a very, very poor Fly Fisherman. Probably some of both. I wanted to show off for Chris and I pretty much made a fool out of myself! When it was over, we had fished 3 Urban Mung Holes and finally found some cooperative Bream in a secluded Rainwater Run-off Puddle. Many times my popping bug got popped, but only a few times did I hook up. Total Catch for the Day: 4 Bluegill and 1 Largemouth Bass.

March 29 Largemouth Bassing in Beaufort

What else would I be doing on a windy day. Fishing. In 30 minutes of throwing a plastic worm, I caught 2 Largemouth Bass out of 4 bites. These Bass were a little bigger than the ones I normally catch out of this small Pond. It was hard to feel what was going on at the other end of my line because of the 25 kt wind, but I did get in my daily fishing ration. Total Catch for the Day: 2 Largemouth Bass.

March 28 Bluegills on Popping Bugs

I had a near miss this morning. As I was playing around in a Morehead Mung Hole, a huge shadow materialized under a Plastic Frog I was tossing. Before my eyes, in crystal clear water, the shadow slowly rose to just under my bait. One quick twitch of my rod tip and suddenly an 7-8 pound Largemouth Bass rolled up and grabbed my Frog by one hind leg and disappeared in a massive swirl. I knew the single hook was not in this fish's mouth. As she swam away, I prayed that this "Queen of the Mung Hole" would swallow her meal. After a few seconds, I set the hook and a 1 legged-plastic frog popped out of the water a flew towards my face. I had missed. Fishing at Wal-Mart will never be the same. The Queen had eaten a plastic frog leg and I know where she lives! Later, I tossed a fly in a Beaufort Mung Hole and caught 4 Bluegills. I found 1 spot that was stacked with Largemouth Bass, but they refused my bugs. They saw yellow, white, and black. They refused them all. Total Catch for the Day: 4 Bluegills

A Great Website and A Downeast Fishing Contest

Tagging of Pacific Predators. http://www.topp.org/ I know that this for that other Ocean, but this is one of the best websites that I have ever visited. I highly, highly recommend looking at this thing and look around because there is a lot of neat facts and illustrations. Also, the Davis Shore Provisions General Store is doing 3 little Fishing Contests this year. You can win some money for Speckled Trout and Flounder. Check it out and throw $10.00 in the pot! Click on the Entry Form to see a larger version. By the way, this true for all my pictures.

March 27 Red Drum and Fly Rod Action

This morning was my first chance to use a new 3 wt Fly Rod and Reel that I recently got. I had a blast at a small Pond here in Beaufort. My first cast with a popping bug got a nice flash underneath my fly and my second cast got hammered by a chunky little Bass. After 30 minutes I left with 4 Largemouth Bass and 4 Bluegills released. This afternoon I went for a Downeast Flatbottom Jet-powered thrill ride with Capt. Kyle Brown and after looking around for a while we finally found a few Red Drum that were sitting up on a sunken wreck (sunk in the mud) in about a foot of water. I caught 5 Red Drum while Kyle dug Oysters out of the mud. Total Catch for the Day: 5 Red Drum, 4 Largemouth Bass, and 4 Bluegill.

March 24-25 1000 Casts, 500 Miles, 0 Shad

In the last 2 days we have fished the Roanoke River, the Neuse River, the Cape Fear River, and the Northeast Cape Fear River and we haven't caught a single Hickory Shad or American Shad. I'm over it. All the Rivers in the State are High and Dirty and the fishing for Shad has been horrible. After several trips to the Neuse that were busts, I desperately wanted to make a trip to the Cape Fear for American Shad this year. I should've known this River would be no different than the others. Fishing was a waste of time. And with 3 days of Rain in the forecast, I have complete confidence in my decision to give up on Shad Fishing in 2009. In addition, we also soaked bait in Catfish Lake and the Black River and we haven't had a good bite yet. A couple of nibblers that got away with it. That's it! We have seen many Deer and Wild Turkeys in our travels. We even saw a Bald Eagle and a Yellowthroated Vireo in the Croatan yesterday. But no fish. Starting on April 7th all this Freshwater non-sense will come to an end. Bring on the SALT! Total Catch for the Day: Nothing

Fishy Things in Baltimore

Mike and I had a great time in Baltimore and DC. Since this is a Fishing Blog, these are a few "fishy" things we found in Baltimore's Lexington Market. We ate some "Steakfish" which evidently "sounds" more appealing than than it's real name White Hake. I also found another Hake species, the Silver Hake, being pawned off under the name of "Lake Trout." Still another family member, the Red Hake was labeled "Oyster Trout." These cousins of the coveted Atlantic Cod get absolutely no respect! By the way, the "Steakfish" is awesome. I highly recommend it. I also ate a Haddock sandwhich at Faidley's Seafood that was killer! Haddock is another of the "Cod Clan" but it must have a repectable name! Finally, it has been 20 years since I traded my ham sandwich for a Racoon sandwich with Tony Richardson while working in Durham. Seeing it on the Board brought back some memories. Greasy ones. We passed on the fried Coon and Muskrat. Lexington Market is a blast. Go there and you will be amazed by the things you see and smell. You will eat good if you ain't scared.

Capt Marty with Obama

Never fear, Capt Marty has enlightened THE PRESIDENT on the Economy and Light Tackle Fishing. 2009 looks to be a year of great fishing and a slow economic turnaround. Brighter days ahead. In addition to my meeting with President Obama, my trip to Baltimore and DC was productive and fun. However, rainy weather saved the fish of the Potomac River and Baltimore Harbor from the perils of my spinning rod. I did find a great place to go fishing while searching Georgetown for the "Exorcist Stairs". Can't wait to give it a try one day.

Baltimore and Washington DC

Tommorrow I'm headed to Baltimore to re-new my Captain's License. We will be spending Friday night in Baltimore and then heading to Washington DC to spend Saturday night. I will carry a fishing rod. I really want to make a few casts into the Reflecting Pool. Also, it looks like the fully-grown Red Drum have showed up in and near Ocracoke Inlet. I would love to do some sight casting up there for 30-60 pound Red Drum. If anyone is interested, send me an email or call me.

March 12 Hickory Shad Fishing

Chris and I went to the Cow Pen Landing today hoping the Neuse River was back to normal. Unfortunately, the level was still high, the current was running hard, and the water was still dirty. It was nice on the North shore, with the wind at our backs and there were a few fish around. We also fished Pelican Landing and Spring Garden. Between the two of us, we probably made 500 casts. I had 8 strikes, lost a 3-4 lb. White Shad that I nearly had my hands on, and landed 5 Hickory Shad. Chris caught 4 Hickory Shad and missed a couple. We soaked a cut bait for an hour and never had a bite. All the Hickory Shad that we caught were females loaded with roe and they all weighed over a pound. There is nothing like that first Shad of the year, mine smoked a silver spoon right at my feet and make 4 somersalts in about 10 seconds. It was awesome! To sum it up, it wasn't great fishing, but it was still fun. We also had a close encounter with a Wild Turkey. It walked right up to us. Chris, who hunts, said he had a 8-10" beard. That's a nice one, I reckon. Total Catch for the Day: 9 Hickory Shad

March 11 Green Sunfish

I wanted to go look for a Salt Water Fish today, but I figured it was a little too windy, a little too cloudy, and the risk of getting shut-out was a little too great. So I met Meredith for lunch instead. After lunch, I headed to Wal-Mart to go fishing. The fishing at Wal-Mart has crashed, but I did manage to catch something I haven't caught in years. A Green Sunfish. One of my old favorites from the Barrow Pits out by Greenville Marine on Hwy 264. The summer of 1986. Back then I could catch 15 Greenies a day out of a Creek that flowed into one of the Barrow Pits. I even caught a "trophy" Green Sunfish and got a NC Freshwater Citation. Evidently a 10" Green Sunfish is a Giant One! The one I caught today was definitely not a trophy, more like a 4" baby with a big appetite. By the way, I also got 2 more NC Freshwater Citations back in the 80's for odd-ball Bream. I got one for a 9" Flyer and one for a 12" Pumpkinseed. Total Catch for the Day: 1 Green Sunfish

March 10 Bluegill Frenzy

I woke up this morning and didn't have to go to work and the sun was shining so........I went fishing. Too bad that it was a little windy for the boat and the Rivers have been too high for Shad fishing. So I went Pond Fishing instead. Actually I went twice. The first trip it took me a while to find the fish, then I caught them pretty good. 3 Largemouth Bass and 2 Bluegills in about 10 minutes. After running a few errands, I came back and tried it again. This time the Bream were chewing. In less than an hour, I caught 14 Bluegills, 2 Pumpkinseeds, and 3 Largemouth Bass.. Everything was caught on ultra light spin with 2# mono and Roostertail spinners. I caught a Largemoth Bass that was close to 2 pounds and it put up a great fight with 5-6 jumps. Total Catch for the Day: 16 Bluegills, 6 Largemouth Bass, and 2 Pumpkinseeds.

Feb 27 Fishing for Largemouth Bass

I fished a small Pond near Wal-Mart for a few minutes this morning in Morehead City while I was out running errands. I hadn't fished this spot since last October and I thought the fishing might be good. I was wrong. I only caught 2 Largemouth Bass on a small in-line spinner. These Bass were very colorful with dark green backs and bold black markings on their flanks. They were also pretty small, around 6" to 7" each. Later in the afternoon, I got an invite to fish in a couple of old Ponds in Beaufort that I haven't fished since 1990. Originally Old Barrow Pits, these Ponds are legendary producers of Big Bass and have been a heavily guarded secret for years. Access has been difficult due to No Trespassing Signs, being in a heavily wooded area, an inpenetrable shoreline, and for the last 18+ years the nearest homeowners have always had at least 4-5 Pit Bull-Rottweiler mixed-breeds named Diablo running loose. The few guys that have fished here through the years have always told tales of awesome top water action and plenty of Largemouth Bass from 2 to 8 pounds. Right in the "Heart of Olde Beaufort". Today wasn't the day, though. We fished late in the afternoon and 3 of us had NO bites. Total catch for the Day: 2 Largemoth Bass

Feb 26 Great Red Drum Fishing

Too much Largemouth Bass fishing for me lately! So with a great weather window, Chris and I went to the East this morning on a mission to find some Red Drum. The Ocean was beautiful and we found what we were looking for too! We worked over a school of Red Drum for a couple of hours and when we moved on, Chris and I had caught 5 Red Drum each. All these Red Drum were between 22" and 26" and were fat and healthy. We also caught Sheepsheads, Hogfish, Black Sea Bass, and Spiny Dogfish off a nearby wreck. The Black Sea Bass weren't real plentiful, but they were nice ones from 15" to 16". The Horn Dogs were all pregnant females at 10-12 pounds. On the way home we were treated to an awesome show courtesy of Mother Nature. Blue Planet Material. We found a huge school of Menhaden that were being pushed onto the Beach by dozens of Bottlenosed Dolphins. They were also being dive-bombed from above by a bunch of Pelicans. All of this in 2-4 feet of crystal clear water. The view from the Tower was awesome. The Dolphins were working as a team, some were shearing off small sections of the Menhaden school and herding them offshore to where other Dolphins were ambushing them. It was all taking place right under my bow. As I snapped photos, Chris snagged Menhadens with a stingsilver. All these Menhaden were 1-2 pounders. Nice, fat and full of roe. What a show! Total Catch for the Day: 10 Red Drum, 4 Black Sea Bass, 8 Spiny Dogfish, 2 Sheepsheads, 2 Hogfish, and 20 Menhaden.

Feb 25 Largemouth Bass Fishing

Boredom struck so I went Bass fishing today. The water was cold and the fish were a little slow. The first spot was a zero. The next spot produced 1 Largemouth Bass. The final place was a little better. I caught 5 Largemouth Bass and 1 Bluegill. I'm beginning to think these Bass know my Truck and they go into hiding when I pull up to the Pond. Total Catch for the Day: 6 Largemouth Bass and 1 Bluegill.

Feb 13 Wide Open Bass Bite

I set out today with a Fly Rod and a Micro-spining Combo spooled with 2# test Ande Premium. At my first stop, I found my old pal Mark in one of my favorite Urban Mung Holes, so I took him on the Grand Tour. Unfortunately, before I caught a Largemouth Bass on the fly rod, I busted apart my only popping bug on a chain link fence. Therefore, every fish I caught was on the 2# spin tackle, a pretty fair fight! The fishing was okay, until we got a tip from a friend that steered us to a "Virgin Storm Water Run-Off Pond". This place was ON FIRE!!! I caught a Largemouth Bass on probably 7 of my first 10 casts while Mark was doing the same. Mark and I each caught a Largemouth Bass close to 2 pounds. After we caught them all (?) and a few Bluegills, we went to one more spot that I hadn't fished since October and I did okay on a few nice Pumpkinseeds. Total Catch for the Day: 25 Largemouth Bass, 4 Bluegill, and 8 Pumpkinseed.

Feb 12 Windy Bass Fishing

It was way too windy for the Boat today so.....Chris and I went to Wal-Mart instead. Bass fishing. We also hit 2 spots in Beaufort. The fishing was much slower today. In Beaufort, I caught 2 chunky 15" Largemouth Bass on live mud minnows that I'd held hostage since December. Poor Minnows. At least I've been feeding them regularly. Chris got a nice Largemouth Bass on a Roostertail on his first cast, then he hooked up a Willow Tree and that was the end of that! The ponds at Wal-Mart were a let down. I did catch the Bluegills there however. I think our lack of strikes was partly due to the high winds that had muddied up the water at one spot and had the surface covered with pine straw at another. Total Catch for the Day: 3 Largemouth Bass and 5 Bluegill

Feb 11 Plenty of Action: Largemouth Bass and Red Drum

I had to go fishing today. Nothing else mattered. I figured it was a little breezy for the Boat. First stop was a Down East Creek where Speckled Trout and Red Drum can be found as cars and trucks pass overhead. I put on my waders and took a short walk up the shoreline and found a school of very small Red Drum. Probably 6-9 inch fish, very small indeed. After I caught and released 7 Red Drum I figured the stress of winter was enough and they didn't need me harrassing them so I left them alone. My next stop was in Beaufort at a couple of Local Urban Mung Holes that I like to fish. One spot didn't disappoint! After a slow start, I caught Bass after Bass on yellow hackle/black bladed Roostertail in-line spinner. These Largemouth Bass ranged from 8" to 1.5 pounds. I almost believe that I caught every Bass in the entire pond! By the time I left, every cast would be followed all the way back to my feet by 2-3 Bass that wouldn't bite. They had probably already been caught once. Bass and Bream were even biting at the ripple where my line entered the water. It was good fishing. The warm temperatures have certainly brought these small Ponds back to life. Fishing by myself, therefore Red Drum photos were impossible and Largemouth Bass photos were "in-hand" and"in-water" shots. Total Catch for the Day: 7 Red Drum, 30 Largemouth Bass, 3 Bluegill

Old Fishing Pictures Part 4

Here are three pictures from the early 1990's. Picture 1 The first picture is of my old pal Tom Whitehead from Greenville with a 45 lb Cobia. Tom introduced me to some great Largemouth Bass and Hickory Shad fishing around Pitt County during my college days. The Tar River and lots of nearby Oxbows, Pitchkettle Creek, Contentnea Creek, Burrus Construction's Barrow Pits, Voice of America Lake, Carolina Opry House, White's Concrete, The Original Mung Hole, State Lakes in Grimesland and, best of all Graham Flannigan's private Bass-Filled Pond. Many a day I whacked 50+ Bass on a Devil's Toothpick out of Flannigan's Pond. I even got NC Freshwater Citations for Green Sunfish and Yellow Perch from 2 of Tom's spots. We fished from his Johnboat or on Foot and we carried plenty of Beer and other non-fishing essentials. In return, I helped him catch his Cobia off the Papoose in April of 1990. We also caught lots of Beeliners, Red Porgys, Triggerfish, King Mackerels, and I caught a 56 lb Amberjack. Picture 2 Tom and I also lived to tell about a few crazy adventures on the Ocean. Here in June of 1990, we are trolling "way out there" south of the Big Rock in an 18 foot Boston Whaler Outrage with no loran, no gps, no cell phone, and no VHF radio. Were we STUPID or what? Somehow we always made it home with nice catches of Dolphin, King Mackerel, Barracuda, Amberjack, and Cobia. That summer now seems like a lifetime ago. Picture 3 Look at my hair and nearly perfect complexion. What happened! This fishing trip pretty much ruined my life for a couple of months on Valentine's Day in 1992. I decided to go Bottom Fishing on the Aeoulus and nearby 240 Rocks with Tony E and the Rouser on The Boogar and left my lovely fiance in Greenville all by herself. Needless to say, the next day, a cooler full of nice 2 pound Black Sea Bass, lots of Red Porgys, a 10 lb American Red Snapper, and a 22 lb Blackfin Tuna did NOT make things better in her eyes. My life was miserable for months! BTW, the following year, in March of '93, I finished her off with a 7 lb 15 oz Triggerfish. She didn't recognize the importance of a Citation Triggerfish when she saw one. Anyway, I'm still happily fishing and she is happily married to a dude called "Buck-Snort".

Feb 10 NO-FISHING Fishing Report

The weather is warming up and I'm getting a little antsy. I think I'll go out and wade a couple of Down East Creeks tommorrow and see if any Red Drum want to come out and play. Also, it is nearly time to begin my annual Hickory Shad quest with a trip to the Neuse River. Hopefully this year will be more like 2006 when 100 fish days were common and double-headers were frequent! Finally, I was on Ocracoke Island for our little winter storm two weeks ago. Here are a couple of pictures.