and I am always a fan of the underdog. Ya see, I went on a ride along on the Big Tahuna, with Capt Kenny Koci, the target was Black Fins and boy did we find them. Every Drop was a nice sized Black Fin, but the problem was, the Sharks were faster to the Fish then we could get them to the boat. We are not talking Little Sharks People, we are talking 300 plus pounders, and they were everywhere. All Top Water Cruising, must have seen Thousands of them.

Syeve from the Duck Deli with one of a Few Black Fins we were able to get away from the Sharks.
Its not fair to the Black fins to hook them just to have them eaten by Shark, I look at it as a waste, and so Does Kenny, so It was time to change the game and get a little revenge on the sharks. With the Sharks getting almost every Black Fin we hooked up with, Capt Kenny looked at the 2 younger fellas on the Boat, Daniels and Steve, and asked ” Do you want to teach these Sharks a Lesson” they both replied “YES”. so we put away the Vertical Jigging Rods and pulled out a little Somethin, Somethin for them. An 80 wide, on a Bent Butt, with 200 pound Braid to a Cable Rig with a 20/0 Hook.
I was up on the Bridge watching the bottom machine, when Kenny deployed the Bait, a big filletof a False Albacore. No Weight, just free lining the bloody bait on a monster sized hook. Next time your in the shop, ask me to show you a 20/0 hook. I swear to ya, it did not take but 30 seconds for the 80’s

Steve in the Chair...With the Bent Butt n the 80 Wide..
clicker to start screaming, First up was Steve, from the Duck Deli up the beach. He pulled on the shark for a good while, I would guess around 20 minutes or so, then he got him to the Boat. Part of any type of Guide Work, is to keep your folks, entertained, after all they are there for a Good Time, so they should get a Good Show. All the Worlds a Stage and we are merely Players…

Nice one!!!!
with that in Mind Kenny Hoisted the Shark over the Back of the Big Tahuna and into the Cock-Pit, its always fun to watch the eyes of the Clients when an over 82 inch Shark hits the Deck of the Cock-Pit, big as Frying Pans…

Capt Kenny is over six foot tall to give you a refrence on the sharks size.
We got our HOOK back, and released the Shark out the Back of the Big Tahuna through the Tuna Door.
Kenny deployed another Bait on the 80, and less then 30 seconds later, the Big Rod is bent over, and we got another big one on, from the bend in the big bent butt rod I could tell this one was bigger then the last.

Daniel in the Chair, look at his face, he was giving it his all... Great Job Man..
Next in the Chair was Daniels, we got him set up in the chair, and the Fight began… He was giving it his all, and we were all coaching him and moving the chair to follow the fish, bout 30 minute later, Mr. Sand Bar was at&t he back of The Big Tahuna, and he was a Giant, well over 109 inches, for our second North Carolina Saltwater Citation of the Day.

Go ahead Lip Him, I dare ya!!!!!!

Number 3 and were out of here, they were both impressed with the strength of a Shark. I told them a Shark is just one Giant Muscle That likes to EAT..

EATING MACHINES
Heck there were so many sharks around, one of the other fellas on the boat, Ernest hooked one on a vertical jig, and a little vertical jig rod. We got him to the boat as well.

Time to move onto the Next Game, the key to a GREAT Trip Is have as Many Plans as you can handle..
Well with the Revenge taken out on the Sharks, we decided to move and do a little Blue Fin Tuna Trolling, they Key to any good fishing trip is to have more then one plan, and to be ready to change the game at a moments notice. Thats what makes a Successful Guide, being able to adapt and over come anything that comes your way, and Capt Kenny Koci is one of the Best.
We had 2 take downs an hook ups on Blue Fins, but that was not meant to be, and the fish came unbuttoned. So now it was time to fill the folks cooler with Fish that they could take home for table fare. We headed to the Kinakeet Rocks for some bottom fishing, rules are different on bottom fish species North of Cape Point. They were able to Load their coolers with some real nice Stud Trigger-Fish.

The 80's and the Bent Butts, and a Beautiful SunSet...
The Sun was getting lower and lower, so it was time to Point The Tahuna to the WESTER and head back to Hatteras. We ran by Cape Point in Buxton, cause Kenny caught big Red Drum to 60 plus pounds there a few days ago, Brought Tahuna close enough to the Beach that the folks fishing Cape Point could make out the name of the boat from shore. But there were no Drum around, so we headed back to the Lair.
The Key to a Good Fishing Trip is Adaptability, ya can’t go out there with just one game, or you will be let down every-time. We mixed it up big time, and by the smiles on the faces of the customers back at the Dock, I think all were very satisfied.. and they got to go home with some nice Black Fins and Triggers…

I am at a loss for words....No text needed...
Until Next Time JAM OUT












I will be partaking of the Beach Speckled Trout Scene until then, Hope to see ya at The Roost or on the Beach, there will still be Adventures, but just not the Kayak kind, unless the Stripers pay us a visit this year, if that happens I’ll be on it..
Because I saw the Biggest Deer, that I have ever seen on Hatteras Island today. Now it was No Upstate N.Y. Deer, but it was HUGE for down here. He did not pay me no mind as I snapped several Photo’s of him, while I was heading to the Fishing Hole this morning. But I’ll get back to the deer, in the sequence of the story, the way it happened. 

I parked the Car and put on My Plano Trout Bag, its just an easy way to carry all of my Trout Gear around my waist as I walk Miles when I am on a Trout Adventure, and I always have my Camera with me to take the Photo’s of the Adventure. So I headed off in the general direction of when the Gigundo Deer went, hoping to get a photo of him. The deer down here do not spook as easy as a Northern Deer, because they are not getting shot at on a regular basis. As soon as I got on the Path, there he was, 20 Yards away from me, lookin right at me, he did not budge and neither did I, I wanted to get a shot at him, so I eased my Camera from around my neck, and positioned my Trout Rod under my arm so I could get a Picture. 


Got a bunch of shots, as this deer was fearless, even moved closer and he did not move, I could have pulled a Daniel Boone on his @ss, I was that close. I got tired of him and he got tired of me and I headed on to the Beach to give it a try, and check the waters of Buxton for Specks. 















After yesterdays @ss kicking, I decided to go with plan A from yesterday, a run all the way up Slash Creek. Slash Creek is a Saltwater Creek that dissects Hatteras, it runs the entire length of Hatteras Village. Its starts at Sandy Bottoms, or Isabel Inlet, the beginning of the Village and it dumps right into Teach’s Lair Marina, right behind Teach’s Island Bar And Grill, and the Wancheese Fish Company. Allot of folks lately have been telling me it is quite fishy, and with a very hard NE wind and the beating I took yesterday, I was down for some peace and quiet.
I was still rockin and rolling for several hours last night before I went to bed, some of you that have been Offshore Fishing know what I am talking about. For those that don’t, I will explain, after you take a shower, after boating all day long, your body and mind get out of sync, your mind still believes your are on a boat, and tries to compensate. It feels like you are still on the boat, which is Kinda Cool, cause I love being Rocked to sleep.
As I went through the Old Fish House area, it led my mind to wander of days of old, and all the History and Tradition, hard work and fortitude of the people that lived here before us. Generations of Midgett’s, Williams, Burus, Fosters, Odens, Gray’s, Scarborough’s and the list just continues.
Hundreds of years of Island Life, most of them were Fishermen, some were the original keepers of the Lighthouse. Many were Coast Guardsmen, all were hardy and strong, and survived many a Hurricane, they just dusted off their boots and picked up and continued on with life.
Directly after Hurricane Irene, I was manning the shop, when a young National Guard member, commented to me, “Everyone is so Calm, no one is Looting, I can’t believe it, if this were anywhere inland People would be loosing their minds”. I took this as a compliment, and told him that’s just the way it is here.
An Old Timer told me when I first moved here 9 years ago, he said, “Son, if ya live on a sandbar, your gonna get your feet wet”. I carry that with me through all the Nor’ Easters we get through the winter, which can be worse then a Hurricane, and all through Hurricane season. I am prepared to lose everything, every-time it happens, and if ya watch the news it happens on a semi-regular basis here on the Island. We stick out 40 miles from Mainland North Carolina, right out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. So if anyone’s gonna get hammered, its gonna be us.
I have lived through, Isabel, Alex, Ophelia, Earl, and now Irene, all damaging storms, some worse then others. The Benchmark for all storms, as told to me by Islanders, has always been Emily, I believe it was 1992 or 93, but that’s what all storms were measured against. Not any More, the new Benchmark for Hatteras Island is Irene, and I hope I never see the devastation that I have seen in this storm ever again as long as I live. The Southern Villages we lucky, from Buxton South damage was minimal. From North Avon up, was devastated, many lost everything they own, and will be rebuilding for years to come. It llooks like a bomb went off up there in Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo.
The peacefulnessss of The Slash was awesome, winding through canals, passing buildings from a time long ago, not a worry in the world. It’s different in the Sound, or for that matter Different in the Ocean, when you are on a glorified Clorox Bottle, as your form of transportation. You have to pay way more attention to the conditions, and be prepared, for at any moment you could be in a life and death situation.
What really surprised me was I got to catch my very first puppy drum of the year, which is crazy, I usually have a couple dozen by now, but they have just not been where I have been fishing. Nailed him right under the Bridge by the Old Channel Bass Restaurant.
Kept on Fishing, as I leisurely paddle along and next up was, my Bestest Friend in the World, the Speckled Trout, caught four of them and continued North up the Creek to the Creek Head, not to be confused with Crack Head, which is what all our Weathermen around here are. 











and a good friend of mine John, Fishing off my 12. Everyone was catching, as I saw several other boats putting fish in the cooler. 






