Oregon Inlet Charter. I Missed the Boat: A "Black Moment" for Me. For the Guys: White Marlin

By Jim Field

On Saturday, September 25, a group of fishing buddies chartered the Salt Weapon out of Pirate's Cove Marina in Manteo, NC to fish the waters Northeast of Oregon Inlet. Their targeted catch (and release): white marlin. I was signed up to go, but on the preceding Thursday was informed that I had to cover a hospital board retreat for a sick work colleague--here's the rub, the hospital being in Northern California and the retreat being held on that Saturday. Upon learning I would miss the trip, I freely admit going into a mental tailspin--heck, I had only waited months to do this. In fact, the whole idea of our group of boat owners/seasoned fishermen taking this trip was to observe what the pros do and learn from them, so as to ratchet up our own techniques. At a minimum, we'd find out by first hand observation that we're brilliant and have the benchmarking to prove it. But it wasn't to be--at least for me.

However, Dan and Wawa Bob--as in Bob Ficoturo, Captain of Freespool out of Indian River, DE--and the rest of the group apparently has a great trip, successful in the pursuit of white marlin and useful tips on fishing/boat handling techniques. The weather wasn't calm and increased across the day, and while it didn't present a challenge for Salt Weapon, it nevertheless impacted their ride, even in this size of boat.

Bob, it must be noted, generously covered my portion of the charter fee. Including tip, this would have to come to around $400, I presume. While recognizing his goodwill, I intend to compensate Bob for my full share when I see him next. (Good fishermen don't make upstanding guys pay for their calendar misfortunes.) But thanks anyway, Bob. Truly appreciated.

Pictures and details below.

A Salt Weapon
CAPT. DENNIS ENDEE has over 20 years of offshore fishing experience, fishing NC waters the past 15 years and winter fishing in Mexico. He takes you where the Big Fish are! A SALT WEAPON is a 54’ PAUL MANN Custom Carolina Sportsfisher AS FEATURED ON ESPN AND OLN (now versus). Total remodel in 2007. Boat equipped for comfort cruising at 30 knots and a true all weather fishing machine!

Dan with the stick (perhaps dealing with equipment malfunction?)


Beautiful shot of "fish on"

All but the tail out of the water. A majestic animal--truly

Bluefin Tuna Painting Sets New Auction Record

“Bluefin at Ballyhoo – 1979” by Stanley Meltzoff, oil on panel (24”x34”).



By Jim Field
I came across this article on the internet and read it with interest. I love paintings related to the ocean--typically, by my experience, depictions of ships from the age of sail and of the ocean itself, more often than not large swells on the open sea, rough water, or waves crashing on a rocky shore.

I myself have started to collect oil paintings of pelagic fish by a native artist of Hatteras Island, something I'll write about later on.

Today's painting of bluefin tuna is, indeed, gorgeous. The artist, Stanley Meltzoff, unknown to 99.99999999% of Americans, is nevertheless respected and famous in his own small world of collectors. Here's how the auction played out--the market assigning a value of $32,000 to his bluefin tuna depiction.

(Take note: if I had big bucks, I would have placed the winning bid--no doubt about it.)


JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming, USA, October 4, 2010 --- Four exquisite game fish paintings by premier artist Stanley Meltzoff (1917-2006) all set unexpected records at the recent Jackson Hole Art Auction.

Most noteworthy was "Bluefin at Ballyhoo--1979," a picture done by Meltzoff in 1979 that sold for nearly $32,000. This figure was almost ten times the pre-sale estimate and reflects a surging interest in this artist’s extraordinary work. Another Meltzoff painting titled "White Marlin--1986" sold for more than $21,000, or four times the pre-sale estimate. These results were especially noteworthy in that the annual Jackson Hole auction is primarily a vehicle for western art and rarely deals in other genres.

Meltzoff was the first and remains indisputably the finest saltwater game fish painter of all time. Born in New York, his early career included a classical education in the arts followed by four years as a correspondent for The Stars and Stripes army newspaper during WWII. Upon returning stateside in 1945, he taught at the prestigious Pratt Institute before establishing himself as a leading commercial artist and illustrator.

Beginning with a commission from Sports Illustrated in 1960, he turned to painting game fish almost exclusively during the latter part of his career, ultimately completing more than 350 canvasses. Today Meltzoff originals hang in museums and private collections around the world. Widely honored throughout his life, Meltzoff’s death in 2006 stilled a brush that will never be equaled.

In 2009, a book on Meltzoff’s life and work was published by Silverfish Press, and a few of his originally signed and numbered lithographs still remain available. For more information, visit www.silverfishpress.com.

Sunset at Oregon Inlet Fishing Center

By Jim Field

On my way North from Hatteras Village on Monday, I stopped by Oregon Inlet to take some pictures of the charters at sunset. Very peaceful. Very quiet. Very deserted. Very beautiful. Certainly a different world from the one I inhabit every day. Would like to hang out here on the Sea Ya Bea, with fishing buds, for a spell trolling and jigging offshore.

The Gulf Stream. Stunning Sea Surface Temperature Depiction

By Jim Field

I pulled this stunning sea surface temperature (SST) chart from an internet site of Atlantic Ocean currents. It highlights the warm Gulf Stream in blood red, flowing Northeast tight alongside the North Carolina coast and curling, serpent-like, into the central North Atlantic. It's a fascinating graphic, bringing to the fore the power and majesty of this deep blue highway carrying neutrients and pelagic fish across our part of the globe. It also makes obvious why Hatteras Island is the mecca of sportfishing on the Eastern seaboard--the warm waters and trophy fish located just a brief transit from shore. Alternatively, more Northern states--Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey--are set back a ways from this beautiful water and its bounty, making deep sea fishing all that more difficult.




The scientific langauge accompanying the chart is reproduced below:

I. SST Images
Data used to construct these images is measured from a satellite instrument known as a radiometer. The instrument measures the amount of radiation emitted from the surface of the ocean which is directly related to the surface temperature. Each temperature is then assigned a different color and an image of SST is produced.

The data used to construct the image was obtained with an AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) sensor carried on a NOAA satellite. On this image, and all SST images in the Gulf Stream Tutorial, purple and blue represent the coldest temperatures (between 0-15 °C) and orange and red represent the warmest temperatures (between 22-32 °C). The Gulf Stream is easily visible on these images as the warmest water on the image.

Flounder Gigging--Dan Johnson Lands a Behemoth. Watch an Instructional Video

By Jim Field
I traveled down to Hatteras this past Monday to perform maintenance on the boat. Specifically: placed a new canvas cover on the tuna tower's instrument panel (fit like a glove) and bolted new transom cushions in the cockpit. Also ran the generator, main engines, and navigational equipment. It was a windy (20-25 knots steady) and sunny day, so tee shirt and blue jeans. Dan Johnson (of Midgett Realty) stopped by to show me some properties. He shared with me that he had been out flounder gigging that morning--around 2:00 am--and they had caught a box of large fish. The chosen spot was in the Sound, right behind the sand island visible from Teach's Marina--so a 5 minute boat ride from the Sea Ya Bea's slip. He used an underwater light source on a pole and a gig, or 3-pronged (trident) spear on a second pole. His largest specimen, shown below, weighed in at 13.1 pounds and measured 13 inches long. Note the size of its mouth--Dan said his foot could easy slip inside. Again, he had as many as he wished to take (i.e., his limit). Simply one of the benefits of living in Hatteras.

Dan in the dark morning hours with his largest flounder


Same fish indoors, with one of his twin daughters


To view an instructional video on flounder gigging, click here.