Hit the dock at 7am with Ed, Tyson and two of their friends to head to the CBBT to see if the red drum have shown up and maybe catch some flounder. These drum can reach up to 50-55 lbs. at the right time of the year, but it appears to be a small window. Last year, we caught 6 or 7 in the 20-30 lb. range. We loaded up the livewell with about 50 delicious little croaker for bait. This year, we started at the spot drifting a 100 yard stretch and we hooked up with something of good size. 23" flounder added to the box! We fished for another hour with nothing to show for it. We moved to the pilings and dropped our live croaker down and all of a sudden, the surface of the water erupted! Tons of baitfish were literally flying out of the water being chased by some larger fish. We had some light tackle ready and some folks on the boat that didn't have as much experience so this was a great opportunity to boat a lot of fish and keep the excitement up until we located the big red drum. We chased the bait around and landed about 8 good sized Taylor bluefish. I swear we saw some reds, but none bit. Then we headed to the High Rise and dropped some croaker delicacy. As soon as my bait hit bottom, I felt that unmistakable thud like tap. Again and again, I felt the same thing for about a minute. Then all of a sudden, he ate it and took off running with my croaker. I held my ground to allow the circle hook to set perfectly in the corner of his mouth. Drag ripping and head shakes....FISH ON!!!! We were right against the pilings so I prayed he would not wrap me up. We kicked the engine in gear and led him to open water. After more head shakes and drag ripping runs, we all knew I had a red. Sure enough, 5 minutes later, this gorgeous red is in the boat! Too big at 33" to keep, but maybe I will catch him next year when he is over 40". Great way to end the day!!
Paul
