I haven't been looking forward to posting tonight. I am so embarrassed. This morning about 8:30, just after the tidal marsh creeks were reaching their high tide, I found myself on top of more two foot long red drum than I have ever seen congregated in one place. Although I was fascinated to see these monster reds jet here and there in about 20 to 30 inches of water that was covering the oyster beds, I was equally frustrated that I couldn't get a single drum in my kayak. Now when I said I was "on top" of the reds, I meant "ON TOP" of the reds. They were running under my boat with jet like speed, and stirring up the bottom so that the water looked like mud holes. Their tails were sticking up out of the water as they were rooting like pigs on the bottom of the creek.
I tried almost every bait I had in my little tackle box. I don't take my large box in the kayak, for lack of space. Finaly I got them to bite the new Berkley Gulp white shrimp 3" size. The strange thing though, the would not bite the bait if I was retrieving it, or jigging it, swimming it, I even tried to float it under a bobber. Finally, I just threw it right in the middle of the frenzy, (that's the only word I can think of) and put my fishing rod in the rod holder, and just let the bait lay on the bottom, and as the boat drifted very slowly (breeze was almost non existant) across the oyster beds, the reds would pick it up. Success at last! My joy quickly turned to frustration as every time I would hook up with a red, my new (just installed yesterday) Trilene XT 10 lb test line would break. When I got my line back to the boat, I discovered that it was frayed and cut for about 10 feet from the break. This happened four times, that's right FOUR TIMES!!!!! I left the drag very loose, and that didn't help, because the red would run in and out of the oyster beds and still cut my line on the oyster shells! I lost all but one of the "Gulp" lures I had before the school of reds finally moved away and I lost track of them.
On a positive note, I caught two flounders on the one Berkley Gulp shrimp that I had left before I had to paddle back home before the tide was fully low. The tidals creeks I was fishing are so shallow at low tide I would have had to walk home.
Do you think I will try this again with stronger line and leaders? Good call! You bet I will.
Got a pier report from Charles today. There have been some nice speckled trout (specs) caught early in the morning. Baits have varried from live shrimp to grubs. Most productive have been mud minnows or finger mullets on a flounder rig, fished around the pier pilings on the south side of the pier.
I was in East Coast Sports tonight to buy some lead sinkers, and someone called in and ask how big a spec had to be to be considered for a citation. Doug Medlin's answer was at least four pounds. The caller ask how long they (East Coast) would be open, and if there was a charge to get the citation. So, I am guessing that the spec weighed at least four pounds, a nice spec in my book!
Summing up, fishing is getting better. Fish early for trout, use live minnows or shrimp if you have them, or try the Berkley Gulp. Same for puppy drum, but be ready for a "Pappy Drum" or maybe even "Grand Pappy Drum". And last but not least, drag that minnow or the Berkley Gulp for flounder. There are some nice ones out there, just go get 'em!
Till next time........
Tight Lines!
Johnny
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