As the holidays rapidly approach, lots of thoughts turn to puppies.
I mean … who doesn’t love a cute little fur ball?
But there is another kind of puppy fan – the one that plies area shallows looking for pups that live in the water.
And around these parts, there are plenty of them around.
Puppy drum are the young version of much larger red drum – known to many diehards as channel bass.
At various times, big reds make Atlantic waters from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico their home.
In warmer climates like the Gulf states and Florida, they excite anglers year-round – lending the angling communities a right to call their waters some kind of drum capital.
Well, they probably should sniff around our waters before deeming their’s some kind of drum haven.
Waters in our region – Virginia and North Carolina – for times during each year are home to the largest of the big bull reds.
The International Game Fish Association all-tackle world record of 94 pounds 2 ounces was caught in 1984 from waters surrounding Hatteras Island. The next two biggest fish also were caught in the areas around Avon.
And the Virginia record of 85-4 was caught in 1981 near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Still think you are the capital? Come on up here from late spring to late fall and see where the big boys play.
Also in our waters, the young of the litters stand out in amazingly good numbers – searching for food in most inlets and marshy shoreline flats.
These juveniles range in size from a few inches to nearly three feet long.
In Virginia, anglers can keep only three pups a day that fit into an 18- to 26-inch slot limit.
Things are tighter in North Carolina, where just one fish a day measuring between 18 and 27 inches is allowed.
Catch and release is big around here and once a school is found, it can be a super fun day in class.
Yes, the football fields of large reds on the prowl is an incredibly exciting encounter around these parts. And finding them often is easier than people think.
Known for a fierce fight, especially on light tackle, puppies have earned more than a little respect.
Maybe that’s why almost everybody loves a new pup.
To read more of my work, go to: leetolliveroutdoors.com
