Some anglers simply march to a different drum.
Their time has arrived and things are going to get nothing but better as spring goes through its weather-crazy paces.
Red drum, as well as black drum, have arrived. The first exploratory schools have shown up along the coast – especially for anglers fishing around Ocracoke and Hatteras islands, where anglers have the pleasure of catching them from fishing piers, the beach and just off the coast.
Black drum already have been caught along Eastern Shore inlets well to the north.
Anglers fishing down south have been enjoying the first arrivals – big reds more than 45 inches long.
Of course, the big reds have to be released. But both North Carolina and Virginia have slot limits for puppy drum you can keep.
The number of schools heading north into our fishing grounds is only going to improve as days get longer and warmer.
Lord knows, for sure, that many Lynnhaven Marine boaters will be targeting them.
The red drum is arguably – although it’s not much of an argument – the biggest success story in fisheries management. Despite the multitude of mishaps and mistakes made by national fisheries managers, the red – also known as a channel bass – has made a remarkable comeback.
Once overfished to the point of near disaster, the red drum was put on a “cannot keep” list for years. This moratorium allowed the beautiful golden fish with the spots on its tail to repopulate to the point where keeping puppy drum finally was allowed.
The numbers of reds from the Gulf of Mexico up to Maryland have blown up and now the species is one of the hottest tickets on the recreational fishing scene.
And they come big around these parts. Remember, the International Game Fish Association all-tackle world record of 94 pounds, 2 ounces was caught off Avon on Hatteras Island in November of 1984 by David Deuel. It had a length of 57 inches and a huge girth.
That record likely will never be broken, as reds that big cannot be kept. There is that chance that a boater with an IGFA-registered scale and tape measures could challenge that record, but it’s highly unlikely.
And there is a sneaking suspicion that it might already have been broken, as fish up to 65 inches long are caught each year in both states.
But don’t give up on the joys of fighting a 40-plus inches on medium spinning tackle. Running into a school just off the beach and grabbing a rod with a bucktail or other lure really gets the adrenaline flowing.
And just think, after that you might just fish to a different drummer.To read more of my work, go to: leetolliveroutdoors.com
