Pulled up to my partners house in Port M at 11:30.A little while later we was paddleing and Glen says he wants me to decide where to fish today, being he made the decision last time. Last time we paddled for close to 10 miles round trip and fished only about 2 hours so I decided to hang close and fish more. We paddled straight out to the shipping channel spoils, about a mile, and started fishing the edge of them as we drifted back west. The spoils run north and south so we would drift away from them and then paddle back to them and then drift again. A slight zig zag pattern. I had a 3/16 oz red jig head with a strikeking 3X pearl white Zulu on one reel and a Storm corky mullet in chartreuse and bone tied on the other.I spent most of the time throwing the jig,. Thats a lure confidence thing.
On one of my drifts I had floated a pretty good way from the spoil area . I was hopping the jig on the bottom when I felt this tiny tap like a pearch. So I leaned back and crossed it's eyes . Instead of moving the fish on the hook set it was solid. For a few seconds I kept preasure on it trying to decide if it was hung in an oyster bed. Then it happened. It started moooooving. It was moving real slow so the first thing I thought was, big sting ray. I did not want to have to deal with one of those in a kayak. I don't like messing with them on the beach with plenty of room. But it ended up being a "Big Ugly"Black Drum. I did not measure or weigh it but I guess it to be well over 30 inches and around 25+ pounds. It took what seemed like forever to tire the hog out enough to get it up along side the yak. I would think I had him tired and about the time I could see color it would make another run to the bottom or under the yak. Glen paddled over and lent me his dip net. Its head is all that would fit in the net but that was enough. There was not much danger of the hook pulling out. It was right in the top of its mouth. I gave Glen my camara and he took a couple of shots before I slid the big ugly back in the water.
Not a bad catch for light spinning tackle with 8# line.( 8' M action 1 pc. Falcon Coastal rod{the name on the rod is " Out a Sight "} with a Okuma Fina 30 spooled with trilene XT) When you are out in open water like that its best to take your time and let the rod and drag ware them down.
Well after that little fight I stoped take a water break. Then went back to fishing. A while later i was casting a Storm Corky mullet lure in chartreuce and pearl when something knocked the #$&@ out of it. I set the hook with nothing there. I reeled in and noticed that one of the big red eyes had been jurked out of the lure.
And I just gave 4 bucks for that bait. I made a few more casts with no bite. In my mind I just knew it was because one of the eyes was gone. LOL You know how things like that work on your confidense
I switch back to the rod with the jig on it. About that time Glen calls on my 2 way radio." I just caught an 18 inch speckled trout" I replied, good,.Remember where you cast, there may be a whole school . Then I got bit. I caught a 18 incher, then a 15 incher. Here is one of the undersized ones.
I must have hooked and/or caught 15 out of that spot. All the other were about 1/4 inch short. Every cast either on the drop are the first bounce I would get a hit. The fish was picking up the jig and running toward me. It was a tricky job trying to speed reel to catch up with the fish, Then get a hook set without them spitting the lure.Several of the fish didn't get a good hook in them and came off at the side of my yak. That was OK due to them being under sized. It was a quick release and make another cast.
Well the school finaly played out and a thick fog started rolling in. It was 5:30 and neither of us have lights on our yak. So we started out paddle back to land. Back at Glens house he had already took his fish and put it in the cooler. So I got him to pose with mine,
(notice what fog does to a throwaway camara)
which I let him have for a fish supper with his wife. I still have fish in my freezer that needs eating . It was a nice trip and we both got to see a little action. I am looking farword to the next trip.
Until then
FISH ON
