Bull Reds From the Surf

Bull Reds from the Surf!!!

Catching Big Drum from a Yak was Great ( see last post )but I wanted to get one from the Surf plus I had no one else to go with me  on this day as you never ever want to Yak in the Ocean w/o another Yaker for safety reasons.

So, I had decided after catching 5 big ones on a yak Friday that on Tuesday(Oct 25, 2016) I would head back down there and try to get one out of the surf.

I Left the big city at 11 and was on the beach at 2:30.
My plan was to to throw 2 rods out with mullet(frozen) and try to catch some fresh bait. Except for a big blue crab I had no hits until I caught a bluefish at aprox 445 . I then proceeded to cut it into chunks. The head went on my 7000 blue yonder on a 12 Pinnacle rod and the next section went on a Shimano 6500 baitrunner on a 12' Powerstick plus.
Both of these outfits can throw 9 oz of lead easy. I had 6 oz on the spinning outfit and 9 oz on the Blue yonder. I cast both of these out right to where some pelicans had just dived . Almost Immediately the spinning outfits tip started heading down and then the baitrunner was giving line. I picked it up and started reeling which takes the baitrunner off and goes to drag. I could tell it was a big un and the battle began. 5 mins into the fight the Blue Yonder starts going

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ


Oh NO!   2 on at a time. Great but a big problem.

I  had to back up to the Blue Yonder to engage the reel and then pick it up with one hand setting the hook. I then put it back down in the holder and loosened the drag. I fought the first one for at least 5 more minutes , lipped it, had someone take a few quick photos and then I had to hold it in the water for at least another 5 before I felt confident it could swim off. Swim off it did. All the while I was keeping an eye on the blue yonder as I didn't want to lose that fish and surely didn't want to lose a 500 dollar outfit. When I picked it up it may have had 30 yards of line left before it hit the bottom of the spool. Another 10 minute battle and the second was beached , photoed and released. An awesome day.
2 Big reds on at the same time and both landed.  Today was my lucky day.  The first went 45 inches and the second I didn't measure but it was only an inch or 2 shorter.     See below for pictures.

Note- The other day they had no problem Hitting frozen bait but today w/o that fresh Bluefish I would have been skunked.  So always try to have fresh and frozen.

Pete my dog was my companion today and he truly loves to fish. I think he enjoyed the trip today more than I did.

Pete on the Ride down

 Pete relaxin on the Beach

Outfits-
6500 Shimano Baitrunner(80's model) spooled with 15 lb Big Game with 40 lb shock leader(Red Cajun)  The rod was a 12' Power Stik. I have had this outfit since the mid to late 80's and it works just as well as the new outfits.

Abu Garcia 7000 Blue Yonder spooled with 16 lb Momoi Line with a 40 lb shock leader.  The rod on this outfit is a 12' Pinnacle .

The Rig consisted of a Pyramid sinker(6- 9 oz) attached to a sinker slide, swivel , leader, and then either a J or circle 9/0 Gamakatsu Hooks.

                                                                     A bait thief

A Northern Puffer  .......

The first one

The second one

An awesome ending to an Awesome day.

" Red Drum North Carolina"
"Red  Drum"
#reddrumfishing
#bullredfishing
#bullred
#surffishing

#reddrum

#oakisland

#fishing

Hot Red Drum Bite

Date - October 21st 2016
Location -  North Carolina Coast
Rods/Reels -  Shimano 6500 BaitRunner on 7' Ugly Stik Tiger Rod
Bait- Frozen Mullet
Rig - Carolina Rig , 2oz weight 8 inch leader 9/0 Circle Hook and 9/0 J hooks Both Gamakatsu's

 I got word of a very Hot bite on Big  Red Drum just off the beach.  Since I had no yak I called one of my good yak friends Joey ( TurtleStew ) and told him if he supplied the yak I would drive or pay for gas and food.  He jumped at the chance as both he and I have been trying to catch a Big Red for several years with no luck.

I met Joey at his house at 4 am and off to the beach we went.  We arrived at out destination at aprox 7 am and got everything unloaded and ready to go.  Several other yakers show up and we waited at the surf for the fog to lift.   The fog lifted at aprox 8:30 and out beyond the breakers we went.  Joey in a Hobie Pro Angler and me in his 12' Redfish.

If you look closely you can see a rainbow in the fog

 The plan was to snag Menhaden with jerk rigs but no schools could be found. Luckily I had brought some frozen mullet.   I put a piece on the hook and cast it out.  Almost immediately I was hooked up!  Then it came loose. I reeled in some slack line and there was little curl at the end of my line. I had tied a bad knot!!!

Back out and it didn't take long again.  My first Big Red!!

Then  Joey Hooked up!!

We both had said that we would be happy with 1 a piece and we ended up with 8  !!!!!! .   Joey caught 3 and I caught 5.  My biggest just being Citation size at 40 inches and Joeys biggest was a Toad at 42  inches.

Here are some more pictures...

My Biggest....

The Bait

The Rig,  I didn't have a 2 oz weight but 2 - 1 ounce weights worked. Not pretty but they worked.

I didn't have a rod holder on this yak so this is how I drifted down the beach, I had the Baitrunner on and when a fish hit I reeled and the spooled engaged and I was hooked up.

One Interesting thing on this trip is that reel is loaded with cheap line. I almost never buy cheap line but last fall at Jeanette's Pier I had my big Drum rod cast off the end of the pier and this outfit cast off the side.  Either a big shark or a Big Ray hit and I was almost spooled until I broke it off. I had no extra line so I went to  the Pier shop and the only line they sell is cheap 2.99 a spool Shur Strike line.  This line did really well and the only break-off I had looked to be my fault.

A great day on the Big water with a Good friend and big fish.  A big thanks to Joey for supplying the Yak.

OH, and now that I  have caught a North Carolina Citation Red Drum I can now wear this shirt. Check out "Wuz Worth It" on the net.

Thanks for Looking, Mack      

My First Red Drum Since the 80's

During the booming 80's I saltwater fished right much but since then it has only been a handful of trips a year with most of those trips dedicating to plugging for Blues or Spanish Mackerel off of a handful of Piers.  Last year I put a renewed interest into Saltwater and made 5 or 6 trips last fall.  So far this year I have made 3 with the last one being a trip to the Beaufort area for some inshore Red Drum fishing.

Big Bull Red Drum are being caught all up and down the North Carolina coast but these Bulls are in the Ocean and not inshore. Not saying a bull couldn't be caught inshore but most right now inshore are going to be smaller ones up to 15 lbs or so.

Anyway, my Buddy Rodney has been killin the Drum inshore this year and he invited me down. I couldn't turn down a chance to catch my first Red in a loooooooong time so the plan was made for me to meet him Saturday the 15th of October.

We put in and paddled across a channel and then drug our boats across an Island and into the Marshes.   Instantly you could see and hear Drum smashing bait.   I had a very hard time getting hits but I did manage 1 on a  grub under a Popping Cork and several hits on the bottom using cutbait but I missed those fish.

Not a monster Bull Red(maybe in 10 years) but my first in a long time.

The Rig I used.

I think if I had some Flukes with me I may have had better luck.
Here is a Mullet(Whiting) that was really hungry as he kept pecking at a big piece of cutbait on a 7/0 hook.

Here is Rodney with his best of the day.

And I can't leave his Girlfriend out. A nice one(the fish that is) with 4 spots.

The scenery here was pretty spectacular especially the wild horses .

Thanks for looking...............

October 2nd Carp Trip

Oct 2, 2016
Public lake Wake Co. NC
6-8 pm

I Had another  chance to go after Carp on October 2nd so I went a place where I knew Carp should show up and hopefully be easy.
It only took about 5 minutes to get my first hit and she was a decent one,

Then another

I caught probably 6 or 7 1-3 lb channel cats to get to these fish but I am not complaining about the cats.  If you need to see my bait , rod choices see my blog post http://mackinncblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/carp-catchin-after-work.html

This spot also provides for some very nice sunsets. 

Thanks, Mack

Hybid striped Bass Bite in September

9/22/16

Location  Cape Fear River   4pm - 7pm
Rod -7 ft med Shimano rod
Reel- Shimano Citica spooled with 12 lb mono

This is a Full Blooded Striper that hit a Chug bug

A White Bass that hit the Chug Bug as Well

A small spot,  caught 3 of these today and all were small but very very spunky, they also hit the Chug Bug. Something has gotten ahold of his back but he escaped.

Now here is a Hybrid,  caught 5~ Hybrids  and 5 ~ of the Stripers

all fish caught right in the foam up against the dam.

Pete Chillin. 

Here are the two lures that produced today. a Chug Bug and a Sebile Swimbait.

Thanks for lookin......