Vernal Reds

For me, it is one of the most anticipated times of the year.  

Big.

Red.

 Drum.

 Roaming the flats of the Eastern Shore...

marauding...

annihilating...

leaving slicks of oily remnants in their wake... 

It's just a matter of finding the time 

to find them.

So far, I've only crossed the CBBT twice this season.  Luckily, I was able to find them both times.  On the first day, the weatherman's magic 8-ball was wrong again.  The wind stuck around too long and the rain showed up hours ahead of schedule.  However the water clarity was good enough to still spot schools at times.  The side scanner unit came in really handy though for JBrooks, WillyRags, LuckyLockhart and yours truly.

I found the school 4 or 5 times that day.  A few times, I couldn't have seen them without the Hummingbird 698ci HD si, and a couple of times my eyes saw them before the unit.  The first encounter was early in the morning with the sun in our eyes and wind on our face.  We spread out to cover more water.  I noticed a long diagonal marking on my screen to the right and before I knew it I was paddling right over it.  Then all of a sudden the water erupts violently about 40 feet in front of me.  I spooked em and several large reds exploded on the surface.  The wind caught my 5" paddle tail before it could get to the target area twice but Jeff took the cue and paddled up until he could get a good cast.  He hooked up, but broke off.  Jay was paddling near where the top end of the diagonal marking would go and hooked up a minute later.

Jay Brooks 47"ish Red Drum

We lost the school after that, but we knew they couldn't have gone far.

With the wind being stronger than expected, the water wasn't exactly stand up friendly.  However the Predator 13 was still stable enough for me to get up and take a look around.  And even with the clouds moving in, the polarization on my Maui Jim's cut through and I was able to find the school a couple of times.  After I pulled up a 48"er, Jeff Lockhart got one at 46"ish.

48"

As the rain showed up, I relied on the side imaging unit again.  After covering a good amount of water, the blank screen would suddenly get lit up with marks and I tried my best to choreograph which way my buddies should cast.  We all hooked up, lost fish, and hooked up again on the same school.  At one point we had 4 on at the same time.  I landed one more at 46", William Ragulsky got one at 48" and Jeff scored a 51"er. 

I ended up finding another small school and watched a big fish follow my lure to the boat, but ended up spooking.  All in all, it was a great first trip out for the big reds.

My second trip was a short one.  I had strict orders from the boss lady to be back at a certain time.  The sun was out and the wind wasn't too bad, but once I paddled out to the flat, I realized how dirty the water was.  Again, I was glad I brought the Humminbird side scan unit.  Normally it would have become a troll and hope kind of day, but I actually found a school using the imager and casted to them instead of trolling.  I only landed one though before I had to call it quits.

41"

I'm hoping to go again, 

but you know how life goes...

Tardy to the Drum Party

I was actually caught off guard.  After finding the right time to ask the boss lady if I could go for big reds this weekend, she looked at me with a sharp glare... "It's not that I don't want you to go.  I'm just so tired of you coming home and whining like a baby about getting skunked again and again."  Cringing from the salt that just got dumped on my festering wound I thought "so that's a yes?" 

This would be my 7th trip in a month.  Many Eastern Shore regulars as well as several first timers watched me strike out over and over as their reports of successful trips, I admit, drove me wild with jealousy.  The ill-fated timing... that one bad knot... the enslaving wind forecasts... and all the tiny on-the-water decisions that cut me with every could-have-been replayed themselves as my frustration got worse and worse.

But with so many friends cheering me on, I finally made it to the big drum party.

Photo courtesy of Joe Underwood ©2013

An entourage showed up at the Wise Point boat ramp on Memorial Day morning and we scouted the area thoroughly.  In the mix was mister YakAttack himself, Luther Cifers, and his son Tyler who had just graduated two days before.  Luther was on a mission to get his soon-to-be Virginia Tech Hokie on a big red. 

One of the stars of this spring's drum run, Joe Underwood, hooked up first on the troll.  I immediately turned around and paddled toward the school.  After spooking two reds right in front of me, I tossed my swimbait passed the area they were going and hooked up with the quickness.  It shot straight at me as I furiously reeled in the slack line.  I saw the giant go under the kayak and rush off in the opposite direction I was headed.  While spinning the kayak, I thumbed the spool a little too hard and *pop*.  Expletives exploded out of my mouth as I slammed the rod tip into the water.  Immediately, I grabbed the trolling rod and start casting, but no dice.  After things settled, Joe landed a nice 47"er and I started feeling a little déjà vu from a few weeks ago where I busted off a big red while others landed theirs. 

But the day was young and the search resumed.  Joe was flanked by Luther on one side and me on the other when he made visual contact.  Since he already landed one, he let his true character shine by backing off and letting Luther, me, and a few others take our shots.  I couldn't see the fish from my angle, but I noticed a difference in the surface ripples and put my swimbait out in front of it.  I hooked up again.  And broke off again, even with looser drag.  I didn't have time to lament at that moment since I knew the fish were there.  An almost panicky feeling came over me as I grabbed my other rod.  I fan casted the area and paddled in the direction the school was going, but again, we lost them.  After lingering in the area, a little while later William Ragulsky picked up a nice one on the troll and much to Luther's delight, Tyler got a 42" while casting.  

CONGRATS, TYLER!
Photo courtesy of Luther Cifers ©2013

I decided to put away the rod and reel that broke off twice.  After putting a lot of pressure on that 30# braid over the last two years (e.g. big reds and sharks at Sandbridge) I should have changed it out earlier.  My 50# spinning set up became the go-to and when I hooked up while blind casting, it held up to the test.  It was one of those hook ups where I hadn't even started cranking yet.  Just as I was closing the bail, the line came tight and the acappella from my drag grabbed everyone's attention.  Part of me wanted to tighten it up, but after the last two hook ups, to say that I was nervous would be an understatement.  When I finally had it in my lap and stretched it to the end of my 4ft ruler, a sigh of relief came over not only me, but everyone else there who knew about the overweight monkey on my back.  

Photos courtesy of Joe Underwood ©2013

As the day progressed, the wind's crescendo put a sour note on our search for more big reds.  Alex Britland and I met the notorious Wicked Pissah himself, Joe Maccini, in the back of a creek slinging little puppy drum with his spinnerbait on every cast.  

We crashed his party of one and proceeded to hootin' and hollerin' with him about how fun the little reds were on light tackle.  The action was literally non-stop.  Had I not forgotten the tagging kit, I would have ran out of tags fairly quickly.  I even pulled out the big 10wt, which was intended for the big girls, but was still fun with little reds up to 19".  

Loading up at the end of the day and not cursing the parking tag hanging from the rear view mirror was much needed.  When I pulled up at home, I was half way tempted to pretend like I didn't catch anything just to see how my wife would react, but my big goofy grin gave it away.  I know we're in it together when her sigh of relief from checking one off the list is as satisfying as my own.

Too bad there's no rest for the weary as I'll be after number 4 soon.

CBBT Bull

So I was sitting there in my office, being productive, getting my work done, feeling good after the recent tournament, when I decide to give Kayak Kevin a call to wish him a happy birthday.  When he picked up I could tell he was excited about something.  It turns out he had a 46" red drum in his lap!  My palms instantly got a little sweaty and my mind started racing (I know, I have an addiction).  I immediately wanted to be out there fishing for those powerful bulls.  He went on to tell me the story, which I'm sure he'll share on his website, then hung up to chase some more.  He was under the CBBT fishing for sheepshead when the reds showed up.  About 10 minutes later, I get a call from Kevin's buddy Lee Williams and he says "dude, I was on your piling fishing for sheepshead when I hooked into a massive red!".  He continued to tell me how it came undone, then he had to take off to go to work.  By now, I was standing out of my office chair, with both hands grasping my hair, mind racing even faster, completely incapable of doing work at that moment.  I had to go.... SOON.  I immediately checked the weather forecast and tides then called the one other person that I knew Kevin wouldn't mind if I told.  The news had a similar effect on Justin Mayer.  We called our respective wives and the plan was set in motion.

We launched around 9:30pm after a full days work and an hour and a half drive.  We fished the CBBT lightline for schoolie stripers on the way out to the target area.  We each caught 4 or 5 and as the current started to slow down, our anticipation grew.  We both put two rods out with whole crabs on fishfinder rigs and jigged a 6" chartreuse swimming mullet Gulp on a 2oz jighead.  Justin got a hit first.  One of his lines with a crab started peeling off, he engaged, and just as his kayak started getting pulled, it came unbuttoned.  About 10 minutes later I suddenly lost tension on my jigging rod.  I reeled in the slack and instinctively set the hook knowing that something picked it up and moved upward.  The ensuing headshakes and screaming drag run quickly made me realize, this was a big fish!  I was very lucky it didn't go straight through the set of pilings that were near by.  Instead the beast pulled me in between the two bridges then did a 360 and ripped drag back toward the pilings.  Luckily it veered away again, and after about 7 or 8 more minutes of tackle testing drag runs, I leg lifted the brute red over my gunwale.

Heavy 48.5"
Citation Red Drum

Those were all the bites we had. I got home at 5am feeling tired, but still buzzed from having caught my biggest fish thus far.

Lovin' them Big Reds

On Sunday Justin Mayer, Mark Rioux, and I went searching the vast openness of the Eastern Shore Fisherman's Island area for the big reds.  After getting some tips from a great friend, we were lucky to find them.  It was A LOT of paddling, but it was worth it.  


We just about ran over the first school we found.  I thought I saw some shapes, so I stood up and plain as day, there they were.  As I yelled and pointed "Reds! Right there!", Justin realized there were several right under his yak.  I tossed my swim bait, cranked, saw a big red turn and hit it 15 feet in front me, but no hook up.  We frantically searched for the school again, but lost them without anyone catching one.


We paddle around for hours with our eyes playing tricks on us.  Any inkling of a shape or color had me thinking it was a red.  Eventually, Justin found a school and hooked up first.  I paddled up and started shooting video as his sleigh ride was in full throttle.  I looked below me and saw some MASSIVE fish.  I  spooked several, one of which had to have been pushing 50".  So I put the camera down and tossed my swimbait.  By the second cast I was hooked up and lovin' it.  Grinnin' from ear to ear, it was pure joy...

Hooked Up!

Justin's 45"er caught on free line crab

New personal best Red Drum at 45"

We also met up with Terry Reece and Dave Narr and spread out our formation in hopes of finding the school again.  We would find them, then lose them, but not before Justin hooked into a nice 46.75"er.

Congrats to Justin on his Citation Red Drum!

Check out Justin's page for more pics and his report.

We split up and searched some more, but couldn't find them again.  It's my understanding that Dave found another school later on and caught two as well.


I'm not sure if I'll be getting back to the Eastern Shore any time soon.  As fun as it is, I know the Cobia bite is on fire down in Hatteras and I've been wanting to get on one of those for quite some time now.  I missed out on the epic run last year, and I really don't want to regret not going this year.  So time to switch gears...