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I did catch a big red drum yesterday. I spent most of my time trying for black drum without any luck. I saw a cobia swim by the boat. It was small. It did not even occur to me to cast the bucktail I had ready until it was gone. I was just: “well, would you look at that” and admiring the little fellow. Then it dawned on me that I was supposed to try and catch it.
I ran out to the shoals Thursday after work. Couple of other fishing club members had the same idea and were out there when I got there. None of us caught anything. Well, I caught a big southern stingray so I guess that means I won…or lost depending on how you look at it. Yesterday, I fished Back River Reef for a bit and caught tautog. Some keepers but nothing big. On the way in, I stopped on Poquoson Flats to try for a puppy drum. I caught striped bass and a burrfish. That is the first one of those that I have caught.
I fished for tautog in the bay today. I only caught a single male but he was impressive. Every female I caught was fat and glowing. I tagged and released all of the pregnant females. The male…I told him well done sir, keep up the good work, and I let him go also. I caught three togs that already had tags.
Stan Simmerman and I fished Fisherman’s Island this morning. We tagged and released two big red drum and had a few other bites. The breakers moved away from us as the tide fell so we came on in.
caught keepers but no big ones on this trip.
Stan Simmerman and I went to catch some tautog today. We caught nine up to 15.5 pounds. Most were keepers but only the one big tog.
I fished a wreck outside of the light tower yesterday for tautog. I was using clam for bait. Sea bass like clam and that is what I caught. Mostly small but with enough that would have been keepers that you could have made a catch of them. I moved to a wreck inside of the light tower. I caught more sea bass, again with some keeper-sized. I’m sure the offshore wrecks will be the place to be for the February sea bass season but the inshore wrecks are still holding some. I did catch tautog, cunner, puppy drum, and sheepshead. Forty-five-degree water and I caught sheepshead. I did not catch anything big. Well, the conger eel, it was huge but everything else was small.
I got up this morning and walked down the dock. I found that I still had a few live eels in the cage. Maybe enough to give it a try. Glad I went. There has been a really large class of fish this winter. Pretty day on the bay.
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