Fish On The Current

Scattered big news, but news of big drum is big news nonetheless. It all started almost two weeks ago when Alan Sutton of Tradewinds Bait and Tackle caught a 44 incher off the beach, hooked after only the second cast. 

The running joke around the local watering holes on the island was, “Did he really catch it or did he pull out one of last year‘s pictures.” As most fishermen know, there’s the ever present possibility of a fish tale when a big catch is made. Since there’s been nothing to talk about, the joke was all in good fun. But, I’m sticking up for Alan because I intend to utilize his and Melinda’s fishing expertise throughout the summer!   His story checks out, too. There have been several more large drum landed on the beach, along with a few keepers in the mix.

As another testament to the drum out there, all the restaurants on the island have been supplied with a fresh catch of drum by our local Ocracoke Fresh commercial fishermen. So, if you don’t catch them yourself, you can still enjoy a fresh helping of the North Carolina state fish - red drum. Look for it as the catch of the day.

I’ve been out  on the beach to practice my casting skills when the weather permitted. No catches, but I did get some squid stolen off my fireball rig. I’m hoping for a good bluefish fight real soon.

Spring hasn’t exactly sprung and water temperature is below normal right now. Capt. Norman Miller aboard The Rascal reported water temperature on Thursday had dropped to slightly below 50 degrees. On Wednesday, he put his party on a citation-sized red drum that was successfully released. Thursday was not such a good day. He blamed cold water, rough seas and rainy conditions for the lack of catches. Still, he brought a party back to the docks smiling. A bad day on the boat is always better than a good day at work (or school).

The offshore fleet has been rather idle, but I did get to enjoy a nice catch of wahoo brought in earlier this month by The Drumstick. The Georgia angler that caught it had quite the story to tell, too. He managed to fall overboard the night before the trip and was a bit soggy when he headed offshore. To make matters worse, the rough seas made the situation a little tougher, as he admittedly is prone to seasickness. Judging by the smile on his face as he showed off the catch, I never would have guessed the circumstances surrounding the trip. No doubt, he had a blast.

Last weekend, Drumstick mate Nick Piland reported some catches of blackfin and yellowfin tuna, as well as an interesting battle with a mako shark that got the last laugh and swam on to be caught another day.

Bottom fishing has been a good bet for anglers, with Capt. Earnest Doshier aboard Gecko reporting pretty triggerfish and snappers. He also got into some red drum during inshore charters earlier this week.

I’m no meteorologist, but this weekend could be kind of fishy. We’ve got gusty winds on Friday and Saturday, but temperatures are supposed to be mild. The breeze should lie down on Sunday, switching from east-northeast to south by the afternoon, warming things up to what spring time should be. This makes a pretty day for a boat ride with one of our local charter captains. The beaches should be just as promising. After all, the drum have started to show up and have been caught with minimal effort. Go get some!

Please send fishing stories and pictures for consideration to Ocracoke Current Fishing Report, care of Megan Spencer Shaw, megpieinthesky@gmail.com. Until next time, keep you line (or net) in the water and Fish On!