DaParson's Fishing Adventures

Dewey and I were able to take Vicki - Bayshore's (the church I pastor) Children's Minister - fishing today. We got a late start - and the fog was thick. On the day - we caught 2 Drum - 1 Red - and lost two big fish. We were not able to fish as long as usual today with the fog and late start - but all in all - it was a good trip. This black drum is about 22.5 lbs. This was the first of two fish that Vicki caught that day.

Here is a black drum I caught - he weighed a little short of 20lbs.

Here is Vicki fighting the Red.

Here is the Bull Red that Vicki caught. The Red was about 41" long and 21.9 lbs. Something unusual about the red - it has no spot. From what I read in Texas Reds by Chester Moore - this is highly unusual. Also Notice the fog - it was thick at the Jetty most all day long.

Friday - February 11th - Dewey and I were able to head out to the Jetty. We caught the beginning of the outgoing tide and fished it until 1:00. Here is the Bull Red that Dewey caught - he was 45" long and weighed 36.14 pounds. At the end of the fight - as the fish was in the boat - Dewey's All Star Rod snapped in-two! This is the second time Dewey has snapped an All Srar Rod fighting one of these Bull Reds. I was able to get the fish close enough to the boat to net him. It was an increible fish to fight and catch!

It wasn't long after Dewey caught his Bull Red that I hooked up with mine. People have asked me how long it takes to fight these fish using 12lb test line - it varies - but this fish took all of 25 minutes to land. The main reason was the current was running very strong - and when fighting Bull Reds into the current - even after you have them turned - they open their mouths and it is like pulling a 5 gallon bucket into the current! This fish put up an incredible fight after a long long opening run. 

Here is the first Bull Red of the day that I caught. He was 44" long and weighed 35.11 lbs. At some point I am going to learn how to hold these fish 1) for a better picture and 2) so I don't get fish slime all over me. (laughing) 

This was the last fish of the day - he was 38" long and weighed 18.11 lbs. Hopefully, we will head out again at some point next week. 

I have just finished reading Texas Reds by Chester Moore Jr. It is a wonderful book! I would recommend it for any angler looking to improve his skill in fishing for Reds! Click here to read more about the book and to look at the first chapter.

It was a cold, windy day at the North Jetty. We did not catch any Reds. Caught only 2 Black drum - but one was an absolute WHOPPER. As best as I could tell - he was about 60lbs. He was caught with 12lb test line on a Mitchell FRS4000 reel and Shimano Rod. It was an incredible battle - under the boat - around the boat - away from the boat. It was an amazing fight!

Here is another view of this massive Black Drum. He had the deepest "drum" I have ever heard - it was like he had "reverb" when he drummed. It was amazing.

As best we could measure it, the Black Drum was 46 inches long. My 50lb digital scale bounced between 56 and 62lbs. With the waves - that was as accurate as I could be. Of course, he was released to fight another day.

There is a new Jetty Pole going up! While we were out there, we watched them place this pole at the Jetty. It is past the boat cut - about half way down to the bend at the Jetty. I don't know how far they are going to push it down - but it is huge in comparison to the end of the Jetty Pole. Maybe they will put a station you can access wind and weather at the Jetty.