Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as Channel Bass, are every surf fisherman’s ultimate catch. Growing up to five feet long and weighing as much as 90 pounds - and fighting every bit as hard - there is nothing else to compare with the experience of catching one! The red drum season/run occurs in the fall when the fish start to migrate from cooling, shallow nearshore waters to deeper, warmer offshore waters for the winter. The run typically lasts for about four weeks. It is not unusual for a fisherman to fish for red drum all season and never catch one. If he or she is lucky enough to catch just one red drum, then they can claim a ‘good’ season! Having said that, this fall’s run has been exceptionally good and many hard-core fishermen have caught several red drum. The fish are absolutely beautiful and releasing one is an even more satisfying experience than catching one! (All reds over 27 inches must be released, so the fishing for red drum is strictly catch and release.) Kudos to fisherman Dennis Ruhl, in the photo below, who has been surf fishing on Assateague for 20 years for landing this beautiful red drum earlier this week! (Text and photo: Allen Sklar)
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 10:25:00 +0000
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