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Over 50" Wow, a 52.5" Red Drum over Memorial Day Weekend. 
Tagged and released on May 26th, 2007!
Finally brought in a citation drum over 50 inches! This fish was caught in deep water around 7:30pm using cut mullet for bait. The length was 52.5" and the girth was 26.5" which calculates this fish to be about 41 lbs. It was our only drum for the weekend. Note the light color and non-uniform tail spot. Thanks to Mike and Earl Johnson for the trip out across the Pamlico on their 25' C-Hawk. |
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Red Drum Bite Drum Fishing on the Outer Banks has been strong after Hurricane Isabel. 
Several Nice Citations Landed...
Access to Hatteras Island and Ocracoke has been more difficult after the recent Hurricane. At the time of this writing the new Inlet which was formed (cutting off Hatteras Village) is being filled with sand. Once the inlet has been filled and the road is rebuilt, things should get back to normal for tourists and natives to freely travel the islands. Mike (pictured above) and Earl Johnson were able to make a few trips to their favorite holes via the Ferry and have had some great success in landing the big Drum at night. It seems that cut mullet has been the favorite bait and is plentiful at the local tackle shops. The changing tides and wind direction have not had as much impact on fishing as in previous fall seasons. The key to success is scouting the outer sand bars during low tide for 'cuts' or 'breaks' and fishing those areas with fresh bait using heavy duty surf rods that can cast out to the bars or beyond them. G. Loomis and Lamiglas custom rods are excellent choices outfitted with an Ambassadeur 7000 or 7500 reel with 20lb. line of your choice. I like to tie on a 20 to 25 foot leader of 40lb. to 50lb. line and use a 'fish-finder' rig. My favorite knot for joining the leader to the line is the Albright knot, but there are several others that also work well. |
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Surf Gear Circle Hooks raise the chances of releasing fish unharmed. 
No hook set needed!
I recently switched to using circle hooks for Drum fishing on the coast. These saltwater hooks are incredibly strong, sharp, and offer high resistance to corrosion. It was tough at first to change styles since I had been used to setting the hook hard for many years while Drum fishing. The new technique when using circle hooks is just to let the fish pick up the bait and then start reeling while keeping your rod high. Most times when a Drum takes your bait, he closes his mouth and turns his body to move away to look for more food. As he turns and your line straightens, the circle hook rotates and sets in the lower lip or side jaw. Since the chances of the fish swallowing the hook (usually fatal) are far less, your chances of releasing your fish unharmed are much higher. Give it a try and see how you do. I tie all my Drum rigs now with circle hooks. I found them at Outdoor World in Concord, NC. |
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Striper Fishing A citation 38" Striped Bass caught surf fishing at night during the Spring. 
What a beauty!
This was the first large citation Striper I have caught on the Outer Banks. My wife and I were fishing for Red Drum during the Spring of 2002 and this one took the hook about 4:00am. My wife also caught a very nice large puppy drum. Took a few pictures with the digital camera and released both fish without harm. I hope to do more striper fishing during late Fall and Winter on the Outer Banks. |
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More Citation Drum Earl Johnson with a citation 44.5" Red Drum. 
3rd one of the Season!
When I can, I try to hook up with Earl and Mike Johnson of Burlington, N.C. for Fall and Spring Drum Fishing trips. Earl had a great Spring Fishing Season for Drum as he caught and released 3 citations! Way to go Pops! The fish pictured here was just shy of 45" and was released unharmed after being caught using a circle hook. Maybe we will be able to get a few more this upcoming Fall season! |
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4WD Vehicles Red Burbie at sunset. 
Beach Buggy
1990 4WD Chevrolet Suburban. The Chevrolet Suburban does great in the sand (4WD) and is plenty comfortable on long drives to the Outer Banks. You can mount a strap type fishing rod holder on the inside which can carry 10 or so rods w/out problem since the Suburban is quite long (11 foot custom made Lamiglas rods just quite fit windshield - to rear window). Plus with room to spare you can load up all the gear you could ever want for yourself or a group of fisherman. Make sure and drop your tire pressure down to around 20psi or a little lower when you venture off to drive in the sand. The addition of an updated radiator and a tranny cooler will also help for those long drives out to your favorite fishing hole. |
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Surf Gear Custom-made Lamiglas Surf Rods. 
Hatteras Heavers
There are alot of good surf rods out there to choose from ranging in price from $75 to upwards of around $375. These two rods are custom-made rods hand designed around a Lamiglas GSB1361MH blank. They were made at Dillon's Corner in Buxton, NC. They are incredibly light, made from high modulus graphite, and offer excellent casting and backbone strength when fishing for large Red Drum or Stripers. They are rated to throw from 4 to 12 oz. of bait and weight. I don't typically fish when it is necessary to heave that much and I prefer to cast around 8 oz. of lead and bait. These 2 rods are 11'-4" in length and have Fuji reel seats, Fuji guides, cork-tape handles, custom wraps, and decals. There are several shops in Avon, Hatteras, Frisco and other Outer Banks locations that offer custom made rods. RDT (Red Drum Tackle) is also a top spot for G. Loomis, All Star, and Lamiglas Rods. Stop in and take a look the next time your're in town. Its an investment that will pay off over and over. |
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Surf Fishing at Night Mike Johnson with a citation 47" Red Drum. 
47 steenkin inches!
Cut mullet, a custom surf rod, waders, an Ambassadeur 7500 reel, high tide at night, and lots of patience put this whopper on the beach. Another citation sized Drum for Mike. Scouting out the good sloughs and channels during the day at low tide and then being in those good spots during high tide can really pay off as you can see by this picture. What an outstanding fish and he was released unharmed. Maybe this year we can break the 50" mark? |
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The Day You should have been here yesterday! 
Photographer Unknown
This is one of my favorite pictures of Outer Banks fishing. You can usually find this picture on postcards at several of the Outer Banks tackle shops. This was one of those rare days when bait fish just ran up on the beach in hordes. I had the rare opportunity to witness a similar type Bluefish Blitz a few days before Christmas several years ago. Bluefish were chasing everything out of the water, they were on a feeding frenzy and mauling everything in sight, including small sharks, trout, and more. I caught my limit of bluefish (10) that day and all of them were in the 15 to 20lb range size. The blitz lasted for about 3 to 4 hours. Too bad I didnt have a camera that day... maybe next time. |
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Red Drum Fishing A citation sized 44" Red Drum caught surf fishing at night on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. 
These fish can fight! My largest Red Drum to date... This one was caught at Cape Point on Hatteras Island around Mother's Day in 1996! It went about 44" and earned me a N.C. Red Drum citation. It was caught using fresh menhaden during the PM high tide with a good southwest wind blowing. My rod was a St. Croix Ben Doerr Surf System model with an ABU Ambassadeur 7000 reel. Although not as heavy duty as my favorite Lamiglas custom rod this one pulled in the big red with ease. The drum was released unharmed. |
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Cape Point Some of the finest fishing on North Carolina's coast at Cape Point on Hatteras Island. 
Its popularity brings the crowds...
Some of the finest fishing found on the North Carolina's coast is in and around what's known as Cape Point on Hatteras Island. Many times you will find anglers casting shoulder to shoulder when the big reds come in. Other times it is quiet and peaceful. Cape Point can produce fish most any time of year but Spring and Fall are the favorites. Click here for pictures of Cape Point and Surf fishing
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Ambassadeur 7000C3 A fine surf fishing reel to get those casts out over the outer bar where the big fish roam. 
With ball bearings
The Ambassadeur 7000C3 is one of my favorite reels for casting those heavy baits out 75 - 100 yards plus trying to tempt one of those big bull Red Drum. I remove the levelwinds from my reels and do a complete tuning (even on the new reels). I have also found that replacing the drag washers with Smoothies washers has really made a difference. If you would like to find out more about these reels click on the ABU logo below. Also I have found a nice article on Super-tuning Baitcasters. on the Field and Stream website. 
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