# My first topwater puppy drum



## rwh (Dec 10, 2012)

Caught my first topwater puppy drum this past Sunday. All three were about 21" and were caught on a Bomber Badonk-A-Donk in about 3 ft of water at the very beginning of an incoming tide. It was awsome to see them slam the bait as it was moving across the water! I only have the one lure, but I plan on getting a few more now for sure!


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## robchoi (Aug 27, 2008)

One of my favorite topwater lures is the Rapala Skitterwalk. Also the Super Spook. Anyway, great job.


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## rwh (Dec 10, 2012)

Thanks, Rob. I'll have to try those lures out.


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## JamesRiverVa (Apr 24, 2012)

Nice! Were you blind casting or working a particular type of structure/shoreline or casting to fish you could see? Very curious as I've yet to have topwater success from the kayak in the salt but would love to get into some of that kind of action!


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## rwh (Dec 10, 2012)

At first, I was trying to sight fish. I was going along the shoreline where the water was pretty clear and I could see the bottom (about 2 ft deep). For about an hour, I was moving along going as quiet as I could and I did see fish, but every one of them I saw was because they were spooked and shot out to deeper water before I knew they were even there. After a lot of cussing, I kinda just sat there in the kayak trying to figure out how the heck to sneak up on them. I mean I was trying to be as quiet as possible. Then I saw a few wakes in the water, so I cast over the wakes and worked the lure back. I got a few to come and bump the bait but they wouldn't take it. After more cussing, I realized that my mono leader attached to my braided line was too short. I made a new one that was longer, about 18 to 20 inches. As I was tying it on, I drifted away from the shore about 100 ft or so and I saw some baitfish jump. I cast just past where they jumped and worked it back over the spot and Wham! After I stopped shaking and hooting and hollering, same thing; bait fish jumped, cast past them and caught the 2nd one. Sat there for a couple minutes and didn't see any bait fish jump but cast in the same general area and got the 3rd one. All three were caught in less than 10 minutes apart.


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## bbcroaker (Jan 6, 2005)

WTG! Good :fishing: You outsmarted em!


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## JamesRiverVa (Apr 24, 2012)

Very cool story, and it's encouraging to me as well. The first part of your story (the frustrated part where you are seeing either no fish or only spooked fish) is very familiar to me! The few pups that I have found from the yak have been in (relatively) deeper slough type areas, fishing gulp on a jig head. Whenever I have fished topwater over shallower areas or toward the bank, I end up quickly second guessing myself and thinking there probably aren't many fish in water that skinny and get discouraged and give up too soon.

I do my saltwater yak fishing on the OBX, usually behind Ocracoke. Where did you catch these?


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## rwh (Dec 10, 2012)

You would be surprised at how shallow they go. They were almost up on the bank, at low tide even. I noticed during that time of the tide there were a bunch of little crabs hanging tight against the bank and figured that was what they were feeding on. When I cleaned them up for dinner, all three of them had whole small crabs in their stomach's. I was in the Mobjack Bay. I think if you look for shallow flats with grass beds and/or grass banks, you will get on some. I think the main thing is to really pay attention to the water and look for subtle movements from either the fish or the bait fish they are chasing.


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## altterrain (Aug 8, 2013)

nice catch!


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## challenger (Oct 24, 2012)

Not trying to start anything but how were you able to keep 3?
NC has a single limit for slot size red drum?


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## bigjim5589 (Jul 23, 2005)

> Not trying to start anything but how were you able to keep 3?
> NC has a single limit for slot size red drum?



Perhaps because he's fishing in VA, which has a 3 fish limit?

I caught my first Red on a fly a couple of weeks ago, in VA. We were wading a grass flat & sight casting to them. Didn't keep any fish. I've caught them in NC on bait & on jigs, but up until this year had not caught one on a fly.
My next quest will be a topwater! 

I see the original post is a couple months old now, but congrats on the topwater pups! 

While I was down in VA chasing them with flies, we tried some low tide areas with a canoe in one of the creeks. They were busting bait against some exposed oyster shell areas along the shore. The water was likely only about 3-5' at most in the channels where we were, and I'm sure we spooked them with our approach. I've had similar happen when fishing for tidal bass from my Gheenoe. They know you're there! 

Next time I go down to chase Reds I'll take along a spinning outfit as well, and try some longer distance casting. I love chasing fish with fly rods, but not always the best approach!


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## Fishman (Apr 23, 2000)

It's an awesome feeling isnt it


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## rwh (Dec 10, 2012)

The day I caught these fish, there was a guy wading and fishing with a fly rod and he was catching fish about the same size. It looked like a blast!


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## challenger (Oct 24, 2012)

bigjim5589 said:


> Perhaps because he's fishing in VA, which has a 3 fish limit?



Oooops-sorry about that. I wish we had a 2-3 fish limit here. I know the resource management has allowed these fish populations to rebuild but it gets frustrating when I go without a keeper on 3 or 4 trips then get multiple keepers (like yesterday) on a single trip.
I was fishing in 1-2' of water on the edge of a creek "channel" that was maybe 3' deep. The redfish were everywhere but had so much to choose from it made them picky eaters. Finally figured that the biggest/easiest food item that they didn't have to chase might be the ticket and got two within an hour on a dead mullet and a shrimp. I was throwing out some shrimp as chum and as soon as I started doing this there was a lot of large swirls right by my kayak. The two I got were 22" twins but the second one pulled like a freight train so I think it was heavier but I couldn't cull the biggest without risking harm to the fish. Both were males. Would have liked to stay for more but had to leave.
Right now I can get as many shrimp as I want, up to 48 quarts in open areas anyway, and I think chumming with them is killer. I've read people say that one can chum too much and put the fish might get filled up but I can't see this going on given the number of drum in the creek.
I've been throwing every artificial I own while my baited lines are soaking and have yet to get anything other than a few splashes. I think this is due to the available food as well. I'd love to get some hitting top water lures but I'll take what I can get for sure.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

Great work! Gotta love top water pluggin.


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