# Back Bay Refuge Report-10-22 /Sunday



## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

The monkey is dead..until next year....

Got to the same hole that I've been fishin' for 4 weeks at around 530am...what a beautiful day to see a sunrise....










Light and variable SSE winds...5-10mph...Fished the high to low tide. Water ..slightly dirty...

Was about ready to leave but with NJ's persistants and watchin him catch a drum after I took off the waders...I decided to stay....first cast after I got my waders on...a small biter..still not looking good, but with NJ catchin another drum...and hearing his banter and bolsterous bragging..I decided to keep re-baiting and casting....Man, I hate NJ NJ...please share the story of the one eyed drummie you caught.

The patience pays off........









47 incher...had a smile that ran to North Carolina...Thanks NJ for the landing help...even though I said it didn't matter if he took me to Carolina...I wasn't gonna loose this fish.

Got him back in the water....

Next cast...same place in the slough...loosen my drag, walk back to the rod holder..., set my clicker....funny thing tho....clicker is still going off...I see in the corner of my..NJ battling another fish...I'm thinkin' that NJ's fish is wrapped over my line and he's draggin me in ...well he lands his fish but my clicker is still going off!!!! I hit a drummie on the head.....thanks God for circle hooks!!!

45 incher.....









All fish were caught on a TW built (Nick ur the Man) 12'6 Fusion, Daiwa SHA20 , spooled with 17lbs yellow SuffixTri, 10/0 SSW Owner hooks on yer standard FF rig. *Bait : fresh bunker*...BTW fer those new to the game...change and check yer leader....I had a good hit on Saturday...but even though I was using 100lbs test...sand and beads will weaken that line..and I knew better


I just want to thank my fishin friends on P&S that helped motivate me on this pursuit...it was a long time coming..as Neil would say..."Ain't caught a reel fish since 2003"...It's those P&S friends that keep my engine runnin'. The drum's been caught. The humble pie is in the oven...now on to Stripa's.

Wanna give a big thanks to Tommy Wheeler and Crew..got the stink off the Fusion...and the Fusion is the reel deal!!!! Light...plenty of backbone to cast 8nbait..and a pure pleasure to land a fish on.


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## striperswiper (Nov 30, 2004)

way to go nice fish that post reminded me to thank you Al you got me into drum fishin and ive got 3 carolina fish this year and wouldnt have done it if you didnt show me the ropes

*congradulations*


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## TC (Oct 21, 2002)

Nice FEESH Brotha. WEESHICOULDFEESH.:--| IMA SCHOOLBOY AGIN.
TC


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

TC said:


> Nice FEESH Brotha. WEESHICOULDFEESH.:--| IMA SCHOOLBOY AGIN.
> TC


Dayum TC...back from the dead....I was gonna swing by the other day..while I washeadin to Rudee to catch some bait for drum fishin...

If you still got my digits..gimme a call


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## OneGoodFisherman (May 8, 2006)

*Re:*

Nice Fish! I have never caught anything that size. Are there pups that people are catching up close? How are you getting you bait out there if they are not close to shore? I'm guessing you are using spot heads or something.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

Ohh.....had another plug...Shooter and Catman32 would kill me if I didn't mention their custom sand spikes...if I didn't have that rod secured in that custom spike..that second drum woulda been owning a custom Fusion


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

Nice job buddy. I shoulda listened to you and give it another shot. This dark cloud has been falling me this fall. I hope it will bright up very soon.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

CrawFish said:


> Nice job buddy. I shoulda listened to you and give it another shot. This dark cloud has been falling me this fall. I hope it will bright up very soon.


dude..you fish too hard to not get one....yeah...shoulda zigged instead of zagged...maybe my luck will continue through striper season..... 

Lemme me know if you need a place to crash this weekend....just remember...bring bunker ...


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## skiffisher (Apr 10, 2005)

*good job AL*

Glad to see you got to hook up this year. 
I guess you finally beat your monkey to death 

This weekend is a no go for me and heading south, well try and do a striper trip this winter.
My buddy got a boat we cant wait to launch from the surf. 
good job!

MATT


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## Shooter (Nov 14, 2004)

As I told ya on the phone when ya called me,, not only did ya get the monkey off your back but ya kicked him in da nads and cooked him and yea it was that good JuJu I welded into your custom sand spike that helped catch that fish  

Congrads bud, well deserved fishes


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

well chit.... so what am i gonna say now.... without al you aint caught a fish since O3... nice fish man... that 47 is a fatty.... dunno about that 45 loooked a lil skinny, dont worry my 46 earlier was short bus. dent in the head and crooked tail.

nice fish brotha... you deservce it man really.

congrats


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Perty work Al, them some nice looking fish. Congrats again Buddy.


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## fish-on (May 12, 2002)

*Again..*

great job Al...and two to boot...you'll probably catch a couple more soon...seems to be the trend down there  .

yeah, those sand spikes by Shooter are schwwweeeeet. Got three last year. And my buddy plans on getting three from Shooter come december.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

ya know ...if ya listen to everything ya read on the internet....they'd be a lot less fish caught ...fish were there...feedin on bunker...now if NJ woulda caught more fresh bunker...Lord knows how many drum woulda been caught.....


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

*wanted to edit the previous post.....*

but again, guys...thanks for the kind words...I know fishing is about you and your desire to get a fish on a hook...but its refreshing that you got good friends that pull for even the under dog....

Believe me when I say that humble pie taste good..the fishing gods have finally resolved what ever acts that cursed me ( fishing with Neil )...here's to killin' the skunk and shooting the monkey. Cheers!!!!
Thanks for the positive motivation and constructive critisism...I can now sleep better at nite without waking up in a cold sweat


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## sniper (Mar 30, 2004)

*Great catch*

Now, can ya pass dat mojo my way? I promise I'll give it back.......lol


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## GotchaMack (Jun 16, 2004)

Son of a bee sting NS4D! You aren't making this move any easier on me bro!(j/k) Congratulations, if I've learned one thing in my years outdoors it is that patience, persistence, hard-headedness, and pure respect for Mama N. do not go unrewarded. Just gotta pay some really steep dues every now and then. Really nice story and photos, congrats again and keep them comin'.


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## Dr. Bubba (Nov 9, 1999)

way to go Al!!!

I too finally got the skunk off--it's been since 2002 for me. 

Feels good don't it?


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## permit (May 10, 2003)

*Thats a Beauty*

congrats on the fine fish


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## Sea2aeS (Jan 7, 2005)

Congrats on the drummies Al. Hats off man. Purdy drummies.


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## Fishman (Apr 23, 2000)

Perty werk Al. Guess those perty spot didnt produce. Im startin to put my time in fer the big bulls may have to wait till next year. 
Stripers are a waitin.


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## JimInVA (May 17, 2005)

Extremely nice work, Al !! WELL DONE!!!!

Jim


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

Al, you've definitely earned it. And with Newjeff's fish, that dude is on fire.


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## EugeneChoe (Aug 11, 2006)

purty purty


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

I met Al about 8:30am. He'd been out there for three hours already. Not a single run, he says.

I get my lines in the water with some frozen spot and frozen mullet that looked like old, wet shoe leather - but softer.

I did have three fresh bunker I picked up at Long Bay Point that morning. In hindsight, I wished I had bought more.

I was tying on a new hook when my other tip starts to bounce. Al's standing there, so I say "set that hook for me." He does. Misses the fish and reels in an empty hook.

I cast out my rod with the new hook. Go back and re-bait my second rod. Looking down, I see my reel has all the line on one side of the spool. I look over at Al and he says "I reeled in straight." 

"Naw ya didn't."

"Yes I did."

I knew I should have casted light and brought my line in even. I just knew it.

Cast out with the un-even spool, the shock knot doesn't even clear the tip when my reel fluffs up. By the time I get my thumb on the spool, the baits about 25 yards out and my spool is a huge fluff ball. 

F****** Al.

I start to pick my line out. I'm about to give up and pull out the knife when Al walks over and asks if he can work on it. I tell him it's his fault, be my guest. Not 30 seconds after I give him my rod he gets a hard strike. He starts to get pulled toward the water and - "pop". The line breaks. He looks at me and says "Shark". 

He hands my rod back to me. I swear I could see his brain start spinning. It's like watchin' a dog that hears something. First he says, "Man, you were in close, too." He looks down at his rods. I see his brain start to turning even more. "What were you using as bait?" I tell him bunker. 

I mean you could actually see the idea form in his brain. I knew before he walked over to his rods what he was up to. Sure as chit, he reels in, puts on a fresh chunk of my bunker and tosses out about 25 yards. 

Nothing else until about 1pm. The whole morning I'm telling Al to stick around until low tide at 2pm. He keeps saying he's got to make his picks in his fantasy football league. It's $600 if he wins. And so on. He takes his waders off and starts to pack up.

About 1pm my reel goes off. I have to reel fast to catch up. I see something break the water, but can't quite make it out. Al starts screaming "Ray. It's a ray. Dude, it's a ray."

I''m not so sure, I feel a head shake. But whole time I'm fight this fish Al's screaming "ray, ray, ray."

It get's close and I see a tail. Then Al starts screamin' "cobia, cobia, cobia. Dude, it's a cobia."

I'm like, "dude, shut the f*** up!!!" 

I get the drum in the wash and Al starts screaming' how much he hates me. How he can't believe I landed a drum. He has no waders on, and he won't even get behind the fish once I get it in close. Thanks for the help, Al.

I get the fish up the beach. I'm getting a measurement when Al starts sayin' "Dude, look at his eye. He's got one eye. That's the ugliest drum I've ever seen. You caught a one-eyed drum." This continues for the next 20 minutes.

"That one-eyed drum was swimming in circles."

"That was one butt-ugly drum." 

And so on.

He's just mad cause I'm fishing his hole and catching fish. 

Then my reel goes off again. This time I know it's a drum. Here's Al, yellin' "It's a shark. I seen it jump. Dude, it's a shark."

"Dude, shut the f*** up."

I land the second drum. This one was 45" to tail, an inch longer than his one-eyed brother. This time I take a pic. 

http://pierandsurf.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2826&cat=500

After re-baiting, I cast out again. Al's standing next to me and my reel goes off. At the exact same time, Al's reel goes off, too. He runs down the beach and grabs his pole. It was kinda weird, my line is pulled very close to Al's. I stop to see if it's him pulling on my line. Nope. I keep wonderin' if we got the same freaking' fish. I thought maybe I hooked one and somehow picked up Al's line.

I bring the fish in, a small biter. Al's still fighin' his. 

Yep, a drum. He says he's gonna follow that fish all the way to North Carolina if he has to. I'm like, "dude turn that fish." 

Nope. He's fightin' it like a little girl. He finally lands it after a 45 minute fight. 

It was great to see Al get that skunk off his back. He's spent much time out there and he deserved a fish. He's paid his dues, and I was glad I got to see him land one.

Good job, bud. 

Overall, it was a great day on the beach. We both had a blast, and we both caught fish. It doesn't really get any better that that, does it?

And Al, that second drum you caught wasn't the prettiest fish I've ever seen, either. Damn thing had a diaper rash or something. You didn't tell everybody you turned that fish around before your cousin Dong Li took your picture.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

NJ...If I didn't hate you so much....I wouldn't mind fishing with you so much....go figuire...the token ****** with the A/C helps me take the monkey off my back....BTW...I know why your so pi$$...I know who has your cooler and bait knife.


Great post NJ....not how I remembered it....but close enough...great times..great fishing and even better stories...Thanks for making laugh so hard.


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## edgotbait (Sep 29, 2004)

dam nice fish !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


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## one more (Sep 19, 2006)

*Man*

nice job i could only dream of catch something like that new to the game, still looking for the good spots , just hanging at the rail. help me get the big one guyz.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

LMAO, thats the best version of that story I have heard so far. Great work Jeff.


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## the rhondel (Feb 6, 2003)

HAHAHA!....too funny. Iffn Al ever goes out with seapuppy,I want to be there....the R


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## GotchaMack (Jun 16, 2004)

You know they are both true fisherman when you can feel and hear the "hatred" in the re-telling that immediately surfaces between them the minute a fish is hooked, gotta love it, great story NJ, you and NS4D will be talking about that day right up until you have a better one to replace it, congrats.


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## HighCap56 (Oct 21, 2003)

Lucky Bastiges!

Guess that's what Al woke me up at 7 to brag about.. (Phone has problems and I'm on the road .. will call you back later Al)

Jeff.. what up with catchin a messed-up freak kinda drum?

Can't you catch one that's normal??    

Great job guys .. makes me ill!


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

Newsjeff said:


> I met Al about 8:30am. He'd been out there for three hours already. Not a single run, he says.
> 
> I get my lines in the water with some frozen spot and frozen mullet that looked like old, wet shoe leather - but softer.
> 
> ...



yehap sounds like al. bait stealin, in your hole castin, takes 45minutes to land a fish that it should take ya 5....


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## Huntsman (Mar 6, 2003)

*Ns4d & Nj*

Man nice feesh and hella stories, as well that I enjoy a good narrative. Had a similar experience @ AI earlier this month on loosing a couple of big fish, but I went to a wire leader w/ a 5/0 circle that landed my first ever drum. 

Question: I'll be down that way this weekend and have read so much about the Backbay Refuge area in C-Dogs, NJ's and Fleas past posts. Is there a requirement for you to access this area to fish? If yeah or nay, what to you have to do to gain access to the RA and how do you get there. Will be down for HU's homecoming Friday - Sunday, but I'm really not trying to go to the game... I'd rather be fishing... LOL... I'll let the wifey and her friends roll out to the game while I'm wetting lines.... 

Any think that the Reds will be still there this weekend due to the temp change.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

NTKG said:


> yehap sounds like al. bait stealin, in your hole castin, takes 45minutes to land a fish that it should take ya 5....



Bastidges!!!!!


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

Huntsman said:


> Man nice feesh and hella stories, as well that I enjoy a good narrative. Had a similar experience @ AI earlier this month on loosing a couple of big fish, but I went to a wire leader w/ a 5/0 circle that landed my first ever drum.
> 
> Question: I'll be down that way this weekend and have read so much about the Backbay Refuge area in C-Dogs, NJ's and Fleas past posts. Is there a requirement for you to access this area to fish? If yeah or nay, what to you have to do to gain access to the RA and how do you get there. Will be down for HU's homecoming Friday - Sunday, but I'm really not trying to go to the game... I'd rather be fishing... LOL... I'll let the wifey and her friends roll out to the game while I'm wetting lines....
> 
> Any think that the Reds will be still there this weekend due to the temp change.



the reds should be barely there if at all. conditions will have to be just right... go south


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## chest2head&glassy (Jul 2, 2002)

Great post NJ and congrats Al.


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

NTKG said:


> the reds should be barely there if at all. conditions will have to be just right... go south


Plus the refuge is closed for a hunt all weekend so no access.


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

Cdog said:


> Plus the refuge is closed for a hunt all weekend so no access.


lol yea... that would make it harder to fish... hope all is well Dog...


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## Otter (Jun 18, 2004)

Real nice bro, real nice. Hope to see you guys in the sand soon.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

Otter said:


> Real nice bro, real nice. Hope to see you guys in the sand soon.


PM me your digi's...I may make that run south..you got 4 wheel drive...right?


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

HighCap56 said:


> Lucky Bastiges!
> 
> Guess that's what Al woke me up at 7 to brag about.. (Phone has problems and I'm on the road .. will call you back later Al)
> 
> ...



I called ya up cause I thought you were blowing up my phone...some crack head in CA is calling..but when I call back...the phone# is not in service.

What's up Bob...ya missed a hell of a drum run on the surf....even you coulda hooked up ....

***disclaimer***Bob was a VB local till he moved to the Left coast to direct gay porn.Did ya ever get with flea to change your screen name to Bob"knob gobbler"?


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## Otter (Jun 18, 2004)

*check ur inbox*



Nserch4Drum said:


> PM me your digi's...I may make that run south..you got 4 wheel drive...right?


I hit you up last night.


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

got it Nick....werking at getting some hooks tied and spools filled...will give ya shout this weekend.

Ya may see me and Teo roll up.


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

Nick, I'll hit you up when I head down. I hope your lady would let you out and fish.


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## Fishman (Apr 23, 2000)

Jeff thanks for the true hollywood story. You guys sound like the three stooges but are one and a half each. 
Corgrats to both of you again on the great catch.


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