# Thanks P&S



## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

I’m posting this in the North Carolina section because this is the section I have learned the most from. I would like to thank all the incredible fisherman that post useful information on this site and answer stupid nubie questions that I have asked. I have learned a lot by reading the posts to questions that I did not ask but pertained to the fishing methods that I have adapted. 
I finally did it. I finally caught a DRUM. 
My family and I spent the week before Christmas and a week after staying in Rockport TX and fishing the beach on PINS. We got there on the 21st of December and my 22 year old daughter and I fished the beach hard Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We caught a bunch of whiting up to 15 inches and a couple of small pomps so we knew we were in the right place. We got tired of catching big whiting. On Tuesday I had a good take on one of the long rods and I was bowed up good but it came unbuttoned and the line went slack. Christmas eve we could only fish until 2:00pm because we had to go pick Mama up from the airport. We got to the beach early and the tide was low low with most of the first bar dry land. We drove down the beach and I told my daughter to look for turbulence and water flowing out over the first and second bar. I told her the guys in NC call it an out suck. She said there’s a good one right there Daddy. We set up 4 rods, two short bait rods just over the first bar next to the out suck current. One long rod on one side of the out suck out past the second bar and the other long rod on the other side of it way out.
Bait rods using river rigs I tied myself and fresh dead shrimp, #6 Mutu Owner light circles were killing the whiting. The rod just over the bar had a river rig with #1 Mutus and cut mullet the long rod way out had a high low rig I bought from RudeDog here on P and S. Baited it up with the only live bait we could find mud minnows. 
We were catching whiting steady and the rod just over the bar bent down. My daughter picked it up but she set the drag too high on the spinner and straightened out the hook. I told her she could have had a big drum and not to tighten the 20# drag all the way with braided line.
There was a little seaweed but not bad and my long rod was bent a little more than it usually was. I picked it up to check it and it was stuck. Cranked the drag down on the 656 Akios and bowed up on it and I could feel the tail wagging. It didn’t make a big run just kept me bowed up. Whatever it was was way out past the 3rd bar. I gained a little and got it over the third bar and saw a big tail that I thought was a ray flapping its wings at first. I have caught cow nose rays before. I gained a little more and got it over the second bar. I could see a big black spot on its tail now and I knew I had a big red fish. Got him coming up to the first bar and I waded out and bear hugged him while my daughter held the rod. It finally did it. I beat the family large redfish record my daughter had held for the last 14 years. She caught a 28 ¾ inch redfish when she was 8 years old. I was holding a 40 inch red drum and he was drumming to beat the band.
I learned where to fish from this site. Read the beach and look for the break in the bar. Don’t throw over the fish. I learned to use 17# Suffix Tritanium on my drum rod from this site. I got the Akios 656 Shuttle from a guy on this site. I bought the 12 ft Star Stellar Surf from a guy on this site. 
Ok I have learned everything that I know about surf fishing from this site and from putting in my time going out on the sand and using the knowledge that I have learned from reading the posts here on P&S.
Thanks P&S and thanks to all you pier and surf fisherman that post on this site.

I caught the second black drum off the pier at the condo we were staying at. 35 1/2 inch caught on the 30th of December with an 8ft Ugly Sick light action rod 5601 Abu reel with 12 lb Berkley big game line and a rive rig I tied. I had to wait a long time for him to come to the top.


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

NICE JOB!! Great report,and glad you learned techniques from here,but YOU did the job,pretty work...


----------



## drumrun (Dec 5, 2007)

Great job!!!


----------



## abass105 (Jun 13, 2006)

Great job. Thanks for sharing your report.


----------



## jwfishn (Jul 8, 2009)

thanks for your report. pier and surf is number one.


----------



## Mt2sea (Apr 19, 2014)

+1. P&S is a fantastic resource. We're very fortunate that the NC board is as active as it is--I recently relocated to Louisiana and it's extremely hard to find reports/general info on the surf fishing situation down here (including the gulf P&S board... a thread I started asking for basic info went months without being responded to). Thank you, everyone, for so willingly sharing your knowledge and experience.


----------



## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

Drumdum said:


> NICE JOB!! Great report,and glad you learned techniques from here,but YOU did the job,pretty work...


My wife and I did not get to meet you in person when we stayed at your place in August. We did get to meet your wife Jody and Tater. We met Garboman and the red headed fella at Rodanthe.

We will be back to get in on some of that NC drum run next year. I didn't even get a chance to use my 40-405 down in TX. I need to bow up on a big drum with that rod.

We will be back to NC again and see you then Drumdum.


----------



## fishnchevy (Apr 2, 2011)

Sweet catch... Now that you broke the ice, you just have to pass it on.


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

DANtheJDMan said:


> My wife and I did not get to meet you in person when we stayed at your place in August. We did get to meet your wife Jody and Tater. We met Garboman and the red headed fella at Rodanthe.
> 
> We will be back to get in on some of that NC drum run next year. I didn't even get a chance to use my 40-405 down in TX. I need to bow up on a big drum with that rod.
> 
> We will be back to NC again and see you then Drumdum.


 Looking forward to it...


----------



## DrumBum (Apr 25, 2013)

Awesome post! Congratulations on the fine catch.


----------



## Papa-T (Sep 5, 2011)

Congrats. The first red is always one to remember. And it never gets old. Good for you. Congrats again.


----------



## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

Outstanding!


----------



## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

Great job


----------



## River (Sep 30, 2006)

Great post DantheJDMan ....... Lookin forward to more of those posts in the future ..... River


----------



## JamesRiverVa (Apr 24, 2012)

Congratulations, those are a couple of really nice fish.


----------

