THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 21, 1994 TAG: 9408180240
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 46 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Tight Lines
SOURCE: Ford Reid
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
In the dog days of summer, the angler's prayer becomes: ``Give us a change of weather. Give us a change of wind.''
When finally the wind leaves the southwest, as it did not long ago, if only briefly, the heart beats faster and a rosy tone returns to the cheeks.
For the offshore angler, a decent blow from the eastern quadrant usually means a sudden and immediate change in luck. It stirs things up, gets oxygen in the water, gets things moving.
In short, it makes the fish hungry and aggressive.
For the inshore fisherman, the change might not be so readily apparent. The change in weather, no matter how short, means at least that better days are not far ahead.
In mid to late August it is hard not to think about puppy drum, the local name for the small red drum that are called redfish on the Gulf coast.
Much later in the year, their huge big brothers will draw scores of dedicated surf fishermen to the Outer Banks.
Many drum, including the puppy, spend much of the summer in the sounds. But as the days get shorter and the weather cools, they will begin moving into the ocean.
The first good puppy drum catches are often around the inlets, although any hole or slough along the beach could provide fish.
For puppy drum, I use a sort of miniaturized version of the outfit used for big drum.
A rod stout enough to throw five or six ounces of payload and a reel large enough to hold about 250 yards of 15-pound line are the backbone of the system.
I use about 20 feet of 25- or 30-pound test shock leader to which is attached a fish finder rig. It is a pretty simple rig. Thread the shock line through a bead and below that put a double snap, then another bead.
Below the second bead, tie on a large snap-swivel. Now, you can attach the sinker of your choice, depending on current, to the double snap and a snelled hook to the snap swivel.
The fish finder rig allows the puppy drum to pick up the bait without feeling the weight of the sinker.
It also allows the angler to quickly remove the sinker and hook and switch to a lure without cutting line or tying a knot if he sees breaking bluefish.
Nearly any kind of natural bait will work for puppy drum. Soft or peeler crab is one of the best but also the most expensive. It seems a shame to feed it to skates, small croakers and other critters that might be stealing your drum bait.
Mullet or spot, cut into neat strips, is my favorite. The fresher the bait the better. I like to change bait every 15 or 20 minutes.
Cut the bait in a long triangle and run the hook twice through the wide end. If you do it right, in the current it will resemble a fluttering bait fish.
Your success will be greatly enhanced by keeping your rod in your hand and a finger on the line. When you feel a fish take the bait, let him move with it a little, then set the hook.
Puppy drum are fun to catch and good eating, too, but remember that they must be 18 inches, total length, to be keepers.
State law says that you can keep five a day. Don't do it. Release most of them and increase your chances of catching a really big one on some blustery November day. by CNB