It was late August, and the tarpon fishing had been slow all summer. Richard Calhoun, Ryan Stephens, and I decided to set our sights on the King Mackerel, which come close to the shore starting at this time of the year.
Ryan and I bought the food and drinks the night before, and I thought bananas would make a good snack while on the water. Ryan dove in front yelling, “No bananas!” I never knew bananas were such bad luck, but it turned out to be a well known superstition to most fishermen. Apparently, back in the old days, seamen could tell when a nearby ship sank because they always left bananas floating on the surface. I will not be packing bananas anymore.
Richard picked us up at 4:00 a.m. and we made our way to the Ice House to get bait. Live bait is ideal for King fishing but I always like to get some frozen cigar minnows just in case we don’t find bait. After a short time on the water, we netted some bait and faced the ocean. The wind was strong and waves were splashing over the bow. As bad as we wanted to catch Kings, today was not the day.
Fortunately for us, there are so many other species of fish swimming in Winyah Bay, so there are always other options of fish to catch. I voted that we should try fishing for tarpon and so we anchored inshore to catch croaker (for bait). The croaker were biting well and it did not take long to fill the live well. Ryan hooked something strong and we hoped to see a black drum. Instead, he had a sting ray. Having been barbed the month before, I opted not to deal with this one. Richard took the pliers and removed the hook from the ray, who in return, swung it’s tail and barbed Richard’s hand. These small sting rays move their tails so quickly, that they can pull the barb from the victim, before we feel the sting. The sting feels like electrified glass if there was such a thing, and the pain endures through the day.
We decided that we had enough bait and anchored at a spot where
I had seen tarpon and bait rolling before. We still wanted to catch fish, so after a few hours of waiting, we released the remaining croakers and rigged for the red drum.
The tide was dead low, and as we approached the marsh, we could see the red fish swilling in the shallows. They are forced out of the grass when the water is too low, but many want to stay in the shallow water to avoid predators like dolphins. Richard controlled the trolling motor while Ryan and I tossed spinners and gulp lures against the bank. It was not long before Ryan set the hook and had a 21 inch red drum.
Red drum can only be kept when they measure between 16 and 23 inches in length. I took a cast and had a bite as soon as my gulp lure hit the water. My red fish was too small to keep but I think the young red drum have prettier colors than the older bulls. Ryan managed to catch one more small red fish before it was time to go to the hospital.
We saw several bald eagles on the way back the the dock which says a lot for the effort DNR has made to protect them. They appear so proud flying or perched in the tree tops. There is no mistaking when you spot a bald eagle because the head and tail are a bright white, which stands out from a distance.
On the way home, we stopped at the hospital in Georgetown so Richard could get his sting ray wound treated. Ryan and I waited in the hospital lobby and finished all the food we packed. While on the boat, I thought it would be a good idea to apply ice to the wound but the nurses told Richard that proper treatment for a sting ray wound is to flush the wound under hot water.
In the end, Richard’s hand healed up, and I was glad that we had the chance to go sight fishing for the red drum. Even though these fish were small, it is neat to see how a fish reacts when you drop a lure nearby. It’s a fine balance because too close, and you will spook the fish, but too far, and the fish might not notice it. Red drum might be my favorite inshore saltwater fish because there are so many ways to go about catching them, in all times of the year, and for any size.
