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Memorial Day weekend NJ flounder, drum and my biggest yak fish ever

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  • Memorial Day weekend NJ flounder, drum and my biggest yak fish ever

    Went down to NJ for a 3 day fishing binge starting last Thursday intent on catching weakfish, flounder and taking a shot at black drum. First morning got down at sunrise and jetty hopped only to find dirty water and bluefish everywhere. Gave up on that pretty quick and met up with my buddy and began hunting for clams to try drum fishing knowing full well it was about to start raining heavily. Found clams and got out into the bay near a small fleet of boats. Within minutes we started hearing big booms under the boats and it was on. First fish I hooked dragged me around for a good 5 minutes and I boated this healthy 30-40 lb fish.



    Took some time to pedal back against the current to get back on my anchor but heard them drumming the whole way. Got back on the anchor and waited and waited. My buddy was having no action and I was getting some croaker bites when I suddenly got this real weird tap and felt my rig go weightless. I set the hook as hard as I could and knew I was into a different class of fish right away. This one actually took me upstream against the current first before beginning to circle, dog towards the bottom and eventually head about a mile downstream. When I finally saw it the first thing I saw was the tail and it was massive. I barely got my boga around its lip and barely got this thing in the boat. I estimate the weight to be around 60 lbs. An absolute beast!





    After that the rain picked up, the tide died and the drum disappeared. We were soaked and freezing so we called it a day and went to rest up for flounder opening day. It was windy as hell when we woke up Friday but we went out anyway and tried to find a spot in the lee of the wind to pick at some flatties. I managed 2 keepers (18", 21") and a few shorts but didnt last long in that wind.



    That night we rested. The next morning it was even windier! I was determined and found another spot where we'd at least have wind with tide to drift. The water was cold and the bite was slow and I only had one bite in 4 hours which was a fat 22" flounder. Didn't see any boats catch anything all weekend because most were drifting at 10 knots in the wind.



    Went out again for drum saturday night but conditions were very tough with wind against tide and no marks on the fishfinder or drumming below us. Saw one boat get a nice striper and a couple skates that was about it. And then the binge was over. The fishing was actually very slow overall that weekend and if I didn't get extremely lucky with those drum I woulda been very disappointed with the fishing. Probably will not be able to get out for drum again before they move on given the wind forecast so I'm glad we tried when we did.
    Hobie Revo 13 carribean blue

    My YouTube Channel

  • #2
    Awesome report Romo, that drum is a monster!
    2015 OLIVE HOBIE OUTBACK
    2013 OLIVE HOBIE OUTBACK
    2013 OCEAN KAYAK TRIDENT 13


    JEREMY D

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    • #3
      Wow, that's some great catching you got in over the weekend!
      Hobie fleet:
      2017 Quest 13
      2015 Outback
      2014 Outback

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      • #4
        Wow indeed! Did you use an anchor ball to keep the anchor in place while allowing you to release the yak?
        Mike
        Pro Angler 14 "The Grand Wazoo"

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        • #5
          Great job. That is one heck of a beast. You won't be forgetting about that one anytime soon. I take it you used clam on a bottom rig, what size hook?

          Outback 2015
          Maui

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          • #6
            Wow, that fish is insane!

            What kind of rig did you use?
            Drew

            Yellow Pompano 12
            Lime Slayer 10

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            • #7
              Nice, wish I could have made it...
              Ryan
              Blue 2016 Hobie Outback
              Chesapeake Bay Kayak Anglers, Inc

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              • #8
                Wow seems to be an understatement at this point! LOL Awesome going bro!
                -Mustafa
                ابو مسقوف AbuMasgouf (Aboo-Mas-goof ): Fish Roast Papa
                2016 Hobie Outback
                2012 Hobie Revolution 13
                "Be humble to whomever you learn from and whomever you teach."-- Imam al-Sadiq (as)

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                • #9
                  Congrats on a nice drum! Did you measure it? I wonder if it beats Ryan's monster.
                  2015 Hobie Outback (yellow)
                  2011 Hobie Outback (yellow)
                  2009 OK Prowler Trident 13 Angler (orange)

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                  • #10
                    Thanks guys! The setup I was using was a St Croix Mojo Inshore 7' H with a Penn Squall 12 loaded with 50 lb powerpro. When I anchor I have my anchor line tied to a big gatorade jug, then another 2 feet of line to a carabiner which I clip onto my paddle bungee. When I hook a fish I reach down and undo the carabiner and away we go. The rig was a simple fishfinder rig with a 50 lb flourocarbon leader and a 9/0 gamakatsu octopus loaded with clam. We shucked about half a bushel before we launched and used the shells as chum when we got anchored.

                    I didn't take mine out because of the rain but my buddy made a pretty nice video with his gopro while we were out there: https://youtu.be/nTy_5Q5PhxM
                    Last edited by Romo; 05-28-2015, 08:34 AM.
                    Hobie Revo 13 carribean blue

                    My YouTube Channel

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by tufnik View Post
                      Congrats on a nice drum! Did you measure it? I wonder if it beats Ryan's monster.
                      Unfortunately I did not get a tape on either one. In the chaos my tiny little tape measure fell through my mirage drive hole.
                      Hobie Revo 13 carribean blue

                      My YouTube Channel

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