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So, when the wild card is played and they are lucky enough to
have a big fish eat one of their baits, their plan comes together
and that trophy ends up on the beach or in the boat. That’s
why some anglers consistently catch the trophies.
Trophy fish
come in all sizes, but it’s all relative. A five-pound speckled
trout will raise eyebrows, but it takes a cobia or drum of forty
or more pounds to reach trophy status. Whatever the species, I
would like to offer a few tips that might help you put your trophy
on the beach.
Along Hatteras
and Ocracoke, most anglers who target the big three of the surf
(drum, cobia and stripers) use what is locally known as a generic
“drum rig,” a sliding sinker or fishfinder rig with
short (6 to 8-inch) leader of 100-pound test monofilament and
large hook.
Some use spinning
tackle but most prefer revolving spool reels filled with at least
250 yards of 20 to 25-pound test fluorescent line, topped with
a piece of clear monofilament “shock line” in the 40
to 50-pound class. The heavy shock line helps to absorb the shock
that is endured by the rod when the fishermen rears back and powers
an eight-ounce sinker over the horizon.
Keep in mind
that fishing is far from an exact science, but certain patterns
will develop over time and here are some very general bullet points
on the “when and where” for taking the big three from
the beach:
RED DRUM
(20 TO 50+ pounds)
SPRING (Mid-April through May)
• Water
temperature should warm to at least 55 degrees
• Drum are often concentrated at Cape Point, the South
Beach of Hatteras Island, Hatteras Inlet and South Point of
Ocracoke Island
• Ideal conditions are a south, southwest or southeast
wind with a rising tide in the evening. Falling tides can be
productive around the inlets. Prime time is sunset through sunrise.
• Top baits are mullet, menhaden, squid, peeler or hard
crabs
FALL (October through November)
• Fish the same locations as above, but during the fall,
drum are scattered and may be caught anywhere along the beach,
from Corolla to Ocracoke.
• Along the ocean beach, look for deep holes or sloughs,
well-defined breaks in the bar and good moving water through
those breaks on a rising or falling tide.
• Fish a weather change, especially a cold front with falling
barometer and a shift of the wind to the northeast.
• If the wind blows hard out of the northeast for a few
days, a strong north to south current, the first day the wind
shifts to the south or west and the current slows enough for
the surf to be fishable, the drum fishing can be good. Drum
will feed in a moderate to rough surf, with discolored water.
• The top bait is menhaden and mullet is a second choice,
but it must be absolutely fresh.
COBIA (20
to 75+ pounds)
Catching
a big cobia from the surf is difficult at best, and the challenge
is increased because there is a very small window of opportunity.
• The
peak time is usually mid-May through June, with Cape Point and
just south of the Point, down the South Beach of Cape Hatteras
being the surf hotspots.
• Cobia prefer moderate conditions; not too much wind,
with moderately clear water. High winds and very rough surf
will turn them off.
• Any time of the day can be good, but a rising tide will
often bring big fish to the beach.
• When fishing one rod with bait, keep a 9 to 11-foot spinning
rod rigged with a large bucktail/twister tail to throw to cobia
you might see cruising by, just below the surface. Cobia are
curious and sometimes follow another hooked cobia to the beach.
STRIPED
BASS (15 to 40 pounds)
November through January are the best months for big stripers.
Stripers can be caught from any deep slough between Corolla and
the South end of Ocracoke Island. Southern Outer Banks hot spots
are Cape Point, the South Beach of Hatteras Island, Hatteras Inlet
and the South Point of Ocracoke Island.
• Early
and late in the day are prime times, but big stripers are known
for feeding at night.
• Tops baits are chunks of menhaden and mullet and live
eels on 6/0 to 9/0 hooks and drum rigs
• During the day, look for “working birds” in
the surf, and keep a 9 to 11-foot spinning rod rigged with a
large bucktail jig/twister tail or #4 Hopkins to throw to breaking
fish that may appear at any time.
Tips for
tackling big drum, stripers and cobia in the surf:
• Practice
your casting before you get to the beach…distance may be
critical
• Use the freshest bait you can find
• Check and change your bait frequently
• Keep hooks sharp
• Tie good knots
• Use good line and check it often for frays and nicks
• Be prepared and always have spare hooks, leaders and
rigs available
• Do not use braided line at Cape Point, or in other crowded
areas. This thin-diameter line is very abrasive and will literally
cut through other lines it comes in contact with, and that will
not make your angling neighbors very happy.
• When fishing with J-style hooks, it’s best hold
your rod. Keep your line tight. On the bite drop your rod tip
to the water, when it comes tight, set the hook.
• If your line suddenly goes slack, quickly reel in the
slack. If necessary step backwards as you reel and if the line
comes tight, set the hook.
SPECKLED
TROUT (3 to 6+ pounds) (October-December)
• To
cast the light lures that specks prefer, use a 7-foot rod and
small spinning reel filled with 8 to 10-pound test clear monofilament,
or braid with similar diameter. An 8 to 9-foot, light tipped
rod, rated for casting lures up to ¾ ounce may be helpful
to reach trout that might be holding on an outside bar. Use
tackle that will allow you to cast small lightweight lead head
jigs and MirrOlures.
• Trout often feed best early in the morning, but check
with a local tackle shop to determine the most productive tides
and times.
• Keep terminal tackle to a minimum, with 18-inches of
15-to 20-pound test fluorocarbon leader, tied directly to your
line and no snaps or swivels to attach lure to leader. To minimize
line twist some pros opt for a tiny # 10 or #12 barrel swivel
between the leader and line.
Work lures from the edge of the bar to the “drop,”
right at your feet. Trout often feed there.
BAIT TIPS
• Keep
bait cool, out of the sun and don’t let it soak in water.
(open the drain plug on your cooler)
• Scale mullet; cut wider parts of the body into a fillet
and then into chunks. From the dorsal fin to the base of the
tail, cut the mullet into steaks
• Do not scale menhaden; the scales help to hold the soft
meat together. Cut them into steaks.
• Crabs are not made for distance casting, but are very
resistant to bluefish. Remove the top shell, break or cut the
crab in half, remove the claws, run hook through the body, out
through a leg socket and secure to hook shank with rubber band.
HOW TO
FIGHT A BIG FISH ON THE BEACH
• Always
keep the fish in front of you and your line at a 90-degree angle
to your body; walk with the fish as it moves up or down the
beach.
• Keep your line tight
• Do not back up to the sand dunes! Stay at the edge of
the breaking surf. When the fish is in the shore break, let
the waves push the fish to you. If the fish is being pulled
back by a wave as it recedes, let the wave take the fish back
into the water.
• When the shock line is on the reel, apply more pressure
to the fish.
• As you pull a big fish up on the beach, be ready to cover
your face, turn your head or duck, in case the line breaks,
or the hook pulls free. A MirrOlure, with three treble hooks,
or an eight-ounce weight flying at your face is not a good thing.
I’ll
pass on another nugget of info that was told to me by a weathered
old surfman who had taken dozens of giant drum from the surf.
He said, “Son, you gotta go fishing to catch ‘em!”
Many, many times, just showing up does count for something, because
you never know when the big ones are going to chew.
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