Virginia Bull Drum Fishing

[obifishkenobi]

I just got home from a week in Norfolk Virginia chasing Red Drum. I caught a number of awesome fish from 20” puppy drum to my biggest 53” citation class fish. We caught the big ones out in the Chesapeake Bay bridge and tunnel complex and the puppies in the river systems. I hooked 10 monsters at the bridge landing 4, the challenge was turning their heads before they got into the bridge piling. Honestly the funnest time was catching 20” puppies in the river on light tackle pitching cut bait under docks. I caught a number of other species as bye catch, blue fish, eels, Rays, flounder, and several others. We got them fishing cut bait that we caught on a Carolina rig. Either on anchor drifting or from the bank.

[joshomaru]

There are some monster bulls there! Awesome!
Would love to see some pics of the by-catch if you got em!

[Cowboypirate]

What a great trip. Thanks for sharing

[wiperhunter2]

Those are some great drum Shawn, I've never caught any that big, any idea how big they get?

[Kent]

Wow Shawn, that looks fun.

[obifishkenobi]

Those are some great drum Shawn, I've never caught any that big, any idea how big they get?

The world rerecord is 57" 94# from North Carolina, my 53" fish was around 65# which would beat many state records on the gulf coast and eastern sea board. Virginia and North Carolina are where the biggest ones are caught the guys I fished with have caught a lot of bull drum it was the biggest ever landed in his  boat.

[wiperhunter2]

Those are some great drum Shawn, I've never caught any that big, any idea how big they get?

The world rerecord is 57" 94# from North Carolina, my 53" fish was around 65# which would beat many state records on the gulf coast and eastern sea board. Virginia and North Carolina are where the biggest ones are caught the guys I fished with have caught a lot of bull drum it was the biggest ever landed in his  boat.

Wow, you were only 4" off a world record, that impressive, I thought that was a really big drum,  concrats Shawn.

[obifishkenobi]

Those are some great drum Shawn, I've never caught any that big, any idea how big they get?

The world rerecord is 57" 94# from North Carolina, my 53" fish was around 65# which would beat many state records on the gulf coast and eastern sea board. Virginia and North Carolina are where the biggest ones are caught the guys I fished with have caught a lot of bull drum it was the biggest ever landed in his  boat.

Wow, you were only 4" off a world record, that impressive, I thought that was a really big drum,  concrats Shawn.

I have a plaque coming they have a program where they award plaques for trophy fish of their species over a certain size I caught two fish that where over the 46” inch minimum to qualify.

[wiperhunter2]

Those are some great drum Shawn, I've never caught any that big, any idea how big they get?

The world rerecord is 57" 94# from North Carolina, my 53" fish was around 65# which would beat many state records on the gulf coast and eastern sea board. Virginia and North Carolina are where the biggest ones are caught the guys I fished with have caught a lot of bull drum it was the biggest ever landed in his  boat.

Wow, you were only 4" off a world record, that impressive, I thought that was a really big drum,  concrats Shawn.

I have a plaque coming they have a program where they award plaques for trophy fish of their species over a certain size I caught two fish that where over the 46” inch minimum to qualify.

That's cool, so did you fish with a guide every time you went out fishing there?

[obifishkenobi]

Those are some great drum Shawn, I've never caught any that big, any idea how big they get?

The world rerecord is 57" 94# from North Carolina, my 53" fish was around 65# which would beat many state records on the gulf coast and eastern sea board. Virginia and North Carolina are where the biggest ones are caught the guys I fished with have caught a lot of bull drum it was the biggest ever landed in his  boat.

Wow, you were only 4" off a world record, that impressive, I thought that was a really big drum,  concrats Shawn.

I have a plaque coming they have a program where they award plaques for trophy fish of their species over a certain size I caught two fish that where over the 46” inch minimum to qualify.

That's cool, so did you fish with a guide every time you went out fishing there?

No guide, I fished with my friend from college and his buddy, I was there a week and we targeted the big Drum two of the days and caught the puppy drum in the river/back bay near their houses in the evenings, we also targeted Cobia one day and where unsuccessful.

[2knots]

Awesome trip Shawn

[TubeDude]

Absolutely fantastic.  Those bigguns are scary huge.  I have caught red drum (formerly called "channel bass") up and down the east coast and in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida, Lousiana and Texas.  Can't even begin to estimate how many I have caught, but my biggest ever was maybe 36".  Can't imagine how hard a 53" fish would pull.  You done good.  And that whole Chesapeake Bay is a real fish factory.  Unbelievable how many species you can get there.  And the oysters, clams and crabs ain't bad neither.

[wiperhunter2]

No guide, I fished with my friend from college and his buddy, I was there a week and we targeted the big Drum two of the days and caught the puppy drum in the river/back bay near their houses in the evenings, we also targeted Cobia one day and where unsuccessful.

Sounds like your friend is as good as any guide since he put you on fish that big, he must know the area well.

[WET1]

AWESOME!