Fall 2025 Fishing Thread (A Doozy of a First Report)

With football season already sputtering, we could all use a break from our lamentations. I will kick it off with my report from Sunday-Monday. Please post your reports, ask questions, or chirps regarding fishing (saltwater or freshwater) here through December.

With the bad taste from the game in my mouth and a 22 MPH NE wind predicted in Nags Head for Monday, I decided to try my hand at breaking my cold streak on big red drum. It kicked off yesterday. New bait regulations do not allow harvest of mullet for the tackle shops on the weekends in North Carolina, so I got up early Sunday and headed to Buckroe Pier in Hampton to catch spot. I fished from 7AM-noon and caught 20 large yellow belly spot, averaging 7-9 inches long. While that may sound good, I was defintely the amateur hour on the pier. I was using bloodworm fishbites, which are normally fine, but people using bloodworms, nightcrawlers, or lugworms were outcatching me sometimg 5 to 1. Very crowded, so note that it is quite the high intensity environment even though it is fishing for spot.

I wrapped at noon and headed south to my hotel in Nags Head. Even though the blow had started, it was more of a north wind than north east, so I completed the film review and went to bed early.

Monday morning, I arrived at Jennettes Pier at 6:00AM EDT. One other person, noted Florida bonefish guide Pat Bracher, was set up. Winds were NE at 22-25 knots and the start of incoming tide. My heart sunk a little bit not seeing a crowd. But, Pat hooked up with a fish almost immediately (on a mullet chunk.) I threw in, but didn't get a hit for the first hour and a half. Meanwhile, the other early arrivers (3-4 more folks) all had two fish on the deck by the time I got my first pick up. I switched to spot chunks instead of heads, as all the bites came on mullet chunks and that was as close as I could get to their baits. I also couldn't cast as far (I have been dealing with debilitating back spasms and, despite a brace, the soreness made casting difficult.) On the first chunk bait, I got a slack bite that I didn't pull tight on. The bait came back mashed up, which mean skate or a drum. Second cast I got another slack bite. Same thing. Third cast, boom... I got an smaller yearling/over lot drum. Now we were cooking with grease.

Next cast, also with a chunk, I got a 40 incher. Next cast I used a head that I had cut when I cut the chunk. I got the biggest drum of my life. Keep in mind, we are in a full on blitz at this point with 2-3 fish hooked up at a time, and about 10 anglers fishing. On my Century, which is easier to cast but doesn't have the backbone of the CTS rods most of the anglers use, it was really tough to get this one in, and once I landed it, my back was screaming. I needed help from a good samaratin tourist to lift the fish up for the photo. I didn't get a measurement, but if it was a pound under 50, I will kiss your hiney.

I then took a break of about 30 minutes until the burning in my right ribcage eased up. I lob casted another head, put the rod down, and walked back to get out of the way of another caster. By the time I got to the green line, my rod clicker was going off again. This time I got a measurement (44 inches) and my back was done. I put my rod in the cart holder and just watched the chaos for another hour, but this time the spasms didn't chill out. I walked off the pier at lunchtime, with three citation drum and four fish on 12 casts, and I was back in Richmond by dinner time. All the fish were on incoming tide, using fresh spot head or chunks. 20lb Gardner Surecast line with a 50lb ande shock leader and a 60lb 2 inch bite leader on a fishfinder rig. It took 10 oz pyramids to hold.

For pictures: https://x.com/french60wasp/status/1965183202328490241

The big one was the one where the gentleman is letting go of the tail after he helped me pick it up.