With the fall in full swing Meghan and I decided to head out for some Bull Reds. It's a really fun fishery we have here, we can jig them, bait fish for them or catch live bait and drift over structure for them. Our puppy Captain hadn't been on the boat yet so we decided to go hand out on anchor and try our luck. We ended up getting a pair of smaller bulls after about 30 minutes and were then covered up in sharks so we packed it up and went in.
Meghan's flounder on a chunk of Menhaden!
The next week we had the Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association tournament. It is typically one of the biggest in the nation. The morning of I met up with Rob Choi and several others as we prepared to go for Bull Reds. The bite had been hot on the pilings and most were planning on fishing there but in the past I had a lot of luck out at the islands. I felt more at ease knowing I had my plan and as Mark Lozier says plan your fishing and fish your plan. So while others were already fishing I made the long paddle out to the island. I saw a buddy Matt and another cat from Maryland hook up and then come unbuttoned next to me but other than that it was very slow. I then got my chance while jigging and it all came together. After the getting her into the boat and a quick measurement with help from Jeff Lockhart I had Rob Choi snap some photos despite it being valuable tournament fishing time. He is always a trooper like that!
PC: Rob Choi
47" Bull Red (PC: Rob Choi)
PC: Josh Dolan
It turns out it was the only bull caught and I placed 1st in the Redfish Division out of just under 200 anglers! Unfortunately this year was the first year where prizes other than trophies were not distributed so I took home a trophy and the satisfaction of knowing I helped a worthy cause and finally accomplished a long sought after goal.
