Corpusfishing.com

4theReels

Hey guys....
Talked my girlfriend to go fishing on Saturday....left San Antonio about 10am...got to CC and called a few places and found a place to stay the night.
It was still very cloudy and wet. Went to Marker 37 pier about 2pm and there were only about 3 guys fishing....and they had 3 giant drums on a stringer with one of the guys fighting another one on the rod. They had just got there about an hour before, he said. And they were using live crab that they bought there. But it was the last of them.
We practically flew to the hotel to check in so we can get back there and ..fish. We called everywhere but no one had live crab....so out of luck.
I fished with dead shrimp and also used Gulp crap with some fishbites...but no luck.,,,just some small fish. The other guys ended up catching 3 more giant drum....huge ones..!! They left about 5 and asked if I wanted the last of their crab...which were small...but I took them anyways. I loaded up one of my rods and within 5 mintues...I was hooked on to something huge.....got it close to the pier where it made another run and it ended up break the hook off...!!! I couldnt believe it...oh well.
Fished till dark but only caught some ugly fish. But others there were catching some huge drums.
Sunday morning was raining pretty good so we decided to drive around...went to Port A and then want to vist the new Tarpon Shores place...and got to meet Kyle. Real nice guy....
He mentioned all the plans for the place and they sounded great....!!! I can't wait.
It is looking great already.....he's got the water pumping to the bait wells.....
I will be going by there soon for sure.......
Then headed to the Yak Shack but no one was there.....
Then went to have some great pizza at B & J's Pizza....the best pizza I have ever had...better then anything here in SA..
Then ended the trip at Roy's Bait Shop......and I have to admit...in all my years of going to the coast...this was the first time I have ever been there and man...I regret that. This place was great.....I was like a kid in a candy store....spent more then I would like but I found alot of cool stuff.

Well...thats my trip. I am headed out there this weekend again...but taking the Yak and going to Nueces Bay for sure.

Dave ~

FINS · Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:25 pm Post subject:

Those giant drum were probably oversize and would have been illegal to catch. Still fun to have one tugging on your line. TfT

AcousTennis · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 13 Sep 2010 Posts: 1319

Really hope those giant drum were not oversize =/.....still sounds great like the drum run is really hot hope to make it out soon
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BALZTOWAL · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 3:37 am Post subject:

Illegal to keep, you can catch them all day and night.

4theReels · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 6:40 am Post subject:

Hmmm....what is the size limit? I am guessing they had a few that were between 42" - 48". They cut up 3 of them and threw the rest back. They even offered me the last one but I said no...I wanted to catch my own.
I did buy a cheat sheet on legal fish sizes at Roys so I will know. I usually never keep them anyways....a picture is good enough for me most of the times.

snooker33 · Pony Mullet Joined: 11 Sep 2011 Posts: 85

busted

FINS · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 6:47 am Post subject:

Meant illegal to keep not catch. Max size is 30 inchs

4theReels · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 6:55 am Post subject:

Oh....these were way pass that. What a bummer. And they even took them to the cutting table and no one at the bait shop said anything. Go figure.
Anyways...I am planning to go back out there this weekend and see if I can get a hold of a few. And I am taking more big rods. And I bought nice hook at Roys as well...
BRING IT ON...!!!

Stinger-A · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 8:38 am Post subject:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you can't keep those big drummies due to the possibility of worms. Larger they are the more probabilty of having them. And if that's true, hope those guys look through the fillets carefully.

Stinger-A

AcousTennis · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 13 Sep 2010 Posts: 1319

Cant keep them because they are illegal, but yes the bigger drum tend to have worms...however smaller drum do too its just random
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Central Scrutinizer · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:10 am Post subject:

Worms ain't 1/2 the problem. Big Uglies that large have flesh the color of urine, they are oily, and enough connective tissue in the myomeres to make eating them a real chore. BLAH!!!

Fun to catch, but DUDE, "who keeps them for eating at that size"....

YakAttack · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:18 am Post subject:

The limits are in place to protect the bigger breeding fish.....and therefore providing sustained fish poluations.

you can keep one black drum over 52 in as a trophy ......i wouldnt dare try eating any of that though lol!!!!!
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Fish on!!!!!!!!!

fishaddict · Horse Mullet Joined: 04 Aug 2009 Posts: 150

Worms will cook up just fine. Some resturants use a black light to find and remove them, black light makes the worms glow. The real reason you don't want to eat big reds or black drum is mercury content. You can't get rid of that by cooking. According to TPWD the big drum have 50X more mercury in them than is considered safe for consumption.

Marshall
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lifesabeach

Central Scrutinizer · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:46 am Post subject:

Stinger-A · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 9:49 am Post subject:

What type of set up are you targeting those big drum with? I've never had any luck on the piers as I mostly fish the surf, with little kids I believe the surf to be the safer. Good luck out there and post a report w/pics of the biggins!!

Now on the worms topic, I always thought the bigger the more odds of worms. Now y'all are telling me the legal ones are just as likely to have them too!!! Your killin me, I'm going to have to become "strictly release" surf fisherman after all this bad news. I'm comparing this day to the day I found out there was no Santa Claus!!

Stinger-A