Elvin Hooper and his World Record Red Drum

For those that don't recognize that name, Elvin Hooper caught a 90 pound Red Drum on November 7, 1973. This fish was the IGFA All Tackle World Record for exactly 11 years. Elvin caught this Drum off the Rodanthe Pier and 37 years later, he is still a legendary figure out here on Hatteras Island. Elvin is a retired school teacher and recently starting working at the Hatteras Ferry for "something to do". Tonight I asked Elvin about the story behind his record catch. I had heard a few rumors and wanted to hear about that fish from the guy who caught it. Its a great story. Here it is.... Back in those days, Elvin and a small group of friends fished every night from Nov 1 through Nov 14. It was a tradition. On the night of Nov 7, 1973 Elvin was fishing 2 rods. He got a bite and was reeling in a Clearnosed Skate. He had the Skate on the surface, clearly visible under the pier lights. Before he could lift the Skate to unhook him, he had a bite on his other rod. He quickly leaned the rod with the Skate on it against the pier railing to attend to the other rod. After catching and releasing a smaller Drum and rebaiting and casting the second rod back out, Elvin moved back to the rod with the Skate on it. As he lifted the rod, he felt a strong thump. Line suddenly ripped off the reel. A few minutes later Elvin's friends had netted and landed a 90 pound Red Drum on the deck of the pier. The Skates tail was wagging out of the Old Drum's mouth. Elvin's Red Drum weighed 95 pounds that night on the Pier's scales. Unfortunately, the scales weren't certified and it was 6 months later when the frozen and then thawed out fish was weighed officially and the scale read 90 pounds. A replica of Elvin' s Drum hangs on the wall at Finnegan's Restaurant in Buxton. On Nov 7, 1984 David Deuel caught a 94 pound Red Drum from the surf at Avon. Elvin's record might still stand if certified scales would've been readily available. Who knows. Elvin doesn't reallycare, h e just wishes he could legally keep one on occasion for an Outer Banks culinary classic, stewed Drum. The Puppys just aint the same !The date of November 7th is a date that ALL Red Drum on the Outer Banks think of as the most important date of the year. Elvin's story is a classic and it is a tale that will never die. I hope my blog readers enjoy this tale and hopefully I will have a good fishing report to post soon!