Dec 17- A Red Drum from the Surf

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday was Epic. Therefore, today was full of hope and anticipation. With yesterday's memory fresh in everyone's mind, it was hard to give up and quit no matter how poor the fishing was...... All the fishermen that were on the Beach yesterday felt like it was going to "go off" at any minute. Unless it started after I left, it never went off...... I actually went home early because I am supposed to work tonight. Incredibly, there was a brief moment of hope when 3 guys all hooked up within a 20 second period! Imagine with 8 guys casting- casting- casting, and out of nowhere, 3 rods bowed as Red Drum ate gulps far out on the Outer Bar.... Thank goodness, my rod was one of the lucky ones that bent over! So I got my Red Drum. I must say, that after fishing 5 hours, driving all over Cape Hatteras, and slinging that 1/2 oz leadhead and gulp bait probably 400 times today, it was a sweet hook-up for me. That 25" Red Drum fought an incredible battle. There was a heavy surf running out on the offshore sandbar. There was also an incredibly strong longshore current running inside the sandbar. This mighty little Red Drum used all of these adverse conditions to his advantage as well as any fish I've fought from the surf in a long time. I also caught and fought this Drum right up against the Southern Jetty. It looked for a while that he was going to dart through a hole in the rusted steel sea wall, or whats left of it. If that Drum could've stuck his head through that jagged steel, my line would've parted with the ease.... It looked certain for what seemed like eternity. He was really bulldogging in that direction. However, I finally pulled him just inshore of his escape route. Now all I had to do was not give him any line back... Suddenly my Red Drum changed tactics. It was a fatal mistake. He rose up to the surface and fought in the wave crests. It was a beautiful sight, his faint redness thrashing in the dirty water and his lesser known trademark the blue margin on his tail punishing the Ocean as he beat the current and the whitewater as he propelled his body from right to left in front of me. The blue tail flashing in the brilliant sunlight. If I had more time and the fishing was "a little bit" better, I would've released this Red Drum. I haven't fought a gladiator of a fish equivalent to this Red Drum since a  memorable Snook at South Padre Island, TX in November of 2001. That ain't no lie. I wanted to release this Fish, but I'm trying to put a meal together for my Ferry Crew. I need 5 or 6 Red Drum and/or Speckled Trout. The Trout fishing looks bleak. Anyway, I killed a Red Drum that deserved to live. I am sorry..... Total Catch for the Day: 1 Red Drum at 25"