Myrtle Beach Fishing....
is
Dan's 30 Knot Drum
is an
Extreme Fisherman™
It was a cold March day and the weather forecast called for Sun but constant SW Winds of 20 with frequent gusts of 30 knots plus. Wind chill factor under 40 degrees. Not a day for fair weather fishermen. Dan and his son, cold blooded NJ northerners were game to go for them out at the jetty rocks where I thought we my find some bottom hugging bull red bruisers, down deep in the water column depths with hopefully higher temps. My guide fishing mind however was rattled; definitely thinking this could be a very low % day. Arriving on the spot after a bone chilling in our faces run, two other brave souls were anchored along side what I knew to be the best "jetty hole" on the outgoing tide. No other boats were in sight nor did any show. The water velocity was way up with a wind swept rip as the estuarine flow dumped out. It was making fishing conditions double difficult. Water temps were only 50 degrees on the surface which often equates into lockjaw from our worthy adversary, Red Drum. The best I could do on the rocking boat in this 25 knot howl was to nose the boat bow in, "downstream", as close to the other boat, try and hold long enough for Dan to get off a cast off avoiding their lines and drift back backward holding the stern out to keep from being swung by the SW blow into the rocks. To get into that hole and have a chance for a hookup Dan had to follow my directions for an accurate cast, then let it drop through the water column working it back before the high speed back drift sucked us out. A definite attention getter. He had about 5 seconds to get the cast out with unstable footing in a seesawing boat. Dan was bulls eyeing each attempt when I was able to position him in the slot. Wind in his face was continuing to ratchet up the difficulty factor. After many passes , he got a strike. I went hard over on the wheel pulling the port rear quarter out , reverse thrust, taking water over the transom. Quite a fight! It was a young golden warrior and surprised us by diving down and heading "up stream" right into the rip. Dan was held high and tight; soon getting control on this "powerful green" 19 inch Red. Eventually I got him in the net as we spun out with the flow towards the "red" channel marker. Hi-Fives all around. I managed a picture in between gusts and bouncing boat before released. While this rough and tumble pelagic brawler would obviously not make the record books and well under our average, few fishermen were willing to dare this day. The other boat had no hookups that we saw. Ultimately when conditions are so poor with cold, wind, rip and position punching you in the face, trying to rock and roll you overboard, this Red Drum was truly a trophy. A weathered Hat's off to Dan.
Capt Pete
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