The "Snowbird Fishing Club" has had several good days of whiting fishing...enough for a couple fish fries, anyway. Today, I hooked up with a 40 inch Black Drum, which arelots of fun to catch on light spinning tackle, but always get released, as they are almost always full of worms.
I hear the smaller ones are good eating, never tried one though.
Nice, looks like the entire camp ground will have protein for dinner.
:-)
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on December 07, 2021, 02:32:16 AM
I hear the smaller ones are good eating, never tried one though.
They are not quite as good as Red Drum, but they are good. I catch them on Little Talbot Island near Jacksonville Florida, most are around 3-6 pounds. If you target them you can do very well. I'm normally Pompano fishing and I they are good bycatch!
Quote from: Crow on December 07, 2021, 02:03:10 AM
The "Snowbird Fishing Club" has had several good days of whiting fishing...enough for a couple fish fries, anyway. Today, I hooked up with a 40 inch Black Drum, which arelots of fun to catch on light spinning tackle, but always get released, as they are almost always full of worms.
Nice fish!
Whiting are excellent to eat. They have clean white meat.
Nice drumfish. They are bulldogs. But, I wouldn't eat it either when there are whiting to be had.
Smaller BD are tasty- they eat the same stuff as pomps, whiting, croakers. Whiting, or sea mullet as we call them, are prized- there is a whole club called the Mulletteers that will stand in freezing water for these guys.
Sea mullet is funny, I've snagged a bunch of mulet, always in salt water. Haven't seen mullet in fresh water.
The Man
For several years the IGFA world record red drum was caught with a long beach 65. I think it weighed 90#
Any of the black drum we get that still have the "black and white" stripes....they call them "puppy drum", here...are pretty tasty, and "worm free', but when they lose their stripes, and get to be above the 5-6 pound range......usually wormy. I do like catching the larger ones, though.....a good fight.....not "fast", like a red drum, just a sustained , slow, HARD pull. The downside to getting them on lighter tackle, is it REALLY wears them out, and it takes some time to get them "refreshed", so they will "swim away, to fight another day".
By the way, Shibs, it was on the news, yesterday, that Cedar Point Pier has been sold to Mobile County.....$2.1 mil....for now, all the "rates and rules" will remain unchanged.
Quote from: Ron Jones on December 08, 2021, 12:29:47 AM
Sea mullet is funny, I've snagged a bunch of mulet, always in salt water. Haven't seen mullet in fresh water.
The Man
Oh contraire. Striped mullet can be found above the saltwater line in just about every estuary. They even recruit into tidal freshwater impoundments such as abandoned rice fields. To me, "mullet" can be a derogatory term and whiting deserve better. Their other name is kingfish. There are Southern Kingfish with faint bars and Gulf Kingfish that are bright silver. Yankees have Northern Kingfish that they call Sea Mullet. The silver ones stay in the surf and don't venture into areas with soft bottoms very often.
The truth is that almost all fish have worms and that includes red drum, puppy drum, whiting and mullet. It's just a matter of degrees. Read Robin Overstreet's book
Marine Maladies? Worms, Germs, and Other Symbionts. It is available as a *.pdf file on line. He did most of his work right there around Gulf Shores.
Quote from: Crow on December 08, 2021, 02:12:04 AM
Any of the black drum we get that still have the "black and white" stripes....they call them "puppy drum", here...are pretty tasty, and "worm free', but when they lose their stripes, and get to be above the 5-6 pound range......usually wormy. I do like catching the larger ones, though.....a good fight.....not "fast", like a red drum, just a sustained , slow, HARD pull. The downside to getting them on lighter tackle, is it REALLY wears them out, and it takes some time to get them "refreshed", so they will "swim away, to fight another day".
By the way, Shibs, it was on the news, yesterday, that Cedar Point Pier has been sold to Mobile County.....$2.1 mil....for now, all the "rates and rules" will remain unchanged.
Wow, they finally sold the pier, I hope Mobile Co spruces it up and keeps it open for the public to fish.
Quote from: oc1 on December 08, 2021, 06:29:19 AM
Quote from: Ron Jones on December 08, 2021, 12:29:47 AM
Sea mullet is funny, I've snagged a bunch of mulet, always in salt water. Haven't seen mullet in fresh water.
The Man
Oh contraire. Striped mullet can be found above the saltwater line in just about every estuary. They even recruit into tidal freshwater impoundments such as abandoned rice fields. To me, "mullet" can be a derogatory term and whiting deserve better. Their other name is kingfish. There are Southern Kingfish with faint bars and Gulf Kingfish that are bright silver. Yankees have Northern Kingfish that they call Sea Mullet. The silver ones stay in the surf and don't venture into areas with soft bottoms very often.
Yeah, striped mullet or jumping mullet are entirely different- like our yellowtail is a snapper and the Left Coast is a jack. The Virgina Mullet, or sea mullet, is also found up in brackish water- one of the best mullet bites we have is up teh Cape Fear river in late winter. Striped mullet can way towards fresh water, as can menhaden. I think the monikers are regional- a Southerner never calls a whiting or sea mullet a kingfish, because down here that's a kin mackeral. Something different altogether.
Ted, I think you meant black drum. The currrent red WR was on a daiwa spinner and i think the one before that was a trusty Squidder- both from the surf in OBX, and the 65 might be the last reel you's try to cast a hundred yards lol.
The truth is that almost all fish have worms and that includes red drum, puppy drum, whiting and mullet. It's just a matter of degrees. Read Robin Overstreet's book Marine Maladies? Worms, Germs, and Other Symbionts. It is available as a *.pdf file on line. He did most of his work right there around Gulf Shores.
Penn 50th anniversary catalog shows world record red drum caught off NC in 1973. It was 90# and caught with long beach 65. The record black drum at that time(111#) was caught with a 140 squidder
I've only caught a red that weighed 20 or so.
Big fun on 40lb mono surf fishing.
Quote from: Maxed Out on December 08, 2021, 07:52:24 PM
Penn 50th anniversary catalog shows world record red drum caught off NC in 1973. It was 90# and caught with long beach 65. The record black drum at that time(111#) was caught with a 140 squidder
i'm skooled.
Fish names are funny. To me, "mullet" means a vegetarian saltwater fish that jumps, a lot, and makes great live bait when small (called finger mullet), and decent cutbait when big (foot mullet).
And kingfish definitely means king mackerel around here.
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on December 09, 2021, 04:45:43 PM
Fish names are funny. To me, "mullet" means a vegetarian saltwater fish that jumps, a lot, and makes great live bait when small (called finger mullet), and decent cutbait when big (foot mullet).
And kingfish definitely means king mackerel around here.
Yeah, all the "local variations" of the names can be pretty confusing ! The real "silvery" king fish(I *think* it's the "southern king fish") are called "whiting", here, and the ones with the olive colored "stripes" (I *think* those are "gulf king fish")are called "ground mullet"....and red drum are either "crab eaters', or "redfish".....the black drum are either "puppy drum", if they are small enough to still have their "stripes", or'big uglies', if they are big enough to have lost them. So, conversations around the fish cleaning table...when there are "locals, "snowbirds", or folks from somewhere else on the gulf, can really be "interesting" !!
Quote from: Crow on December 09, 2021, 11:11:12 PM
The real "silvery" king fish(I *think* it's the "southern king fish") are called "whiting", here, and the ones with the olive colored "stripes" (I *think* those are "gulf king fish")are called "ground mullet"....and red drum are either "crab eaters', or "redfish".....the black drum are either "puppy drum", if they are small enough to still have their "stripes", or'big uglies', if they are big enough to have lost them.
Now I'm confused. I thought Southern Whiting (Menticirrhus americanus) have the bands and Gulf Whiting (Menticirrhus littoralis) are more silver. Ever hear them called Roundheads? That may be a Mid-Atlantic thing.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Menticirrhus_americanus.jpg (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Menticirrhus_americanus.jpg)
https://anglerwithin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Whiting-and-Pompano.jpg (https://anglerwithin.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Whiting-and-Pompano.jpg)
I grew up with Redfish, Trout, Puppy Drum and just Drum.
In South Carolina they are Spottail Bass, or Channel Bass if you're snobbish, or just Bass. Spotted Seatrout are just Ttrout. Balck Drum are just Drumfish. Mullet are finger mullet. peter mullet. or just big mullet.
I got the names turned around, I guess........I think "roundhead" moniker is a new one to me, but, at my age, I can do the same crossword puzzle, every day, and it seems "all new" so I guess memory isn't one of my strong suits ! :D
And the "trout" thing can get confusing, too, and when somebody catches a "stingray" (happens quite often), the "is it a ray, or a skate, or a doormat " discussions get pretty lively , too :D.
Yesterday, one guy (new in the campground, this year....first year retired...first year fishing in salt water) about cried when we told him the "channel catfish" he had brought back were NOT going to be as "tasty" as he thought ! I think those hard head catfish fool every mid western "newbie', at first !
DONT be in NC and tell anyone you kept ten puppy drum.....here, they are slot redfish. A doormat is a flounda. A skate is a sea scallop ;D ;D ;D ;D
In the Western Gulf states it's a Southern Flounder. In the eastern Gulf states it could be a Southern Flounder or a Gulf Flounder. In the Southeast it could be a Southern Flounder or a Summer Flounder. The Summer Flounder have oscellated spots. If you call it a fluke then you must be a yankee and it could be either a left-eyed SummerFlounder or a right-eyed Winter Flounder. A doormat is a BIGA$$ flounfer.
Worm parasites are unsightly. Maybe if you gut them quickly, there'll be less migration into the flesh? Then it's a matter throughly cooking them. Over-cooking fish sucks. Maybe heat just enough to denature the parasite proteins.
That Channel Cat/Hardhead thing is pretty 😄.
The whiting have started biting, again...finally ! We kept 13 "eating size", out of about 20 caught, and I got another black drum(39 inches). I got pretty wet, (up to the knees!) trying to revive and release that darn drum, too! I guess he got his "revenge" ! Pictures won't post, but, if you've seen one, you have seen them all !
Crow sent me a few photos for all to enjoy.
So Enjoy!!!!
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/7588_09_02_22_11_04_48_363201761.jpeg)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/7588_09_02_22_11_04_54_363211118.jpeg)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/36/7588_09_02_22_11_04_48_363191434.jpeg)
Wayne
Thanks, again, Wayne !!
Nice red.
Good Fishing Crow!
We went to the rigs, today, but it was pretty slow fishing ! No sheephead, a few small snappers (they are out of season, anyway), but we did bring back some white trout, and some spadefish. First spades I've ever caught, so I'm sort of anxious to see "how they eat" :D! For a small fish, they put up a pretty lively fight!
I was surprised how many ships are anchored out in the channel, awaiting their "turn" at the port ! Only one, or maybe two, are visible from the island, but when you get out there 12 ,or so,miles, we counted 13!