Stroke of Billiance

We had a beautiful day this morning when I met Bob Blalock up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park boat ramp - the weekend was over and the crowds diminished so I thought it'd be fun to fish "north" today. The tide was low and coming in so we made the quick run over to Tiger to fish the logs and we got some good bites right off fishing jigs and live shrimp - catching a couple of small Reds, small Croaker, a small Black Drum..and so on. We were about to leave but made one last effort at the north end of the island and BOOM!
Bob had a strong hookup, a good fight, and landed a nice 19" Slot Redfish. He went back to the same bank and BOOM! Another Slot Redfish, this one at around 21".  Hanging around paid off.

After a short run up to the Jolley to fish the "bank",  turned in to the current (what little there was) and began working back with float rigs and live shrimp. Although we had a few nibbles, we had no real takers until we were back at the mouth and here Bob hooked up and
landed a couple of small but feisty Redfish. He also reeled up a corroded spinning reel!

Further up the Jolley we made a stop along some flooded grass and the conditions looked ripe for fishing catching!  Sure enough, after Bob had made an excellent cast with his float rig and live shrimp to a grass clump, he picked up a small but feisty Red, then another, then a Seatrout, then a Red. We worked up the bank and held at a point and I think it was Bob's first drift when his float disappeared with a vengeance and, Fish ON! He worked it patiently to the boat and landed a fat keeper sized Seatrout. He went back to the same spot and something took his bait and kept going and going and GONE!  It only took a drift or two and BOOM! Big Fish On!  Bob fought it expertly and soon landed another Slot Red, this one measuring in at 23" - a very nice fish.

We made one last run back to Tiger, thru Tiger Basin and around to Bell River and set up alongside a point. Bob was drifting his shrimp up near the grass and picked up a feisty Red right off the bat. After that, he got one nibble after another, feeding shrimp to a "bait stealer" and just before we left Bob had a "Stroke of Brilliance". We had some mud minnows in the well and hadn't used them all day so Bob baited one up and pitched it close. He had a nibble again, reeled it up, tossed it back and WOW! Both Bob and I saw a huge copper flash come up and engulf his minnow and BIG BIG Fish on!  We couldn't believe that what we saw was a Red- it seemed so big. Bob took his time, fought it to the boat, after working it around not one, but two crab traps, and landed a big 31" Oversized Red - the 2nd biggest of year caught on the Anglers Mark and setting Bob up in the 2018 Anglers Mark Bragging Rights Tournament - Redfish Category. Boy what a fish and a fight!