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In Cackalacky...

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reel gambler

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Things have a way of repeating themselves...

 

In a land far far away, a long time ago, when you could drive the hook, it was a nice may morning, on the way to catch some sea mullet to use for bait to use later that afternoon via ramp 45. I was headed west to the hole I had caught those sea mullets the day before. Much along the beach looked the same that morning, people fishing, relaxing, enjoying themselves ect. About half way between 45 and 49 I came upon two people, one of whom was, ahem, bent over the tail gate. I just rode by as if they were any other of the couples of the beach that day.

 

Fast forward a few years, and I left for Cackalacky at 11pm last friday night. Roll out onto the beach around 4ish in the am...usually only a few people on the beach around those hours, and they are usually fisherman. As i pull in to set up, there are two guys with drum on the beach. I had no bait, and fishing was not in the plans right then. No worries, I have already got my first fall fish under the belt. So I proceed to get ready to go to bed. As I am, a young couple walks up, and says they need a jump. I said, "Sure, I need some drum bait." His reply, "We weren't fishing". "I know, you both smell like sex." Their jaws dropped straight to the sand. I was young once too, and in the same spot they were, just ten years before and about 30 miles south...while they struggled to find what to say, I lead off with...

 

"We are going to try and get some bait from those guys, they wont take money but a show may get me some bait." The young lady asks, "A show?"... "Just a flash, nothing too crazy" I say. A reluctant but ultimately agreeable young couple get on the tailgate and away we go. Those two guys wouldnt give up bait for anything less than...you are going to have to use your imagination for this one...so I jump the couple and they are on their way and its nap time for me...

 

More to come...

 

1810730

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So after a somewhat deja-vu kind of first night, I set up to fish for a night or two solo. First night of fishing produced a couple of yearlings and a pup, although just north of me a few bigguns hit the beach. It was a nice night, and we cant catch bigguns all the time, so I hung out with the resident fox, enjoyed the peace that a dark, desolate beach early in the morning provides, cooked a burger or two on the grill and then called it a night.

 

Next night was much the same as the first, but this time it was my turn to get called, and a nice 49x30 in the above pic made an appearance late, late in the night. It wasnt a PB, but it sure was a very nice fish, nonetheless.

 

Next day I am riding off the beach, and I see another fellow drummer from hatteras, we stop and talk for a few, and I invite him to come fish together later that night. I ask if he needs any provisions, he says no, I said, ok, see you this afternoon...

 

We both settle in for a night of drummin...after the night before, I had high hopes...things didnt work out so well for me, but my fishing partner picked up a nice fish, and there were a few caught both north and south of us, but I went fishless this night...

 

The following night was almost a carbon copy of the previous night, no fish for me, my partner got a fish, fish north and south of us, but fishless for me...I even remarked that it was getting dangerously close to a certain drummer down south with a reputation of not catching when everyone around him, including left to right, catching and him going fishless. Way back when it used to be a running joke that if you wanted to hook up just cast over him and shortly thereafter you will hook up...

 

My fishing partner had family coming into town, and had to leave, but was confident that I would get fish that night...

 

more to come...

 

1810990

 

Osprey with a fish too big to carry away...

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More FHB comings and goings...

 

So one fhb leaves, and another arrives from hatteras...I had a nice spot or two picked out from the years (yes I said years) before, and was hoping it would produce...I found a nice piece of structure a little further south and we set up for the night...those fish were coming from all stages of the tide with no consistency whatsoever, Top of the tide, mid flood, dead low, mid ebb, there was no rhyme or reason for these fish...as consistent as they usually are (or never are depending on the perspective) it all came down to one conclusion...fish from sunset til we get fish or the sun comes up, whichever is first:freak:

 

Well, we settled in, and not a fish to be had a sunset...no worries. An hour or two later it turns out my friend hooks up first...and pulled the hook on the fish in the wash...I told him " I told that fish to spit the hook in the wash cause I cant have you catching the first fish". Oh well, these things happen...a little while later, I hook up and get the fish to the beach...sweet, a nice fatty...cameraman error so please forgive the pics...

 

We ended up with three fish, almost four, from that spot and even got to fall asleep in the dark, around 430ish...my friends girl was coming from hatteras to meet us the next day so we kinda took it easy for the next day...

 

1811159

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With the weather and winds doing a lot of switching over the next day or two, we gave it another go the following day. We roll out on the beach in the early afternoon, and I tell them I am going to take a nap, and will be there to fish around sunset...when I wake up, and find my friends, they are fishing a spot different than the night before...crazy youngins...anywho, after a little wranglings, we end up in the spot of the previous night. Wind, weather, ray eggs, and grass made fishing tough. So tough the youngins call it early round 11, I told them I was going to fish until the winds calm down, thinking the water would clear up...it didnt, so I shut it down around 230ish...

 

The next day I get the call that another fellow drummer got 3 before the grass made things unfishable for him as well...made me feel better and worse all at the same time, but that fellow drummer is one of the best of the best, so my feelings werent hurt too bad...

 

On another note, during the same call, our cross-dressing friend had gotten into a fist fight on Cape Point the previous night...things have to be pretty bad when blows are thrown and there isnt even big drum out there. From the horse's mouth it was very clear that this could not have been avoided. With the wind shifting to SW and cranking up to 20-30 that night, and me missing my hatteras brothers, I decided to do some point fishing and socializing.

 

I get to town around lunch, cook lunch for some friends, nap time, then off to cape point for the night. With the current beach access, erosion, lack of a reliable high tide route to and from the point, I knew it was going to be a late one, and it was. I get out onto the beach, and am greeted by another fellow drummer. He proceeds to tell me that they had walked out from the narrows at high tide, and left their stuff under a watchful eye. Good thing eyes were there because someone decided they wanted their rods...takes a low human being to steal people fishing equipment...those druggies have been at the motels for years, but this was on the beach, and the thief a senior citizen with long ties to Hatteras...mighty strange year...

 

As this story is being told, our cross dressing friend walks up, and my friend says, "Whats up Rocky?" Thats when I heard about the previous night and the goings on. No fish at sunset, and after a good crew fishing and catching up from the spring, most left, but a few of us stayed...

 

At about 1230 I said there isnt enough of a reason to stand in the conga, and I went back to the truck to spike up, about 20 yards west of the point. Nothing doing until about 130 when the tide started to rise and the moon got covered up by some dark rain clouds. Anywho, between 130-300 about 5 or so yearlings hit the beach, and I had two of them...not too shabby for five guys fishing...rain rolled in and that was it for me, a cat nap and then back home I went...no pics of the yearlings, but here is my first fish of the fall, a nice 43 with a blue tail...

 

1811193

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In the daylight, things in the buggy become more visible, and the cross-dresser/Rocky had left his ballcap on the dash. I gave him a call, knew he was planking it, and told him I would meet him in an hour or so. Turns out he needed a bait run, so he jumped in and off we went.

 

Rocky proceeds to tell me that one of the plankers greeted him with "What's up Rocky?" I said, "I didnt say anything last night when Chris said something, but now that lightning has struck twice, you might have to give up your old nickname and embrace the new one." He agreed...after grabbing some bait, we made plans to fish together again, and homeward bound I went...

 

Crazy beginning to our fall drum season...fo' sho'

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  • 2 months later...

Now that its over, or just about, lots of guys had the drum season of their life this fall. I just couldnt put it together for the fall. I caught some fish, but in no way shape or form was it my best fall, or year for that matter, but thats another story The point was crazy. Usually it always is, but this fall was different. With there being a turtle closure in effect from Oct 6 thru right around thanksgiving it was a rough one, unless you wanted to walk, but it wasnt worth it for me. There were snags galore out there this fall, three maybe four, all in the prime spots you want to put your bait. If you were lucky enough to hook a fish you had to fight snags and ill-equipped anglers. There were a few spots to place your bait, but the lack of competent anglers made it a nightmare. I stayed away from the point all fall, except to socialize. It was nice to see some old friends, I did fish a little and even then I managed quite a few yearlings, but only one over the mark, way down on south beach away from the snagsnfags at the point proper. I did almost all of my fishing on the north beach this fall, and conditions could have been better for the times I was out there. I think we only had a ne wind maybe two or three times for the month of Oct. The sharks were terrible this fall. I couldnt remember losing this much tackle in a season. Even early in my drum fishing days, I used to blow some reels up. This was something all together different. Sharks were so bad some nights you couldnt even put a bait out with the salvo hole monster latching onto it. It didnt matter for me if I was up at 23 or down at 38, I caught fish but everywhere had sharks, and a lot of them. It was kinda the same at the point when I was there, so many bluefish you couldnt keep a drum bait out there, but that is how the point is some days, boatloads of bluefish during the day and drum coming in to clean up at night, but with the closure it was a no go for me. Those plankers sure had one good fall, I just cant bring myself to crossdress, once a flea always a flea...

 

1837640

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