# Buxton Day 3



## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Chilly this morning, mid 50's or so, clear, slight wind out of the north. High 10:16 this morning, low at 4:45. Seas a calm 2 to 3 feet, beautiful clear water. At high tide the dropoff is 20 feet from the deck, low maybe 30 feet.

Wet lines at first light. Flannel shirt and the fleece hat with ear flaps because it was chilly... for an old man like me anyway. 10' pole with mullet (cut bait) - 3 ounces, 7' pole with pieces of shrimp - 1 ounce. Had some nice bluefish hits but they would pick it up and run for the beach, hard to hook them with circle hooks that way. Even holding the 10' pole, keeping the line taught, not a one. Got sick of playing that game just as it started to show the light of the sun about to rise. Picked up the 7' pole and flipped small pieces of shrimp just off the dropoff. Was getting a lot of small Pompano bites, but hard to hook the little bastages. Anyone have any tips? I'm using a carolina rig, #3 Khale hooks. Smaller hooks? Too much smaller and they will swallow them every time. I'm cutting a 30 to 40 count shrimp into 4 pieces so the bait is already small.

10' pole gets a bite so I grab it, thinking it will only be blues dragging it in to the shore. I feel a couple bluefish slam slam slam's, I reel in and finally hooked one! Good Gravy, this thing is making a run! I could feel the bluefish head shake but it was more powerful, maybe a double? Bluefish stops and I still have a fish on. Even though it has been a year, I feel the fight, Red Drum! Worked my way down the stairs to the beach and had a great battle. Took more than a few tries to get it through the surf and onto the beach, 29", 2" over slot. I measured it again.... 29" fork length. With not another soul on the beach, or any other deck, it swam free. Bluefish bit off the bottom of the rig, I lost a hook and sinker. If the drum hit the lower hook... I never would have known.

Final tally for the day!!!!

11 fish. The drum was the only one unhooked for the morning bite. After the sun poked up, bite died off. Caught a couple just after high tide and the rest just before dead low. Pretty constant bite for the pompano, just lost a lot of bait to them, but kept me happy.

Red Drum - 29" - one.

Black Drum 9" one.

Pompano, did manage to unhook a few of the little bastages... 5 total, 5" to 7"

Sea Mullet (Southern Kingfish) 2 at 8"

Caught the first Skate, right in the wash!!! One, good sized one too, fun battle on the little pole.

And.... a Foundah!!! I fished for these guys most of the day, flipping a finger mullet filet around in the wash. What finally got it? A tiny piece of shrimp while playing with the Pompano, go figure. 14" which was short, and it was a skinny little thing, so it is still out there growing. Yes, I did consider it.... But it was a skinny thing, like the commercial 14" filets you see at the market, paper thin! I'm hoping to cash in those points with a doormat later in the trip.

Fun facts for the day?

Not much for bird activity. Random pelicans hitting the water, one group of gulls feeding on something, but not much else. There is still bait in the water, each flip of the small pole would send a few silversides popping out. Not much for finger mullet, maybe two small groups jumped as they were chased. Dolphin were also sparse. Some small pods did work through with one feeding just after high tide and one fun group doing people trick type jumps just at sunset.

Another picture perfect blue sky day here! The only blemish was the sliver of a moon in mid afternoon. Interesting sunset. As it set, looking east, through the haze of the shoals, it looked like "rays" appearing. You know, when the sun pokes out and you see the "rays" of it coming from a point and extending outward? Only this was in the east and they were a blue cutting throught he haze. It started with the "origin" being below the horizon and by the time it started to get dark, the center was about two fists above the horizon. It was way north of where the sun rises currently, strange but interesting, makes one think.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

I have a 7' rod for Pompano and hold it as soon as I feel anything I am setting the hook...


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

What do you mean ... no bird activity...

We are hot on the Va coast!



Sounds like you had an alright day...


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

As Ron White would say, "Good day Tater"!


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

*Andi said:


> What do you mean ... no bird activity...
> 
> We are hot on the Va coast!
> 
> ...


Not much, for bird activity. I have seen it hot and heavy here ALL day with HUGE flocks hitting the water! This year, smaller and not near as many... so far anyway.


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