by Aaron Kelly, Rock Solid Fishing
Writing this article in mid-March, I eagerly await April since we just had snowfall last night in this nor’easter blow. It quickly melted but what the heck?! April should bring warmer temps. Mid-sixties and water temps above 50. Red drum have been spotted by a few boats and a drone just last week. That makes me feel old, guys flying drones around looking for fish. Pretty soon there will be an app that tells you how many and what size. Reluctantly, I subscribe to the newest technology, heck I just installed side scan sonar. Man, I wish I had this back in the rockfish days! Also reluctant are the drummies, to take a bait since waters are still in low forties. They will be more susceptible to taking bait and jigs in April! Which leads to exciting sight casting opportunities for both large and small reds! There are quite a few qualified guides in the area to get you into position to see one of these schools of fish and toss a meathog jig! There will also be opportunities to catch small stripers and sea trout tossing ¼ ounce jigs around docks and marsh points with sloughs. I feel, however, the drum highlight the month. Guys will line up in the surf tossing chunks of fresh bait way out with these custom 11-foot rods that are truly works of art. These custom rods can be found (along with fresh bait) at any of our local tackle shops, which I am very proud of. Heck, getting a custom drum rod from a guy like Nick Walke gives you more than just a graphite rod. It gives you a piece of art from colorful threads and wraps. His experience and passion for catching drum over the years is apparent in location of rod guides, reel seat, rod action, spline, and much more. An old Wanchese fisherman’s advice to me when I was a younger says it all, “when the pollen falls In the spring, the drum are here!” The lessons I was gifted by others’ experiences are things I treasure. So when you are cussing while dusting off all the pollen off your windshield, remember, the drum are here! You do not need an app on your smart phone for that! Good luck fishing!