I had couple guys hop on Friday afternoon for a last minute charter before they headed back home.   The mission was  for them to each catch their first drum.   We headed out to the drum grounds and got to work.   It took a little time to find them but they each got there drum and released another.   We headed to the trout and caught a bunch of dinks and a flounder to round out the evening.  Fun day.

If you have followed my reports for the last 5 months you could see that I have been on the puppy drum every day.  So I fished the Manteo Rotary Inshore Slam Tournament yesterday.  My plan was to get my trout first, then my flounder, then save a little time at the end of the day to get a drum.   After picking through a bunch of small trout and flounder, I finally put a keeper flounder in the box and checked it off the list.  Kept grinding in the same area and got my keeper trout! I was stoked . . . Fist pumping!  I knew the trout was going to be tough, and it was.  It was only 11:30am – I had over 3 hours to catch a drum. No problem – so I thought

I got to the drum grounds and started casting.  I came up on a fish who was swimming with a ray.  Put it in his face and he inhaled it.  I fought him to the boat and he throws the hook right about 10 ft from me!  I was upset, but not too upset.  I had plenty of time and they were there.  I kept casting and casting . . . . and casting . . .  and casting.  2 hours went by without a bite.

I was starting to get nervous, should I stay and grind? should I try a new spot? I had some mullet . . . should I bait them?  I just kept doing what ive been doing for 4 months.  Covering ground.   Finally come tight on another fish, but this one makes it to the net. ONLY TO BE TOO BIG! NOO!! 28 inches and over the slot, DAMN!  Time was winding down and the realization was setting in they I won’t get my slam.  I was shocked.  Watched 1 more fish follow it and turn away , probably had grass on my lure.

It wasn’t a total loss – I did manage to take home 1st place in the trout division.   The final punch in the face was finding out that not a single slam was weighed in.  I knew given the tough conditions that if I could make a slam I would have a really good chance of being the only one.  Oh well, I’ll be back next year.  Thanks for checking!