BOMBS AWAY: the battleground shoals. PHOTO: RIC BURNLEY
O
n the shallow shoals, waves come from all directions, colliding in explosions of spray
like bombs dropped from the sky. The current screams, making it nearly impossible to paddle against the tide, let alone swim. If you end up in the water on the outgoing tide, the next stop might be Africa. Flip your boat here and your gear is gone. Like
most red riders, long-time drum nut Lee Wil- liams has paid the price for playing in the danger zone. “I’ve lost sunglasses, rods, reels, boxes of tackle, anchors—a whole shopping list of stuff,” he laments. While some anglers make one trip to the
shoals and never return, a small band of die- hard paddlers have turned their lives over to these fish. “I devote my entire spring to fishing the shoals,” Whitley says, “Everything takes a hit: emails pile up, my website goes on hold, I burn vacation days—luckily, my girlfriend fishes or she’d never see me.” The shoals demand much from anglers. “Ex-
pect to put 20 miles into a full day on the shoals,” Whitley says. “I feel bad because I talk about fish- ing there, then I have to tell people not to do it.” Even worse, the rewards for all this pain and
suffering can be few and far between. Whitley fesses up, “In ’08 I made over a dozen trips to the shoals and only caught two fish.” Fellow sufferer Williams is stuck in a terrible slump. “I haven’t caught a drum in three seasons,” he chuckles. “But that doesn’t stop me from going over there every chance I get.” In the end, it all comes down to the fish and
the intense rush anglers get from daring the shoals. Virginia produces the largest red drum in the world. The average fish on the shoals is well over 40 inches long and pigs weighing more than 50 pounds are not uncommon. “It’s the scariest, most thrilling place,” Wil-
liams explains. “I sit there watching waves break a few feet away never knowing if the next one will have my name on it.” Last spring, the shoals called Kevin and I back
for another round with the big reds. This time we were able to launch at the new ramp on Wise Point instead of the muddy creek that kicked off our first trip.
32 …KAYAK ANGLER SPRING 2011
“I feel bad because I talk about fishing there, then I have to tell people not to do it.”
Years of experience and dozens of trips under
my belt had honed my tackle and tactics, but as the outgoing tide swept me towards the white water, anxiety and fear returned. As usual, the fish did not come easily. After
hours fighting the current and the waves just to stay in position, I was finally able to launch a cast into the heart of the shoals. Before I could get my rod in the holder, I noticed the rod tip dip low and the line come tight. Cranking furiously on the reel and slowly pulling back on the rod, I stuck the circle hook tight in the mouth of a big fish. Straight out of the chute, the drum took off
like a raging bull dragging me, my kayak and my anchor towards the impact zone. When that move didn’t throw me, the bull lowered its horns and charged towards my kayak. Next, the huge redfish made tight circles under my boat while I held tight and tried to keep my balance. Then I saw the drum’s bronze back illuminat-
ed in the setting sun a moment before the fish kicked its spotted tail, covering me with a curtain of salt spray. I dug in my spurs and held tight until the fish
broke, then used the last bit of my strength to swing it into my kayak. Exhausted and amped, I looked at the huge
redfish lying in my lap. Suddenly the time, money and anxiety melted into the satisfaction of chasing these amazing fish in this amazing place. I guess for some anglers, one trip to the shoals is enough, but for others like me it’s just the beginning.
Bull fighter RIC BURNLEY is a writer, angler, teacher and father from Virginia Beach. Find his fishing reports on
FishCrazy.info.
The Bullfighter’s Kit ROD: Heavy action conventional.
REEL: High-speed, spooled with 65-pound braided main line.
RIG: A heavy duty ‘fish finder’ rig on which a four to eight-ounce pyramid sinker slides freely along the main line. The setup won’t sink the bait into the sand, but allows for long, tangle-free casts.
Redfish snack. PHOTO: RIC BURNLEY
PHOTO: KEVIN WHITLEY
PHOTO: RIC BURNLEY
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