Beating the drum: Bull red fishing is about to pick up, and it can be done responsibly

Autumn is here, and the mature red drum, known as bull reds, have also arrived in the near-shore and estuarine waters of the Carolinas.

Each fall, the adult red drum move in from offshore in spawning mode to area jetties, inlet channels and near-shore bottom spots.

For anglers, there’s nothing quite like tussling with a 30-40 inch red drum weighing about 25-50 pounds on a sunny, cool autumn Carolina day.

And rest assured, there are plenty of anglers ready to do battle with a bull red.

Capt. Jason Burton, owner-operator of Murrells Inlet Fishing Charters LLC, is ready for the great fishing that typifies autumn along the Carolina coast, with plenty of bull red action in the mix.

“I’ve got 15-20 groups (of anglers) anxiously waiting on the reds, the 25-plus pounders we consider bulls,” said Burton, who has seven boats in his fleet and nine captains on staff. “It’s one of those things where this is one of the few places on the East Coast where you can go target 30-50 pound redfish.”

The catch is, all these bull reds must be released, with the future of the red drum population hanging in the balance.

Red drum have a slot limit that varies from state to state throughout the Southeast. In South Carolina waters the slot is 15-23 inches (two fish per day bag limit). North Carolina’s slot is 18-27 inches (one fish per day bag limit).

No matter the state, by the time red drum make it through the slot limit, they are at least 3 years old. At 3-4 years old and 28 inches, the males reach sexual maturity. The all-important egg-bearing females are a little older and longer – about 33 inches – when they reach sexual maturity.

Once a red drum has escaped through the slot limit without ending up as the main course of a fish fry or in the belly of a bottlenose dolphin, it has earned the right to become part of the spawning stock.

Burton emphasizes the importance of properly releasing the spawners to ensure they survive the trauma of being caught.

“People need to realize how crucial they are, these are the breeder fish,” said Burton. “The only reason they come in is to set up to breed. If they get that big you need to take care of them and make sure they make it.”

Bait is abundant in local waters and the bull reds are easy to catch on live or cut shrimp, menhaden or mullet on a simple Carolina rig.

Then comes the important part, the release.

Burton offered tips on successfully releasing a bull red.

▪ Tackle: “You want to use heavy enough tackle so you can beat them quickly, you don’t want to fight them for an hour,” said Burton. “We use 5000 series spinning reels with 50-60 pound braid, 60-pound flourocarbon leader to match the braid, and we usually beat them pretty quickly in 7-8 minutes time.”

Burton uses a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook. “It’s really important to use circle hooks so they don’t get gut hooked,” he said. “They pick the bait up and just swim off. As long as you’ve got good drag set it will hook them in the corner of the mouth. Since we started using circle hooks, I can’t remember the last time we gut hooked one.”

▪ Holding The Fish: In the age of social media, everyone wants a photo of their prize bull red before it is released. Ideally the fish doesn’t leave the water, but that’s not going to happen often.

If you must pick up the fish for a photo op, it’s imperative to hold it properly.

“If you pick them up and support the belly, their survival rate is extremely high,” said Burton. “You don’t want to hold them (vertical) by the mouth with Bogo grips. Don’t stretch their gills. You want to support the heaviest part which is the middle. Hold them like a baby. Hold the head, support the body.”

▪ Reviving The Fish: The final step is releasing the fish back into the water, and making sure it swims off in healthy fashion.

“Don’t’ just throw them back in the water, hold them by the tail beside the boat and revive them,” said Burton. “If you just throw them in the water they may go down but come up 100 yards away. If you see one floating, just pull the anchor, (and) go turn them over, let water flow over the gills and they’ll probably swim off. Don’t just let them float away.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 9:20 PM.