Of Fog And Drum

What a day. I woke up to a fog thick enough to hide a hundred herds of elephants in. The fog here can be rather amazing at times. After I did my daily chores, I was outbound to the beach. Off to Red Drum Tackle for some bait and ice I ventured out expecting the same weather on the sand as we had in Buxton, just three or four miles away from Cape Point, my destination.

The funny part was that the weather this morning showed a severe fog alert but that it would dissipate by 9am. For probably the first time in my extended memory, the weather folks nailed it. I swear that as predicted, at 9am this morning, at my place the fog disappeared and I was looking at clear blue skies. It was amazing!

Then i got to RDT and ran into a friend Tony. He tells me that its foggy out on the sand.  Tony has a good sense of humor so at first I thought he was joking. Now this feller has been fishing these beaches for years and has probably caught every fish you can catch from the sand and then some. He wasn't kidding.

From the time I crossed ramp 44, it was soup. I proceeded at the mosey and eventually ended up on the SW side, on the lee side of the bar.

I have never in my life been in a hot fog excepting a sauna. That is, until today. Usually the fog around these parts is cool, almost chilly. Not today, no soup for you! It was hot enough to steam snow peas without any water. BRUTAL!

However dot com, from time to time the fog would lift a bit and I could see the water and the structure. The first time it lifted, a friend of mine Lynne P. (some of y'all know him) had shown up and we proceeded to put out some bait. Suddenly of the corner of my eye I saw red in the water. "check it out, its a school of Drum" I said. And sure enough, he and I sat there and watched an enormous school of these beautiful fish swim toward the shoals. They were tailing, fining and rolling in the waves and the water was gin clear. What a sight! It was a disappointment that the fog returned and never really went away. I'd bet there were more schools behind that one, just to far to cast.

Its sad that in just a few days no one will be allowed where I stood this day. No folks out having fun, no kids playing in the surf, nobody allowed.

If you can make it to the rally in Buxton this Saturday, please do so. Its a short trip from Tidewater and eastern N.C. Help us out if you would.

http://www.preservebeachaccess.org/

Tight Lines,

Wheat