caught a nice 22 1/2" red yesterday that seemed fat healthy and fought great but when I got him to the boat he was bleeding a lot even though I had only hooked him in the mouth (trout trick) I kept him and when I cleaned him his stomach was full of fiddlers, a few shrimp, and a rattletrap! It was in his stomach, one treble hook still on it that likely caused the bleeding during the fight. The finish was almost entirely gone but there was enough to see it was chrome with a green back. poor guy
pretty amazing what a red can eat and pass. when they are hooked deep, we always just cut the line and leave the lure or hook in there. it will rust or pass and the fish will most likely be fine.
Capt. Tim Cutting
www.fishthegeorgiacoast.com
pics??
“Fish On”
Fiddlers in January … time to hit the flats
experience noun \ik-#712;spir–#601;n(t)s
-
the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation
-
that thing you get just moments after you needed it.
As far as fiddlers, was fishing for reds in the river this weekend and caught one nice blue cat that was fuller than I’ve ever seen a fishes stomach… with fiddlers. Don’t know he it was planning on fitting the piece of shrimp with them.
Sorry no pics but they were small fiddlers, entire intestine track was full of em too.
redfish, note profuse bleeding and I had barely hooked him in the lip, and rattletrap in his stomach. first time figuring out how to post photos
thats pretty wild!
“Fish On”
that IS wild, but i see nothing wrong with a mercy kill resulting in dinner.
have found some stainless hooks deeply embedded in stomach linings, covered in scar tissue- must’ve been there for a long time. for too long i failed to appreciate the difference between “rusting” hooks and stainless, i can’t justify using the latter anymore… look at the split rings- like new!
BTW, what size were the shrimp you found? were you fishing in brackish water? i know we’ve had some nice “flats days” lately, and that sounds like a summer diet!
That’s pretty crazy. Amazing the dif between hook and split rings.
Mdl, could you tell where the blood was originating from?
Vinman
“Every saint has a past, every sinner a future”
www.summervillesaltwateranglers.com
2011 Carolina Skiff 178DLV
90 HP Honda
you should see if courtland can make a jigskinz for that rattle trap and put it to use 
“mr keys”
back in the day when bass fishing, there were some guys who use to rub the paint off the traps because they liked the “bone” color. wonder if that one started that way. same thing with the cotton cordell jerks.
Capt. Tim Cutting
www.fishthegeorgiacoast.com