Yesterday I took Ian fishing to Buffalo Creek. Water was really low -- we need rain! -- and I didn't expect to catch much. We walked about a mile downstream from a bridge, along an area that's float stocked for trout in the spring, and found only a couple of pools with fish, most of which were carp and freshwater drum. In one spot, though, we spotted a big palomino trout meandering around the pool. Considering the temperature and water level, that shocked the heck out of me. Usually by mid-August the water temperature is too warm to support trout. If this hot stretch continues very long, though, that will certainly happen this year, too.
Palominos stick out like the proverbial sore thumb, and in the low, clear water, the fish glowed bright orange. The fact that dozens of fishermen had probably fished that spot the past couple months and not caught that fish told me we were dealing with a pretty educated palomino.
We tried for the palomino for quite awhile, to no avail, although Ian did pull out three rainbow trout in that time. We both pulled out a handful of little smallmouth bass as well.
Eventually I moved to the tail end of the pool where it was shallower and saw a huge freshwater drum sitting by a rock. I flipped my line out and let it settle to the bottom about a foot in front of the drum. It took awhile, maybe five minutes, before the fish finned upstream slightly and sucked it in. What a fight!
Ok, so maybe they're not the prettiest fish in the world, and they taste a lot like cardboard, but they can be a thrill to catch, especially one that size, about 26 inches.
In regards to eating freshwater drum, a friend of mine offers this special recipe...fillet the fish and grill it on cedar planks. Make sure to season the planks with lots of salt and pepper. When the fish is done cooking, throw away the fish and eat the planks! Needless to say, I didn't keep the drum for eating.
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