07/20/2026
Red drum are hands down some of my favorite fish to target. Whether it’s a slot fish or a true giant, they never get old.
Over the last month I had the opportunity to share that passion with some family members. We tagged and released several fish and even landed a citation red drum that had already been tagged. The coolest part? That fish was originally tagged 1,349 days earlier... almost four years ago... and was caught within 2 miles of where it was first tagged.
Moments like that are a great reminder of why tagging programs matter. They provide valuable information about growth, movement, and seasonal behavior, giving us real evidence instead of just guesses.
Fishing is all about recognizing patterns. The more you understand how a species lives, where it feeds, and how it moves through the seasons, the better you’ll become at finding them. Red drum spend their younger years in the back creeks and rivers before heading out, only to return year after year to continue the cycle.
The same is true offshore. Ocean currents act like underwater highways, carrying bait, nutrients, and gamefish across vast distances. Learning how those currents interact with water temperature, structure, and weather often explains why fish are where they are.
It reminds me of Ecclesiastes 1, where Solomon writes:
“All streams run to the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the streams come, there they return again.” (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
God designed creation with rhythms and cycles. Streams flow, currents circulate, seasons change, and fish follow those patterns year after year. As fishermen, we’re constantly studying those rhythms, but they’re ultimately a reflection of the wisdom and order of the Creator who established them.
There’s no substitute for time on the water. Every trip teaches you something new as the tides, bait, weather, currents, and estuaries change. The more time you spend observing, the more those patterns begin to reveal themselves.
And even on the slow days, being surrounded by God’s creation is a reminder that there’s always something to learn and Someone greater to admire. 🎣🌊
