From the Rant, Chapter 4 Below

A short word on drum tournaments and the corking craze:

Because there is a mortality rate associated with fishing for giant red drum, the more you catch, the more you kill.   People less experienced at fishing for them and handling them will kill more fish.    Encouraging people to catch as many as they can……especially for a prize…….is encouraging people to kill as many big red drum as they can.    Fishing for these fish should not be a competition.   Just ask some of those old timer surf fishermen  standing in the waves about the hopes of just getting that one bite and appreciate every bite that you get, not just the next one.  

Regarding the popping cork craze….... Over the past three mornings I have opened up what I have been referring to as Pandora’s Box……and I’ve liked it a lot.   I’ll have to get the key from Gary and have a couple of drinks of Polish vodka before writing that post, if he doesn’t write it himself.    Although many locals have occasionally caught a big drum on poppers and popping corks, no one has pursued how effective it can be under the right conditions.   I’ve got to give it to Gary, he started a wave that is going to transform this fishery. 

Myself and a lot of other drum fishermen have been shaking our head about what was staring us in the face and we are nursing our bruised egos from not having come up with it ourselves. 

I have heard criticism that some anglers are using tackle that is “too light”.   Although I recommend using tackle heavy enough to wear the fish down, at least in the 20# class, based on my observations,  it’s better for an angler to take a little longer landing one fish than a boat load of people trying to catch as many as they can on heavy tackle.   Even using tackle too heavy and clamping down on the drag can be more harmful to a drum with a hook in his gut, ripping and tearing  internal organs.