Patience paid off for this kayak angler while fighting a big black drum!
Every angler has had a moment on the water where they spot a massive fish and excitedly cast at it, only the fish completely disappears, leaving the angler to wonder what might have been.
I'm not sure about you, but I've lost count of how many times this has happened to me over the years. It's happened enough times for me to wonder if I'm seeing things.
YouTuber Ty PigPatrol has one of those moments while kayak fishing an urban canal with his buddy. He catches a fleeting glance of an extremely large tail breaching the surface of the water. That is enough for him to stick it out in the area for the next hour or so, hoping he can get whatever it was to take his shrimp bait.
Patience pays off, because 45 minutes later something big takes his bait. It's a large black drum, and it's determined to not be caught today, giving Ty a fight to remember in this murky urban canal.
This fish is the very definition of "river monster." It's big, but we should mention that this is nowhere near the maximum size for black drum. This is a saltwater species that loves backwaters and shallow canals like this one. The International Game Fish Association recognizes a massive, 113-pound, 1-ounce specimen as the all-tackle world record. It was caught in Delaware back in 1975.
It's worth noting that most specimens fall in the 30 to 50-pound range, and this fish looked to be closer to that. Still, who wouldn't enjoy battling with a fish like this? It was peeling 30-pound braid off that reel like it was an ultralight setup!
The big lesson to take away from this video is that patience can sometimes pay off. Just because you don't get a strike immediately does not mean you'll never get a bite from that big fish you just saw.
It's an important thing to keep in mind the next time you're frustrated with a lack of bites. You just never know when the big one is going to strike!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
READ MORE: RED DRUM FISHING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
