A Redfish Diet Exposed...
It isn't often that I harvest a red fish for the dinner table even though I catch a lot of them with my charter anglers. However there is a very effective slot in place with the NC Fisheries Division that manages the catch of recreational red drum and it states one per person between 18-27" can be posessed per day.
Therefore when the possibility arrives that an angler hooks a redfish too deep in the throat or worse one sucks a fly back into a gill I use the opportunity to eduacate my fellow anglers about the ethics involved in keeping a fish and minimizing the impact on the resource. This very event occured to me and an angler for the first time this year.
Needless to say the red fish was hooked deep in the throat and was bleeding profusely. So the question was posed, "will you eat this fish if I harvest him for you?" I asked my angler. "Absolutely," was his reply. I explained why I din't think the fish was going to make it and my angler agreed and we put the fish on ice.
We had a fantastic morning and continued to catch fish with ease but I couldn't get the burning question out of the back of my mind... What had that fish been consuming for his last meal and what intelligence would be revealed from the afternoon autopsy?
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and my angler and I were both astonished to see so many soft shelled blue crabs in this fish's stomach but the eduacation factor was a fantastinc teaching opportunity.
The fish in this photo had been feeding on crabs during the full moon high tide. During the full and new moon phases the blue crabs migrate into the protective surroundings of the spartina marshes where they hide as they become defenseless in their molting ritual. Interestingly enought the red fish know this and therefore pursue these crabs at their weekest moment and gorge themselves with this delicacy.
On your next trip take a good look at the crusher in the back of a red fish's throat before you release it and maybe you too will marvel at how well nature designed these magnificent game fish. The weather this week is going to be windy but the weekend is supposed to lighten up. Just remember Memorial Day is coming and it will be busy on the water, stay safe and enjoy the water responsibly this weekend...
Tight Loops & Lines,
Capt. Seth Vernon
posted by Intracoastal Angler at 8:45 AM
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