On May 27, angler Chris Cavanaugh, of Norton, Massachusetts, pulled a trophy-sized red drum – a southern species more commonly associated with Florida and the Gulf States – from the chilly waters of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Cavanaugh was fishing from shore near his vacation rental, catching small scup on cut squid, when he ran out of bait and switched to a Berkley Gulp Shrimp. The red drum picked up the Gulp Shrimp and after an epic battle, Cavanaugh measured and released the 45-inch fish, not exactly sure what he had just caught.
Red drum are a rare catch north of New Jersey, but at least two have been reported in New England waters in past 5 years. Some fishery scientists suspect that warming ocean waters could be one reason that red drum are venturing farther north.
That is awesome!
Very cool. I worked for the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT a few years back. We collected fish for exhibit from, among other places, Rhode Island. We would get some southern species, including red and black drum, amberjack, banded rudder fish, blue runners, cobra, and stingrays. Not all the time, but these things would show up with some frequency…and close to shore. I always find it exciting.
Need any more proof of Climate Change?
Climate has always changed
that could be a factor, but it is more that the fish probably got caught in a current and was brought up the coast. last year on cape, there was a blue runner run, and the had all been brought up here on the gulf stream
Amazing catch!what a suprise! And great job in the release too!
Amazing catch!what a suprise! And great job in the release too!
No, he pulled it out of the water and held it up in the air long enough for its eyes to dry out and start dying. Waste of a fish to “release” it, it ded anyway.
Great for future if water keeps warming. Mahi mahi maybe next. Who knows what fish might come north. Blues never used to come up beyond cape.
I work at a fish market in new bedford, mass. We have local Mahi Mahi
Yeah that’s great and all Carl, but I hear they don’t hold over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Carl we have had the Blues show up on the north shore since I was a kid and my parents remembered them too.
Blues in Maine, no problem.
Congrats on the release! I hope I can do the same.
Thank you for releasing him
Nice catch, have U ever eaten one, what is it similar too in taste
Similar to striped bass. Ones that size aren’t good to eat. We release the big ones and only eat ones in the 18″-22″ range
Awesome !
Great Catch & Release !
That’s one for the “Memory Books!
I second marks post – thank you for releasing him or her. We need to be better as a population in terms of C&R. What a cool catch!
Seems more a sign of a healthy population than anything else…
These fish are excellent to eat. However the big ones should be released as this one was. The larger ones are not as good to eat as the Slot fish we take here in FLA 18 to 27 inches. some will say global warming but this is just a really healthy stock of fish. You will see more and more healthy stocks of fish migrating with the available bait…. We are seeing Bonefish and Permit in the Daytona area in the summer and this has been almost unheard of.
blues make it all the way to nova scotia at times .
It didn’t happen like that. That guy was at that spot fishing for scup in that weather and ran out of squid yet had a gulp shrimp and was able to land that fish and wasn’t able to figure out what kind of fish it was and released it? Who fishes for scup in that weather from that kinda spot also with gear you can land a fish like that? Who has a gulp shrimp on Cape Cod and doesn’t know what a red drum is? Not saying he didn’t catch it, but that’s not the story.
Yeah totally fake
Brad L. I’m with you…….It could happen, but something sounds fishy. Just saying………almost sounds as real as sailfish caught in CC canal.
Hi guys! Im a Troll!
In 2013 I caught a small redfish off a beach in westport,ma on a seaworm fishing for scup. I’ve gotten a grey trigger fish in that very same spot. Hopefully this becomes a more common occurrence in ma.
Brad L and Geof what’s wrong with the guy saying he caught a Red Drum? Fish
stories are what makes fishermen, fishermen. Lighten up. LOL
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Well that jetti and rocks aren’t from FLA or NC ,,he just carried it down there for a pic u guys are jealous is all,,,, gd catch and release aswell people are becoming the worst enemy of fish of all species it’s sad to