Virginia Saltwater: Red Drum and Cobia

My interest in saltwater fishing has been accelerating and I returned to Norfolk again in the summer to chase red drum and cobia. Unlike Virginia's freshwater trophy program, Virginia's saltwater trophy program allows multiple entries of the same species, provided they aren't in the same calendar year. I love this approach because it encourages return trips for the same species every year, rather than shifting focus to a new species as with the freshwater program.

Travis Kemp of Foolproof Fishing (@foolprooffishing on Instagram), an expert drum fisherman, had been on a tear with citation cobia. As luck would have it, another phenomenal captain, Jack Limroth (kingtidecharter.com), who had also been all over the trophy cobia bite, joined us in my quest for big fish. After some scouting, we found the drum, and my first one of the day was a 47-inch, 38-pound citation! Fifteen minutes later, I had landed my second citation drum, a fatter 46.5-inch, 41-pound trophy! We then went in search of the cobia and, 90 minutes later, in the middle of nowhere in the Bay, the boys put me on a big one: 55 inches and 45 pounds. It was my first citation cobia and I was ecstatic. Multiple-species trophy trips are rare, and this was only the third saltwater one I have ever had. I loved fishing with Travis and Jack and I can't wait to join them again next year!