Redfish "On" Like Donkey Kong !

They're getting bigger:

As this 18-21" aggressor Red attests this morning. But they're also getting stronger, fighting harder, in the warming water of the West Galveston Bay. Of note, the water where I fish is highly oxygenated by submerged seagrass beds, which keep the local dissolved O2 levels higher than surrounding barren bottom areas, and I believe the fish know this, and perk up with it. They fight harder here, and recover faster.
     This particular red is a "grunter" (hence the name "red drum"), a male fish (females are quiet), and he made surging runs, the first of which was 100' long. He fought for five full minutes in powerful bursts and was just scrappy as an angry Union Marxist in the Wisconson Captial.
     I let him go 'cause he was just too cool to kill. I do that a lot and not to feel holier than though, but because I like the spirit and giving nature of these babes, and I'm still able to buy food at the moment. I would rather go butcher one of our wild pigs than kill a redfish, though, which I might end up having to do within the next fiscal year of O-pression. Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock........Our top, so-called leader may be a dirty ace, but I'm patient. You?

     This noble Redfish and his brothers are eating shrimp patterns in tan, and Pinfish patterns (horizontal black barring) are killer, too, as these are the prevalent prey over my local sea grass beds.