Gave the Top Pup some love this PM

I got this beauty just before it started to Thunder, lightning, mad gusts and pouring like a car wash.
I only had about two hours to give it a shot. The wind was dead calm. I could see the thunder storm building but said, "what the heck". I had a real nice fish right to the kayak and boom. Gone. I had the drag too tight I'm sure. Next hit was this fish. It was 25" and a gorgeous bronze color. All the fish I've caught are males??? Of course while I was dealing with getting this one on the stringer my dead stick went off like a buzz saw. That lasted about 5 seconds when the fish dragged the line over oyster shells. I had some blind luck with my cast net as I was getting ready to launch. I wasn't going to spend much time looking for bait and I didn't see any surface action so I just threw the net into the creek from the dock and ended up with about 4 peanut poggies, a few shrimp and one finger mullet. I've read here about how drum love peanut poggies so that's what I put on the dead stick. I used a Carolina rig instead of a popping cork because I know how these small poggies like to just go to the surface and flip around. Seems like they are good bait for sure. Still can't resist the top water fishing so the dead stick is only for increasing my chances for a keeper if top water misses.
I have made an observation I'd like to get feedback on. This particular piece of the creek has a bottom unlike the majority of the rest of the back part of the creek does. Most of Virginia Creek, once you get past the front where the bottom is mainly sand, is either thick black mud or oyster bars/shells/"rocks". The area that holds these fish is hard to describe but I'll try. It is the same black mud but it has a high concentration of dead oysters in this mud. I suppose at one time it was a living oyster bar but no longer. I am thinking that this bottom make up is where these stone crabs are and that's what is making it so attractive to these drum. Today's fish also had several small stone crabs in its stomach. I know drum like oyster bars/rocks etc but I would not have thought to look for this specific bottom make up while I was prospecting earlier this month. I came across this spot as a matter of course as I was trying any and everywhere. Since I am having good luck here I though I'd try and figure out why they are hanging around there while other areas don't seem to be holding fish reliably. Anyway that is just my findings. I may be off base so please let me know if I am.
As the sky got darker I figured I'd start paddling back. The sky went from almost clear to dark to Thunder and lightning to sheets of rain with wind that I just couldn't imagine. The water kicked up in this small Creek and it looked like a miniature version of the "Perfect Storm". Luckily it was off my side and not in my face. If it were in my face there would have been no way that I'd make it back. I was having a blast paddling in it. Then the lightning started and I got quite concerned. It never got really close but it was close enough that the sound hurt my ears. It was, by far, the worst weather I've ever been out fishing in. It was very exhilarating to say the least but I'll admit I was puckered up for a good portion of my paddle back.

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