The Waterman's Journal's look into the Black Drum
One species of fish that can be caught in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico just about any time of the year is the Black Drum . They can gather in schools of hundreds or be scavenging for food on the flats solo. Young Drum are semi-attractive fish with shiny silver scales and faded black stripe markings. Older Drum can hit triple digits on the scale and can look simply like prehistoric creatures hence the name 'Big Ugly'.
Below : A Black Drum is taken from the surf on shrimp...
The Black Drum is usually found in or near brackish waters. Larger, older fish are more commonly found in the saltier areas of an estuary (closer to the ocean) near oyster beds or other plentiful food sources. Juvenile fish have bold vertical black and white stripes and can be mistaken for Sheepshead at first glance, but are distinguished on closer inspection because sheepshead have teeth and black drum have chin barbells. These stripes usually fade to dull grey as the fish grow from 12" to 24" in length.
Below : A 'slot' drum is landed from a kayak in the early morning hours.
Juvenile fish are more commonly found in less salty areas and relate more strongly to structure and cover. In the western Atlantic, black drum are found from Nova Scotia to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Antilles (uncommon), and the southern Caribbean coast; also from the Orinoco delta to Argentina. Feeds mainly on crustaceans, mollusks and fishes.
Below : A decent Black Drum takes a shrimp on a cold winter day
Black drum are bottom feeders, so they are most commonly caught with bait either on the bottom or suspended within a couple feet of the bottom. Shrimp is a typical bait that works well; squid can also be used and is less subject to bait stealing by hardhead catfish and Atlantic croakers which often frequent the same waters. There are times when the older,larger fish are more readily caught on a half or a quarter of a blue crab with the top shell removed and cut or broken to fit on a circle.
Below : This Drum fell prey to a soft-plastic jigged off the bottom...
Landing big Drum on light tackle can be challenging, and since drum are primarily scent-based feeders, there is little disadvantage in using heavier line and tackle. A 40-lb braided line with a comparable weight flurocarbon leader is a good compromise between castability and strength. However, big drum are frequently caught with everything from 8-lb monofiliment to 100-lb braided lines with heavy steel leaders.
Below : This large Black Drum with a 31" girth went over 50lbs, and was released on a chilly night...
An effective strategy for fishing from a boat is to select a spot with a sandy bottom or oyster bed where food is plentiful at a time of day with some tidal movement. Pier or bank fishing should target jetties, structure, or a boat channel near a rapid increase in depth and some tidal movement. With stout tackle, Black Drum above 10 lbs are relatively easy for children to catch because they are not particularly skittish and do not easily come off once they are hooked. Because bigger drum can make a long, strong run right after taking the bait, preventing broken line often requires a relatively light drag setting early in the fight.
Below : Another Black Drum falls for a soft-plastic... this time a Gulp...
*Some info displayed has been sourced from Wikipedia
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