The black drum is the largest of the drum family. It is very powerful because of its size and broad shoulders. Black drum in the 30 pound range are common and they can exceed 100 pounds. These fish are found on the Atlantic Coast and along the Gulf Coast. Spring and fall are popular times to target black drum because they head into the bays and inlets to spawn. They feed on the bottom and some of the best baits are clams and crabs.
Recommended Tackle
In many areas, you will find plenty of smaller-sized drum and for these fish, you will get away with 12 to 20 pound line for most situations. When fishing deeper, you may want to go anywhere from 20 to 40 pound test line. Whenever you go lighter than 20 pound test line, we highly recommend at least a 20 pound fluorocarbon leader so you don’t get bit off as much. There are plenty of toothy critters swimming in the saltwater.
Best Baits
Small Bait Fish
Bull Minnows
Crabs
Cut Bait
Mullet
Pinfish
Shrimp
Best Fishing Rigs
Drop Shot Rig
Fish Finder Rig
Split Shot Rig
Weightless Rig
Best Fishing Techniques
Casting
Drifting
Still Fishing
Trolling
Eating Black Drum
Many people consider the larger black drum a trash fish or at least not a very good eating fish, while the smaller black drum have a good reputation for being a good-eating fish. Some people believe they taste better coming from colder water also. Try eating some of the smaller fish first to see if you like them. If you start with a bigger fish, you may be totally turned off by this fish, if you don’t like the taste.
