Species › North America · Saltwater › Black Drum

Saltwater

Black Drum

Pogonias cromis · Drum, Puppy drum, Big ugly

Water temp
64–79°F
Peak season
Mar–May
Best light
Daytime
IGFA record
113 lb 1 oz (51.28 kg)
Black Drum (Black drum.jpg)

Photo: Louisiana Sea Grant College Program Louisiana State University · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

OverviewWhere & WhenHow to CatchGearRegulationsRecordsForecastCatches

Overview

Black drum are chunky, high-backed fish with a blunt snout, a cluster of chin barbels and large, cobblestone-like pharyngeal teeth for crushing shellfish. Juveniles wear bold black vertical bars that fade to bronze-gray or near-black on adults. They range from Nova Scotia to Florida and throughout the Gulf of Mexico, with the biggest populations from Chesapeake Bay south and along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Fish over 30 lb are common and some exceed 50 years of age.

Drum feed by sight and smell along the bottom, rooting for crabs, clams, oysters, shrimp and worms, and they make a deep drumming sound that anglers in quiet water can sometimes hear. In spring, large adults gather in channels, around bridges and off beaches to spawn, a window that produces the biggest fish of the year. Smaller fish mix with redfish on shallow flats and in marsh creeks all year. The combination of brute strength, year-round availability and good eating in the smaller sizes keeps black drum high on the list for inshore anglers.

Typical size2–15 lb (1–7 kg); 14–30 in
Trophy40 lb+; 60 lb+ is a fish of a lifetime
Table fareGood for fish under 10 lb; large drum are coarse and often wormy, so release them

Where & when

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Gulf and Florida drum bite all year with a winter-spring peak; the big mid-Atlantic spawning run hits Chesapeake and Delaware Bays in April–June once water reaches about 60 °F (16 °C).

Delaware Bay, DELegendary spring run of 40–90 lb drum off Broadkill and Slaughter beachesChesapeake Bay, VABig spawners along the Eastern Shore shoals in MayMosquito Lagoon, FLSight-fishing schools of drum on shallow flatsGalveston Bay, TXJetties, channels and bridges; winter and spring

How to catch

Fish-finder rig with crabSlide a 2–6 oz sinker on the main line above a swivel, add a 24-inch 50–80 lb leader and a 6/0–8/0 circle hook, and bait with half a blue crab or a whole clam. Fish channel edges and bridge pilings on moving tide and let the drum load the rod before reeling.
Sight-fishing the flatsPole or wade shallow flats on calm, sunny days looking for tailing fish or 'smoke' from drum rooting the bottom. Lead the fish with a weedless shrimp imitation or a lightly weighted live shrimp and let it sit; drum feed slow and need to find the bait.
Surf fishingIn the spring run, cast heavy pyramid-sinker rigs with clam or crab baits into deep troughs and cuts along the beach at dusk and after dark. Sand spikes and a tight drag are standard; a big drum will pull a rod into the water.
Jigging bridges and jettiesDrop a 1/2–1 oz jig tipped with shrimp or a crab chunk straight down beside pilings and rock and work it slowly along the bottom. Smaller drum hit jigs aggressively and this method covers water quickly.

Gear

Rod7'–8' medium-heavy spinning or conventional; 10'–12' surf rod for the spring run
Reel4000–6000 spinning or 20–30 lb class conventional
Line20–40 lb braid with a 40–80 lb mono or fluorocarbon leader

Lures

Shrimp-imitation soft plasticsCrab-pattern fliesBucktail jigsBlade baitsScented soft baits on jigheads

Baits

Blue crab (halved or quartered)ClamsShrimpSand fleasCut mullet

Regulations

A saltwater license is required. Most Gulf and Atlantic states manage black drum with a slot or minimum size and a daily bag limit, often allowing one oversize fish, and some protect large spawners outright; check your state's current rules.

Records

IGFA all-tackle world record: 113 lb 1 oz (51.28 kg) — Lewes, Delaware, 1975 (Gerald M. Townsend). State and regional records are kept by each fish & wildlife agency.

Frequently asked

What size black drum is best to eat?

Fish from about 14 to 24 inches, often called puppy drum, have firm, white, mild fillets much like redfish. Drum over 15–20 lb develop coarse flesh and frequently carry spaghetti worms, which are harmless but unappetizing. Most anglers release the big ones and keep a couple of smaller fish.

How do you tell a black drum from a redfish?

Black drum have chin barbels, a steeply arched back and black bars when young; redfish have no barbels, a sleeker profile and one or more black spots near the tail. Adult drum turn dull gray to black while redfish stay copper-red. Both feed on the same flats and often school together.

Bite forecast — Black Drum

Recent catches

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