How To Catch Black Drum: Tips & Tricks From The Captain

Black Drum are an incredibly strong inshore fish that are targeted by thousands of anglers every year. Let’s take a look at how to catch Black Drum as well as what to use and where to find them. 

How To Catch Black Drum

Black Drum are caught on inshore & nearshore structures using the “cast & wait” technique. Black Drum are typically caught using fresh bait on a Carolina Rig with a medium fishing setup. Black Drum are the most prevalent inshore during summer when they are best known to feed on crabs. 

There are various fishing techniques that are used to catch Black Drum but the one technique that is responsible for 90% of the Black Drum caught is the  “cast and wait” technique.This technique involves casting a live or fresh cut bait out into the area you are targeting the fish. It is best to cast your bait near the area you are targeting and allow the current to carry your bait back, into the “strike zone”. Letting your bait drift into the area of the fish decreases the chances of spooking the fish. 

When using the cast and wait technique it is important to understand that Black Drum’s eyesight is subpar, requiring them to rely heavily on their sense of smell to find their next meal. Because of this, it is essential that the bait you are using be fresh. Fresh bait will release the natural smell Black Drum are searching for. Since Black Drum rely heavily on their sense of smell, chumming up the water with cut bait is a great way to get the fish biting in your area. 

Since Black Drum are bottom feeders frequently found in areas with moving water, make sure your fishing rig includes a sinker to hold your bait on the bottom. Depending on the depth you are fishing and the strength of the current in the area, you will need a 2-4 ounce sinker to hold the bottom. When your rig is stationary in the water your bait will create a scent trail down current that will eventually attract a passing fish.  

Catching Black Drum With Artificial Lures

Though it is less successful, Black Drum can be caught on artificial lures in the backwater. When using artificial, I suggest using scented lures with a slow retrieval. Scented lures are a great way to assist the Drum in finding your bait and the slow retrieval matches the manner in which they forage for food. 

When fishing for Black Drum in the Backwater, one of the fishiest areas to target will be on the mudflats. Black Drum will congregate in large schools on the flats as they are foraging for food on the bottom. When they are feeding they can easily be spotted as their tails create motion on top of the water. Mudflats are typically very shallow so this manner of fishing is most popular among kayakers and those fishing from small flats boats. 

How To Catch Massive Black Drum

If you are interested in catching monster Black Drum, you will have your best chances targeting them on structures near passes. One of the fishiest structures that hold large Black Drum are bridge pilings. We fish these pilings using medium to medium-heavy tackle and using a half-blue crab as bait. Since currents are usually strongest as they are moving through the pass, it is best to use a larger sinker, ranging from 3-5 ounces. Using larger weights helps keep the bait near the pilling, which is very important. Once you drop down your bait, the bite typically only takes two to three minutes if they are there. If you are not having any luck, move to another pilling and repeat the process. 

It is important to mention that if you are fishing for larger Black Drum, you will want to increase your overall tackle size. Mature Black Drum can easily exceed 50” in length making for a difficult fish to land if you are fishing light to moderate tackle. If you are fishing for the bridge for large Drum, use a medium-heavy to heavy fishing rod with a heavy duty reel, either spinning or conventional spooled with 40lb+ braid. The type of reel does not matter but you will want at least 20lb to help turn these beasts before they can break you off on the piling. 

Since these fish are targeted close to pilling it is essential to tie a 3’ to 6’ fluorocarbon leader section to your rig. Fluorocarbon is extremely abrasion resistant giving you the ability to fight these large fish near sharp structures without them breaking you off. 

Expert Tips On Catching Black Drum

1. Smelly bait is key: When you are targeting Black Drum it is essential that your bait be as fresh as possible. If you can, bring live bait with you and start the chunking process as you are headed out to your fishing location. The fresher the bait is, the more natural the smell is, resulting in increased chances of hooking up. 
2. Fishing the bottom: Black Drum are bottom feeders spending almost the entire portion of their day foraging the bottom for food. To take advantage of this, make sure to add a sinker to your fishing setup to keep your bait on the bottom where the Black drum will eventually come across your bait. 
3. Find them on the flats: At low tide, head over to the flats to spot tailing drums. Black Drum can be easily spotted as their tails break the surface of the water as they are feeding head down on the flats. Once you locate the drum on the flats, cast just past the fish and wait for them to stumble upon your bait. 
4. Check the tides: Black Drum are the most active eating when there is a heavy fluctuation in tidal movement. If you can time your fishing trip to take advantage of a rising or falling tide, you will dramatically increase your chances of catching Black Drum. 
5. Take it Slow: If you are fishing for Black Drum using artificial lures, it is essential to have a slow retrieval. Black Drum are slow-moving feeders rarely known to dart after moving baits. 
6. Chum them up: If you have a spot that you know periodically holds Black Drum, you can have great success catching them by chumming up the waters. When we pull up to a new spot we throw handfuls of cut shrimp directly where we are going to make our first cast. 
7. Cut bait is a must in murky waters: When you are fishing murky waters you will want to forget using live bait and go directly to cut bait. Black Drums’ eyesight is already subpar and the moment water conditions become murky they rely almost entirely on smell. If you are fishing with live shrimp you can simply break off their tails to help add additional scent to the water. 

Top Baits For Black Drum

• Blue Crab (cut in half) 
• Fiddler Crabs
• Shrimp 
• Sand Fleas 
• Baitfish (varying species) 
• Ladyfish (chunked) 
• Mullet (chunked) 

Top Fishing Lures For Black Drum

• 4” Shrimp New Penny Gulp 
• Redfish Magic 
• Paddle Tail 

When Can You Catch Black Drum?

Black Drum can be caught year-round but are most active feeding in the early mornings during Spring. Black Drum are known to predominantly feed when tides are moving, especially on a falling high tide. 

Pullquote: 

92% of Florida Fishing Captains stated March was the fishiest time of year to target Black Drum 

independent poll performed by fishinvestigator.com

Where Do You Catch Black Drum?

Black Drum are caught fishing shallow water structures including; docks, mangroves, navigational markers, bridges, and jetties in 4’ to 10’ of water. Black Drum inhabit tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters and are best known for their presence in the subtropics. 

Best Fishing Spots for Black Drum

• Jetties 
• Bridge Pilings 
• Flats 
• Mangroves 
• Navigational Markers 
• Oyster Bars 

Best Fishing Tackle For Catching Black Drum

Choosing the correct fishing tackle for Black Drum can dramatically increase your productivity fishing on the water.

Best Fishing Rod For Black Drum 

The best fishing rod setup for catching Black Drum is a medium weight, 7’ to 7’6 spinning rod with a line weight rating of 15lb+. One rod, in particular, I have always loved fishing, especially when targeting drums in the backwater, is the St.Croix Triumph. 

Best Fishing Reel For Black Drum

When it comes to targeting Black Drum, using a 3000 to 4000 size reel is ideal. Black Drum can vary dramatically in size and overall fighting strength so it is essential that your reel has sufficient drag to turn these fish before they are able to break you off on adjacent structures. I would recommend choosing a reel with at least a 15lb max drag rating and a solid line capacity. One reel that has always impressed me is the Penn Battle, both in the 30000 and 4000 sizes. Both reels have smooth drags and have outlasted many of the more expensive reels I have fished over the years. 

In fact, I have an original Penn Battle that is over 10 years old that has been fished for over a 1000 hours that is still working as good as the day I bought it. 

Best Line To Use For Black Drum

When fishing for Black Drum, using the correct line can significantly increase the amount of fish you are able to land. I recommend using a 20lb braid that is abrasion resistant like Power Pro’s Superslick V2. 

If you have targeted Black Drum before, you will understand why I recommend choosing a braid with superior abrasion resistance. 

What size Leader To Use For Black Drum 

A 20lb fluorocarbon leader is the best leader to use when targeting Black Drum. If you are targeting large Balck Drum, you can increase your leader size up to 40lb. 

What Size Hooks For Black Drum? 

The ideal hook size for fishing for Black Drum is a 3/0 which is about ¾” in diameter. If you are targeting large Black Drum, you will want to increase your hook size to match your bait presentation. 

Let’s take a deeper look at how to catch Black Drum by learning more about the species as a whole.

What Are Black Drum?

Pogonias Cromis, often referred to by anglers as Black Drum, Drum, and Banded Drum, are an inshore dwelling fish that are found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters. Juvenile Black Drum have light stripes that run along their bodies similar to the stripes found on Sheepshead that slowly disappear as the fish hits maturity. Mature Black Drum are often a dark grey in color with their colors slowly fading to a lighter grey on their bellies.

 A couple of notable characteristics of the Black Drum include their hunched back and chin barbels which are finger-like appendix’s that are fixed below the fish’s jaw used to assist the drum in locating its best meal. 

Natural Black Drum Diet

• Mollusk 
• Crustaceans 
• Shrimp 
• Baitfish (various species) 

Is Black Drum Good To Eat? 

Black Drum are low to moderate table fare. Most people do not like their firm and fishy fillets. Also they are littered with parasites, anglers that do decide to keep the fish, often only keep the smaller ones that are a little more palatable.  

Is Black Drum High In Mercury? 

According to the EPA, Black Drum are low in mercury content coming in at  .078 PPM. which is almost a third of the mercury found in Redfish being one of its close relatives. 

Is Black Drum Toxic? 

Black Drum are not toxic. Though they are host to many parasitic worms. The worms themselves are not harmful to humans. 

Are Black Drum Related To Red Drum?

Black Drum and Red Drum are related and share many notable characteristics including body shape, diet, and migration patterns. It is important to mention that both the Black Drum and Red Drum are in the croaker family. 

Does Black Drum Have Scales? 

Black Drum have large Ctenoid scales measuring over ½” in mature fish that start from the fish’s gill plate and end at the base of their tails. 

Do Black Drum Have Teeth? 

Black Drum have Pharyngeal teeth that are located midway back on their mouths. The Pharyngeal teeth have a cobblestone appearance and are used to crush the hard-shelled creatures Black Drum are known to consume. 

Black Drum Size & Bag Limit 

Black Drum size is bag limit varies depending on where the fish is being targeted. In Georgia, you can harvest up to 15 Black Drum, where in Florida you are only able to harvest 5.