Black Drum Fishing Guide

Black drum is the largest member of the drum and croaker family, a massively built, deep-bodied fish with a high arched back, chin barbels, and powerful molariform teeth designed to crush oysters and clams. Adults are charcoal gray to black with distinctive vertical barring that fades with age, and very large fish can exceed 100 pounds — though such giants are rarely seen today. Young fish up to about 15 pounds are called "puppy drum" and are considered far superior table fare to the coarse-fleshed adults. The species produces the audible drumming sound that gives the entire drum family its name, especially during spring spawning aggregations. Black drum are targeted with cut crab, shrimp, and clam baits on heavy bottom rigs in oyster reef and jetty habitat throughout their range.

Black Drum is a saltwater species.

Habitat

Black drum are found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Massachusetts to Mexico, with the bulk of the population concentrated from Virginia to Texas. They inhabit shallow to moderate-depth coastal waters, estuaries, bays, and nearshore ocean bottom, closely associated with oyster reefs, jetties, bridge pilings, and sandy bottom adjacent to structure. Large adults are often found in the surf zone and in passes and inlets during spring spawning runs.

Diet

Black drum are bottom-feeding predators that crush oysters, clams, blue crabs, shrimp, and other crustaceans with their powerful pharyngeal teeth, making them an ecologically important regulator of bivalve populations on natural reefs. They root along the bottom using their chin barbels as sensory organs to locate buried mollusks. Blue crab, shrimp, and clam baits on a fish-finder rig on the bottom are the standard and most effective approach.

Fishing Techniques

Best Seasons

Spring, Fall

Size & Records

Average weight: 20 lbs. World record: 113.1 lbs (Lewes, Delaware, USA (1975)).