The homely cousin of the redfish is ready and willing to offer some double-tough fights.
By DAVID A. BROWN
Published September 17, 2005
Talk about an identity crisis.
They often are confused for a totally different species, but they look nothing like their famous cousin with the same last name. Such is the case for one of coastal Florida's most overlooked and underrated sport fish - the black drum.
A member of the Sciaenidae family, Pogonias cromis shares its genealogy with sea trout, weakfish, croakers and its closest relative, the red drum.
Better known as redfish, the latter takes center stage at drum family reunions. So much so that the homely black drum typically wears the ignominious label of "by-catch." And as if that weren't enough, the drum's juvenile phase finds it frequently mistaken for a sheepshead.
Though nearly imperceptible in adults, young drum sport vertical black stripes along their flanks just like the bucktooth bandits. Upon closer inspection, different mouth structures and a greater number of stripes differentiate the sheepshead, but misidentification is common.
Despite these ego-denting vexations, the black drum offers plenty of respectable sporting potential.
Available, accessible, cooperative and quite a handful when hooked, these fish are pretty cool once you get to know them. Though larger specimens generally are prone to parasites, smaller fish of 5-7 pounds yield firm, mild fillets that lend themselves well to frying, baking or grilling.
So, where do you find black drum?
Oyster bars and rock outcroppings - areas frequented by redfish and sheepshead - appeal to the darker drum.
Anglers plying grass flats occasionally see hefty drum grazing on crustaceans in water so shallow that they end up with a sun tan on their dorsal fins. Also, dock or bridge pilings and seawalls covered with mollusks present ideal areas to find drum picking around for crabs and invertebrates.
And get this - black drum tail just like their copper-scaled relatives.
In shallow environs, usually when a rising tide grants access to food-rich flats, black and red drum face bottom to root out grub. As their back ends tip upward for balance, they often break the surface and offer visual cues to their location by tailing. Given the common feeding interests of these fish, it's no wonder that redfish stalkers occasionally mistake feeding black drum for the amber beauties.
Elsewhere, black drum periodically congregate in the tidal holes common to the mouths of coastal rivers and creeks. Like reds, finding one black drum often means locating a bunch, so keep the baits in the water and watch for multiple hook-ups.
Wherever you find black drum, you'll have a battle ready to happen. Stubborn runs mirror those of a redfish, except that the sprints typically are shorter.
Fight black drum as you would any tough fish, with firm rod pressure and a smooth cadence of pumping up and reeling down. A steeper body profile gives the black drum more resistance than the streamlined redfish, so expect an arm-stretching tug-of-war.
Getting to this point of contact typically is much easier than it is with redfish. But the black drum - like all fish - has its tolerance level, so exercise the same inshore stealth as you would for any shallow-water species.
A big part of this is simply working with the tide.
In low water, the fish know they're vulnerable to every flying, floating or swimming predator. Even if the drum don't spot you right away, boat motion creates pressure waves that alert fish to approaching danger.
If you can't get close enough to cast, try floating a shrimp, fiddler crab or a hunk of freshly shucked oyster or mussel meat down tide to your quarry.
Cast as far as you can, then feed out line until your bait reaches the hot zone. Factor the wind and any mid-range obstructions when setting up the bait's drift course.
Also, be ready to close the distance by boat or control a hooked fish from afar to avoid contact with line-breaking bottom structure.
Though natural baits work best for drum, these fish will eat grub tail jigs, scented shrimp or crab lures and slender soft plastic baits that imitate worms and leaches.
Whatever you throw, chumming can help your cause. Seed a likely area with fingernail-sized bits of fresh shrimp, and you can bet that any drum sniffing out the trail of freebies will follow it to the source.
When spooky fish or shallow obstructions (rocks, oyster bars) limit your access, you can extend the range of attraction by taking a page from the snook angler's playbook and delivering the drum chum a bit farther. Cut off the end of a toy plastic baseball bat, load a handful of chum near the opening, carefully draw back over your shoulder, then snap the bat forward for a tight delivery.
Black drum won't make the cover of many fishing magazines. But if you can get past the lack of photogenic flair and appreciate the fish's positive traits, you might just find yourself warming up to this humble yet capable opponent.
