[BigJeff823]

Has anybody caught any Drum down there before;whats the best time of year to catch them?I know the Drum come in after the Croaker move in.Could it be possible to catch Drum there in May?I wouln't mind trying?

 

[sand flea]

This becomes a topic of discussion every May. The big drum do indeed come up the Choptank to spawn every year, and about once a week some poor unsuspecting bottom fisherman ties into one. Very rarely are the fish landed.

I tried this last year and I'll probably try again this year, but keep in mind that the odds are really stacked against you.

 

[HuskyMD]

sand flea, what do you try with? bait?

I am thinking of going there this weekend, and I am going to try livelining (assuming I can catch some fresh perch or please some spot please).

I'm gonna have my Penn Jigmaster loader up with 20 or 25 lb test with a large circle hook.

who knows...although probably too early.

 

[FL FISHERMAN]

Whooaaa! Are we talking about black drum or red drum. Cause I am down for both. We should get together and head down there. I can't do it this weekend (my turn with the kids) But maybe next weekend. I think with some of my rigs I got now I have a good chance on landing one of them bad boys!!!!

 

[BigJeff823]

Crabs and Clam are good bait on a big circle hook.The big Black Drum show up in the bay for a few weeks in May,then they mysteroiusly dissapear.I wonder if I can hook into one;the time seems to be about right.I might try within 2 weeks. Wish me luck. if I go down there.

 

[Manayunk Jake]

Greetings All!

Black drum are being caught off Slaughter Beach in DE, so they should also be in the Chesapeake now. The traditional Chesapeake hot spot for black drum is Stone Rock, not far from the mouth of the 'Tank. As I pointed out in another post, the drum family are very tolerant of sweetwater for prolonged periods, so I wouldn't doubt the possibility of black drum at the bridge/pier in Spring. The traditional bait is one or more surf clams on a 9/0 hook, but 60 lb drum have been caught on squid strips while drifting for fluke, weaks, and croaker. Finicky black drum can't resist a hook full of large shrimp. Many drum fishermen tie their baits onto the hook with thread (like Ghost Cocoon) because drum like to mouth a bait before tossing it back in their throats. Just think of them as oversized carp on steroids....

Once the spawn is over, the majority of big drum move out of the bays and parallel beaches, sometimes surprising snoozing surf fishermen (or pulling their rigs in the drink!) Baby black drum around 5 pounds or so are caught in the bays during August and September. These fish have been around for tens of thousands of years, and nobody really knows how long it takes for them to reach sexual maturity. Please treat them with a little respect -- if you're not going to eat the fish, release it after a good picture shoot. I hate it when these big fish end up in dumpsters....