By Capt Matt Chipperfield (Florida Sportsman)
Big uglies, crab crunchers, slime balls. Although these nicknames may not sound very flattering, black drum are one of the best sportfish for inshore and nearshore anglers on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. They may not receive the same attention that their red brothers do, but they are often just as fun to catch and can be targeted using many of the same techniques.
At first glance, you’ll notice immediately black drum have a face only a mother could love. They possess two massive sets of nostrils located just beneath bulging eyes on either side of their head. They have a downward protruding mouth surrounded by thick fleshy lips and grow large barbells on the bottom of their chin. They lack teeth, equipped instead with bony plates in the bottom and top of their mouth towards their throat. Although these characteristics may seem odd they allow the drum to forage efficiently in a range of environments and conditions. They can be found along oyster bars, sandbars, mudflats, grass flats, docks, pilings, rock piles, jetties, deep channels, shallow creeks or in the surf along the beaches.
So, how do you catch a black drum when they can be found just about anywhere? Proper bait and proper technique. Below I will outline the 8 best baits, lures and rigs to fish for black drum.
1. Crabs
Remember the downward-facing mouth, the whiskers, the nostrils and the crusher plates? Those physical features are designed for one purpose: find crabs on the bottom and crush them to bits. Crabs are often referred to as “drum candy” because they simply cannot resist the urge to eat them. Their protruding lips allow them to easily scoop crustaceans off the bottom while their barbells and nostrils allow them to feel around muddy surfaces and smell out any prey that may be hiding. This is often why you see black drum tailing in shallow water. They scavenge around in grass flats, mud flats and sandbars seeking out bottom-dwelling crustaceans. When they find one they will push their face downward causing their tail to rise and break the… continue reading here at The Florida Sportsman.
