Big drum are not the prettiest fish on the planet.
However, if you are looking for something that fights hard and tastes good, the black drum is your fish.
For eating-sized drum, oyster reefs are great spots to target with some dead shrimp or sea lice rigged on a 1/4-ounce jig head. In my opinion, locating drop-offs is probably the most important element. A ledge that drops off to 10 feet on a six feet deep reef is a necessary fishing spot. Drum will stack up in these places.
Anglers should let out some extra line over these spots to make sure they reach the fish. If you just jump over these spots without letting some extra line out, you may not reach the fish. Keep your electronics on and look for the drop-off. When you hit it let out some extra line and you will probably catch some fish.
An indispensable tool in reef fishing is a marker buoy. You can purchase these buoys at a tackle store or simply make your own with two-liter cola bottles. When coming across a hot spot throw out the buoys so you can return there. There might be 50 drum bunched up in a 20-yard spot and that may be where they stay all day. It is important to be able to stay within the bite window to be successful.
If you are fortunate enough to locate a spot that is loaded with drum, you might want to consider anchoring and breaking out the light tackle. I sometimes use a medium action spinning rod rigged with Berkley Fireline in the six pound diameter, 10 pound test class. I put on a round 3/8-ounce jig head and tip it with shrimp then drop it off the side of the boat. The braided line is extremely sensitive and allows me to feel the tiniest peck on a bait. As soon as I feel anything, I set the hook and get rewarded (or punished) with a drum.
If you do not like fishing with braided line you might want to watch your line instead of waiting to feel a bite. If you see any twitching in the line set the hook because you most likely have a fish on.
Right now drum up to 40 pounds are moving their way into the bays and areas like jetties, ship channels and fish passes are the best spots to find them.
At jetties in particular, the drum will gather and feed as the forage moves through the cut. If the tide is going from the channel into the Gulf, anchor near the jetty and cast away from it. If, it is moving from the Gulf into the channel anchor out about 75 yards and cast toward the cut. I prefer to fish for drum with heavy tackle, in the 30 to 50- pound class. Crab is the best choice for bait. Broken in half, and hooked through the carapace, the stuff has a long hook life and is irresistible to drum.
Drum are a pecking fish and sometimes they will not just take your bait and run with it. When you see something pecking on your line, pick it up and wait until you feel pressure on the other end. At that point, pull back and brace yourself.
And while drum fight hard they have nothing on my second favorite jetty monster-stingrays.
Stingrays come in two size categories at jetties: large and extra large. And the best places to start are at any boat or safety cut on the jetty wall. The tidal flow can be incredibly strong in these spots, since a huge amount of water is trying to move through a small space in a short time.
Rays will lie on the edge of this flow to mop up on the crabs and baitfish that moves through. Another great location is the deep holes at the southern tip of the Gulf side of jetties. These areas are especially important during the period between March and early July when the big rays are most common.
Some anglers pursue stingrays in the surf with long surf rods that can reach out beyond the second sandbar. Locating good ray territory in the surf is a game of chance as the bottom dwellers could be anywhere. Good places to try include deep washouts and the edge of large sand flats. I prefer to fish for rays with tackle, in the 50-pound class. Bait-wise, I use cut croaker or mullet most of the time.
On stingray quests, I generally put out several lines with a slip egg weight and swivel, finished off with a wide gapped hook. It is best to use a steel leader of at least three feet in length, as it will help to avoid getting broke off if the ray runs to the rocks.
Rays usually take the bait and run with it, especially if they are extra large ones. A few years back, some friends of mine and I were catching bull reds and rays and had what we assume was a big ray give us an experience we will never forget.
It took a very expensive rod and reel out of the boat by ripping the rod holder right out of the fiberglass. Rod, reel, holder, screws all went sailing into the Gulf of Mexico as we stood there with our mouths agape.
I remain impressed.
(To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him at chester@kingdomzoo.com. You can hear him on “Moore Outdoors” Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI and online at www.klvi.com.)