Black drum have already arrived in New Jersey, are you ready for the invasion?
Generally speaking, I enjoy accomplishing odd feats in fishing, such as catching side species when everyone is focused on the species du jour.
For years on end, every May and June, instead of a complete focus on stripers, I would at least spend some time along the barrier island shores trying to target big black drum in the surf, albeit with little success. Last spring, rumblings of drum in the surf hit my ears and immediately within minutes I aired down the Jeep and was out slinging fresh clam baits in the deep sloughs along Island Beach State Park.
As the first rod was planted in the sand spike, I began to rig the second rod up – and well – that’s as far as I got with the second rod all morning long. The sand-spiked rod was bent over mad and ripping drag off into the sunrise; a pattern which repeated one after another, beaching big black drum, continually rebaiting and holding the rod for the next hit.
In a total of an hour and a half, 11 black drum of approximately 30 to 65 pounds were caught and released. I felt like I hit all six numbers of the Powerball.
Skinny Water Bays
For several years now, a micro pattern has emerged of spawning black drum reaching outside their traditional Delaware Bay breeding grounds and entering the shallower bay systems, back waters and immediate surfline up and down the coastline with a main focus south of Manasquan Inlet in areas like Barnegat Bay, Great Bay, Absecon Bay and Great Egg Harbor.
That’s not abnormal behavior for drum to spawn in smaller bays, but the sheer amount of drum that have followed that pattern in recent years has been remarkable as even shallow bay anglers clamming could be into double-digit catches on an outing. The recent battalion of boomers storming the small bays – in particular the Barnegat Bay bonanza a year ago this month – is providing big game opportunity for anglers to catch 30- to 60-pound bracket fish and test their tackle out.
For bay drumming, anchor along an edge that drops into a slough and set anchor, generally speaking in the 8- to 20 foot range as the drum will follow the channels and deeper water. Chumming up the Clydesdales ensures a better success ratio as they feed by scent along the bay floor. Two chum pots filled with clam mix sent down and cracking some fresh clam shells chucked off the stern will bring them in. Even though black drum are a hardy fish, its best to get them boatside and released as quickly as possible.
A solid boat outfit consists of a medium to heavy Shimano or PENN conventional 7-foot rod paired with a Shimano Torium 16 or 20 class reel spooled with 50- to 65-pound braided PowerPro line. Rigs are of the fishfinder variety, meaning a sliding sinker clip with 2 to 4-ounce bank sinker, a 150-pound Spro Barrel Swivel, 36-inch section of 60- to 80-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and a size 10/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle hook on the business end. Let the drum take the bait, give a five to seven count and engage the reel to plant the circle hook.
Bang The Surf Drum
Landing behemoth drum in the surf can be quite the challenge. Big barrel chests and wide broomtails power up and can make you work for it big time, as they shake hooks and snap lines during the prolonged fight. You need to set up with big gear to swing, turn and steer the barbelled beasts as the battle is equivalent to reeling in a beer keg through the crashing surf. I use a 12-foot Shimano Tiralejo matched with a Shimano 14000 Ultegra reel spooled with 50-pound PowerPro green braid.
My surf rigs consist of a chunk-style offering consisting of a three way swivel with 3- to 4-ounce pyramid sinker, 30-inch section of 60 to 80-pound fluorocarbon leader and a snelled size 10/0 circle hook. You can also opt to use a fishfinder slide rig as well as you are using circle hooks. Fresh clams are absolute top baits, and don’t be shy to load up the hook with a big gob as many times drum will mouth and play with the baits before committing.
Once hooked, to land the fish at crunch time, play the undertow waves and utilize the wave flow power to push the drum up onto the sand. When grabbing the fish, do not stick your hand inside the gills, but you can hold them by the mouth or inside the gill plate, not touching the gills. When snapping photos, do not hold them vertically, but hold horizontally as their out of water weight can break spines or damage the fish if held incorrectly.
Follow The Signs
There are a few of the hacks that I look for when planning my springtime black drum outings, the first being to watch the moons and focus efforts around the new and full moon tides, especially for surf fishing as deeper water allows fish to move in close to the sands. High tide hours always produce best when the big shouldered fish can maneuver and feed better in deeper waters. While morning and evening shifts are prime times, night runs can be the most productive as boomers feed aggressively during the dark hours.
| DELAWARE BAY |
| In a 2018 feature article in The Fisherman, retired New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist Hugh Carberry noted how these “boomers” migrate inshore to New Jersey waters during April, May and June to spawn, and can be caught by anglers on both sides of Delaware Bay and up into Great Bay. “May usually marks the peak of spawning activity, which is centered around periods of maximum current flow from full and new moons,” Carberry noted, while adding “Most of the spawning occurs at dusk or evening hours. Increased currents at these times better distribute the free floating fertilized eggs and newly hatched larvae up tidal creeks to their preferred nutrient rich, muddy water nursery habitats.”
If you’re looking to tangle with some of the biggest black drum in the region this month into June on the Delaware Bay get info at Hands Too Bait & Tackle (609-884-2248) before the bridge as you enter Cape May, or Utsch’s Marina at Schellenger’s Landing (609-884-2051) just over the canal bridge where several charters bang the drum every season. To join other like-minded drummers at the rail consider the fleet out of Fortescue this spring, visit Higbee’s Bait and Tackle (856-447-4157) for charter and head boat information. |
When you get one hit or reel in the first drum, expect more to follow immediately as they generally cruise in packs. Once hooked up, keep the drum close to you by constantly tossing out fresh chum. A little bit of north or light east in the winds seems to spark a bite in the surf and any winds less than 15 knots are doable for bay clamming on the boat.
Anyone who remembers the 90s and early 2000s knows that the current black drum fishery seems like it’s about at 40% of what it used to be, mainly due to anglers getting ”big eyes” and keeping vast numbers of big breeder 75 to 90-pound drum that most times probably went to be used as fertilizer in the garden. Black drum, especially any over 25 pounds, are simply not as palatable and there really is no reason to keep any with so many other delectable options available. Snap a quick photo and release the beasts to ensure we rebuild the stocks and have a successful population of boomers for years to come.
Stripers always take top billing in the spring, but it’s worth searching out their homely counterparts and play on the drums, especially when they come in close off the surf and in the back bays.
Don’t let their homely looks fool you, black drum are prize fighters and majestic creatures worthy of any angler’s pursuit.
