[flukeoholic]

last year we caught ALOT(freakin tons) of small black drum,(good size porgy)2-4lbs(compared to southern sizes)on the south shore,inside,while bottom fishing in a couple of locations.has anyone else encountered such catches.i know they get huge,70 to 80 lbs,and have heard of a couple of notable catches,capt al of point lookout had a 60 n 70 sumthing pounders while striper fishing with clams in jones inlet.do we get a run of big boys and has anyone ever targeted and caught any decent size.i even drifted a few for bass and nothing would hit em.they are great eating and for the size great fighters on my light tackle.plus they hold very well in a live pen.

 

[Hunt n' Fish]

Yep, my friends had tons of small ones around Fire Island a few days. Tried them for bait but didn't get much on them.

Kill them all. . . It's the law.

 

[willie864]

I personally saw two monster black drum caught on the Brooklyn VI while bluefishing, one was 60+ and the other about 80, they were hooked at the same time and both on diamond jigs. Lots are caught further south in delaware bay, and cape charles, va was known as the black drum capital. I use to charter a boat and fish for them in May, in cape charles.

 

[flukeoholic]

i play my drum for you ba ruppa bum bum

thats around where we caught our load

.fire island inlet area.i know parts of jersey and the other states along the coast get good sizes

and numbers,just wondering if we get a good school of em or just a few rogues.looking to slam a 50-70 pounder on the deck this year

.i have been targeting more of the non resident species for a more challenging match

.the only way to get smarter is by playing a smarter opponent,quoted from the book fundamentals of chess,1885.

 

[6to8ftSeas]

doughboy wrote:
Yep, my friends had tons of small ones around Fire Island a few days. Tried them for bait but didn't get much on them.

Kill them all. . . It's the law.

Seriously

I,ve heard of freshwater fish that you are supposed to kill but never a saltwater fish. Why?

 

[janus]

6to8ftSeas wrote:
doughboy wrote:
Yep, my friends had tons of small ones around Fire Island a few days. Tried them for bait but didn't get much on them.

Kill them all. . . It's the law.

Seriously

I,ve heard of freshwater fish that you are supposed to kill but never a saltwater fish. Why?

I'm curious too.

 

[636943]

IIRC, its some old relic law. Because they eat clams and oysters, which were under pressure years ago, lawmakers wanted Black Drum out of our local waters.


I could also totally be pulling that out of my arse, but it instantly popped into mind so it may be true.



Either way, the 5 lbers. are awesome blackened.

 

[Hunt n' Fish]

Yep, it's written right into our conservation law. I've posted links to it before, if you have the urge to read it your self a short search of "black drum" on this site should bring it up. Something like drum (and it lists the latin name of black drum), sea stars, drills and something else shall not be returned to the water alive.

I can't say for sure why, only the original lawmakers who wrote the law probably could, but it was always my understanding that because of their size they were seen as a threat to our reefs and reef fish that are important game fish. A few 50+ lb black drum bullying all the black fish off the reef and cleaning up all the forage like crabs and shellfish would suck (if it could really happen, I don't know)

Every year there are a few monster black drum caught by the guys out of Jones and Sheepshead bay on the reefs out there. I've seen pics of 70-lbers in this magazine.

Looks like their population is growing, so we'll see what comes of it.

 

[WaterAye]

We had a good amount of small black drum in Gardiner's bay last summer. More then usual. It will be interesting to see if they return this season.

 

[flukeoholic]

to kill or not to kill

thanks for all the replys guys.good to hear that they occupy a majority of our south shore areas.i don't agree with the kill'em all(awesome metallica album)theory.yes they may have an enviromental impact but so do we,and i cant start eliminating souls just cause of there existance and nature,altho it does seem justified at times,lol.i keep what i can use and thats the way it should be.i practice c&r but food for the table first.and i still stand behind keeping a badly hooked(gut usually)fish thats going to die.and yes i have been boarded by our local marine law enforcement agents and it was quite obvious with the size of the keeper fish compared to the one fish that was illegal.i explained and was given a finger waving

and a verbal warning.the officer used his discretion and they were on their way,no ticket.but back to the beat of my drum.i really want to hook up with a brute this year.i've been researching online the migration,habitat,and habits of these reel screamers.if anyony else is interested in putting in a day of drum searching please im me.

Family: Sciaenidae / Drums A large family of medium-sized, shallow-water fishes found in marine waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Predaceous and bottom-feeding fishes living in shallow water over continental shelves. Many equipped with strong pharyngeal or throat teeth, used for crushing mollusks and crustaceans. Many important food fishes. Common names croakers or drums arise from their ability to produce sound using the swim bladder as a resonating chamber. 50 genera with about 210 species.

Black drum occur in coastal waters and estuaries from Massachusetts to Argentina, but are uncommon north of Delaware Bay. Adult black drum enter the Chesapeake Bay in mid- to late April and concentrate just north of the bay mouth. Here spawning begins, and continues through early June. After spawning, adult black drum disperse throughout the bay until they begin a southward migration in the fall. While in the bay, black drum feed on an array of bottom-dwelling prey including clams, oysters, mussels, and crabs.

Black drum are long-lived, with fish from 7 to 57 years old being recorded from among the bay?s spawning population.

Black drum Fishing Records

State Weight Location Angler Date

Delaware 115 lb. 0 oz. Atlantic Ocean, Delaware Bay Kenneth H. Smith 5/20/78
Louisiana 77 lb. 0 oz. Gulf of Mexico Timmy Darcey 4/1/75
Maryland 103 lb. 8 oz. Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, Buoy #16 Robert Messik, Jr. 9/23/73
New Jersey 105 lb. 0 oz. Atlantic Ocean, Slaughter's Beach George Newett 1995
South Carolina 89 lb. 0 oz. Atlantic Ocean, Port Royal W. P. Buquet 1978
Texas 81 lb. 0 oz. Gulf of Mexico Wally Escobar Jr.

 

[AdirondackBill]

Caught a bunch of small ones last season on the north side of the bay opposite the Babylon Town pool.

 

[flukeoholic]

ludwig or tamma maybe even a pearl

i know the riverhead aquarium foundation was at the sore thumb doing a species collection.i wonder if they make their data public.