Black Drum

Common: to 30 pounds
Closed Season: None
Size Limit: 14″ – 24″ pinched tail
Bag Limit: 5 per person, 1 over 24″
Florida Record: 93 lbs.

High arched back; 10 to 14 pairs of chin barbels; gray or black colored body in adults; young have 4 to 6 vertical bars; has cobblestone-like teeth capable of crushing oysters; scales large.Game Qualities: Black Drum are notoriously lazy and slow, though they can be spooked easily. Once you hook into one, it’s a totally different story.

Fishing Tips: Black Drum can be caught on almost any type of crustacean, including shrimp and Crabs. They will also hit jigs imitating crabs or shrimp, including the DOA shrimp.

Food Value: Smaller drum that are in the 5-10 lb range are good tasting, but the larger ones tend to get worms, and don’t taste as good.

You’ve Gotta Try Captain Brent’s Tomatoed Drum: Clean fish well, scoring on both sides at one inch intervals. Season fish well using salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice all over fish. Place in a heavy casserole dish and set aside. In a heavy black iron pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add flour and make a roux. Add seasonings, sauté until done. Add tomato paste, tomatoes and water, blending well. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add rest of seasonings and season to taste. Cook approximately 20 minutes. Pour resulting gravy over fish. Cook uncovered in 350 oven for approx. 1 hour. Add water as necessary to retain volume. Also for: Sheepshead, Bull Croaker or other scaled fish.