Many of the black drum caught during the Mid-Atlantic's spring run will top 50-lbs., a 90-lb. fish or two will surely be caught, and some lucky angler out there could peg the 100-lb. mark. The Maryland record is 103-lbs., 8 oz., and in the Delaware Bay, a 113-lb. black drum sets the bar. That same fish also holds the IGFA world record, so the black drum run also offers a very real opportunity to set an all-tackle world record while fishing in the Mid-Atlantic region. Want to give these big bruisers a shot? Here’s how and where to go about it.

black drum fishing
This fat black drum ate a chunk of soft crab at the Stone Rock, near the mouth of the Choptank.
  1. Target this species early in the year, when they’re schooled up tight. They’ll make a showing in the Delaware Bay, the lower Chesapeake, and along the coastal inlets by the beginning of May most seasons, and in the middle Chesapeake in mid to late May. Once the runs begin, however, the fish only stick close together for three weeks to a month. After that it becomes harder and harder to target them in specific, as the schools disburse.
  2. Rig up a 30-lb. to 50-lb. class rod with a fishfinder rig attached to a four or five foot 60-lb. fluorocarbon leader, terminating in a 8/0 to 10/0 circle hook.
  3. Bait the hook with a half of a fresh soft or peeler crab, sea clams, or crushed mussels, and weight it with however much you need to hold bottom close to the boat.
  4. When a drum takes the bait, give it a three- to five-count with the reel in freespool before locking up the drag. Black drum have sensitive mouths and will feel the tension of the weight—and often spit it—so make sure there’s zero tension on the line when they initially take off. Expect several blistering runs before the fish tires. Once it does, bring it up to boat-side, take your pictures (and send them in to FishTalk, of course) and un-hook the fish in the water if at all possible, to minimize stress.
  5. Remember that big black drum are often riddled with worms, and aren’t very good to eat. If you catch one under 20-lbs it may be worth harvesting, but fish bigger than this really should be set free.
fishing for black drum
A 20-pounder is perfect for eating. Any black drum larger than that really should be released. 

Depending on what area you fish in, boat-handling tactics can vary quite a bit. In the Delaware and coastal inlets most people anchor up, set their baits, and wait. In the lower Chesapeake, many people target drum by slowly probing around the islands of the CBBT. And in the middle Chesapeake, anglers slowly drive up and down the drop-off at the Stone Rock and similar areas, and wait to locate fish on the meter before they ever drop a line. Recognizing them is easy, since they make huge red triangles on your fishfinder screen. Another way to locate these big blacks (yes, it is cheating) is to look around the area with binoculars and watch for boats with bent rods. Remember, when they’re schooled up these fish are tightly-packed, and where there’s one, there are many.

BONUS TIP: Catch one black drum, and you can “jug” the fish to mark the school. Attach a small hook to a length of line with a plastic milk jug tied to the end, put it on the fish, and set it free. In a matter of minutes the drum will rejoin the school—and you can follow that jug to strike after strike. But don’t do it when there are a lot of boats in the area, or you’ll just end up combat-fishing.