Black drum good substitute for redfish

The closest relative to a redfish in our waters is the black drum. This chin-whiskered look-a-like of a sheepshead with gum disease, at first glance, has often been looked down upon by many anglers. Maybe due to the fact they do not cotton to artificial lures and flies like a red and are not quite as handsome.

They are however, the largest of the drums, living over 35 years and attaining weights approaching 100 pounds. They will flat out put the hurt on you when try to wrestle one of any size out away from the pilings of a dock or bridge where they tend to lurk as adults. Juveniles can be found schooling on the flats as do its cousin the redfish. When targeting black drum, the baits of choice should be shrimp, crabs, sand fleas and sometimes fresh cut bait. Baits should be offered near heavy vertical structure and fished laying still on the bottom.

Black drum in the slot size of 14-24 inches are a very respectable table fish, very hard to distinguish from a similar-sized red drum. Once they exceed the slot maximum, the likelihood of the drum getting worms gets higher and the flesh gets much less desirable as well. I have seen a 60-pound black drum cut open and I swear 20 of its pounds were worms.

Black drum have 4-6 vertical dark stripes, hence their resemblance to a sheepshead, the shell crushing pharyngeal teeth deep in their throat, chin barbels and very large scales. As with a redfish, you do not want to be fooled by the apparent lack of teeth and stick a finger down their throat.

Years ago, residents at a condo/villa complex on Longboat Key were perplexed by a loud booming noise emanating at night from their broad sea-walled canal. It was finally discovered that a huge school of big black drum had moved in and was causing the din. Cortez fishermen were hired to remove the problem, as I recall.

As a boy, a high school friend lived on what we called "ski alley" inside Englewood's Stump Pass. His family had a cabin boat docked there and we would often sleep on the boat. I clearly remember one night getting little sleep due to the incessant, loud drumming sound from a school beneath the dock.

COOKING YOUR CATCH | BAKED BLACK DRUM

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh black drum fillets (or suitable lean, white fish), skinned

2 tbsp. lemon juice

5 slices smoked bacon, minced

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

2 tbsp. minced parsley

3/4 cup thin sliced sweet onion

2 tbsp. bacon drippings

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degress.

• Place single layer fish in a baking dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper and baste with lemon juice.

• Fry minced bacon until crispy, drain and mix bacon with crumbs and parsley.

• Cook onions in bacon drippings until soft, add to crumb mix, toss well and spread over fish.

• Bake for 25-30 minutes.

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