Black drum making noise in area inlets

No place in Florida has better fishing for heavyweight black drum than the northeast part of the state. And there is no better time to catch the outsize bottom feeders than from now through April.

Some of the heaviest black drum ever caught on hook and line have been taken from the First Coast, including a 93-pound giant caught in late March by Stella Moore of Fernandina Beach. Stella's 50-pound line class drum is the longest-standing IGFA record for the species. She caught it just off Fernandina Inlet with a piece of blue channel crab soaked on bottom.

Already this spring an 85-pounder has been recorded at Fernandina Beach, as well as several fish in the 70-pound range. A 97-pounder was whipped by three anglers fishing the lower St. Johns and weighed by Carmen Lamb at Arlington Bait & Tackle.

Black drum fishing also is excellent at the river mouths along the Georgia Coast.

Many big spring drum are caught from deep holes on river flats having rough, irregular shape. A hole should have a rock or shell bottom. Ideally, the spot would be shallow all around, maybe 8 to 12 feet deep, then quickly drop off to 30 to 60 feet. Food that drum relish is washed with a tide into holes or troughs in the bottom. Drum station in such areas to feed.

Sometimes there's confusion differentiating between black drum and red drum (redfish). It's simple to tell them apart however, as black drum have barbels (or chin whiskers) like catfish. Red drum are clean shaven.

Much of the best fishing for giant spring-run black drum is had at inlets and river mouths at night. The fish hold in such areas until conditions are just right for them to move inshore. They frequently make an audible drumming sound, which adds an interesting and eerie atmosphere to big drum night fishing. The noise also can lead anglers to fish.

Sandbars at jetty tips and where surf breaks near bars in open inlets are excellent places for spring night fishing. Many savvy anglers believe the ideal time to catch spring drum at night in Northeast Florida is from three days prior to the full moon until three days after it. They also prefer clams for bait.

But clams are not the only prime baits for drum. Other good drum baits include conch, stone crabs, fresh-dead shrimp, small 3-inch wide blue crabs, and similar-size soft-shell crabs. When a hard crab is employed as bait the top shell is removed, legs are taken off, and just half the crab body is impaled on a hook. The essence or juice of a crab is what attracts drum, and a hard crab loses its scent quickly in swift, deep, tidewater, so frequent bait changes are advised.

Chumming is a proven method of drawing pods of heavyweight drum to anglers' baits. Many people simply cut shrimp, whole fish, clams, barnacles, oysters or crabs and pitch it up-current of where their baits are located. Such chumming techniques work, but serious black drum chummers grind offerings into very tiny pieces. Then they mix it with sand or crushed shells and toss it up-tide.

Most Northeast Florida anglers who fish bottom baits for big drum employ stout tackle. Heavy-action rods 7 to 8 feet long, and 2/0 and 3/0 revolving-spool reels filled with 30- to 50-pound test lines are standard gear. Terminal tackle is not refined. Typical "fish-finder" rigs usually are employed. A 3-foot length of 60- to 70-pound test leader is fastened to a 5/0 to 9/0 hook (depending on bait size and fish sought), with the other end of the leader tied to a large, heavy-duty black barrel swivel. A 6- to 10-pounce egg sinker (size depending on current) is threaded onto the fishing line, then the line is tied to a swivel.

Offset, heavy-duty saltwater bait hooks with barbs on their shanks are preferred. When fishing jetty areas, use a leader lighter than line weight, so if a bait becomes fouled in rocks, the leader breaks first and the entire rig is not lost.

Giant drum have extremely abrasive scales, much like piscatorial chain mail. During the course of a fish fight, it's common for even a heavy monofilament leader to become frayed as line brushes against raspy fish flanks. Always check leaders after catching a big drum and be sure to re-rig if it's even slightly chafed.

Spring-run black drum can be caught almost anywhere there is tidewater, from Fernandina Inlet to St. Augustine.

But there are some spots that historically produce big drum year after year. At Fernandina Inlet, there is a very deep hole just off the tip of the south jetties that annually produces some of the biggest drum in the area. Sixty-pounders are taken from the hole every spring, with flood tides generally producing best.

There are a number of very deep, 40- to 60-foot holes in the Bells River, just east of downtown Fernandina Beach and west of Fort Clinch that are prime spots for big drum. A good depth finder is invaluable in locating such spots, and precise anchoring is needed to position boats just right so baits are fished properly on bottom in holes.

Farther south at Nassau Sound, huge drum are caught around sandbars leading into the sound, as well as the Black Hammock section of the Nassau River, west of the sound.

Fort George Inlet, south of Nassau Sound, yields big catches of spring puppy drum, but for some reason giant drum are rare.

The lower St. Johns River, near Mayport, has yielded some huge drum over many years. Irregular bottom just off the tip of the north jetties at the river mouth is one of the best bets for giant black drum, with 60-pounders always a possibility. Deep holes throughout the lower river nearly to downtown Jacksonville hold big drum, too. The Blount Island area is a good bet for big drum, especially deep holes off the east end of the island near jetties there.

St. Augustine has outstanding fishing for heavyweight spring-run black drum. Night fishing is preferred by many veterans, with early run fishing good in the deep cuts and holes at the inlet. As the run progresses, great fishing can be found near the mouth of Airport Creek and Pine Island, north of the inlet in the North River.

The Guano River (an east shore feeder stream of the North River or ICW) can be excellent for "puppy drum," and anglers can do well from shore on both sides of the Guano Lake Dam, near the headwaters of the river.

A few local guides specialize in black drum, none better than Vic Tyson (phone 904-699-2285), who has an enviable reputation for producing plenty of good fish for his clients.