BLACK DRUM

How do you catch black drum on Hatteras Island?

Black drum are the shell-crushers of the drum family, and crab is the bait they cannot pass up.

Pick the bait

A black drum swimming near a pier piling

Right now

Reading the buoys for black drum…

The black drum calendar

Prime
Good
Off

JANOff
FEBOff
MAROff
APRPrime
MAYPrime
JUNGood
JULGood
AUGGood
SEPPrime
OCTPrime
NOVGood
DECOff

Black drum are here from April through November, with spring and fall the strongest windows.

Black Drum: bait, rig and sinker

4 bait-to-rig lines for black drum, led by half blue crab. These do not change with the weather, so print them and keep them in the truck.

Black Drum bait, rig, sinker and rod table
Bait	Rig	Sinker weight	Rod and line
Half blue crab	Fish finder or Carolina rig, 4/0-5/0 circle hook2-4 oz pyramid or egg sinker10-11 ft medium-heavy rod, 20-30 lb braid, 30-50 lb leaderThe premier bait, cracked so the scent gets out.	2-4 oz pyramid or egg sinker	10-11 ft medium-heavy rod, 20-30 lb braid, 30-50 lb leader
Fresh clam	Bottom rig, 3/0-5/0 circle hook2-4 oz sinker10-11 ft medium-heavy rod, 20-30 lb braid, 30-40 lb leaderUnderrated around pier pilings and bridge abutments.	2-4 oz sinker	10-11 ft medium-heavy rod, 20-30 lb braid, 30-40 lb leader
Fresh shrimp	High-low rig, 1/0-3/0 hook1-3 oz sinker8-10 ft medium rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20-30 lb leaderThe puppy drum bait in the surf.	1-3 oz sinker	8-10 ft medium rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20-30 lb leader
Squid	Bottom rig, 2/0 hook2-3 oz sinker8-10 ft medium rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20-30 lb leaderCatches everything, so it is the honest fallback.	2-3 oz sinker	8-10 ft medium rod, 15-20 lb braid, 20-30 lb leader

Getting black drum right

Fish tight to structure: pilings, jetty rocks, bridge fenders. Black drum live on the cover, not in open water.
Wait for the rod to load before you swing. Black drum mouth the bait first, and an early hook set leaves you empty.
Crack the crab. A whole shell keeps the scent in and keeps the drum off the hook.

Tackle for black drum

Gear guides

Medium-heavy rods and bottom rigs.

Take a look

The drum that eats shellfish

Black drum root for shellfish with the crushing plates in their throat, so the sound of their feeding — a steady crunching — often gives a school away before a line is wet. They gather around bridge pilings, jetties, wrecks and oyster reefs where mussels and crabs are thick, and they are not shy of murky water. Fresh shrimp or a chunk of clam fished on the bottom is the straightforward answer, though a soft crab or half a blue crab will take the larger fish. They fight with weight rather than speed, grinding toward structure, so stout tackle and a firm drag keep them out of the pilings. Fish them on the slower stages of the tide when the water clears; the crunch of shells under a bridge at night is the surest sign a school is holding there. Let the fish commit before you tighten, because a drum that feels the point early will simply grind back under the structure. They are often mistaken for reds until the barbels and the grey tail give them away.

Water: PiersInletsSurf zoneEstuaries and sounds
Methods: Bottom fishing with fish-finder rigSurf fishing with Carolina rigFloat fishing near pier pilings