Article:
Some say "it's" fun and some say "it's"
dumb. Call it what you want but they are all talking about the annual
drum run. To me it is the second most exciting fish to catch. The
first being a redfish. The drum run has begun and fighting a black
drum for 20 minutes to an hour is a whole lot of fun and dumb.
I love to see the excitement of people's faces. The first expressions
are "WOW"
I've hung the a boat headed for China or anywhere but here. Then
next you hear complaining that the fish is wearing the fisherman
out, complaining of hurt hands from gripping the rod or aching shoulders
or tired arms. Then the excitement kicks back in and they can't wait
to see this monster of the deep. But the final smile when I net the
HUGE fish is a sight to behold, as you can see in the pictures. They
can't believe that they actually caught this fish. Then the complaining
begins again when I make them pose for a picture holding the black
drum up. Try holding 40-65 lbs. up either sideways or up and down.
It's not easy, especially when someone behind the camera is trying
to focus or have you move over out of a shadow or yea, you've been
there. Another interesting thing about this fish is the unique sound
they make when laying on the deck of the boat. They make a croaking
or drumming sound with the air bladder, which is the reason for the
common name drum. You can sometimes hear these sounds while in the
boat coming from the water while a school passes underneath.
The black drum is perhaps the most notable drum
for it's annual run of "bull" drum. In many of our deeper
bays, ship channels and some jetties in the Gulf, the large drum
gather in schools before spawning. This all occurs in late February
and during the month of March each year. Some compare landing a 50
lb. drum with trying to rise a sunken log, (dumb) but most anglers
are devotees of this kind of fishing in Texas. It is probably the
best chance many anglers will have to land a 30 to 60 pound fish.
Drum are found in the clearest of waters off the sand flats to the
muddiest of waters. This adaptability makes the black drum available
to more anglers that any other bay fish.
The puppy drum which are often called "choice
fish"
are great for eating and 5 can be kept if they are over 14" and
under 30" per day. Rather than eating these larger drum, anglers
are encouraged to release them to spawn and fight them another day. "Spaghetti
worms"
common in spotted seatrout are present in larger drum and, while
unappetizing, they are not harmful to humans. Remember after the
huge fight these awesome fish have fought they bloat themselves up
and have to be what I call "de-flated", have a small bladed
knife on board to punch a hole just below the lateral line to let
the air out, while the fish is laying on the deck. While the knife
blade is still inserted turn the blade slightly and you can actually
hear the air being released, or press down on the fish slightly to
release the air. Return the fish to the water and gently move it
up and down until it swims out of your hand. This process keeps them
from floating away to a certain death.
The black drum is has whiskers under the lower jaw,
and is a chunky, high backed fish. They range in coloration of light
gray to golden to black. The bellies of the older fish are white.
The black drum grows from 6" the first year to 12" the
second and 16"
the third. Increasing of about 2" per year after that.
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