This elusive fish is closely related to the red drum and croaker. It is a heavy fighting fish which makes it a ton of fun to catch, especially from a kayak.
Black drum can just as easily drag you on a sleigh ride in your yak as you fight them. Like many bottom-feeding fish, black drum also make for tasty table fare.
I find when the black drum gets over 25 inches its meat becomes too gummy and less appealing. That is why I like to target the smaller ones.
In my opinion, 14 to 18 inch fish are the best tasting and still make for a lively fight. If you enjoy red drum (eating or fishing), you will enjoy certainly black drum too.
When you are targeting black drum in the kayak, most of the black drum that will likely catch will be in the 14 to 24 inch range.
As a result, your tackle needs to geared with that size fish in mind.
I use a 20 pound braided line with a 12-inch long fluorocarbon leader (15-20lb test) on a medium to medium-light rod and a 2500 size reel.
My preferred setup is a Carolina rig with a 2/0 circle hook with enough weight to hold the bait on the bottom.
Black drum use their sense of smell and feel to find their food and forage mostly feed on crustaceans like shrimp, oysters, and clams.
But hands-down I have the most success with a cut blue crab.
I look to fish during low tide in channels that are cut off from the main waterway due to oyster beds and the lower water level.
Many times these are places that only kayak anglers can get to. I also target around dock and bridge pilings and oyster mounds.
Personally, I have better luck on the incoming tide than the outgoing. When you find your own ideal spot, soaking bait is the recommended method.
After about 10 minutes or so, check your bait to make sure pinfish, crabs, toadfish and other critters haven’t stolen too much bait, re-hook and recast to a slightly different spot in the same general location.
When a black drum takes your bait, it will more than likely continue swimming looking for more food.
That is when you let the circle hook do its job of setting itself. Do not do a “Bill Dance-Style” exaggerated hookset as soon as you feel a nibble.
If you set the hook too fast, you could pull the bait out of the fish’s mouth.
I hope I have given some insight on fishing for black drum. I look forward to seeing some great pictures of your catch as black drum is the target species for August for the Lowcountry Kayak Anglers Angler of the Year competition! Tight lines my friends.
Troy Garrison, Lowcountry Kayak Anglers
You may enjoy reading Kayaks & Bedded Bass
