Another reason I came to love drum fishing is the size these brutes attain. If attempting to prepare the tougher large drum, cut it into smaller bite-size pieces, then broil or grill it and serve it as a shrimp substitute. Big drum can be challenging to clean; removing the large scales is a challenge. Black Drum. Younger fish are often indistinguishable in flavor from Pogonias cromis, Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Thоugh most of these saltwater fish are gеnеrаllу found in the 5-30 lb. 2007. They are tough fighters on the line, and according to …
Master's Thesis, Louisiana State UniversityA Comparison of Black Drum, Red Drum, and their Hybrid in Saltwater Pond Culture Acoustic Tagging of Black Drum on Louisiana Oyster Reefs: Movements, Site Fidelity, and Habitat Use. When filleting the fish, trim the dark red flesh near the skin (mud line) to improve remove contaminants and improve the flavor.

Because bigger drum can make a long, strong run right after taking the bait, preventing broken line often requires a relatively light drag setting early in the fight.

Small to medium size drum are 10 to 17 inches and have a better texture than larger drum, which have have a tough texture. Like most game fish, drum fillets have just a few pin bones that you can eat or remove. Editors. Juvenile fish have 4 to 5 bold vertical black bars on a light background and can be mistaken for Annual growth rate for ages 1–3 is 100–150 mm/year-1and then slows to 10–50 mm/year for ages 10–20 .The Length vs. Age graph shows how the typical length of black drum increases with age.Black drum are bottom feeders, so they are most commonly caught with bait either on the bottom or suspended within a couple feet of the bottom. Ohio State's Sea Grant Program printed the Guide to Utilizing the Freshwater Drum, which includes more information about freshwater drum and detailed instructions for preparation. Anne Henderson-Arzapalo, Robert L. Colura, Anthony F. Maciorowski, Journal of the World Aquaculture Society Volume 25 Issue 2, Pages 289 - 296 Although they they may not entirely rid a lake or river of zebra mussels, drum do help reduce populations of this damaging mussel.

Even so, drum is underrated when it comes to its reputation as a table fish. Its main diet consists of insect larvae, mussels, and, in some waters, small fish. 2009.FishBase. Bottom fishing methods are used both in surf fishing and inshore fishing.Black drum are reported to mouth a natural bait, so anglers need to wait a few seconds before setting the hook.An effective strategy for fishing from a boat is to select a spot with a sandy bottom or oyster bed where food is plentiful at a time of day with some tidal movement. 2007.

Acoustic Tagging of Black Drum on Louisiana Oyster Reefs: Movements, Site Fidelity, and Habitat Use.
Recent research has been done on the freshwater drum as a possible means of controlling the invasive Zebra mussel in northern lakes and rivers. www.fishbase.org, version (07/2009). Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements of Coastal Fishes and Invertebrates (Gulf of Mexico); Biological Report 82 (11.51); US Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service; and US Army Corps of Engineers, Coastal Ecology Group Waterways ExperimentGeorge, Gerald. Northeast Gulf Science, 10(2):127-137Jenkins, J. Many fishermen prefer to fillet with an electric knife, first removing the fillet from along the backbone, and then using the electric knife to cut the fillet from the skin and scales. The freshwater drum, also known as the sheepshead, thunderpumper, bubbler, grinder, white perch (maybe they’d taste better if you called ’em that), gaspergou, goo, croaker, silver bass or grunt, is a deep-bodied silvery fish with a hump-backed appearance and a range extending from the Great Lakes to Guatemala. Even so, drum is underrated when it comes to its reputation as a table fish.

Freshwater drum  Black Drum is a Gulf fish that is generally considered bycatch. It has been found that freshwater drum larger 10 inches will eat zebra mussels in rivers and lakes. Acoustic Tagging of Black Drum on Louisiana Oyster Reefs: Movements, Site Fidelity, and Habitat Use.

The world rod-and-reel record is a 54.6-pounder caught on Tennessee's Nickajack Lake in 1972. Fish Bioindicators of Ecosystem Condition at the Calcasieu Estuary, Louisiana. Facts About 6 of the Most Common and Popular Sunfish SpeciesThe Bream Species: Sunfish, Bluegills, Shellcracker, Warmouth and MoreHow Anglers Can Help Prevent the Spread of Exotic Species Wild fish live in a variety of lakes and rivers and eat a variety of food items that can influence the flavor of their meat. If you cannot find drum, any other firm white fish will do.

World Wide Web electronic publication. Larger, older fish are more commonly found in the saltier areas of an estuary (closer to the ocean) near oyster beds or other plentiful food sources. This fish dies and its body fat begins to break down quickly if you put it on a stringer or in a basket. You can enjoy freshwater drum any number of ways, including breaded or blackened. The fillets are relatively thin for the size of the fish. For the best taste, you should place drum in an ice-filled cooler immediately after you catch them. Freshwater drum has a reputation for tasting bad, but that could be the result of its diet in some waters.More likely, though, it is the drum's reputation as a "trash fish"—arguably it is not— and its resemblance to such "rough fish" as carp and suckers with their down-turned mouths and large, rough scales. Drum fillets are firm yet delicately flavored, comparable in taste and texture to redfish or swordfish. 2007. Found in waters from the Appalachians in the east to Texas and Oklahoma in the west, and from Hudson Bay in the north to Central America in the south, this freshwater fish prefers river and lake bottoms of clean sand or gravel. Master's Thesis, Louisiana State University, p. 6Black Drum. Despite misconceptions, they do not contact the small Y-bones often seen in fish like carp and pike.

Acoustic Tagging of Black Drum on Louisiana Oyster Reefs: Movements, Site Fidelity, and Habitat Use.