By Captain Kobey Treadwell
May, this is the month that gets us all revved up for warm spring fishing. The winter months are finally behind us and great fishing is just ahead. Fishermen line the docks with hot coffee in hand anticipating the start of their day fishing the great waters of the Delaware Bay. What's the quarry, 80-pound behemoths that swim just a stone's throw from the docks, black drum.
Drumfish as there known locally are one of the Delaware Bays gems that fishermen target in the months of May and June. The drum are here to spawn , eat, and then leave to migrate south to points unknown.
Fishing Techniques
Fishing for drum is pretty simple, all you need is a stout rod in the 40-pound class matched with a Shimano Baitrunner 6500 or a conventional reel such as the Shimano Torium 16 lined with 30-pound mono or 50-pound braid. The hook size I like to use is a 6/0 to 8/0 offset "J" hook, I attach that to a 3-foot, 50-pound leader tied to a Spro Power swivel , on the main line I use a fishfinder rig with a bank sinker and the current dictates what size weight I use. I want to be able to feel the weight on the bottom but not use to much.
I prefer to use braid with these fish because the line is very sensitive and you can feel them suck the bait in. Drum bite like a tog, all you feel is a tap tap tap then nothing. One little trick I like to do is when I feel a tap I lift up on the rod just a bit so I can feel the drum and not the weight, once I feel the fish I set the hook as hard as I can. Drumfish have a very tough mouth so you need to hit 'em hard.
Now that you have your rod and reel you need bait and location. The bait of choice for drumfish in the Delaware Bay is fresh surf clam from your favorite bait and tackle shop. I buy surf clams by the bushel, unshucked and in a sack. You can buy them shucked but your better off with unshucked clams. The reason is this, after you shuck your clams for bait throw your old shells overboard to attract the drum to your boat. The clam shells will provide a scent trail right to your hook.
One little trick that we all do is take two clams and slam them together, breaking the shells and throw them overboard thus adding more to your slick. The drum will smell their way to your awaiting hooks. Drumfish love a hard running tide so the full and new moon tides are the best for these fish. The incoming and outgoing tides seem to give up just as many drum when the season gets underway so picking the tide isn't a big problem.
Location, the Drum like to eat crustaceans such as mussels, oysters, crab, and clam. Find locations in the bay that support these kinds of habitat and you're in the right spot. This species can adapt to a wider range of habitats than most fish. Drum are found in the clearest water of sand flats and in the muddiest waters of a flooding slough. They thrive in water so shallow that their backs are exposed, and also in the bay waters more than 100 feet deep. They are found in extremely warm shallow flats of the Delaware Bay during spring and survive better than many other fish in freezing weather. They are attracted to freshwater runoff of creeks and rivers, yet can live in waters twice as salty as the Gulf of Mexico. This adaptability makes the black drum available to more anglers than any other bay fish.
TIP: The Drumfish looks like a big meatball on the fishfinder.
You will see the fleet of boats over productive Drum grounds but don't be afraid to search a little around the fleet and find your own little honey hole. For those of you that heard drum fish fight like a tire are listening to someone who never hooked into a big fish when the tide is running hard. They fight hard testing the tackle and skills of the angler.
Beyond the Catch
Drum are great table fare and when cooked right will have you coming back for more. The most popular recipe is to bread your fish and prepare it the same way as you would chicken parm. I must stress here that drum don't yield as much meat as they appear to. A typical 60-pound drum will yeld around 15-pounds of meat the rest is head and ribs.
On the larger fish some people take the ribs and BBQ them on the grill. I suggest taking only one drum per angler in the 40 to 60-pound range as there is plenty of meat for a dinner or two. The other reason is drum are very slow growing like the tog and we need them here to spawn and keep this fishery alive and growing.
Black drum fishing on the Delaware Bay during the months of May and June are trips that forge memories of a lifetime and stories at the docks. You cant find a better spot to do battle with big fish up to 100-pounds in the warm spring days and nights then right here in southern New Jersey.
