Black Drum
The Black Drum (Pogonias cromis) won't win a beauty contest, but one thing is for sure.
While the fish doesn't possess speed or agility, he will struggle from the time he is
hooked until the battle is won or lost. The black drum is a chunky, high-backed fish with
barbels or whiskers under the lower jaw. Younger fish have four or five dark vertical bars
on their sides that disappear with age. Smaller drum (usually called "Puppy
Drum") are said to be pretty good table fair.
Drum have big crushing teeth way down in
their throats. If you look down into a drum's mouth you'll see them down
there. They look like half BB's attached to the surface of the pharynx. Called
pharangeal teeth, these grinders allow them to crush the shellfish which they
prefer to eat. They also grind them together to make the familiar drumming
sound, using their air bladders as resonance chambers to amplify the sound. They are fundamentally bottom feeders, young drums feed
on marine worms, shrimp, small crabs, and small fish. Larger drum eat small crabs, worms,
algae, small fish and mollusks. The barbels are used to find food by feel and smell.
Hooking a large Black Drum is a lot like hooking a bulldozer. Most drum are slow but powerful
creatures. One look and you'll see that they appear to be designed for power and stamina. So fighting drum
can easily become a long, drawn out affair unless you quickly apply the
maximum pressure your tackle will stand. You have to be prepared to go toe to
toe with a fish that can easily weigh 30 or 40 pounds, or face a fight which
could certainly last for over an hour. They are caught mostly on natural baits. Shrimp
cut-bait, squid, and crabs are the best baits. Since feeding is done on the bottom, the
basic technique is simple - put a baited hook on the bottom and wait for the drum to
swallow it. Drum will often "mouth" the bait for some time before swallowing it,
so you must wait until the fish moves off with the bait, then set the hook.
