Freshwater Drum.

[BolivarBasser]

Can't avoid them on Stockton Lake.

[wily]

catch a lot of them bass fishing at night. you think you have a nice bass, but when they start that circling swimming action...you know you got a drum.

[BredMan]

I have gotten into them while trolling a local powerplant lake, but nothing over 5lbs. I really wish I could get into the really big ones on the Mississippi River. They put up a fight almost equal to a smallie, and hit like a freight train. Not bad eating, either. When you say pound the big rocks, do you mean drift the wing dams with worms on the bottom, or use something a little more substantial in a little different spot?

Rob

Rob

I troll with the current in 10'-15' of water in the river channel along islands or banks that have lots of rocks to keep them from eroding. I use a 6'6" - 7' medium heavy to heavy spinning or baitcast rod, 15-20lb test line, and most any type of deep diver lure. The old Arbogast Mud Bugs with the metal lips work great if you can find them anymore (the metal lips take the rock beating better than plastic). Basically I use my trolling motor to keep up enough speed so that the lure is tapping the rocks on the bottom. If the current is strong enough I don't need to use the trolling motor all that much. Drum like swift water and rocks and that is where you will hook into the big ones. You will definitely know when a big drum hits. I have always thought about using a fly rod but haven't tried that yet. That could be a real challenge!

[Guest]

Caught a 5lb drum on New Years Eve.

Thought it was Mr.BigSmallie

[Quillback]

Yesterdays paper reported a Drum dieoff in the Arkansas river, upstream of Little Rock, several thousand kaput, but other species not affected. Fish and Game folks are scratching their heads, they took a few away for analysis.

[Tim Smith]

Yesterdays paper reported a Drum dieoff in the Arkansas river, upstream of Little Rock, several thousand kaput, but other species not affected. Fish and Game folks are scratching their heads, they took a few away for analysis.

...and 5,000 red winged blackbirds dead not far away.

What's next? Frogs? Gnats? Water into blood?

[Guest csfishinfool]

...and 5,000 red winged blackbirds dead not far away.

What's next? Frogs? Gnats? Water into blood?

Yeah, 5,000 red wings. And the article I seen said 100,000 drum. Someone speculated that it was from lack of food, and a huge spawn of yearling sized fish. This led to their immune system to be week. In result fish come down with disease. But I always thought a drum eats shad and crawfish. You would think these drum competing for food would result in bass being affected also. Since their diets are not too far apart.

[Tim Smith]

Yeah, 5,000 red wings. And the article I seen said 100,000 drum. Someone speculated that it was from lack of food, and a huge spawn of yearling sized fish. This led to their immune system to be week. In result fish come down with disease. But I always thought a drum eats shad and crawfish. You would think these drum competing for food would result in bass being affected also. Since their diets are not too far apart.

The report I saw said they were all about 1 pound. That would be a pretty big year old drum and doesn't sound like a lack of food. Nr did they look emaciated on TV...lots of high, broad backs. I agree with you if it was nutritional stress there would have been more than just drum dead too.

[zipstick]

If our drum taste like redfish, I'm never gonna to eat a redfish.

[aftersh0ck]

I have caught monsters over the years at LOZ especially crappie fishing with 3" grubs, if we were catching drum then we knew that we were to deep and slow on the bottom in the spring. the crappie were between 1-2 off the bottom.

the biggest drum was 29lbs and was hilarious in the boat trying to get it to chill long enough to un hook.

my rod almost broke getting it in.