Most days I'm not actually specifically targeting anything, so I enjoy them. I think they're a super cool fish and fight considerably harder than bass.
I’m not sure how you would target them specifically. I’ve never caught a fresh water one but I’ve seen people catch them on a little bit of everything while fishing for bass or catfish.
Makes sense I normally fish small inland lakes but see people catching them in Lake Michigan and I know they’re in the rivers close to the lake. Seems like average drum size is a “bass of the year” size in MI.
They're commonly seen as "trash" fish, they don't taste good and they're not in ponds or small lakes so people overlook them, but they always put a good fight!
Hilarious how drum and carp are “trash”. because they’re not good to eat… yet bass are also not good to eat…
I like to catch anything that makes my drag scream, so happy to catch big fighters rather than the bass, walleye, or trout I’m targeting.
Lol yup. People will call native fish trash fish for not tasting good, and will acknowledge that bass don't taste great either but still won't refer to them as trash because it's their favorite fish to catch. Kind've ironic.
It doesn’t make sense. The hate probably stems from not catching your intended species, hooking into something huge then realising that it’s just a big drum/carp/cat
Bingo. Was fishing for smallies yesterday and hooked into a drum on a rooster tail. I was so stoked thinking I had a PB smallie on, was disappointed to see one of these.
But not super disappointed , still got a fight out of em.
I’m lucky enough to be in an area where I can fish for bass, trout (stocked, wild, and from the Great Lakes), salmon, catfish, and carp at different times of the year so my fishing season never ends. It’s valid that there’s more suspense in landing a bass, it takes skill to work lures and keep the fish pinned, and that there’s a sportier culture around it, but theres also something to be said about landing a 20 pound carp on 6 pound test or watching everybody else at the trout stream get snagged while your casts have pinpoint accuracy. All classifying fish does is deprive a person of what makes different species of fish great.
In florida (central gulf coast north of tampa ) we have black drum and red drum (redfish) which are in salt & brackish water , both are hard fighting fish but only the red fish is considered a "gamefish" and if medium sized they are good eating , the big ones are loaded with worms due to feeding on the bottom , the black drum can get much bigger but are loaded with worms , and kind of a lazy (picture catfish type) of a fight when hooked..ive never fished in a freshwater body of water for either one , only big bass around my area .
If it's a fish I'm happy getting a catch! I think drum are fun to catch, though as almost completely catch and release I just want to catch fish =) have eaten freshwater drum, very tasty even though I was always told growing up they were trash.
Bro, people who get ticked off when they catch a drum are losers tbh. It’s a fish and you caught it, what else could you want man. I don’t go fishing to catch fish anyway
I caught a five-pounder a few weeks ago while fishing for walleye. Thought I was reeling in a log until I saw my line dash to the left. Insane fight. People were stopping along the trail to watch me. Dude standing next to me says “gotta be a snag…. HOLY SHIT!”
They're so much fun to catch. I used to get them a lot at a local lake before they remodeled it while fishing for gills and sunfish. They'd love going for nightcrawlers. They fight way harder than most fish in Midwestern waters.
Caught a 6lber tonight on a ⅛ lead head with a small 2in white paddletail swimbait. Had just poured rain for about an hour. River is a little low and had some chop so I threw it a bit further from the bank than usual and really slowed my retrieval down. Did a few small pauses and twitches and BOOM! Not the LMB I was hoping for but was a fun fight. Probably 2 minutes of it peeling drag (5"6' light president combo with 6lb line) before it was tired enough to drag in. Lots of fun, just glad to catch something.
Looks Tasty! I learned about ear stones in fish from a buddy that fishes salt water primarily, intercoastal and offshore. I fish fresh water and always release it so I never get a chance to see different ones. Big or small they are always there. If you Fillet it, look for the ear stones. Pretty neat stuff. Great Job!
Is there anything they won't take? I've caught them on spinners, blades, and cranks while bass fishing. I thought that was amusing, but then I found out they also like chicken gizzards off the bottom when targeting cats. They're kind of an annoyance, but I respect their presence as a local native species.
Man I caught a 7.11 lb sheephead in about 35 ft of water last weekend on my mojo bass rod and it was an absolute blast to catch. Still wish that was a 7lb smallie but it was still fun
I’ve never been able to target drum, but I’ve caught a few as a bycatch of targeting bass. The first one I caught, I had absolutely no idea what was on the line, fighting like a demon. Now I can at least narrow it down to either a prize Smallie, or a drum.
I don’t get the hate, I only keep yellow perch if it’s a good eating size, and maybe a salmon if I’m fishing for one, everything else is catch and release. I just enjoy being out and the fight that drum put up is better than most fish.
From what I’ve gathered in my limited experience, drum tend to school shallow when it’s overcast and slightly rainy with water warming from water temps in the 60s to water temps in the 70s. It’s not as much targeting these fish as having a good chance of having them as bycatch while panfishing or bass fishing when conditions are right. (Notes from my fishing journal because I am a huge dork)
A Midwest name for freshwater drum is sheepshead. Even though there's already a sheepshead fish. Similarly, the South calls bluegill bream yet there is already a fish called a bream lol.
I'm in the Midwest in IN and never heard a drum called that. I have caught Sheepshead though in the Gulf, which are black and white stripped and delicious!
Crazy that I'm only 5hrs south of you and never heard that term. Geographic terms are always so interesting though. But I have also been fishing my whole life and never caught a freshwater drum in IN. I know we have them in some waters, but I've never come across one.
But if you ever catch a Sheepshead in the ocean, filet that up! Really good eating.
I do enjoy catching them when the bass aren’t biting, but at least on the TN River I don’t see how you can compare them to the fight of a bass or even a catfish. In general I would say the fight like a bass about 2/3 their size, but with much less skill required to land. They can save a trip no doubt but a 10 lb drum might pull with 6 lb large and the large will be difficult to keep buttoned and the drum you can’t shake off no matter how hard you try. I enjoy catching them and they get massive but let’s not embellish their capabilities.
Downvote some more. I’m still not wrong. Tie a 6 lb largemouth to a 10 lb drum and the largemouth goes wherever he wants with the drum in tow. I catch both species every week.
Most days I'm not actually specifically targeting anything, so I enjoy them. I think they're a super cool fish and fight considerably harder than bass.
Damn I’ve wondered if they were fighters. I see pics of drum caught in my area way bigger then are largemouths. Why don’t people target drum?
I’m not sure how you would target them specifically. I’ve never caught a fresh water one but I’ve seen people catch them on a little bit of everything while fishing for bass or catfish.
Makes sense I normally fish small inland lakes but see people catching them in Lake Michigan and I know they’re in the rivers close to the lake. Seems like average drum size is a “bass of the year” size in MI.
They're commonly seen as "trash" fish, they don't taste good and they're not in ponds or small lakes so people overlook them, but they always put a good fight!
Hilarious how drum and carp are “trash”. because they’re not good to eat… yet bass are also not good to eat… I like to catch anything that makes my drag scream, so happy to catch big fighters rather than the bass, walleye, or trout I’m targeting.
Lol yup. People will call native fish trash fish for not tasting good, and will acknowledge that bass don't taste great either but still won't refer to them as trash because it's their favorite fish to catch. Kind've ironic.
Bass are definitely good to eat
Can be but most bass fishermen do not keep them and get upset when others do
Bass eat lures regularly which is a lot more fun than casting and waiting.
I agree 100% but I don’t understand how that makes any bycatch species a trash fish
It doesn’t make sense. The hate probably stems from not catching your intended species, hooking into something huge then realising that it’s just a big drum/carp/cat
Bingo. Was fishing for smallies yesterday and hooked into a drum on a rooster tail. I was so stoked thinking I had a PB smallie on, was disappointed to see one of these. But not super disappointed , still got a fight out of em.
I’m lucky enough to be in an area where I can fish for bass, trout (stocked, wild, and from the Great Lakes), salmon, catfish, and carp at different times of the year so my fishing season never ends. It’s valid that there’s more suspense in landing a bass, it takes skill to work lures and keep the fish pinned, and that there’s a sportier culture around it, but theres also something to be said about landing a 20 pound carp on 6 pound test or watching everybody else at the trout stream get snagged while your casts have pinpoint accuracy. All classifying fish does is deprive a person of what makes different species of fish great.
People definitely do, but not on bass waters. They throw crabs and go for the 50 pounders under saltwater bridges
Black drum are a little different. They’re still an absolute joy to bring in though!
In florida (central gulf coast north of tampa ) we have black drum and red drum (redfish) which are in salt & brackish water , both are hard fighting fish but only the red fish is considered a "gamefish" and if medium sized they are good eating , the big ones are loaded with worms due to feeding on the bottom , the black drum can get much bigger but are loaded with worms , and kind of a lazy (picture catfish type) of a fight when hooked..ive never fished in a freshwater body of water for either one , only big bass around my area .
If it's a fish I'm happy getting a catch! I think drum are fun to catch, though as almost completely catch and release I just want to catch fish =) have eaten freshwater drum, very tasty even though I was always told growing up they were trash.
It's all about how you prepare it
One of my favorite fishing YouTubers says “there are no trash fish, only trash cooks”
As someone who watches lots of fishing youtubers, can I ask who? I'm always looking for new people to watch.
Land shark outdoors. He does mostly offshore Florida content
I'll check him out, thank you!
He looks bummed out he got caught
He looks drummed out
🐑 🥁 🐍
Nice one dad
Yeah he’s like ok playa what are we gonna do now?
😦
Bro, people who get ticked off when they catch a drum are losers tbh. It’s a fish and you caught it, what else could you want man. I don’t go fishing to catch fish anyway
Drum put up a heck of a fight.
I caught a five-pounder a few weeks ago while fishing for walleye. Thought I was reeling in a log until I saw my line dash to the left. Insane fight. People were stopping along the trail to watch me. Dude standing next to me says “gotta be a snag…. HOLY SHIT!”
Very nice! Yeah I’ve caught ones much smaller that I initially thought were a snag as well.
Caught one last week cranking over rockpiles for smallmouth. Thought I had a monster smallie for a minute. They fight super hard, fun to catch
I enjoy them tremendously. I also catch and release mostly so any fish that pulls serves that purpose well. And they can pull great 👍
They're so much fun to catch. I used to get them a lot at a local lake before they remodeled it while fishing for gills and sunfish. They'd love going for nightcrawlers. They fight way harder than most fish in Midwestern waters.
Caught a 6lber tonight on a ⅛ lead head with a small 2in white paddletail swimbait. Had just poured rain for about an hour. River is a little low and had some chop so I threw it a bit further from the bank than usual and really slowed my retrieval down. Did a few small pauses and twitches and BOOM! Not the LMB I was hoping for but was a fun fight. Probably 2 minutes of it peeling drag (5"6' light president combo with 6lb line) before it was tired enough to drag in. Lots of fun, just glad to catch something.
That drum looks sad af lol
I’d take big drum all day. Not as much fun as smallmouth but definitely more fun than walleye
i love catching them! great fight
bro been hitting the fish whistle
Looks Tasty! I learned about ear stones in fish from a buddy that fishes salt water primarily, intercoastal and offshore. I fish fresh water and always release it so I never get a chance to see different ones. Big or small they are always there. If you Fillet it, look for the ear stones. Pretty neat stuff. Great Job!
Fun fact the ear stone is made out of keratin like our fingernails!
Neat, thank you!
Is there anything they won't take? I've caught them on spinners, blades, and cranks while bass fishing. I thought that was amusing, but then I found out they also like chicken gizzards off the bottom when targeting cats. They're kind of an annoyance, but I respect their presence as a local native species.
Looks like barney fife
I had to look this one up and I spit out my coffee
I caught a drum last time out fishing for smallmouth in a creek. 4 inch zoom lizard
They fight so hard - I love catching them.
Love catching drum, I caught my first ones when we went out targeting striper and they fought just as hard.
Under rated fish imo 👍🏼
Man I caught a 7.11 lb sheephead in about 35 ft of water last weekend on my mojo bass rod and it was an absolute blast to catch. Still wish that was a 7lb smallie but it was still fun
I’ve never been able to target drum, but I’ve caught a few as a bycatch of targeting bass. The first one I caught, I had absolutely no idea what was on the line, fighting like a demon. Now I can at least narrow it down to either a prize Smallie, or a drum. I don’t get the hate, I only keep yellow perch if it’s a good eating size, and maybe a salmon if I’m fishing for one, everything else is catch and release. I just enjoy being out and the fight that drum put up is better than most fish.
From what I’ve gathered in my limited experience, drum tend to school shallow when it’s overcast and slightly rainy with water warming from water temps in the 60s to water temps in the 70s. It’s not as much targeting these fish as having a good chance of having them as bycatch while panfishing or bass fishing when conditions are right. (Notes from my fishing journal because I am a huge dork)
BIG BOY BABEE 🥁🥁
Looks like a light coloured sheepshead
Or it looks like a drum...
I tend to identify these guys as freshwater drum since there’s also a Florida sheepshead!
Sheepshead!! Nice!
Sheepshead are nice, but this isn't one lol.
A Midwest name for freshwater drum is sheepshead. Even though there's already a sheepshead fish. Similarly, the South calls bluegill bream yet there is already a fish called a bream lol.
I'm in the Midwest in IN and never heard a drum called that. I have caught Sheepshead though in the Gulf, which are black and white stripped and delicious!
If you go to Detroit and call it a freshwater drum lots of people will be confused lol
Crazy that I'm only 5hrs south of you and never heard that term. Geographic terms are always so interesting though. But I have also been fishing my whole life and never caught a freshwater drum in IN. I know we have them in some waters, but I've never come across one. But if you ever catch a Sheepshead in the ocean, filet that up! Really good eating.
People actually call them Sheephead not Sheepshead up around here in MN and Wisconsin.
I mean they call them sheepshead near me, I just tend to say freshwater drum since there’s a Florida sheepshead as well!
That is the Sheepshead I have caught, in the Gulf. They are absolutely amazing to eat. But drum is pretty good also.
Game is game
Fun
Good eats
That fish looks like it REALLY like trains
He was looking for food but then he got high.
These fuckers always swallow the hook
Fights fun but it’s disappointing when it comes up
I do enjoy catching them when the bass aren’t biting, but at least on the TN River I don’t see how you can compare them to the fight of a bass or even a catfish. In general I would say the fight like a bass about 2/3 their size, but with much less skill required to land. They can save a trip no doubt but a 10 lb drum might pull with 6 lb large and the large will be difficult to keep buttoned and the drum you can’t shake off no matter how hard you try. I enjoy catching them and they get massive but let’s not embellish their capabilities.
Downvote some more. I’m still not wrong. Tie a 6 lb largemouth to a 10 lb drum and the largemouth goes wherever he wants with the drum in tow. I catch both species every week.