Fly Fishing For Black Drum In Louisiana
Black drum don’t get much attention in the fishing world even though they can be found along the entire Gulf coast and much of the southeast Atlantic coast of the US. Black drum spend much of their time in relatively shallow water and can be found as singles, in small groups, and often in large schools. They are predominately bottom feeders with down turned mouths, sensory barbels (similar to a catfish), and powerful jaws that they use to actively hunt down and consume crabs, mollusks, and oysters. Black drum are a fantastic sight fishing quarry in shallow water as their tall humped backs are easy to spot from a distance and their propensity to tail while feeding is a sight that will make even the most experienced anglers’ knees knock with excitement. Black drum might not be anglers’ primary reason for taking a fishing trip to Louisiana, but they are nice to have around and we haven’t yet heard anyone complain about catching a few of them.
Fly Fishing Louisiana Black Drum
Black drum are a “slower” relative to the redfish, and southeast Louisiana is home to a healthy population of them between five and fifty pounds. They are infrequently directly targeted by anglers, but can often be found in the same areas as the redfish most people come to Louisiana to fly fish for. Black Drum have a lot of the same characteristics as their redfish cousins and will readily eat flies. The approach to catching them is identical to redfish where angler and guide both contribute their part of the process with the guide controlling the boat and the angler the fly. Black drum are rarely skittish and shots less than fifty feet are common. They won’t move far for a fly, but a fly presented right in front of their faces rarely goes unnoticed. Slow strips low in the water column and stationary flies on the bottom usually get bit.
The black drum in southern Louisiana get big and have huge shoulders that they will use to pull as much line off of a reel as they can with a slow steady run. They don’t have quite the fighting stamina of a redfish, but fight plenty hard enough to go home with sore arms after catching a couple. Thirty pound plus black drum are consistently caught and multiple big fish days in the Louisiana marsh are not uncommon.
More Louisiana Fish Species
Redfish
Redfish are one of the most popular inshore gamefish and the star of the show in Louisiana, which is home to the largest population of the biggest redfish in the world.
Sheepshead
Sheepshead aren't known for their blistering runs and long fights, but the appeal of fly fishing for them is getting the bite, which can be a challenge even for experienced anglers.
Jack Crevalle
If redfishing was like opening a fine bottle of wine, then fly fishing for jack crevalle is more like opening a shaken can of beer. It is chaotic, explosive, and exciting.