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Freshwater Drum

Deaf Fisherman

Deaf Fisherman
in Panfish

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rolmops

rolmops

Posted
Posted
Zach - Yeah, I would. Unfortunately, I am back to my hometown state. so I couldn't target them until I get back in September. So I can attempt after them again.

I would think that stripers and blues off the Cape and in Boston Harbor,not to mention the Halibut that has moved into Stellwagen Bank,will make up nicely for the little drum fishies around here.Heck in a couple of weeks you are probably a mate on a tuna boat out of Gloucester.

Deaf Fisherman

Deaf Fisherman

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Oh yeah, I haven't going out saltwater fishing yet. :no: I gotta get out sometime soon. :lol:

But I am already being first mate and crew on Roccus boat (striper bass boat) out of Chatham, Ma. I have been running for it since 11 years from up to present. I started working on that boat since I was 12 years old. Can't wait to start working on this July for Commercial Striper Bass season to start again.

They are my one of my favorite fishing game to target after them. All of my striper bass fishing was done on drifting. Dang, I am already missed those striper attack on end of line. (if you are striper bass fisherman, you will know what I am talking about.) You will instantly tell if it was monster or baby striper after feel the attack. :yes::D

Mortigan

Mortigan

Posted
Posted

Sweet. I've seen posts from kayak fishermen targeting stripers there - have you ever tried? I'm in East Dennis occasionally and have seen stripers cruising the flats for bait as the tide comes in. Haven't tried fishing for them yet.

Deaf Fisherman

Deaf Fisherman

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Oh sweet! I will be in dennisport at this weekend. At Grindell, (name might change but I don't know) if you know where it is.

Do you mean, (the flat) that is up at Bass River or what? i'll definitely will bring kayak down there.

rolmops

rolmops

Posted
Posted
Oh yeah, I haven't going out saltwater fishing yet. :no: I gotta get out sometime soon. :lol:

But I am already being first mate and crew on Roccus boat (striper bass boat) out of Chatham, Ma. I have been running for it since 11 years from up to present. I started working on that boat since I was 12 years old. Can't wait to start working on this July for Commercial Striper Bass season to start again.

They are my one of my favorite fishing game to target after them. All of my striper bass fishing was done on drifting. Dang, I am already missed those striper attack on end of line. (if you are striper bass fisherman, you will know what I am talking about.) You will instantly tell if it was monster or baby striper after feel the attack. :yes::D

I fish out of Pamet Harbor when I go after stripers and blues in the Bay (Billings Gate) and out of Chatham for Monomay.

  • 2 months later...
Flanman

Flanman

Posted
Posted

I will tell you that I always thought that they were an interesting fish........kinda a some sort of layover from saltwater. If you do saltwater fishing the drum and sheepshead are not trash fish but they are in fresh water. Sooooooooo .........this weekend I was fishing with someone who never fished before........a young lady in fact from Southeastern PA. We caught fresh water drum (sheepshead), white bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, etc. She wanted a fish fry as she loves fish. I threw the first 5 sheepshead back ...........she kept asking me WHY? I said well they aren't that good to eat but I always had a secret desire to try one. So I kept the last two of seven because we had a bunch of perch and white bass anyway (which we love to eat). We had a whole team of non fisherperson folk back at the camp so I said what the heck............now is a good time to go for it. The freshwater drum is a little different to clean but the meat is very white and reminiscent of a ocean fish. It reminded me of a trigger fish .........I worked through some bones and came up with some very nice white chunks of fish. Pan fried them like the others and I have to tell you they were excellent ..........no baloney. You would be very pleased with this fish. We need to take more of these out of our waters and if you have a clean resource, they are a clean, cheap, and good source of protein. I want to try it blackened next .........its different than perch or bass but its good.

tmckenzie

tmckenzie

Posted
Posted

When my family commercial fished we made a lot of money off of drum in the Alabama river. I have seen 7 pounders. We would sell them for a dollar a pound. Caught a lot of what we called buffalo too. All out of hoop nets this time of year in the middle of the river. In about 75 fow. We never ate them as we considered them trash fish. We were after yellow cat, but since there was a market, we kept them. One Sunday, me and my daddy decided we would see what all the fuss was about, the customers who bought them, all African Americans, just raved about drum. So we tried it. My Lord it was terrible. The more you chewed the bigger it got. It was like chewing cotton. Good thing we had also cooked up some illegal spoonbill catfish. Now talk about good eats. Spoonbill is amazing.

  • 9 months later...
panfisher

panfisher

Posted
Posted

deftik...Yes, they can be caught in and around Oswego....tmckenzie... is spoonbill catfish another name for paddlefish....and the drum, if these freshwater drum are the same as you caught in the Alabama (kissin' cousins to the very tasty red drum or redfish), get cottony in your mouth, they probably would be better in some kind of chowder....I love that "the more you chewed the bigger it got"... :P

BSmaster

BSmaster

Posted
Posted

I caught a drum in Seneca lake a few years ago. It is the only one I ever caught. I never saw one before and it spooked me when it came up. The only way I could describe it to another fisherman was that it looked like a black bass mated with a carp. I have heard of people catching them in most of the tributaries and through out the ditch. I hear a lot get caught around Buffalo too. Person I work with grew up by Lake champlain and she claims that they are easy to catch on crayfish. They use to catch them to make jewelry.

If you are catch and releasing, probably the pier at the Genny is a good place for pictures. I would not eat one from there unless I was skin and bones starving - smoked or otherwise. Real cray fish or tubes is how I would attack them with light weight on the bottom. I have fished over them with bobbers (I saw them) and they never bothered with the bait and the trout, salmon, bass, walleyes, were taking.

If I catch another one, I will keep it for the jewelry and I am curious what it tastes like. To be honest with you, I don't think you should put a lot of effort into it. You will probably hook a 7lb bronzeback trying - get a picture of that.

BTW I know about striper fishing :yes:

  • 3 weeks later...
frm03064

frm03064

Posted
Posted

im surprised to hear of guys getting these on spoons and stick baits. ive taken my fair share of sheephead, but its ALWAYS on live bait bottom rigged... so far for me softshell crabs seem to produce the best... though you will still get them on worms, leaches, cut bait and just about anything else that smells. Ive caught em in the erie canal before, the genesee and the Ibay small boat harbor... Drum are extremely sensitive to temperature changes, so the best time to fish for them is when the water temperature has been fairly consistent for a while.

irishbailey86

irishbailey86

Posted
Posted

right now...softshell crabs or hard ones...bottom rigged and suspended onyour line with snells......fished under the dam @ mays point in Montezuma .....u will hook up into tem plus lb. fish ....i caught almost a dozen last year and year before that pushed 15-17lb. saw a 22lb. caught near baitshop. :talk::beer:

  • 4 weeks later...
tugger

tugger

Posted
Posted

Like others have said

1) Fight like hell for the first 30-45 seconds then have nothing by the time they are near the boat

2) No need to target them as they are caught while trolling, jigging, casting and rigging

3) There is a good population on Oneida lake as well as Lake Ontario

4) Warning!!!! try to un-hook them while still in the water (they **** all over the place)

hermit

hermit

Posted
Posted

I think they're a lot of fun, want to try eating one. Targeted them a few times with varying success. Here's the biggest I've caught yet (from Cayuga.) Got it on purpose, saw the fish in a hole in the weeds and dropped in, but due to the color thought it was a carp until I got it close to the boat.

big_freshwater_drum.jpg

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