“Bay & Beach Giants”
By Terry Lacoss
Crabs, particularly blue crabs are the main diet for black drum throughout Amelia Island bays and near shore fishing waters. Try fishing with some of the new, highly scented plastic crabs as well, they work just as good and even at times, are better than the real ones.
To get an even better idea on the black drum’s main diet, the next time you clean a drum for your dinner table, dissect the drum’s stomach. You will more than likely find a variety of half-digested crab parts, including crab claws and shells. A few shrimp and small fish will also make up the remaining portion of their stomach’s contents.
Blue crabs are often available at some of the local bait and tackle shops, particularly during the heat of the black drum fishing season. You can also catch your own black drum while baiting up a crab trap.
Recreational crab fishermen 16 and older must complete an online, no-cost blue crab trap registration before trapping blue crabs. To register visit gooutdoors.com. Upon completion each person will receive numbers which should be placed on their crab trap. The daily recreational bag limit for blue crabs is ten gallons whole per harvester day with not size limit. Harvesting egg-bearing crabs is prohibited.
Blue crabs can also be caught by attaching a 4-ounce weight to the end of a string with a chicken neck attached. Drop the weighted bait down to the bottom and when a slight tug is detected, slowly bring the crab to the surface and net.
Begin preparing the blue crab for drum bait by removing the hard shell from the crab, then remove all the claws. Take a knife and cut the remaining crab into two baits, depending on the size of the blue crab. Next take a 6/0 red circle hook and barb the crab right through the shell and fish the bait dead on the bottom. When fishing in deep water, or sloughs, fish chunks of blue crab with a “Fish Finder” setup.
The fish finder setup begins by sliding the appropriate size egg sinker onto your terminal fishing line, then attach a small plastic bead onto your fishing line as well. Next, a fifty-pound barrel swivel is then tied to the tag end of your terminal fishing line, using a Palomar knot. Finally, a three-foot section of fifty-pound fluorocarbon shock leader is tied to the remaining end of the barrel swivel and to the eye of the circle hook, using Palomar knots.
Fish the chunk of blue crab dead on the bottom with your rod and reel placed in a rod holder or by holding the fishing rod. I prefer to hold the fishing rod, making sure the crab bait is dead on the bottom and to detect a sneaky black drum bite. However seasoned black drum fishermen prefer to put their rod and reel in a nearby rod holder while watching the rod tip closely for signs of a drum bite.
When a giant black drum picks up the crab, it will first move the crab back into its mouth, then crush the crab with its huge molars. Wait patiently until the foraging black drum tightens up your fishing line, then apply steady pressure to the rod. The circle hook will move from the back of the mouth to the corner of the mouth, making a perfect hookset. More importantly, this will avoid hooking the black drum in the throat, or worse yet in the stomach.
Derek Crawford landed the Georgia state record black drum on February 9, 2009 while fishing at the tip of the St. Mary’s north jetty rocks. Derek’s big drum weighed 103.50-pounds.
David Cartwright currently holds the Florida all tackle record for black drum that weighed 96-pounds. Cartwright landed his record black drum on April 12, 2001while fishing just off from “Main Beach”.
A big wahoo bite is now taking place offshore where high speed trolling with fast swimming plastic lures are teasing wahoo weighing to 91-pounds are being caught.
Kent Thomas’ “Finn-kikki” is currently leading the event with 133.20 pounds with two wahoo. Fred Cartwright’s “Shady Lady is currently in 2nd place with two wahoo weighing 106.20-pounds and Fernandina Beach’s Tony Peeples “Southern Style” is holding down 3rd place with two wahoo weighing 91.72-pounds. For more information, please visit www.wahooshootout.com.
