Black Drum Run: The New Star Of Spring Texas Fishing
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The Texas coast is a big draw for those anglers looking for an easy pull in the sometimes challenging spring fishing season. Texas fishing is shaping up to be the next big thing as anglers begin to take interest in the spring black drum run. During a season when the bay is often roiled by winds; something which often leaves those fishing for redfish and speckled trout dismayed, according to the latest , black drum are set to be something you’ll see a lot of anglers well, angling for this upcoming spring.
“The black drum run usually happens sometime from the end of February to late April. You’ll see them congregating in the channels while they’re making their annual migration. It starts when the water temperatures start reaching about 60 degrees,” says Mark Redd, a Laporte, Texas pastor who regularly fishes at Galveston’s North Jetty in the spring for black drum.
Redd continues: “We’ve caught drum up to 60 lbs in the past few years, mostly using cracked crab – we crack off the top shell and cut the meat into halves. It’s the most effective bait I’ve found for fishing on the bottom during the run.”
Captain Jake Reaves says that some of the best texas fishing for black drum is the upper coast, which he works in his guided charters. “The black drum run is an exciting time for me. It’s an opportunity to get out of my waders for once and sit back in the sun and do some more relaxing fishing. I usually get about 20 fish a day when angling in the channels and other transitional zones during the black drum run.”
As for gear, Reaves chooses circle hooks, 4-8 ounce egg weights and 50 lb test for black drum. According to Reaves though, the single most important thing is getting the bait to the bottom quickly. “I tend to use heavier weights so I can get my bait right down to the bottom where the biggest black drum are,” says Reaves. Once he gets a bite, the 50 lb test lets him quickly land his fish and get his line back in the water.
According to the spring fishing reports, Texas fishing for black drum is good even for landlocked anglers, with some great spots for these fish which can be reached without a boat. “A lot of people do great during the black drum run from the pier at the Texas City Dike as well as across from the boat launch,” says Mark Redd. For his part, Captain Jake Reaves says that Sea Wolf Park Pier and Sylvan Beach Pier are also good spots for black drum. Texas fishing experts also tell us that Aransas Pass’ Fin & Feather Pier and the Aransas Pass Jetty happen to be great black drum spots as well.
Experienced black drum anglers say that if you plan to catch and release these fish, it’s a good idea to “vent” the larger fish to give them a better chance of survival after release. This is done by depleting their air bladders before releasing the fish. texas fishing enthusiast Mark Redd tells us that he’s seen all too many black drum die after release as they try and fail to swim downwards, hampered by their inflated air bladders. “Just take a needle and gently insert it at a 45 degree angle under a scale just at the tip of the pectoral fin to vent the trapped gases.” A good tip to keep in mind for what the say is shaping up to be a record black drum season this spring.
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