Spring Surf Black Drum

By Nick Honachefsky

Black drum fishing has literally been booming in New Jersey this spring as the Garden State got an invasion of the Clydesdale’s they haven’t seen in decades. Historically, the Delaware Bay on the south side of the state is the world class arena to target black drum as it lays as the world’s main breeding ground for the species. Boomers average 50 to 80 pounds and reach upwards of 80 to even 95 pounds or more inside the D-Bay, though myriad smaller bay systems along the coast such as in Great Bay, Barnegat Bay and Lakes Bay also attract minor populations to breed out. However, this spring of 2024 was quite a different story.Black drum fishing has literally been booming in New Jersey this spring as the Garden State got an invasion of the Clydesdale’s they haven’t seen in decades. Historically, the Delaware Bay on the south side of the state is the world class arena to target black drum as it lays as the world’s main breeding ground for the species. Boomers average 50 to 80 pounds and reach upwards of 80 to even 95 pounds or more inside the D-Bay, though myriad smaller bay systems along the coast such as in Great Bay, Barnegat Bay and Lakes Bay also attract minor populations to breed out. However, this spring of 2024 was quite a different story.

FULL MOON FEVER

Black drum plan the main portion of their spawn around the full and new moons in April, May and June when the tides are super high to allow for better chances of cross pollination of the sperm and eggs. The full moon in April saw a most unusual presence of hundreds, if not near thousands of drum entering the relatively shallow Barnegat Bay system which provided incredible big game back bay battles for boaters setting up on a clam chum slick as well as dock and pier anglers tangling with drum pushing the 50 to 60 pound mark. It was a fishery that had never really been seen in recent history. Fast forward to the May full moon and things got even weirder. The surfline from the Barrier Island at Island Beach State Park down through Long Beach Island was absolutely flooded with roving packs of big black drum pushing anywhere from 30 to 75 pounds, offering up insane big game battles from the beach.

GEAR GOOD TO GO

For surf fishing, rods and reels must be ready to do serious battle lest you will never be able to handle the brutes. I employ a 12-foot Shimano Tiralejo rod matched with a Shimano 14000 Ultegra reel spooled with 50 to 65-pound Power Pro braided line, the tag end attached to a size #2 three way swivel, a sinker clip with a 3 to 5-ounce Pyramid sinker and the last eye gets a 24-inch section of 50-pound Yo-Zuri Fluorocarbon leader to which a size 10/0 Gamakatsu Big River hook is snelled on. You are bait fishing with clams here, so a super sturdy metal sand spike driven deep into the sands is need to prevent your rod and reel set up from being stolen and going in the drink on a massive hit. Baits are simple. A whole fresh gob of shucked clam is pierced on the hook three or four times and the bait is cast out into a deep cut or slough where the drum are feeding on crushed clams and crabs.

READ THE BEACH

The key to success is timing and tides. Your best bets are to fish around the high tides, generally two hours before and two hours after the dead high tide as the deep waters allow enough space for the big barrel chested warriors to enter close into the surfline. Light to moderate 5 to 15 knot easterly onshore winds are preferred as they push water and this the schools of feeding drum up onto the beaches, though you can also throw in some north or west into the wind direction and achieve similar success. Main spots where drum feed are not only the holes, but the inside and outside of the sandbars as they peruse the grounds to suck down clams and crabs getting washed over the sandbar.

BATTLE ON

Once hooked to a big boomer, hold on tight. Let them dictate the terms of the fight as the initial run is long and sustained, and surprisingly, they put up quite a tussle as they use their big broomtails to power away from the shoreline and many times come up to the surface and boil up trying to shake the hook. The end game is critical as you plant a 65-pound beast into the undertow. Don’t freak out and pull on the line hard as the drum will use their weight on the receding waves to inevitably snap your line if you are not careful. Time the wave patterns and reel in when they get pushed up onto the sand with a crashing wave, then run down and grab the drum by the mouth or gill plate to land it effectively. Black drum fishing from the surf is a serious big game battle to check off your list.