Fishing Frenzy

Anglers seeking easy pulls during the spring season are discovering a new breed of fishing along the Texas Coast. Spring season winds often churn bay waters for days leaving speckled trout and redfish enthusiasts scratching their heads. Expect to see more anglers dancing to a new beat this spring with the exciting black drum run that takes place annually.

"Black drum make their annual migration when the water temperatures get into the sixties; anywhere from late February to late April. You find them starting to congregate in the channels in great numbers," says Laporte, Texas pastor Mark Redd. An avid black drum fisher, Redd angles for drum at Galveston's North Jetty each spring.

"In the past couple of years we've been catching black drum weighing as much as 60 pounds! I find the best bait for fishing on the bottom where you'll catch the really big ones is cracked crab. I crack off the top shell and halve the meat; it works like a charm for black drum," Redd continues.

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.

There's even good news for anglers who don't have access to a boat: all of the indicate that some of the best black drum spots are easy to get to even for the landlocked. "We see a lot of people catching black drum across from the boat launch and at the pier by the Texas City Dike," says Mark Redd. Captain Jake Reaves adds that Sylvan Beach Pier and Sea Wolf Park Pier are also excellent spots. In the lower coast, texas fishing experts indicate that the Aransas Pass Jetty and the Fin & Feather Pier, both located in Aransas Pass are good places to catch black drum during the annual run 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.