Virginia Saltwater Fishing

Surf fishing for black drum is an annual event for many saltwater anglers in Virginia. These heavyweight members of the croaker family usually show up in the surf in May or June, with peak catches varying from a few days to several weeks.

Black drum fish often travel in schools, occasionally feeding together with red drum or other bottom feeders. In both spring and fall, anglers sometimes encounter these heavyweight fish in great numbers. When drum fish are not traveling in schools, single fish or small groups sometimes forage in the surf zone and are occasionally caught by anglers fishing for other species.

When targeting black drum, Most surf anglers prefer medium to heavy rods, equipped with 20-40 pound monofilament line, Drum fishing rigs are simple, usually consisting of a fish finder rig or a simple leader attached to a three way swivel. A variety of hook styles are popular, with large circle hooks or live bait hooks being among the most popular.

Anglers fish a variety of baits including surf clams, quahogs, peeler (shedder) crabs, soft crabs, mole crabs, squid, cut fish, bloodworms, or other choices. Some anglers claim that during the spring runs, black drum mainly feed on molting blue crabs and will go to great lengths in order to obtain high quality peeler or soft crabs for use as baits. Another popular bait is often called a “sandwich”, which is a combination of both crab and clam.

Catching black drum from the surf can be incredibly easy or very frustrating, as reasons for success may be hard to pin down. Some successful anglers feel that black drum feed best only on certain tides, while others swear that a particular time of day is critical. Still other anglers fish during almost any time of day, preferring to spread their efforts over a variety of conditions.

May is black drum month for a lot of anglers as they visit the shoals and mussel beds just off the eastern shore of Virginia for a chance at these enormous fish. During late April and early May, black drum migrate in the bay and may be caught for just a few days or for several weeks. Virginia black drum vary from younger fish weighing 20-30 lbs to very large adults, often exceeding 80 lbs.

Reaching productive drum fishing areas can be accomplished by leaving from Hampton Roads ports and making the long trek across the bay, or by much shorter runs from Cherrystone, Cape Charles, Kiptopeake State Park or the Eastern Shore Of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge. In some cases anglers fish throughout the day and into the night.

Black drum baits include surf clams, hard clams, peeler crabs and other baits. Tackle is simple but stout, with anglers using 20-30 lb line, a few sinkers from 3-8 oz and a single hook rig. Many top anglers use circle hooks which work well with these fish.

Areas near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay such as the mussel beds off Kiptopeake and Fisherman’s Island are known for hard running currents.  Being in place when a change of tide occurs may bring success, with schools of fish often showing up suddenly. At times the fish may even be heard “drumming” beneath the boat from some distance away.

Other Virginia fisheries occur for black drum, especially around barrier island inlets and in the surf, where anglers fish cut baits and catch black drum from 15-50 lbs. Popular rigs for surf fishing are fish finder type leaders, armed with circle or live bait hooks. As with other black drum fishing, preferred baits include surf clams, quahogs and peeler crabs.

Further up the bay, black drum can also be caught in Spring along channel edges and in grass beds where soft crabs are found.