# Freshwater Drum on the fly...



## jhammer (Jun 13, 2011)

Had a blast this morning catching these guys. Caught over 50 in three hours. Not very big, but entertaining on a 6 weight.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Nice! I've only caught one on the fly but it fought great! Definitely not a trash fish in my book


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## Andrew S (Jul 7, 2011)

Neat! I'm not sure I've even seen one yet, but I'd definitely fish for them if had them around. In California we used to catch a number of very similar members of the drum family, particularly California corbina and yellow-finned croakers. 

Why anybody would consider a freshwater drum a "trash fish" is beyond me, when you consider how much energy people devote to red fish, which is also a drum.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I've had some really, really big drum hooked while flyfishing. They can be predictably caught in the very end of a fast moving chute of water, directly on the bottom. A sinking line & small white clouser will land a lot of them. They do not fight nearly as hard as a carp or buffalo, but of course they are still tons of fun. To target & catch them successfully is just as rewarding as a wild 'bow slurpin' an Adams.



Maybe.


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## MrGreen740 (Jun 2, 2011)

I beg to differ about the fight of a drum vs. a carp. We were catching them from 5 to 15 pounds this past week on Lake Erie and the larger ones ran well into the backing on an 8wt Z-axis. I tried to post a pic of one but I can't figure out how to. The pic is in my pics though for those interested in looking.http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/comm...ureid=8919&albumid=1683&dl=1312940229&thumb=1


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## jhammer (Jun 13, 2011)

I give props to both carp and drum. I've had each species take me into my backing a few times. Buffalo deserve an honorable mention as well. They're like a freight train when they run. I've not met a lazy buffalo yet. :B


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I hooked and nearly landed a 10+ lb. drum in a SW Ohio river on a 5 weight & it came in with a kind of lazy resistance. I've caught others that ran but I've never had one fight harder than my 5-10 lb. carp. Sounds like others have! Just lends more credibility to the idea that they're a worthy sport fish.


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## fontinalis (Mar 29, 2011)

MrGreen740 said:


> I beg to differ about the fight of a drum vs. a carp. We were catching them from 5 to 15 pounds this past week on Lake Erie and the larger ones ran well into the backing on an 8wt Z-axis. I tried to post a pic of one but I can't figure out how to. The pic is in my pics though for those interested in looking.http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/comm...ureid=8919&albumid=1683&dl=1312940229&thumb=1


you need to catch a few more carp, you will find that a 3-4lb baby wil get you into the backing. A few times


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Biggest one I've brought to hand...


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Really a cool fish if you ask me! And they'll chase a fly! Every one I've hooked has been on smaller minnow patterns with the fly ticking the bottom. I've changed the way I fish & don't catch them any more but they are in the same water that the other predatory species frequent. I believe they prefer a good amount of current.


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## jhammer (Jun 13, 2011)

That's a huge drum!!! :B


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

Trash fish; I could care less, fun is fun.
I caught a 28&#8221; drum last fall on spinning gear that put up a great fight; I caught a 22&#8221; drum in July this year on a 5 wt that didn&#8217;t fight half as hard. I'm guessing the heat and difference in oxygen levels may have had something to do with that.


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## Andrew S (Jul 7, 2011)

I've never caught a freshwater drum, just saltwater, but...

It's pretty clear that even a given species can fight different from water body to water body, different conditions, etc. I got two steelhead last year, a fish known for spectacular fights, and they both came in like wet socks. They're the only two steelhead I've ever caught, so I'm still waiting for that hot fish.

I don't know how many carp I've caught, but I don't believe I've ever seen my backing. I like the way they fight, but, at least where I've fished for them, they simply aren't runners. But I don't think that means they aren't hard fighters. How many people see their backing with big largemouth bass or smallmouth bass? Not many, but they're great fighters. Just different.


I think the best we can say is "In my experience..." when we talk about all these different kinds of fish. Whenever somebody makes a blanket statement about how a particular fish acts, or how to catch it or whatever, you open yourself up for somebody to counter it.

By the way fallen, that's a really big drum. When you say you've changed the way you fish, what do you mean? No more rotenone?


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

fallen513 said:


> I've had some really, really big drum hooked while flyfishing. They can be predictably caught in the very end of a fast moving chute of water, directly on the bottom. A sinking line & small white clouser will land a lot of them. They do not fight nearly as hard as a carp or buffalo, but of course they are still tons of fun. *To target & catch them successfully is just as rewarding as a wild 'bow slurpin' an Adams*.
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe.


You know as much about wild slurpin' bows as I know about catching hybrids on the fly. 

Nice drum!


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

I still only have one trout on the fly & it was a 7" stocker. LOL!


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Andrew S said:


> I don't know how many carp I've caught, but I don't believe I've ever seen my backing. I like the way they fight, but, at least where I've fished for them, they simply aren't runners.
> 
> By the way fallen, that's a really big drum. When you say you've changed the way you fish, what do you mean? No more rotenone?




We've gotta get you on one of these lake carp by my house Andrew. 20+ lbrs. 


They run as far as they can one way and then turn around go to the other side of the lake. lol! 


I started out fishing the bottom a lot which is great for smallies, drum, sauger, and other river species but as you know, those aren't what I want. I started catching hybrids when I changed how I swung flies so they're in the middle or upper portion of the water column, or as I like to call it...the Drum Free Zone.


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## copperdon (Jun 3, 2011)

Nice pics!

I don't really get the whole "trash" fish category thing myself - considering that I release about 99% of what I catch anyway,and while my preference is for trout, I'm not disappointed by_ any_ fish that gives a good fight, regardless of species.

One of the best fights I ever had on a fly rod was a carp that was maybe 3 pounds, could have been a bit less; I was throwing what resembled a stone fly pattern at Mohican for smallies, I put a nice cast next to an old tree in the water and WHAM! We were off to the races. 

That carp fought hard, at _least_ ten minutes, and took me down to backing and gave me one of the best fights I've ever had, and it wasn't even all that big, as carp go.

After I netted her, we both needed a rest - LOL - so I sat on the bank and gently moved her back and forth through the water until she finally swam away.

In my humble opinion, there are no "trash" fish....there's just fish.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

> I don't really get the whole "trash" fish category thing myself - considering that I release about 99% of what I catch anyway,and while my preference is for trout, I'm not disappointed by any fish that gives a good fight, regardless of species.


I don't get it either. Not to start any arguments but I've heard people kill drum when they catch them in Erie, which makes no sense cuz they're native and not an invasive species. If it puts a tug at the end of my line, its a fish worth catching!


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

This whole thread has got me thinking, I've only caught one on the fly in Rocky River, but want to get out and actually target them. Does anyone have any tips/locations on how to catch them on Erie in the NE part of the state? Surf, bays, harbors, tributaries?


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

fishinnick said:


> I don't get it either. Not to start any arguments but I've heard people kill drum when they catch them in Erie, which makes no sense cuz they're native and not an invasive species. If it puts a tug at the end of my line, its a fish worth catching!


I completely agree....i can't even shore fish during "fishing season" by shore in cleveland harbor because there is so much of that type of crap going on and it makes me ill....and it smells awful....idiots

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


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## Andrew S (Jul 7, 2011)

fishinnick said:


> I don't get it either. Not to start any arguments but I've heard people kill drum when they catch them in Erie, which makes no sense cuz they're native and not an invasive species. If it puts a tug at the end of my line, its a fish worth catching!


There was a time when whether a fish was native or not had little bearing on whether it was considered valuable. In the 1960s, the Federal and two state governments (Wyoming and Utah) cooperated to poison a huge section of the Green River in order to get rid of a bunch of native species, so that rainbow trout could be stocked there, thus creating a "good fishery".


Thankfully, those days are gone!


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

+1 for what Andrew S said. And carp were stocked as food fish in every stream they passed on the railroads before any of us were around. How did you think they got here? But it's the same things that we loved about them then that upset some people now...think about it, they can live in an enormous range of water qualities and temperatures, they have few predators, they have successful & prolific reproduction, they grow quickly to large sizes--basically a perfect food fish. But when your culture moves toward valuing competitive bass and walleye fishing with limited time and money on the line, these guys are easy to demonize...

I love to target carp and drum on the fly. All summer they are nearly any shallow flat and can be easily sighted. They will regularly take flies, and I typically throw leech and crayfish patterns at both species. Drum are more likely than carp to take baitfish patterns in my experience. If you're blind casting, drum will often take baitfish patterns a bit higher in the water column too. 

I have targeted drum in the Great Lakes--Erie and Michigan, as well as in the Ohio River and its tribs. Erie is absolutely full of them. You shouldn't have any problem finding them around any given breakwall, though you might have to blind cast. I would use a fast sinking line (or sink-tip of appropriate length). In the summer they are feeding on emerald shiners when they aren't rooting for crayfish on the flats. So narrow fly patterns in black, white, or chartreuse should produce. 

I'm having trouble resizing pics right now, but I will upload one or two asap


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