Hooray for the Freshwater Drum!

"Oh, it's just a drum."  I have heard those exact words quite a few times while fishing here in Missouri and it donned on me today; why do people dislike the freshwater drum?  Let's look at why people dislike this widely distributed fish and why I think we need to reshape our thinking.

A freshwater drum that I caught on a jigging spoon in Blue Springs Lake

They're Trash Fish

Many people lump freshwater drum into the "rough fish" category which also includes carp and gar.  This means that the fish is rarely eaten and not pursued by anglers very often as a result.  Also, to some, they are not considered to be "pretty".  Their color is drab and lacking in stripes, markings, vibrant colors, or desirable features.  Speaking of features, I have a feeling that the unique lips of the drum are not helping its case.  They are a little "carp-like" and rubbery which makes anglers unsure of how to handle them.  If you add all of those things together, then some folks would have a case to call a freshwater drum less that desirable or a "trash" fish.

The Misunderstood Freshwater Drum

A young man that seems happy to have caught a drum.  He gets how cool drum can be!  Way to go Kyle!

Last time I checked, fishing is supposed to be fun and the best part of fishing is catching fish.  From the bite, to the fight, and the uncertainty of what is on the end of the line is fun and exciting.  Thus, catching freshwater drum should be fun.  Next, drum get big.  They can weigh up to 40 pounds in Missouri according to the Missouri Department of Conservation.  Honestly, I don't care what species of fish I catch if it is big and fights hard.  Also, they live all over the place in Missouri.  Lakes, creeks, streams, and rivers can be home to drum and water can be clear or muddy.

How could I mention how cool drum fishing is without mentioning their namesake.  They make a cool "drumming" sound which is associated with muscles and their swim bladder.  I'll be honest here, I can't elaborate on how they make the drumming sound any more because I don't really understand it.  All I know is that it is a cool sound and makes catching a drum fun.

What some don't realize about the freshwater drum is that they are the smaller cousin to the redfish which people flock to Louisiana and Florida to catch.  They have similar body types and versatile feeding habits in common but the freshwater drum is lacking the bronze coloring that make the redfish more attractive.

Finally, freshwater drum eat a wide variety of prey and can be caught on live bait, artificial lures, and flies.  I have caught them on nightcrawlers while catfishing, trolling crankbaits for white bass, and on jigging spoons while fishing for hybrids but I also have a friend that has caught them on flies.  MDC says that they focus on baitfish, crayfish, and large aquatic insects so if you decide to target this species, lures that imitate these organisms would be a good place to start.

In Closing
The freshwater drum isn't all bad and can make a fishing trip unique and memorable.  Catching a fish that can get big, fights hard, and makes silly noises is fun.  While they might look a little drab, I would challenge you to hold a drum so that sunlight reflects off of their scales and count how many colors you can see.  You might be surprised how pretty they are if you look a little deeper.  I have caught a few of these fish in the past and I would love to add them to my list of fish I have caught on a fly and even a small drum could be a "trophy" fish if you can claim it as some sort of accomplishment or memorable experience.

As always, if you have any good pictures of drum that you have caught, feel free to email or comment about your drum fishing experiences below.  If you want to learn about more reasons to fish for freshwater drum, you might want to read 6 Reasons to Fish for Freshwater Drum by Keith Sutton.