Black Drum flies

[AndrewP 0]

In the wintertime down here in Central Fla, we get opportunities to actually target Black Drum, as many times they are schooled up and tailing in shallow water like their red cousins (often the two can be mixed together).

 

To date, I have not had any success with the limited shots I've had at these boys using flies that I typically throw at redfish. So I hoped to create some black drum-specific flies. I wanted to show you what I had, and was interested if anyone had any flies that they have had success with on black drum.

 

Black colored flies seem to be one of the options that people throw, so I came up with these two patterns to try .....

 

First is a bead-chain eyed fly with regular (black) estaz and some SF FlashBlend to get a little purple flash at the tail, with black ostrich on top .....

 

 

next was a slightly bigger and heavier fly, using grand estaz with a bit of black rabbit on top ....

 

 

May get an opportunity to throw these at some drum this weekend (weather permitting) ... but I'm curious if anyone else has any other drum flies that they can share ......

 

thanks, AP

 

 

[Mr. Vegas 0]

I have never tried them but you got me interested

[DavidR 0]

From what little I've heard of Black Drum you gotta get the fly on their nose - can't lead them as much as a Red.

[Panama Red 0]

I like your ties, soft spot for buggy flys...I have nver caught black drum on fly, we used crabs and shrimp on spinning gear...I would think some of these may work, they have all caught reds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

You have to read the fish and usually work it slow, don't bounce it in and out of their strike zone before they get a chance to see and get interested in it. I have caught many, many black drum sight casting with a myriad of flies from spoons to bottom crawlers almost identical to the ones you have pictured. The last trip out was with a local guide and we were throwing EP style minnow flies with a little bead chain at redfish. A few drum showed up and I started to cast to them, the guide said, ain't never had a drum eat a minnow fly. Well, I didn't work it like a streamer in the water column instead letting it sink and slowly moved it in front of the leader of the trio. He mozied over and sucked it up. That day, we caught a few black drum, a few dozen redfish and a nice sheepshead all sight casted with the EP minnow or a lead eyed estaz bodied fiber wing fly.

Redfish typically like a steady, methodical strip with some cadence or a pattern of movement although sometimes you have to feed them based off of their body language. With Black Drum and Sheepshead, you almost always have to feed them based off of their body language. How to do that is hard to explain in text. Just pay attention to what you are doing/how you are stripping and what the fish is doing and if you don't get a take, work it away from them, pick up the fly and hit them again but with a different strip.

Also, hitting them on the nose ain't a bad idea but that does not necessarily mean making the cast on their nose/above their head, that will almost certainly scare the hell out of any but the most brazen fish. Instead, make sure you land the fly a little away from the fish and strip it in to position where it will pass in front of the nose along the bottom kicking up little puffs of mud/sand.

If I was in the boat with you, I could show you what exactly I'm talking about and just how eager black drum can be to eat your fly.

 

Disclaimer: I have heard that here in Louisiana, our flats fish are a lot more hospitable than those in neighboring gulf coast states. I've never sight fished in any part of Florida other than the Keys. I've been to Pensacola and Panama City on vacation but have only hit the surf for Lady Fish. So, what I'm telling you about your black drum may differ from how ours eat.

 

Kirk

[bowfin47 0]

AP,

 

 

Your fly reminds me of Casey Smart's "Chin Slinky": http://caseysmartt.com/2009/12/02/nose-job...for-black-drum/

 

 

 

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Bowfin's post of Casey's article confirms what I'm a firm believer in; it is how you feed them more than what you feed them. Casey's fly is not at all much different that your black bottom crawler/bouncers except that his has drum attached. I know by looking at your flies that they will work on drum if you get the right presentation. That black rabbit strip one looks especially promising.

 

Kirk

[AndrewP 0]

Guys: thanks for comments .....

 

I think you're onto it -- presentation. I got out this past Sunday, but could not find any blacks, but did find a few reds. The one I caught -- I had cast out near the red (saw it tail, tail went down and stayed down, I cast out in vicinity) and managed to get extra line tangled. As I was untangling -- not moving the fly - the red picked it up and I was hooked up.

 

Hope the same can happen if I get another shot at these blacks .....

 

 

[chugger 0]

Guys: thanks for comments .....

 

I think you're onto it -- presentation. I got out this past Sunday, but could not find any blacks, but did find a few reds. The one I caught -- I had cast out near the red (saw it tail, tail went down and stayed down, I cast out in vicinity) and managed to get extra line tangled. As I was untangling -- not moving the fly - the red picked it up and I was hooked up.

 

Hope the same can happen if I get another shot at these blacks .....

This small, unweighted, dark colored spoon fly works wonders on Black Drum

Best thing I have ever tried by far -- they will turn sideways to eat it!

You want to cast past the fish and strip slowly to them like you are trying to foul hook them in the lip.

If you see a reaction -- they have probably eaten it -- use a straight strip strike.

Finding fish over clear (sparse grass) bottom helps on the number of hook ups.

 

Will's Nano Spoon

 

Hook: Mustad 34011 #6

Tail: Black Flahabou

Spoon Body: Witchcraft Tape is double layered & cut to oval shape with "tabs" at each end (SMOKE [DLR036194])

http://www.shopwtp-inc.com/product_info.php?products_id=37

Waspi also sales this pattern of tape as "holographic tape #LP250

Witchcraft made a dye to cut out this specific shape which I can now order.

You can also cut the shape by hand with an exacto knife

Epoxy: EnviroTex Lite from Environmental Technology Inc. / sets up slowly / www.eti-usa.com

 

1. bend hook slightly and mash down barb

2. start thread and wrap to cross hatch to provide texture on hook

3. attach crystal flash at hook bend

4. attach tail end tab of spoon body near hook bend

5. wrap thread forward to hook eye

6. attach front end of spoon body with tab and finish off thread

7. coat with epoxy and spin on turning wheel under a light to keep warm

 

 

[Kirk Dietrich 0]

Chuggar, beautiful spoon. Black with red is one of my favorites for the marsh.

 

Kirk

[DavidR 0]

That is a nice looking spoon fly.

[seymour fish 0]

In Texas, big drum tailing in 2-1/2 to 3' of water over grass/mud will eat a dark rust-colored palmered rabbit fly similar to Phil Chapman tarpon fly, with large lead eyes on a 2/0 circle hook, or a large brown Puglisi crab. Puppy drum on sand : individuals like a mangrove critter/bonefish critter, Schools like any small dark olive or black bonrfish-type fly, stripped fast. Seymour

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

We've had some success with 20-30lb drum in summer, fishing up inside Everglades rives where we're primarily targeting tarpon but seeing big drum along shorelines up under heavy mangrove cover in two to four feet of water where we can see them clearly. All of our efforts with shrimp or crab imitation failed and I'd begun to doubt we'd be succesful.... After a couple of years we began to toss the same big, black flies we were using for the big tarpon..... Success !! Instead of a normal retrieve we just kind of lay the fly in front of the fish and wiggle it a bit with the rod tip right in their faces and they just ease up and suck it in like a bass would take a worm...

 

The fly we're using is a standard big Tarpon Snake on a heavy 4/0 hook - and we're actually using same tarpon leader setup with heavy 80lb bite tippet for the six to seven inch fly with big bead chain eyes....

 

Here's a few pics

[Betty 0]

This 46lb swamp donkey hit a big "crab fly" pictured here.