Beach-Net!'s
Lewes, Delaware
Fishing Report

(February 19, 2001)

Water Temp: Lewes - Lewes: 40' ~ De. Lightship: 39' as of Feb 19, 2001

This weeks fishing tips are brought to you by Captain Les Clemmer Jr. He will be talking about Black Drum in the Delaware bay.

Lewes ,Delaware holds the world record for the largest Black Drum caught along the Atlantic Coast, weighing in at 113.1 Lbs. on September 15th, 1975.

Known as "Black Drum" because of the drumming or croaking sound this fish makes with it's air bladder, you can hear them before you catch them. They normally travel in large schools in the shallow flats and are best caught in May and June in the Broadkill Slough.

Drum can be caught during the day, but your best chances are at night anchored in shallow water near clam and mussel beds and coral reefs. Black drum use their whiskers or barbels to feel and smell food along the bottom, often digging or rooting for crustaceans such as clams,mussels,crabs,shrimp and minnows.They mouth the bait before swallowing it and starting their first run, this is when you set the hook hard.

These fish are large and will fight all the way to the boat. Once they surface near the boat they normally make another run for the bottom.

Make sure that you use at least a 6 to 8 foot medium heavy rod with a 30 to 40 Lb test monofiliment line and 80 to 100 Lb leader with a sliding weight. Clasp with a single hook size 7 or 8 using enough weight to keep your bait on the bottom. 3 to 5 oz. should do it.

Set your drag so that you can pull the line out by hand under pressure. Cast out away from the boat and turn your reel clicker on. Leave the bail open and your rod can then be placed in the rod holder. Keep your noise level to a minimum.

My choice of bait is fresh clams shucking 1 - 2 bushels for bait into a five gallon bucket. Keep your clam shells, they can be used for chum later. For best bait presentation, use one whole clam per hook. If you prefer to use Blue claw crabs, you can use them two ways. 1: Break off the claws and leave the shell on. 2: If the crab is mature or large you must remove the shell and break off the claws.

If you never fished for the large drum you don't know what you are missing. It's an awesome experience, so get out there and give it a try.

Captain Les Clemmer Jr.