Species guide · Florida
Black drum fishing in Florida
Pogonias cromis, an inshore species also called drum, boomers and bull drum. Listed for the South Florida and the Keys, Eastern Gulf and South Atlantic regions. Off season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound at 61, one of 31 Florida bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Off seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
South Florida and the Keys
Off season, about 1 more week- Jan: Shoulder season
- Feb: Peak season
- Mar: Peak season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Off season
- Jul: Off season
- Aug: Off season
- Sep: Off season
- Oct: Shoulder season
- Nov: Shoulder season
- Dec: Shoulder season
Peak: Feb to Mar. In season (shoulder or peak): Oct to May.
Research notes, South Florida and the Keys region
Present in Florida Bay, Everglades creeks and Biscayne Bay, mostly caught while fishing for redfish. Spawning in the Everglades has been reported November to March.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Eastern Gulf
Shoulder season, about 19 more weeks- Jan: Shoulder season
- Feb: Peak season
- Mar: Peak season
- Apr: Peak season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Shoulder season
- Aug: Shoulder season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Shoulder season
- Nov: Shoulder season
- Dec: Shoulder season
Peak: Feb to Apr. In season (shoulder or peak): all year.
Research notes, Eastern Gulf region
FWC reports nearshore spawning in winter and early spring, when big fish school around passes, bridges and jetties. Smaller fish stay on oyster bars and docks all year.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
South Atlantic
Shoulder season, about 19 more weeks- Jan: Shoulder season
- Feb: Peak season
- Mar: Peak season
- Apr: Peak season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Shoulder season
- Aug: Shoulder season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Shoulder season
- Nov: Shoulder season
- Dec: Shoulder season
Peak: Feb to Apr. In season (shoulder or peak): all year.
Research notes, South Atlantic region
Northeast Florida jetties and the St. Johns River, Georgia sounds and South Carolina bridges produce big fish in late winter and spring. Year-round in the estuaries.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 31
Florida bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's black drum score this hour.
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (64) · 46 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 6 AM (65) · 79 named spots
Best window today 8-11 PM (60) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 8 AM (66) · 24 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (60) · Best day Sun, Sep 20 at 8 AM (70) · 4 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 7 AM (66) · 131 named spots
Best window today 8-11 PM (59) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 9 AM (65) · 92 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (65) · 23 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (58) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 12 PM (66) · 126 named spots
Best window today 8-11 PM (58) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 9 AM (66) · 81 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (58) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 8 AM (66) · 20 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (55) · Best day Wed, Sep 23 at 11 AM (65) · 49 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (55) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 11 PM (64) · 39 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 8 PM (68) · 22 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 6 AM (63) · 13 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (66) · 195 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (50) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 8 PM (63) · 88 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (44) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (48) · 11 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (40) · Best day Wed, Sep 23 at 6 PM (67) · 21 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Wed, Sep 16 at 12 AM (35) · 199 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Wed, Sep 16 at 12 AM (35) · 82 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Wed, Sep 16 at 12 AM (35) · 6 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Wed, Sep 16 at 12 AM (35) · 109 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Wed, Sep 16 at 12 AM (35) · 16 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Wed, Sep 16 at 4 AM (35)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (31) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 4 AM (35)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 1 AM (35)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (22) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 10 AM (35)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (23) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (35)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (22) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 6 PM (35)
Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (25) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 9 AM (35)
Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (19) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 5 PM (35)
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 50°F to 88°F, best between 58°F and 78°F.
- Water depth
- 2 to 40 ft of water.
- Structure
- Oyster, channel, bridge, pier, flat, jetty and shoal, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers incoming tide and outgoing tide, with light current.Black drum find food by smell and feel, so a moving tide spreads the scent of bait, but heavy current makes bottom rigs hard to hold. Many anglers fish the last hour of a tide and the turn around bridges and channel edges. Large Chesapeake fish are often worked on shoals during slower current.
- Light
- Some lift around dawn and dusk; feeds at night too.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 18 kt of wind and 3 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Black drum root along the bottom around oyster reefs, bridge and pier pilings, channel edges and shallow mud flats. TPWD notes they rarely take artificials, so fish peeled shrimp, crab, clams or sand fleas on a bottom rig and let the fish load the rod before setting the hook. Big spawning schools gather near passes and bay mouths in late winter and spring, and in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay the large fish show up on the shoals from April into June.
- Methods
- bottom fishing, surf fishing, anchoring on shoals, sight casting to tailing fish
- Lures
- jig tipped with shrimp, scented soft plastic crab
- Bait
- peeled shrimp, blue crab, peeler crab, sand fleas, clams, cut mullet, squid
Regulations
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Synced with FWC Sep 16, 2026.
No reviewed black drum rule for Florida is on file yet. Check with FWC before you keep one.
Other Florida species
- Atlantic croaker
- Atlantic tarpon
- Common snook
- Crevalle jack
- Gray snapper
- King mackerel
- Red drum
- Southern flounder
- Spot
- Spotted seatrout
- Summer flounder
- Black sea bass
- Bonefish
- Cobia
- Florida pompano
- Gag grouper
- Gray triggerfish
- Greater amberjack
- Little tunny
- Mahi-mahi
- Permit
- Red grouper
- Red snapper
- Sailfish
- Sheepshead
- Spanish mackerel
- Wahoo
- Weakfish
- Yellowfin tuna
- Bluefish
- Striped bass