Waterlands

Species guide · Maryland

Black drum fishing in Maryland

Pogonias cromis, an inshore species also called drum, boomers and bull drum. Listed for the Mid-Atlantic region. Off season, about 6 more weeks.

Right now it scores best in Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA at 35, one of 14 Maryland bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.

Season now

Off season
Where it's scoring nowAll Maryland waters

Season by month

From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.

Mid-Atlantic

Off season, about 6 more weeks
  1. Jan: Not present
  2. Feb: Not present
  3. Mar: Not present
  4. Apr: Shoulder season
  5. May: Peak season
  6. Jun: Shoulder season
  7. Jul: Off season
  8. Aug: Off season
  9. Sep: Off season
  10. Oct: Off season
  11. Nov: Not present
  12. Dec: Not present

Peak: May. In season (shoulder or peak): Apr to Jun.

Research notes, Mid-Atlantic region

Chesapeake Bay Program: black drum enter the lower bay in April and spawn April to June off Cape Charles. In Delaware Bay they enter mid to late April, New Jersey catches peak mid to late May, and adults leave in early June. Leave the bay in late autumn.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Where it's scoring now · 14

Maryland bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's black drum score this hour.

1
35Fair
Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 10 named spots

2
35Fair
Chesapeake Bay from North Beach to Drum Point MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 8 named spots

3
35Fair
Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 35 named spots

4
35Fair
Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 33 named spots

5
35Fair
Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 59 named spots

6
35Fair
Chester River to Queenstown MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 11 named spots

7
35Fair
Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 46 named spots

8
35Fair
Coastal waters from Fenwick Island DE to Chincoteague VA out 20 NM

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 53 named spots

9
35Fair
Eastern Bay

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 18 named spots

10
35Fair
Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 39 named spots

11
35Fair
Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 11 named spots

12
35Fair
Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 166 named spots

13
35Fair
Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 8 named spots

14
35Fair
Tidal Potomac from Key Bridge to Indian Head MD

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (35) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 12 AM (35) · 3 named spots

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

Maryland DNR saltwater regulations Buy a Maryland fishing license License types

Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Synced with Maryland DNR Sep 18, 2026.

No reviewed black drum rule for Maryland is on file yet. Check with Maryland DNR before you keep one.

Other Maryland species