Waterlands

Species guide · North Carolina

Black drum fishing in North Carolina

Pogonias cromis, an inshore species also called drum, boomers and bull drum. Listed for the South Atlantic region. Shoulder season, about 19 more weeks.

Right now it scores best in Currituck Sound at 66, one of 9 North Carolina bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.

Season now

Shoulder season
Where it's scoring nowAll North Carolina waters

Season by month

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

South Atlantic

Shoulder season, about 19 more weeks
  1. Jan: Shoulder season
  2. Feb: Peak season
  3. Mar: Peak season
  4. Apr: Peak season
  5. May: Shoulder season
  6. Jun: Shoulder season
  7. Jul: Shoulder season
  8. Aug: Shoulder season
  9. Sep: Shoulder season
  10. Oct: Shoulder season
  11. Nov: Shoulder season
  12. 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 · 9

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

1
66Great
Currituck Sound

Best window today 8 AM-12 PM (70) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 9 AM (70) · 75 named spots

2
64Good
Croatan and Roanoke Sounds

Best window today 5-11 AM (72) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (73) · 49 named spots

3
63Good
Coastal waters from Cape Fear NC to Little River Inlet SC out 20 NM

Best window today 8 AM-12 PM (67) · Best day Sun, Sep 20 at 7 AM (68) · 7 named spots

4
63Good
Pamlico Sound

Best window today 4-11 AM (68) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (68) · 331 named spots

5
62Good
Albemarle Sound

Best window today 5-10 AM (68) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (69) · 21 named spots

6
62Good
Alligator River

Best window today 5-10 AM (71) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (71) · 26 named spots

7
62Good
Neuse and Bay Rivers

Best window today 5-9 PM (66) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 PM (67) · 260 named spots

8
55Good
Coastal waters from Surf City to Cape Fear NC out 20 nm

Best window today 5-8 PM (59) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 PM (62) · 1 named spot

9
54Good
Pamlico and Pungo Rivers

Best window today 5-9 PM (64) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 9 AM (65) · 134 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

NCDMF saltwater regulations Buy a North Carolina fishing license License types

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Synced with NCDMF Sep 18, 2026.

No reviewed black drum rule for North Carolina is on file yet. Check with NCDMF before you keep one.

Other North Carolina species