Species guide · Virginia
Black drum fishing in Virginia
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 Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel at 35, one of 10 Virginia 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.
Mid-Atlantic
Off season, about 6 more weeks- Jan: Not present
- Feb: Not present
- Mar: Not present
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Peak season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Off season
- Aug: Off season
- Sep: Off season
- Oct: Off season
- Nov: Not present
- 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 · 10
Virginia bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's black drum score this hour.
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 135 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 45 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 99 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 33 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 89 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 24 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 32 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 25 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 4 named spots
Best window today 6 AM-12 AM (35) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 12 AM (35) · 15 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
Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Synced with VMRC Sep 18, 2026.
No reviewed black drum rule for Virginia is on file yet. Check with VMRC before you keep one.