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.

Where it's scoring now All Virginia waters

Season by month

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

Mid-Atlantic

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 · 0

The Waterlands engine isn't scoring black drum in any Virginia bay system in the current 14-day forecast, which usually means the species is out of season.

Not scored in this forecast: Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA, Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Chesapeake Bay from Windmill Point to New Point Comfort VA, Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA and York River.

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

VMRC saltwater regulations Buy a Virginia fishing license License types

Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Synced with VMRC Nov 1, 2026.

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