Andy Dear | Monday, 9 September 2024
Last Sunday, Jack and I spent the evening fishing a local spot in Point Comfort, TX, well known for it's local population of large Black Drum. This spot, showed to me by Jeff Ruppert, better know for his YouTube moniker "Slappin Yatchet" is interesting, because it is only about 50 feet from a very well traveled major highway. On the way down to Point Comfort on SUnday afternoon, I sent Jeff a text message indicating we were headed to the causeway beach, to which he replied "are you kidding me, we are too". It turned out t be a great evening with good fellowship, and a few of the local "BIG UGLIES"
I write this essay about large Black Drum, because I find it so peculiar that the Texas variety has such different habits than the variety just one state over in Lousiana. I use the term "variety" loosely because they are in fact the same exact species of fish. Back in the early 2000s, I spent a fair amount of time fly fishing the Lousiana marsh around Houma and Venice. I have great memories of my time over there, mainly because it was before the Lousiana marsh became a hugely popular, world-class fly fishing destination for Redfish.
Alongside the Redfish, however, and perhaps equally as exciting are the monstrous Black Drum that swim the same waters. Somewhat different than our Drum here in Texas though, these large drum can be sight-fished just like Redfish, Permit or Bonefish. I won't say that our Texas Drum can't be sight-fished like the Lousiana Drum...I have in fact done it plenty of times with much success. It just seems that over there, the giant 30lb plus fish are tailing EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME. And, if the presentation is right, getting them to eat is not overly difficult. The term "rare" may be a bit extreme when describing how often one might see a 30" plus Drum tailing here in Texas, but it is certainly not a daily occurrence.
Catching these big Black Drum from that small beach in Port Lavaca reminded me that we do in fact have Drum swimming in our waters every bit as big as those in Houma Lousiana. The photo above of Jackson with a 39" specimen taken last Sunday is proof positive that they are indeed here and in very large numbers as well. I know Jeff has personally taken dozens of 30" plus fish from the very beach we were fishing from last week. And, I also know for a fact that the water that fish in the picture was swimming in, is no more than 3 feet deep. So, all that to say there has to be a way to dredge these fish out of Lavaca Bay with a fly. We are headed back down with the Jon boat next weekend to explore the possibilities!
Hope you all are having a great week!
Andy