Black drum from pups to 80-pounders start moving into Delaware Bay from mid to late April and stick around until mid June or sometimes later.

Early in the season the drumfish are caught both during daytime and in the evening. As the month of May progresses the bite seems to switch to an afternoon and evening one.

These fish can be caught at a number of spots from the Jersey side of the bay to the Delaware side. On the Jersey side the spots include the Horseshoe, Banana Peel and Tussy’s Slough to name a few. On the Delaware side Slaughter Beach is a well-known area.

Let’s move on to picking your destination. Weather is a factor and should be considered for safety before leaving for your trip. The weather on Delaware Bay can become nasty at times, with rough seas, strong winds and fog. This can make for a long ride home on a small vessel as well as on a large boat. When fishing at night, on some trips I’ll choose spots so I don’t have to travel so far if the weather might be rough. You might have some days when the bay is flat calm and others when the winds are blowing 20 to 30 m.p.h., kicking up seas. Remember that you should never take a break from safety.

Upon reaching your spot, slow down and start watching your fish finder to see if any fish are being marked. If the area looks good for fish, try to anchor up-tide and drift back, and try not to spook the fish. But if no fish are marked, or if few are seen, don’t be afraid to stop and try it, because these fish are always on the move. On some trips I might not mark any fish or very few. But I’ll stop to fish anyway, knowing I caught fish in that area before. Upon fishing, you might end up hearing them drumming and wind up with a good catch.

Also, if there is a big fleet of boats, don’t be afraid to go off by yourself, because you might find it rewarding. But if you are fishing in a fleet, use common sense when anchoring. Try not to anchor close to others, and give yourself plenty of room to fish. This will prevent shouting matches with other boaters, and you won’t wind up swinging into other vessels when the tide changes.

As for tackle, a big, heavy outfit isn’t needed for these fish. I have Ugly Stick Tiger rods with Shimano TR 200 reels, spooled with 30-pound Yozuri line.

For a rig, just keep it simple. Use 3 to 4 feet of 50-pound leader, a 9/0 Gamakatsu hook and a fish-finder slider rig to attach the weight to. This is a medium outfit with plenty of back bone to handle an 80-pound drum.

As for bait, whole surf calms are best. Normally I take two bushels of clams on a trip, and the boat’s mate will shuck one bushel at the dock, saving the shells to drop in the water for scent. Some anglers also use a chumpot, but I don’t.