updated January 9, 2019

One fish that doesn’t get the credit it should is easier to catch during the winter months.

Black drum will move into the Nature Coast rivers during the winter to stay warm at the time of cold fronts.

Deep holes with hard shell bottom are the best places to target black drum. Shrimp as bait fish on the bottom have always worked best for me while targeting them in the river.

The legal minimum size is 14″ to 24″ with a 5 fish limit. These are the best eating size, “puppy drum” called by some, and taste the same as their cousin, red fish. You may keep one fish over 24″, but I suggest to release any black drum over the slot because they are not as good tasting as the slot-size fish.

The large black drum, up to 30 lbs., will start to show up just west and north of the St. Martins Keys.

On a calm day these large schools of black drum can be seen from a good distant away. Cracked blue crab and sometimes live shrimp will get the bite.

Sometimes they will not eat at all. The fun part is when you do hook one it is a very exciting fight.

Light tackle is best because it is easy to tire out these big fish.

High incoming tide will be early morning this weekend.

To schedule a fishing charter excursion with Captain Toney, visit his website.

If you want to learn more about how to catch Nature Coast fish from Captain Toney, subscribe to his videos at https://inthespread.com