UTERBlack drum fishing in Chesapeake Bay
In Chesapeake Bay, black drum peak May–June and are around April–August, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. May: Big black drum on the Eastern Shore shoals off Cape Charles — clams and crab on the bottom, buoy 16 and 36A.
Not in Chesapeake Bay this month.
Black drum in Chesapeake Bay, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchNot here
- AprilArrivingStriper spawn in the rivers; the first big blues and drum at the mouth. Main-bay stripers catch-and-release in Maryland (spawning reaches closed); tog on the Bridge-Tunnel; black drum and bull reds start on the Eastern Shore shoals. Virginia closed speckled trout April–June in 2026.
- MayPeakBig black drum on the Eastern Shore shoals off Cape Charles — clams and crab on the bottom, buoy 16 and 36A.
- JunePeak
- JulyLeaving
- AugustAround
- SeptemberNot here
- OctoberNot here
- NovemberNot here
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish black drum near Annapolis, Kent Island, Solomons
The biggest estuary in the country: 200 miles of brackish bay fed by the Susquehanna, Potomac, Patuxent, Choptank, Nanticoke, Rappahannock and James, with oyster bars, channel edges and lumps in the main stem, marsh islands down Tangier Sound, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel's pilings and islands at the mouth. Salinity climbs from fresh at the Flats to ocean at Cape Henry.
What to use for black drum
- Blue crabsWhole and small for permit and tarpon; halved or quartered on the bottom for black drum, redfish and cobia.
- Live shrimpUnder a popping cork or free-lined, hooked under the horn on a #1 to 2/0 circle hook; on a jig head for the bottom. The universal inshore bait.
- Fiddler crabsA #1 hook through the back corner of the shell, dropped tight to the piling — the sheepshead bait.
- Leader30–50 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook3/0–6/0
- Braid20–30 lb
Feeds in 48–78°F water, best at 54–70°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch black drum in Chesapeake Bay?
Peak season is May–June. Black drum are in Chesapeake Bay April–August. May: Big black drum on the Eastern Shore shoals off Cape Charles — clams and crab on the bottom, buoy 16 and 36A.
Where do black drum hold in Chesapeake Bay?
Look on bridge, dock / pilings, grass flat, channel edge — around Annapolis, Kent Island, Solomons, Tilghman Island, Crisfield, Deltaville.
What is the best bait for black drum in Chesapeake Bay?
Live bait: blue crabs, live shrimp, fiddler crabs. Blue crabs: Whole and small for permit and tarpon; halved or quartered on the bottom for black drum, redfish and cobia. Tackle: leader 30–50 lb fluorocarbon, hook 3/0–6/0, braid 20–30 lb.
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