UTERBlack drum fishing in Mississippi & Alabama Coast
In Mississippi & Alabama Coast, black drum peak February–April and November and are around year-round, spawning in February–March, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. February: Big drum at the Dauphin Island bridge and the Mobile Bay ship channel.
The flounder run and the easy trout bite. Bull minnows at the Dauphin Island bridge and Perdido Pass; trout on the Biloxi Marsh lease poles.
Black drum in Mississippi & Alabama Coast, month by month
- JanuaryAroundSheepshead on the pilings; trout up the rivers. Fiddlers or shrimp tight to the bridges; slow jigs in the Pascagoula and the Delta.
- FebruarySpawningBig drum at the Dauphin Island bridge and the Mobile Bay ship channel.
- MarchSpawningPeak of the big-drum run around the causeway and the passes.
- AprilPeak
- MayAround
- JuneAround
- JulyAround
- AugustAround
- SeptemberAround
- OctoberAroundThe flounder run and the easy trout bite. Bull minnows at the Dauphin Island bridge and Perdido Pass; trout on the Biloxi Marsh lease poles.
- NovemberPeakTrout fill the rivers; flounder head out. Pascagoula and Delta for trout; Alabama has a fall flounder closure — check ADCNR.
- DecemberAroundWinter on the pilings. Bridges and docks for sheepshead; deep river bends for trout.
Where to fish black drum near Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi
The Mississippi Sound behind Cat, Ship, Horn and Petit Bois islands, the Biloxi Marsh to the west, Mobile Bay and the Mobile–Tensaw Delta, the Dauphin Island bridge and causeway, Perdido Bay and the Alabama beaches — with the world's biggest artificial-reef zone just offshore of Orange Beach.
Fish Scouter charts 36 grass flat, 1 dock / pilings spots in the Mississippi Sound & Mobile Bay map area — the kinds black drum hold on.
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 Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Peak season is February–April and November, with fish spawning in February–March (often a closed or catch-and-release window — check the rule). Black drum are here year-round. February: Big drum at the Dauphin Island bridge and the Mobile Bay ship channel.
Where do black drum hold in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
Look on bridge, grass flat, channel edge — around Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Dauphin Island.
What is the best bait for black drum in Mississippi & Alabama Coast?
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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