UTERBlack drum fishing in Tampa Bay
In Tampa Bay, black drum peak December–April and are around year-round, spawning in February–March, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. February: Big spawners under the Skyway and the bay bridges.
No note for October — see the months around it.
Black drum in Tampa Bay, month by month
- JanuaryPeakSheepshead on every piling; trout deep; reds in the canals. Shrimp on the Skyway and bridge pilings for sheepshead; slow jigs in the holes and canals; snook stacked in the warm canals and the power-plant outflow.
- FebruarySpawningBig spawners under the Skyway and the bay bridges.
- MarchSpawning
- AprilPeak
- MayAround
- JuneAround
- JulyAround
- AugustAround
- SeptemberAround
- OctoberAround
- NovemberArrivingTrout and reds on the flats; flounder and sheepshead show; last snook. Trout thick on the grass, reds on the bars, flounder on the sand edges at the passes, sheepshead beginning on the pilings. Snook closes end of month.
- DecemberPeakWinter sets up: sheepshead, drum, trout in the holes. Pilings and reefs for sheepshead, deep holes and canals for trout and reds, drum on the flats with crab. The first fronts push fish to the outflows.
Where to fish black drum near Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa
Florida's biggest open-water estuary, ringed with grass flats, mangrove islands, oyster bars and the Skyway's endless pilings, then the barrier-island passes — Johns, Pass-a-Grille, Longboat, New Pass, Big Sarasota, Venice — and a dense field of artificial reefs a few miles off the beach.
Fish Scouter charts 1,374 grass flat, 883 dock / pilings, 9 bridge spots in the Tampa Bay & Sarasota 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 Tampa Bay?
Peak season is December–April, 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 spawners under the Skyway and the bay bridges.
Where do black drum hold in Tampa Bay?
Look on bridge, dock / pilings, grass flat, channel edge — around Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice.
What is the best bait for black drum in Tampa 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.
What are the rules for black drum in Tampa Bay?
Size and bag limits and closed seasons are set by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and change — read the current rule at https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/ before you keep a fish. A licence is sold at https://myfwc.com/license/recreational/.
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