Freshwater Drum? - Page 1

Posted: 7/11/2012 8:08:30 AM EDT

While fishing near a dam the past two mornings, I have been seeing these HUGE fish swimming around, not interested in our lures at all. Somebody called them "sheephead" but after coming home and searching the interwebs, it seems that they are drum, which many people call sheepshead. They seem like they would be fun to catch, should I use live bait or ham bits or what?

Posted: 7/11/2012 12:17:15 PM EDT

[#1]

FreshWater Drum

Posted: 7/11/2012 3:50:23 PM EDT

[#2]

I hooked one two years ago in Kentucky Lake using a 4" ring worm and a 3/0 ewg hook. It wasn't a huge fish (maybe 8 lbs or so), but it pulled like a tractor.

Posted: 7/14/2012 9:11:15 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
While fishing near a dam the past two mornings, I have been seeing these HUGE fish swimming around, not interested in our lures at all. Somebody called them "sheephead" but after coming home and searching the interwebs, it seems that they are drum, which many people call sheepshead. They seem like they would be fun to catch, should I use live bait or ham bits or what?

Generally on Lake Erie, they are considered a 'trash' fish. We call 'em sheephead too. But pound for pound they do give you a good fight, but really spin around & tangle-up lines!!
They are slimey & will bark at you and poop all over you as well! Some people will keep them & eat 'em –– But not I!!

Posted: 7/17/2012 4:00:34 AM EDT

[#4]

They have many names around here and are cosider a trash fish I have ate them and its not bad. We get them on night crawlers or shoot them with bows

Posted: 7/23/2012 9:17:56 PM EDT

[#5]

Shit heads, Sheep head, there all the same. Great on the garden, or if you trap they make a shit load of fish oil for coon set's. I've got a fish OHIO pin for a sheep head I got on a charter trip for walleye, Even the Capt. figured it for a 15 lb 30+ in walleye. But not so.

Posted: 7/27/2012 6:11:06 PM EDT

[#6]

My Son also got a Fish Ohio pin for a sheephead he caught out by West Sister 4 or 5 yrs ago, that thing probably went 9-10lb, he also foul hooked one out of Lorain last month that probably went a easy 7-8lbs, as has been mentioned they are like a runaway train, fun to catch if you are not on a paid walleye charter.

Quoted:
Shit heads, Sheep head, there all the same. Great on the garden, or if you trap they make a shit load of fish oil for coon set's. I've got a fish OHIO pin for a sheep head I got on a charter trip for walleye, Even the Capt. figured it for a 15 lb 30+ in walleye. But not so.

Posted: 8/13/2012 12:56:35 PM EDT

[#7]

I enjoy floating down the river standing on the deck of my boat shoot at drum. They are certainly better than carp.

Posted: 9/17/2012 9:30:54 PM EDT

[#8]

they're plentiful in the lake by my house; fun as hell to catch, they're also edible like a carp but there are much better fish to eat.

Posted: 10/6/2012 7:13:38 AM EDT

[#9]

17 lbs is my biggest. Ouchita River in Arkansas. Great big crawdads work for great big drum.

Posted: 10/8/2012 12:27:50 AM EDT

[#10]

They taste good believe it or not. And no I don't eat carp either. I caught one from lake Cumberland in KY and the taste reminded me of bass.

Posted: 10/21/2012 12:56:46 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
They taste good believe it or not. And no I don't eat carp either. I caught one from lake Cumberland in KY and the taste reminded me of bass.

When I filleted mine it reminded me of bass meat.

Posted: 12/25/2012 1:50:13 PM EDT

[#12]

Buffalo Drum aka: Sheepheads

They literally have got rocks in their heads!

Bash ones head open, you'll find a pearl-like stone!

Posted: 12/25/2012 2:06:05 PM EDT

[#13]

Freshwater drum - Way down here in the deep south they are known as Gaspergoo.
Decent eating fish when under 20inch or so length. Any larger and they get tough and often have worms in the meat. Yeah, you can pick them out and eat the flesh.
They have a firm flesh so they fry up well. Also do well in gumbo or court boullion.
Drum on the hook pull like a sack of rocks.

Post pics when you catch one.

Posted: 12/31/2012 11:28:19 AM EDT

[#14]

We have caught several when targeting perch, using crawler pieces on a perch rig. They will often hit half crawlers on perch rigs cast and dragged across the bottom.

We have tried to fry them up a few times, but they tasted very bad.

Very fun to catch on light panfish gear though!!

Posted: 12/31/2012 12:15:20 PM EDT

[#15]

Sheepshead are Freshwater Drums. They can be fun when the Bass are in a hiding kinda mood. I remember them hitting on most anything we would throw out (live bait or corn/cheese).

Posted: 2/16/2013 10:04:35 PM EDT

[#16]

I have caught plenty of them on the Mississippi. Filleted, scored, and fried, they aren't too bad at all. Cornmeal batter makes a big difference in how they taste.

Posted: 3/19/2013 1:53:52 AM EDT

[#17]

Caught a ton of them in AL on the AL River below Montgomery using mussels(Asiatic clams) while catfishing. Biggest one I ever landed hit a Shad Rap and I thought I'd beat George Perry's world record Bass catch! Fought that thing on 12# Trilene for about 10-15 minutes til I netted it. It was close to 20# and close to 2.5' long! Filets ate good fried in a seasoned cornmeal. Related to the Red Fish caught on the Gulf Coast (Red Drum), that LA Chef Paul Prudomme made famous-Blackened Red Fish. Heard of bigger ones caught in same part of the river.

Posted: 9/3/2014 7:37:16 PM EDT

[#18]

Yup we call them sheepshead up here.

Posted: 9/3/2014 7:38:43 PM EDT

[#19]

Holy shit I just realized I replied to a really old thread.

Posted: 9/26/2014 11:04:46 AM EDT

[#20]

They pull hard when hooked. People eat them around here. Most say, fillet em, and remove the lower part of the fillet, the "Belly meat" and toss it.

Posted: 10/3/2014 10:08:40 PM EDT

[#21]

I knew a guy that brought home a whole cooler full...said they were good,

Posted: 4/5/2015 12:30:42 PM EDT

[#22]

They have drum tournaments around here, people said they get the huge ones on crayfish type lures or bait. I catch them all the time when walleye fishing.

I think my biggest is 36". Dear lord sometimes I wonder how I stayed in the boat. Usually hook the big ones on crank baits with braided line, otherwise they'd break you off with typical light walleye gear.

Posted: 5/16/2015 8:37:38 PM EDT

[#23]

I fish the Tombigee in Al and Ms. Before they made it the TennTom waterway with all the dams, you could hear the drums "drumming" sounding like some motor running on the bottom. Never hear them at all anymore. could it be the water depth?

Posted: 5/16/2015 9:10:16 PM EDT

[#24]

I grew up fishing the Bass Islands on Lake Erie; perch and walleye. Everyone I ever met considered them garbage fish. As far as the "pulled like a tractor" observation, in my experience they give one good tug when hooked and then roll over on their back to get dragged in.

Posted: 10/15/2015 9:41:13 PM EDT

[#25]

Quote History

Quoted:
I grew up fishing the Bass Islands on Lake Erie; perch and walleye. Everyone I ever met considered them garbage fish. As far as the "pulled like a tractor" observation, in my experience they give one good tug when hooked and then roll over on their back to get dragged in.

View Quote

I wonder if the condition of the fish affects how they fight. I caught a 24" sheap head last year while fishing off the bank in the st Clair river. He made my pool cue like rod bend over and pulled hard the whole way in. No complexity to the fight just a freight train heading down and out from the shore. It was the most solid fish I've ever caught. Pure muscle and bone.

Posted: 10/29/2015 2:19:24 PM EDT

[#26]

Seen on Jimmy Houstons Facebook page that they recently caught a Sheephead that weighed almost 37lbs, girl caught it on a nightcrawler fishing for catfish.

Posted: 1/7/2016 4:07:08 AM EDT

[#27]

I dont keep them all of the time but I can cook a mess of drum set that plate on top of your head and your tounge will beat your brains out trying to get to it. No lie.

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