Black Drum Fishing at Sebastian Inlet

Black Drum at Sebastian Inlet

Black drum are the redfish’s bigger, blunter cousin — high-backed, barbelled under the chin, and capable of growing far heavier than anything else you are likely to hook on the flats.

They feed by rooting crustaceans out of the bottom, which means they find a bait sitting still. That makes them a gift on a trip with children aboard. Captain Richard Ladrew puts a lot of first-time anglers on black drum for exactly that reason: the bite is unmissable and the fight is a steady, heavy pull rather than a sprint.

The smaller ones eat very well. The big ones — the ones over the slot — are better photographed and released, and the regulations are written with that in mind.

Where Captain Richard Finds Them

Bridge pilings, dock structure, deeper channels and the edges of the flats. Black drum school, so where you find one you generally find a dozen.

In winter Captain Richard looks for them in the deeper water near structure, where they group up and stay put for weeks at a time.

Best Time of Year

Black drum are here all year and are at their most reliable from December through March, when they school in the cooler water. Winter is when the biggest fish show up.

How Captain Richard Fishes for Black Drum

• Fresh dead shrimp on the bottom is hard to beat. Crab is better again if you have it.
• A simple knocker rig or a light jighead, fished on the bottom and left alone. Black drum are not chasing anything — the bait needs to be where they are already feeding.
• Captain Richard tells guests to wait on the bite. A drum mouths a bait before it commits, and pulling the rod away too early is the most common way to miss them.

Rules and Regulations

Current status: Open year round — 14″–24″ slot, one over allowed

• The slot is 14″ to 24″ total length.
• The bag limit is 5 per harvester per day, which may include one fish over 24″.
• The season is open year round.
• Multiple hooks with natural bait, and snatching, are prohibited methods for black drum.

Regulations checked September 2026. Size limits, bag limits and seasons change — the current rules are always on the FWC saltwater regulations site. Captain Richard Ladrew fishes to current regulations and will tell you on the day what you can keep. On a Zookeeper Charters trip you are covered under his licence, so there is nothing for you to buy.

Trips That Target Black Drum

• Half Day Inshore Fishing — Half Day, $600
• Kids Fishing Adventure — 3 Hour, $495
• Full Day Inshore / Nearshore — Full Day, $975