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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 21 February 2008 |
The Freshwater Drum is quite a fish. It's a mystery to me why so few people pursue them. They're large, good-tasting, easy to clean, and simple to catch. You owe it to yourself to cook up a drum or two sometime. They're plentiful. Fillet one out boneless (like a giant crappie), cut the large fillets into manageable pieces, and bake them in a casserole dish in lemon and butter. Delicious. Or bread and fry the chunks and eat them with tartar sauce. Any recipe for blackened redfish will be spectacular with drum. The meat has firm texture, like it's cousin the redfish. The Freshwater Drum is also known as Sheephead in our area. It is the sole freshwater member of a large saltwater family that includes such lauded sportfish as the redfish and black drum. Freshwater Drum are able to make curious croaking noises. They can reach weights of over twenty pounds, but drum over five are rare in most places. Drum are often found in rivers, although lake drum are found on occasion - and often grow large. Standard bottom-fishing tactics are highly effective for drum, although they also take artificials such as jigs and flies. There are a large pair of otoliths, or "lucky stones" in the drum's head which it uses to orient itself in muddy waters. These stones have an L-shaped mark on them, and were used by native Americans as currency, jewelry, and good luck charms! Back to Species Group Page
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 28 November 2009 )
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