# Freshwater Drum?



## Fishin Tails (Mar 21, 2007)

Fished Cypress Creek last night and caught what appeared to be a Black Drum around 10 pm. Without measuring it was around 15-19 inches. Are these Drum in the same family as the Saltwater Black Drum? They sure do look alike.


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## reelthreat (Jul 11, 2006)

Gaspergoo, they are hard to clean but they are good.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Yes they are the only freshwater member of the drum family. They get big too, over 50lbs. Like their saltwater cousins they have pharyngeal teeth to crush mollusks with, and stone otoliths in their head, or drum pearls. They make very good cat fish bait.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/fwd/


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

As far as I know all Texas fresh water fish are edible. If a crappie is a 10 on a 1 to 10 scale a Goo would be a 5.
A shad would be a 1.
As SS said they make good cut bait.


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## Fishin Tails (Mar 21, 2007)

reelthreat said:


> Gaspergoo, they are hard to clean but they are good.


Now I have heard a lot about Gaspergoo, but wasnt aware that was it. Interesting. From my understanding that is where Goo Hole got its name, if you know where that is.


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## Zero (Mar 13, 2010)

Caught 2 on Cypress Creek last week around 14 inches. Caught them both on Rooster Tails while fishing for the few white bass that had not taken off back to the lake yet. Caught about 12 white bass between us but really has slowed down. Most of them small.


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

Hey Sunbeam, what would you rate a Bowfin, some people call them grinnel.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

FISHROADIE said:


> Hey Sunbeam, what would you rate a Bowfin, some people call them grinnel.


As a fighter, a 10. As an eater, maybe one notch above a shad and just below an eel. About a 2.5.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

Man, if you've ever caught a Grinnel, even small, you'll never forget it. Pound for pound, one of the hardest fighting out there!


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

Sunbeam, I agree with you, that Bowfin are a 10 when it comes to a fighter maybe even a 12, I caught one that weighed 11 pounds, what a fight, I thought I was not going to land it. I was bass fishing with a friend in the 80s and we were keeping some to eat, we had 4 nice ones, well he caught a Bowfin, that was about 6 pounds, and would not throw it back, he said he wanted to see how they tasted, well I dulled the blade on a brand new buck knife cleaning that thing, the meat was grease, and did not look very good, my friend changed his mind after cleaning it.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

They are nasty to eat! And real mean.


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## Fishin Tails (Mar 21, 2007)

Zero said:


> Caught 2 on Cypress Creek last week around 14 inches. Caught them both on Rooster Tails while fishing for the few white bass that had not taken off back to the lake yet. Caught about 12 white bass between us but really has slowed down. Most of them small.


I am living on the Creek right now near the Spring/Cypress joint. Focusing mainly on Catfish though. Caught small white Friday night fishing bottom. I am probably going to fish that area much this summer due to a 3 year old son and a new baby boy scheduled for arrival on April 16. Close to home and cheap vs driving to Galveston and spending money on gas.


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

Fishin Tails said:


> I am living on the Creek right now near the Spring/Cypress joint. Focusing mainly on Catfish though. Caught small white Friday night fishing bottom. I am probably going to fish that area much this summer due to a 3 year old son and a new baby boy scheduled for arrival on April 16. Close to home and cheap vs driving to Galveston and spending money on gas.


Learn your home water is the first rule as for as i'm concerned.
Once had a older friend that lived at Converse LA on Toledo Bend. He had an eighteen foot wide jon boat with a 91/2 Johnson. He said he never fished more than 1/2 mile of the ramp. "When I've caught all the fish in that area I'll buy a bigger motor."
He furnished all the fillets for the Lake Trace Motel Saterday night fish fry for years. Never bought a bigger motor.


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## Fishin Tails (Mar 21, 2007)

I agree with you Sunbeam. Well said.


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## Boboe (Feb 11, 2009)

Sewer Bass!


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Boboe said:


> Sewer Bass!


I have never heard one called that, lol, and I have heard them called all kinds of things, swamp bass, grinnel cat, grinnel, grinny, cypress bass, but sewer bass fits em good. Maybe "Thug Bass" too,..


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## capt.sandbar (Aug 31, 2007)

fished the Navasota river in Brazos county as a kid. Sain some small white crawfish in the summer and find a shady spot on the river... Fishing on the bottom, sometimes you couldn't even get your string tight and they'd be hitting! Biggest I caught was 14lbr... They put up a good fight!!


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## Bowhntr (Aug 7, 2006)

*Fish pearls*



shadslinger said:


> Yes they are the only freshwater member of the drum family. They get big too, over 50lbs. Like their saltwater cousins they have pharyngeal teeth to crush mollusks with, and stone otoliths in their head, or drum pearls. They make very good cat fish bait.
> http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/fwd/


 Hey Loy,

I've heard about the "stone otoliths" in trout, drum and a few other fish. My question is where do you look for them and how to cut them out.


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## Lunkerman (Dec 27, 2004)

Bowhntr said:


> I've heard about the "stone otoliths" in trout, drum and a few other fish. My question is where do you look for them and how to cut them out.


The stone is part of the ear, it's inside their head. They have big boney heads so get a cleaver if going after the stones. It looks like a piece of mother of pearl, kinda round & concave shaped.

The texture on their meat is different than most freshwater fish, a bit tough. I used to cube them up then deep fry 'em, dunk in cocktail sauce like a fried shrimp.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

On a freshwater drum it is right between their eyes. Cut strait down between their eyes and lower, there will be a small cavity that cradles two stones that are pearly white and oblong in shape.


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