Caught a 3-4 lb freshwater drum( Good to eat)

Never tried them but I kept this one. I see some photos of folks that keep them as a bycatch when crappie or catfishing.

Fillet and fry?? Or use as cut bait for some cats?

throw it on the bank and let the coons eat it.

They taste good. So when I catch them they become dinner.

Anyone who will eat a catfish shouldn't turn their nose up at a freshwater drum...just sayin. Their (drum) diet is such that they should be tasty. If I were going to eat them I'd keep the ones close to the size you mentioned 2-4 lbs and fry them or use the same recipe as blackened redfish.

Now back to crappie fishing...

I would have never thought about eating a drum but you make a good point.

Years ago, a group of us camped out on the Rio Grande. The plan was to catch and eat catfish. Never caught any, but caught a lot of drum. Decided to keep a mess and fry'em. Tasted pretty good.

I fillet them and give them to an African coule I know that likes them. I have tried to eat them and they are very fishy. Here's where I put them on my list of fish I eat

1. Crappie
2. Perch/Bluegill
3. Walleye/Sauger
4. Largemouth bass
5. Smallmouth bass
6. Sandbass
7. Striper
8. Catfish
9. Drum

Very fishy.

Sandbass and striper # 6 & 7 What ????? Really over a perch no way!

they are a little tough to clean but have prett white meat. fry just like anthing else bet you cant tell the diff.than anything else

They will hit the oil tonight.

I ate one last summer and it was great. I grilled mine though.

I tried one a couple years ago.
Fried it on the stove.

I knew something was odd when it didnt give a hint of "fishy" smell when it was cooking.

Funny thing was it tasted like nothing literally. Had no fish flavor to it at all.

I know it sounds crazy, but anyone else ever experience this?

Yeah they have no flavor. This fish is not good for eating. Go fry a catfish or Crappie, much better eating.

Drum and catfish taste just the same, to me.

Drum are pretty good, if u can eat sandbass and striper, a drum will taste awesome. I think Sandies and striper are nasty.

How many of the people that commented on the taste, either smoke or dip snuff? Just askin cuz I actually persued a degree in culinary arts at el Centro, and I also happen to purchase a can of snuff on a regular basis. I can eat the hottest stuff on earth and take it. Wherease my mom can taste the sweat off of a jlapeno seed and want a fire exstinguisher. Supposedley, everybody's taste buds change every 6 or 7 years. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen...or tasted I guess. But its something to think on. Not everybody's palate is gonna be the same. Just my two cents.

Drum meat is tasty but chewy.

Catfish way down to #8 ????

Ken, I agree...this is my list of favorite eating fish...

1. Crappie
2. Walleye
3. High Fin Blue Cat
4. Channel Cat (from E Tx. water)
5a. Green Trash Fish
5b. Brown Trash Fish
5c. Redfish

And this is my list of fish that is for dinner...

1. Crappie
2. Crappie
3. Crappie
4. Crappie
5. Green trash fish.

It was good-

I started catching freshwater drum while fishing for catfish last year. Fried up a few and now I keep all I catch. If you keep the red meat off when you fillet them, and take off the fatty part near the dorsal fins, i havent found them to taste fishy at all.

And bonus is they are good fighters too! Caught a near five pounder last week that dragged me through the brushpile with my four pound line for about five minutes before she eventually (miraculously) emerged. That was fun!

Glad you enjoyed it...