From 8/2/01</font id=blue>
A while back Andy ran an article in the CharlestonFishing.Com newsletter on adding structure to your fishing. In the article, Andy details locating and identifying several different types of structure as good fishing habitats. Over the years I have noticed a structure that many anglers continuously pass by without giving it a second thought as far as fishing goes. This structure is enormous, spanning two of the largest rivers in Charleston and running close to 50 feet deep in some locations. The structure I am referring to is of course the Cooper River Bridge.
The Cooper River Bridge and its system of pilings and bollards offer a great habitat for oysters, muscles, and other crustaceans. These crustaceans in turn attract fish to the area that feed on them and use the structure as a refuge from predators. The bridge system therefore serves as a buffet to a wide variety of sport fish, but few of them are as formidable a fighter as the Black Drum.
Weather it is due to their ugly looks or the parasitic worm infested bodies; few people target the Black Drum as a sport fish. (Note: Some people claim that the Black Drum is a suitable table fish; however, most are scared away by the parasites.) For those of us not necessarily looking for meat to stock the freezer with or for another pretty mount to hang over the mantle, the Black Drum serves as a worthy adversary during the summer months.
Black Drum also known as Sea Drum are found in the temperate waters of the Atlantic with a range extending from Florida to South Jersey in the United States. Black Drum are typically caught between Easter and Thanksgiving here in the lowcountry and our local waters hold some of the largest fish in the United States. A 63-pound fish won the Lowcountry Anglers Tournament a couple of weeks ago and the current state record is 89 pounds caught by W.P. Boquet of Port Royal in 1967.
Black Drum are primarily scavengers and opportunistic feeders. Robert Leap Jr., perhaps