Sportfishing - Other Species
There are quite a few other species of fish that people seek. Some of these are described below. Whether these are sought for variety, timing, location, capabilities or personal interest, they are part of the sportfishing environment.
Black Drum
Black Drum is the largest of the Drum fish. It is normally seen to about 30 pounds, but they do live very long and grow more than 5 feet long and to over 100 pounds. This is a warm water fish with past commercial quantities in the Chesapeake Bay. Some fish may be found in the Delaware Bay or on the Atlantic coast, mostly at the southern end of New Jersey. The Black Drum is usually black and dark grey. It has flat teeth that are capable of breaking oyster shells.
Red Drum
Red Drum is a slightly smaller species than the Black Drum. It has a copper color fading to a white belly, and shows a dark spot near the tail. The record Red Drum is just under 100 pounds. They spend their first 3 or 4 years inshore, reaching a length of about 30 inches, after which they move offshore with the large fish. This fish has a rare maximum size limit of 27 inches, when these fish are about 8 pounds. So basically, these can only be fished while they are in the bays and rivers, before they grow larger and move offshore. The range of the adult Red Drum is slightly greater. They are probably found over the entire New Jersey coast.
Shad
Shad, sometimes American Shad, is a member of the Herring family. It spends its time in the ocean but returns to fresh-water rivers to spawn. Northern fish survive the process and return to the ocean. Most fish in southern areas die after spawning. There is commercial fishing in some rivers for the returning shad.