Along North Carolina’s coast, red drum, siaenops ocellatus, are also known as redfish. Those measuring in North Carolina’s 18- to 27-inch slot and a few inches longer are called “puppy drum”, fish below the slot are “rat reds” and those adults 40 inches and larger are called “old drum” on the mainland and channel bass on the Outer Banks.
Red drum are a very adaptable species. Their range is from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico around the tip of Florida to the cool water north of the Chesapeake Bay. They have been caught as far north as Massachusetts.
With this extreme of range, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find that red drum can tolerate water temperatures from the high 30s to the high 80s. The range of water temperatures in North Carolina can cover this entire spectrum, and fishermen find red drum in coastal waters all year. Red drum also have the ability to tolerate lower salinity levels very well and readily survive in brackish to even freshwater.
Other adaptations include the ability to slow their metabolism at the extreme range of their temperature tolerance and to grow and prosper on just about any source of protein. Shrimp and minnows are favorite foods, but reds will also grub crabs, sandfiddlers and marine snails out of soft bottoms. When the water begins to warm in the spring, red drum become ravenous feeders and therefore are easy to convince to bite.
The North Carolina and world-record red drum was caught by the late David Duel in 1984. It was caught in the surf at Avon on the Outer banks and weighed 94 pounds, two ounces. While there may be larger red drum swimming in North Carolina waters, the record is unlikely to ever be broken as it is now illegal to possess a red drum of that size.
It is illegal for anyone to possess red drum in federal waters (three to 200 miles offshore) and they are classified as gamefish in inland waters. Gamefish status means they may not be sold. North Carolina is currently considering classifying red drum as gamefish in coastal waters.
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