Mike Rehr fishes them in Pine Island Sound, mostly in the fall, and Scott Nickels lands lots of big drum on fly in the upper Indian River from October until March. Radar Orth takes most of his fish on fly in the lower Indian River Lagoon in the fall, and well, you get the idea.

How realistic are your chances? Pretty good. The drum can be really unresponsive at times, but many anglers have taken multiple fish on fly in a day's fishing. Of course certain situations tend to produce many more strikes than others. A school of fish just off the flat, in a few feet of water, will probably never even look at your fly. Unless the fish are very big, and a few feet may still be relatively shallow to them.

But if you can find them feeding on shallow flats or oyster bars, then a well-presented fly stands a chance of drawing a strike. During lower stages of the tide, drum also root around in the roots of mangroves and will more readily eat.

As a general rule, a solitary fish, or a few fish in a loose school, will take a fly better than a large school of fish in deeper water. Even if you can see the fish in the deeper water easily, and can readily put a fly to them, it's a long shot. If a fish is tailing, you stand your best chance. Many anglers, including myself, have found that bigger fish seem to be much easier to fool with a fly. Maybe it has to do with their diet when they are young, but when you consider their food preference when young--shrimp for the most part--it's puzzling to say the least.

I just accept the fact that this is a moody and unpredictable fish, especially when fished with a fly, but not to the point that it isn't worth the effort to fish for them. You just have to present your fly the right way, and be prepared to change it often. And right under the chin seems to be the best advice. Remember, they use those barbels to feel and smell. A drum seldom goes too far out of its way to chase a fly. So try to keep it close to him as long as possible while still giving it some motion. That is, move it just a little bit, just enough to keep contact with it and feel the strike. If you don't get a response, stick with it. Cast and cast until the fish eats or spooks. This is not the time to be timid. If you are, the fish may never even know you are there.

After all, quite often you'll be casting to drum feeding in off-color water or in water muddied by their rooting, so keep putting the fly on the fish until you're convinced it has seen it. Once the fish eats, remember that their mouth is tough and rubbery. So keep your hook honed and flatten the barb with your pliers. Use the strip-strike method, and hold on as tight as you dare until the fish takes off and it's time to clear your fly line to the reel. Also, keep a tight line during the fight. Your fly may drop out if you allow slack to form.

With its chunky body, black drum are built more for endurance than speed. Most anglers I've talked to agree that black drum don't tire as quickly as redfish. Others claim that during the heat of summer they fight poorly, especially specimens under eight pounds. However, if a big one reaches deep water, you may think it will never give up. It will be like a heavyweight fight after the fifth round--powerful but not too flashy.

When selecting fly tackle, always pick a rod that will effectively cast the flies you are using. A 6- to 8-weight rod is perfect for the smaller flies and smaller fish, and a 9- or 10-weight will better handle weighted patterns and the real brutes. With few exceptions, you'll be fighting your fish in open quarters, so in time, you'll wear down even the biggest black drum--even if you're a bit undergunned.

Floating lines are the choice for the flats but occasionally, a slow sinking line will come in handy should you find your fish in slightly deeper water around edges of flats. I often use a slow-sinking line for the big fish milling off the flats in the Indian River Lagoon region so that I can get the fly down to them quickly, as I did with my biggest fish. But I mostly use a floater for them.

Black drum aren't too leader shy. Half the time they probably do not see the tippet anyway in the feeding muds they create around them, and usually they only see the fly right under their chin, so the standard 8- to 9-foot leader you use for reds is fine. Tippet strength is up to you. How sporting do you want to be? I mainly use 10-pound-test tippet, and go to 16-pound if I am trying for large fish.

I don't bother with shock tippet for fish under 15 pounds or so, but do add a trace of 25- to 30-pound mono for the big boys. Now here again, Capt. Scott Nickels, whose customers have taken many black drum up to 50 pounds, has a different approach. He skips the shock tippet when using tippet of 12 pounds or more, and adds a 25-pound shock when using class tippets of 10-pound test or less.

Most flies tied especially for black drum are designed to be retrieved very slowly. And the most effective ones are dark, often black, and are often "over-dressed" so that they push water.

My favorites include Clouser Minnows in black, orange-and-black or gray; Bendbacks in black, olive and dark brown; dark, weighted Woolly Buggers; black Crystal Shrimp; and crab flies. Depending on the size of the fish and their preferences, best hook sizes range from No. 2 down to a No. 6. Occasionally, a single tailing fish will gulp a lead-eyed red-and-white or all chartreuse streamer. Go figure!

If these hook sizes sound too small for fish that can top 50 pounds, remember that it's easier get a hookset in their tough mouth this way.

I have never eaten a black drum, but I often hear that fish under six pounds or so are good table fare. Most of the best fly fishers I know have at one time or another have taken a shot at almost everything that swims. And that includes black drum. So don't get snobby on me. Give 'em a try.