Sheephead, white perch, gasper goo.

These are a few of the common names for the freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), a fish species present throughout most major river drainages in Kentucky, yet overlooked by many anglers.

Most catches are made incidentally, while fishing for catfish, sauger or black bass. The freshwater drum is the Rodney Dangerfield of Kentucky’s native fishes, a reference to the late stand-up comedian who was best known for the punch line “I don’t get no respect.”

But many anglers may beg to differ. On light tackle, the freshwater drum is known for bulldog runs — it’s flat, tall body and wide dorsal and tail fins working with river currents to fight with dogged determination.

As tablefare, the freshwater drum is seriously underrated. Its fillets are large, thick, and boneless. Trim away the lateral line and any dark bits of flesh. When batter fried, chunks cook up to a tender, flaky consistency reminiscent of cod, with a mild, pleasing flavor.

Distribution and Biology

According to The Fishes of Kentucky, by William M. Clay, the freshwater drum is present in most of Kentucky’s river and large streams, although least abundant in the high-gradient streams of the Appalachian Plateau, in the eastern one-fourth of the state.

The freshwater drum is also present in many of Kentucky’s major lakes, and is abundant in Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, main stem reservoirs of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, in far western Kentucky.

The freshwater drum’s geographic range extends from Guatemala northward through the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys to the Great Lakes (although absent from Lake Superior), eastward to Quebec and as far west in Canada as southeastern Saskatchewan. A silvery, deep-bodied fish, the head and body slope upward from the snout to the dorsal fins and give the fish a distinct humpbacked appearance.

The lips are milky white, and the pelvic fins are white, often tinged with orange. The dorsal fin is long and is divided into two distinct parts.

Typical catches are two to four pounds, but the freshwater drum can grow to enormous size.

Kentucky’s state record freshwater drum weighed 38 pounds and was caught from the Green River on June 5, 1980 by Larry Cardwell, of Morgantown, Kentucky.

Usually found on shallow sandy or mixed mud-and-sand bottomed stretches of large rivers, the freshwater drum can be caught as deep as 30 feet in rivers with larger pools.

Long thought to be a mollusk eater, because of its heavy “throat teeth,” this species actually eats mainly fish, crayfish, and immature aquatic insects. Microcrustaceans and zooplankton are the foods of larval drum, which can also feed on other fish fry because of their unusually large mouths and their ability to roll the ingested fry into a ball.

The freshwater drum is harvested both commercially and as a sport fish, but is considered a rough fish, so there’s no creel or size limits in Kentucky. Individuals can live for 13 years. A member of family Sciaenidae, drums get their name from the grunting, croaking, or “drumming” sound they make using specialized muscles associated with the swim bladder. In this species, the sound is thought to be used in mating activities.

Freshwater drums have “rocks” in their heads.

Native Americans used the otoliths (ear bones) as jewelry. Anglers cut these “lucky stones” from the fish they catch as keepsakes.

In large rivers, such as the Kentucky River, where the freshwater drum is particularly abundant, fish below dams, on sloping banks.

Casting deep-diving crankbaits, or blade baits, will catch drum, but drifting live minnows on bottom rigs is the best bet since the bait must be close to the bottom to get a strike.

Overlooked and under appreciated, the freshwater drum is easy to find, easy to catch and surprisingly good tablefare. Fishing is at its best in late spring and summer, when water conditions are stable.

Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.