Freshwater Drum fishing

Freshwater drum are very willing to hit crankbaits.  The one pictured nearly swallowed the whole lure.  Drum seem to love crayfish and they also eat small freshwater mussels.  Several years ago we caught a decent size drum with a bulging stomach and later found out it was full of Asiatic Clams, an invasive specie of freshwater mussels present in nearly every water body in Indiana.  From the IDNR website: The first record of the Asiatic Clam in the United States was documented in 1924 on the west coast, and it was discovered later in the Columbia River in Washington in 1937. This species was thought to enter the U.S. as a food item by Chinese immigrants. By the 1970s, the Asian clam had found its way into most of the 
Mississippi Basin, the Gulf Coast and on the east coast. By 1990, this species was recorded in New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Connecticut. Most species of freshwater mussels prefer a solid bottom with gravel/rocks and so do crayfish.  Since the drum's forage prefers solid, rocky bottoms, it's fairly easy to locate the most likely stretches of the river to focus on.  We concentrate on outside bends with rock-covered bottoms.  Drum can be caught on the same lures catfish like such as crayfish and shad imitations.  The lure you choose must be in contact with the river bottom bouncing off rocks to be effective.  Drum hit hard and seldom ever dislodge the lure's hooks.  They also fight hard for a short time then usually give up, but they're still fun to catch.  I have also caught several drum on a fly rod with flies I've tied to imitate crayfish.