Black DrumorSheepshead
Two fish anglers mix up. Here is what separates them, and what each one’s rules are in your state.
How to tell them apart
Black Drum
Chin barbels, high arched back, gray-black bars on juveniles that fade with age.
Black drum, next to sheepshead: juvenile drum bars fade; drum has chin barbels.
Sheepshead
Bold black vertical bars and startlingly human-like teeth.
Sheepshead, next to black drum: black bars but sheepshead has human-like teeth.
Side by side
| Black Drum | Sheepshead | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pogonias cromis | Archosargus probatocephalus |
| Also called | Drum | Convict fish |
| Waters | Inshore | Inshore |
| Heaviest state record | 115 lb · Delaware (1978) | 21.25 lb · Louisiana (1982) |
| On the table | Good small; large fish are coarse and often carry harmless parasites. | Excellent — sweet, crab-fed; famously hard to clean. |
| Rules of its own in | 12 states | 10 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 13 of 13 states with a rule for either. In Florida (Atlantic), black drum is 14-24 in slot, 5 per person (one may be over 24 in) and sheepshead is 12 in TL min, 8 per person. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Black Drum: size · bag · season | Sheepshead: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 12 in fork length minimum8 per personOpen year-roundOpenAL MRD 2026 · checked |
| Delaware | 16 in min3 per dayOpen year-roundOpenDE DNREC 2026 · checked | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. |
| Florida (Atlantic) | 14-24 in slot5 per person (one may be over 24 in)Open year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked | 12 in TL min8 per personOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Gulf) | 14-24 in slot5 per person (one may be over 24 in)Open year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked | 12 in TL min8 per personOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Georgia | 14 in total length15 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenGA DNR CRD 2026 · checked | 10 in fork length15 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenGA DNR CRD 2026 · checked |
| Louisiana | slot 16–27 in total length5 per person; only 1 may exceed 27 inOpen year-roundOpenLDWF 2026 · checked | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. |
| Maryland | 16 in min1 per person; 6 per boatOpen year-roundOpenMD DNR 2026 · checked | 12 in min4Open year-roundOpenMD DNR 2026 · checked |
| Mississippi | No size limitNo bag limitOpen year-roundOpenMS DMR 2026 · checked | 14 in total length minimum15 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenMS DMR 2026 · checked |
| New Jersey | 16 in min3Open year-roundOpenNJ DEP 2026 · checked | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. |
| North Carolina | 14–25" TL slot10 per person per dayYear-roundOpenNC DMF 2026 · checked | 14" TL min5/dayOpen year-roundOpenNC DMF 2026 · checked |
| South Carolina | slot 14–27 in total length5/dayOpen year-roundOpenSC DNR 2026 · checked | 14 in total length10/day, max 30/boatOpen year-roundOpenSC DNR 2026 · checked |
| Texas | slot 14–30 in total length5Open year-roundOpenTPWD 2026 · checked | 15 in total length5Open year-roundOpenTPWD 2026 · checked |
| Virginia | 16 in min1 per personOpen year-roundOpenVMRC 2026 · checked | No size limit4 per personOpen year-roundOpenVMRC 2026 · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, black drum or sheepshead, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell black drum from sheepshead?
Black Drum: Chin barbels, high arched back, gray-black bars on juveniles that fade with age. Sheepshead: Bold black vertical bars and startlingly human-like teeth. Sheepshead, next to black drum: black bars but sheepshead has human-like teeth. Black drum, next to sheepshead: juvenile drum bars fade; drum has chin barbels.
Which gets bigger, black drum or sheepshead?
Black Drum. The heaviest state record we hold is 115 lb in Delaware; the heaviest sheepshead record is 21.25 lb in Louisiana.
Which is better to eat, black drum or sheepshead?
Black Drum: Good small; large fish are coarse and often carry harmless parasites. Sheepshead: Excellent — sweet, crab-fed; famously hard to clean.
Do black drum and sheepshead have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 13 state rulebooks. Florida (Atlantic): black drum 14-24 in slot, 5 per person (one may be over 24 in), sheepshead 12 in TL min, 8 per person; Florida (Gulf): black drum 14-24 in slot, 5 per person (one may be over 24 in), sheepshead 12 in TL min, 8 per person; Georgia: black drum 14 in total length, 15 per person per day, sheepshead 10 in fork length, 15 per person per day; Maryland: black drum 16 in min, 1 per person; 6 per boat, sheepshead 12 in min, 4; Mississippi: black drum No size limit, No bag limit, sheepshead 14 in total length minimum, 15 per person per day; and more in the table on this page.