The problem may be that you don't know how to cook drums. They lose their flavor quickly if they aren't filleted and put on ice promptly, but putting the live fish on ice is another way to preserve them until you get home. I mentioned that the red drum is often blackened in Cajun cuisine, and you can prepare the freshwater drum this way, too. It is a low oil fish, so you have to be careful not to dry them out when you cook them. Pan or deep frying them is recommended, as is smoking as long as you don't heat them for too long.
Some people say they are as good, or better, than the walleye as an eating fish.
Maybe it's not the fish that's depressing but the fact that you're fishing in a lake in Missouri. For some real fishing, bring a fly rod out to New Mexico and try the Rio Brazos. Cecil's Mailbag is researched and written by members of the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board, Cecil's online auxiliary. Inc. All rights reserved. No material contained in this site may be republished or reposted without express written permission.