Red Drum
Sciaenops ocellatus · Sciaenidae
Also known as: Redfish, Channel bass, Spot-tail bass
A copper-flanked inshore bruiser and the darling of the flats and marsh.
- Typical size
- 1–4 kg (2–8 lb) inshore 'slot' fish
- Max size
- Bull reds exceed 18 kg (40 lb).
- Water
- Saltwater
- Best season
- The fall bull-red run; flats fishing spring through fall.
Identification
Reddish-bronze back and coppery flanks with one or more distinctive black eyespots near the base of the tail.
Habitat & Range
Shallow flats, marsh grass, oyster bars, and surf; juveniles inshore, large 'bull reds' offshore near passes and beaches.
US Atlantic and Gulf coasts, from the Mid-Atlantic through the Gulf of Mexico.
Diet & Feeding
Crabs, shrimp, and baitfish, often rooting nose-down in the shallows ('tailing').
Spawning & Reproduction
Late summer to fall near passes, inlets, and beaches, where large adults gather to broadcast-spawn.
Spawning timing by location
Spawning tracks water temperature, so the calendar shifts with latitude and elevation. These break red drum timing down by state and water body.
- Bull Redfish: Why the Big Ones Go Back
A red drum can live past 40 years and matures at three to six — almost exactly when it grows out of the slot limit. That is not a coincidence, it is the design. Which means every bull red you hook in the autumn run is a breeding adult, and how you handle it matters more than with any other inshore fish.
- How to Catch Redfish in Texas
Find them tailing on shallow grass and oyster on a moving tide — the fish behaves the same across the Gulf. The rules do not. Texas runs a 20-28 inch slot with a three-fish daily bag and a tag system for oversized fish, where Florida allows one fish and nothing over 27 inches.
- How to Catch Redfish in Florida
Look for tailing fish on shallow grass and oyster on a moving tide. The rules are where most guides go wrong: the slot is 18-27 inches statewide and the bag is one fish, but the Indian River Lagoon is catch-and-release only for redfish, and the vessel limit is four fish in some regions and two in others.
How to Catch
Look for tailing fish in skinny water and cast well ahead of them. A gold spoon or a well-placed crab is hard to beat.
Best techniques
- Sight-casting the flats
- Bottom fishing
- Fly fishing
- Popping cork
Lures & baits
- Live/cut shrimp & crab
- Cut mullet
- Soft-plastic paddletails
- Gold spoons
Best season: The fall bull-red run; flats fishing spring through fall.