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.
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.