Red Drum vs Spotted Seatrout

Sciaenops ocellatus comparado com Cynoscion nebulosus

Taxonomy & Classification

Atributo	Red Drum	Spotted Seatrout
Nome Científico	Sciaenops ocellatus	Cynoscion nebulosus
Ordem	Perciformes	Perciformes
Família	Sciaenidae	Sciaenidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern

Physical Traits

Atributo	Red Drum	Spotted Seatrout
Comprimento Máximo	155,0 cm	100,0 cm
Peso Máximo	45,0 kg	7,9 kg
Cor	Coppery-bronze to reddish-orange flanks with a characteristic black eyespot at the upper tail base; back is darker bronze-olive; belly pale to silvery; fins match body tone with dusky margins.	Silver-gray body with a greenish iridescent back; scattered round black spots on the upper flanks, back, and dorsal and caudal fins; belly silver-white; fins yellowish to pale; two prominent canine teeth.

Habitat & Environment

Atributo	Red Drum	Spotted Seatrout
Tipo de Água	Freshwater & Saltwater	Saltwater
Faixa de Profundidade	10-?m	10-?m
Distribuição Geográfica	Western North Atlantic from Massachusetts south through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Adults favor open nearshore reefs and coastal surf zones while juveniles inhabit …	Western North Atlantic from New York south along the US Atlantic coast through the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatán. Resident in estuaries, seagrass beds, …
Habitat	Estuaries	Neritic, coral reefs, estuaries

Informações de Pesca

Atributo	Red Drum	Spotted Seatrout
Peixe Esportivo	Sim	Sim
Classificação de Resistência	7/10	5/10
Recorde Mundial	—	—
Nível de Mercúrio	—	—

Cuisine & Edibility

Red Drum

Firm, white flesh with a mild, sweet flavor and moderate fat; smaller fish (under 27 inches) are the best table size. Famous as 'blackened redfish' — a Louisiana Cajun culinary classic.

Spotted Seatrout

Soft, delicate white flesh with a mild, sweet flavor; low fat and best eaten fresh. A Gulf Coast favorite — excellent pan-fried, baked with Cajun spices, or used in fish tacos.

Species Overview

Red Drum

The red drum, or redfish, is an iconic inshore game fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Identified by the distinctive black spot at the base of its tail, it feeds by tipping head-down in shallow water, exposing its copper-colored tail.

Spotted Seatrout

The spotted seatrout, despite its name, is a member of the drum family, not the trout family. It inhabits grass flats and estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Males produce a distinctive drumming sound to attract females.