10/20/2026
Did you know the IGFA's online Game Fish Database is home to more than 200 species ID guides and profiles? Learn about features, range, similar species, and records for game fish from around the world.
This week we’re spotlighting the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as channel bass, redfish, spot tail bass, or puppy drum. Found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Maine to the Gulf, red drum are a schooling species that occur inshore over sandy or muddy bottoms. They inhabit both salt and brackish waters, can tolerate fresh water, and are often found in inlets and channels, with smaller fish turning up in shallow estuaries.
Red drum show coppery red overtones on a silvery gray background, and their most recognizable marking is a large black spot about the size of the eye on each side of the tail. Some fish carry two spots per side, and a few have extra spots along the body. Their lack of chin barbels and longer body set them apart from the black drum. A strong, hard fighter when hooked, red drum can be stalked on the flats like bonefish, worked with jigs, plugs, spoons, and streamer flies, or fished on the bottom with crabs, shrimp, and clams. The biggest fish, known as “bull reds,” are usually females.
The current IGFA All Tackle Record for red drum stands at 94 lbs 2oz (42.69 kg).
Explore this species and 200+ more at igfa.org/game-fish-database.
