Fish Identification Diagram

1. Total Length 2. Fork Length 3. Standard Length 4. Head Length 5. Snout Length 6. Caudal peduncle (where the body attaches to the tail) 7. Fin rays, spinous (unsegmented) and soft (segmented) 8. First (spinous) dorsal fin 9. Second (soft) dorsal fin 10. Pectoral fin 11. Pelvic (ventral) fin 12. Anal fin 13. Finlet 14. Caudal (tail) fin 15. Lateral line 16. Scutes (bone-like projections 17. Opercle (gill cover) 18. Preopercle (cheek) 19. Interopercle 20. Adipose eyelid 21. Supramaxilla (rear portion of upper jaw bone) 22. Premaxilla (forward portion of upper jaw bone)

INSHORE FISH

The Black Drum (Pogonias cromis) won't win a beauty contest, but one thing is for sure. While the fish doesn't possess speed or agility, he will struggle from the time he is hooked until the battle is won or lost. The black drum is a chunky, high-backed fish with barbels or whiskers under the lower jaw. Younger fish have four or five dark vertical bars on their sides that disappear with age. Smaller drum (usually called "Puppy Drum") are said to be pretty good table fair. Drum have big crushing teeth way down in their throats. If you look down into a drum's mouth you'll see them down there. They look like half BB's attached to the surface of the pharynx. Called pharangeal teeth, these grinders allow them to crush the shellfish which they prefer to eat. They also grind them together to make the familiar drumming sound, using their air bladders as resonance chambers to amplify the sound. They are fundamentally bottom feeders, young drums feed on marine worms, shrimp, small crabs, and small fish. Larger drum eat small crabs, worms, algae, small fish and mollusks. The barbels are used to find food by feel and smell. Hooking a large Black Drum is a lot like hooking a bulldozer. Most drum are slow but powerful creatures. One look and you'll see that they appear to be designed for power and stamina. So fighting drum can easily become a long, drawn out affair unless you quickly apply the maximum pressure your tackle will stand. You have to be prepared to go toe to toe with a fish that can easily weigh 30 or 40 pounds, or face a fight which could certainly last for over an hour. They are caught mostly on natural baits. Shrimp cut-bait, squid, and crabs are the best baits. Since feeding is done on the bottom, the basic technique is simple - put a baited hook on the bottom and wait for the drum to swallow it. Drum will often "mouth" the bait for some time before swallowing it, so you must wait until the fish moves off with the bait, then set the hook.

The Gafftopsail (Bagre marinus) is recognized by it's greatly elongated dorsal spine, it's 2 chin barbels, and the long flattened barbel at the corners of it's mouth. They spawn in the spring and the fertilized eggs are carried in the mouth of the male until they hatch and the fry can feed on their own. During this time the male will not eat. The dorsal and pectoral fins are supported by sharp spines, and as such, should be handled with the same caution used in handling Hardheads. His spines are covered with a toxic slime also. They are primarily a bottom feeder and the best baits are shrimp, small crabs, and small fish. They are commonly caughtfrom piers and jetties.

  The Atlantic Croaker (Micropogon undulatus) often refered to as Golden Croaker, or just plain Croaker, gets his name from his ability to make croaking sounds. They have a row of small barbels on each side of the lower jaw. Young Croakers are silvery, while the older fish are brassy yellow with short, irregular brown streaks in the middle of the body. They are one of the most common bay fishes. Croaker feed on a wide variety of bottom dwelling marine creatures such as marine worms, shrimp, small fish, small crabs, and other small crustaceans. The best bait for Croakers is dead shrimp fished on the bottom.

The southern flounder, (Paralichthys lethostigma), is highly prized as both a food and game fish in the state. All flatfishes, including the southern flounder, are compressed laterally and spend most of their life lying and swimming along the bottom on their side. In the case of southern flounder, the left side is always the "up" side. Adult southern flounder leave the bays during the fall for spawning in the Gulf of Mexico. The young fish along with the adults in the Gulf will re-enter the bays in the spring. The spring influx is gradual and does not occur with large concentrations that characterize the fall migration. Juvenile flounder feed mainly on crustaceans, but as they grow fish become more important in their diet. Adult flounder enter shallow water at night where they lie, often partially buried, and wait for prey. Empty depressions where flounder have lain are called "beds." Both artificial lures and natural bait can be used. Over barren bottoms, worm jigs are often very effective. In heavily vegetated areas, shallow-running spoons are best. Flounder prefer live to dead bait. Live shrimp and mud minnows retrieved slowly along the bottom often produce excellent results. Gigging is another method for taking flounder. Lanterns are used in searching for flounder at night. The angler wades quietly along the shallows looking for flounder. Once the flounder is within the light from the lantern, normally it will not move, affording the fisherman a chance to "gig" the fish. Stingrays also frequent the shallows at night, so be careful.

The red drum, (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as redfish, rat red, or bull red, is a highly sought game fish. It is a member of the family which includes the Atlantic croaker, and black drum. The most distinguishing mark on the red drum is one large black spot on the upper part of the tail base. Having multiple spots is not uncommon for this fish. For the first couple of years of their lives, red drum live in the bays or in the surf zone near passes. As they mature, they move from the bays to the Gulf of Mexico where they remain the rest of their lives, except for an occasional visit to the bays. They generally are bottom feeders, feeding primarily on small crabs, shrimps, and marine worms. As they grow older, they feed on larger crabs, shrimps, and small fish. The best natural baits are live shrimp, small finger mullet, small croaker, and small live blue crabs. Artificial baits such as gold, copper, or silver spoons are excellent. Fish-shaped plugs, both floating and shallow-running, shrimplike plastic worms and jigs are also good. The big "Bull" reds are best caught with bigger natural baits.

The Sand Seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius) and Silver Seatrout (Cynoscion nothus) are distinguished from the Spotted Seatrout or "Speck" by the absence of spots. The Sand Trout has a pinkish sheen on the upper sides while the Silver Seatrout is grayer and grows much larger than the Sand Trout.

The spotted seatrout, (Cynoscion nebulosus), commonly called speckled trout, is one of the most popular sport fish along the Alabama coast. The fish is a member of the family along with the Atlantic croaker, red drum, black drum, and sand seatrout. Its abundance, willingness to hit natural and artificial baits, and fine eating qualities make it an extremely popular fish. They are most common in the shallow bays during spring and summer. As water temperatures decline during fall, fish move into deeper bay waters and the Gulf of Mexico. Small trout feed primarily on small crustaceans. Medium-size trout feed on shrimp and small fish. Large fish feed almost exclusively on other fish such as mullet, pinfish, and menhaden. The most popular tackle for spotted seatrout is the popping cork rig. The best bait for catching trout is live shrimp. Live fish such as mullet or pinfish and dead shrimp can also be effective. Artificial baits are effective for catching trout the year round. Baits such as silver spoons, fish-shaped plugs, shrimplike plastic worms and jigs are good. During warm weather, fish shallow areas early in the morning and late in the evening. In the heat of the day, move to deeper areas such as the dropoffs around grass flats, channels or around oyster reefs. When the weather is moderate, the fish may remain in shallow water a greater portion of the day. During very cold weather, try fishing the deeper harbors and channels. When fishing from a boat, look for groups of feeding gulls. Trout will chase shrimp or small fish to the surface, which attracts the gulls.

The Southern Stingray, (Dasyatis americana) occurs in the northern Gulf of Mexico from the saltier inshore bays to the edges of offshore reefs. Stingrays possess one to several serrated spines on their tale which are covered with a toxin and can inflict serious wounds that are painful and often become infected. They live and feed on the bottom, so if your after one, bottom fishing is the best technique. Most stingrays that I have encountered, have occurred while gigging for flounder around the passes and firmer sandy bottoms. Care should be exercised when handling stingrays to prevent getting stuck by the spines on it's tail. If you are uncomfortable removing your hook, simply cut your line. They can however, be handled from their front-end when they calm down after landing. Just stay clear of their tail.

   The Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) holds very little value as a food fish. The thing that makes them an extraordinary gamefish is their extreme strength and spectacular ability to jump. The tarpon's silver body is covered with unusually large scales. They have an elongated ray on their dorsal fin, which is how you can tell small tarpon from ladyfish. Most tarpon that are taken by anglers weigh between 20 and 80 pounds but, tarpon can grow to lengths of about 8 feet and reach weights of about 300 pounds.  Tarpon feed on crabs, shrimp, and other fish. They are most often fished for by casting or trolling spoons and jigs. Tarpon will also hit live bait fish fished under a cork.Tarpon and snook are very similar in habitat requirements and are often found together in tidal creeks, estuaries, mangrove swamps, lagoons, and offshore.

    The Southern Kingfish (Menticirrhus americanus) or Gulf Kingfish (Menticirrhus littoralis) are known on the Alabama coast as Whiting. They are found in abundance in the beach area all along the Gulf Coast all the way up to the Chesapeake Bay. The Southern Kingfish is silver-gray to brown in coloration, with darker markings that are mottled. The Gulf Kingfish is silvery gray on top fading to a paler white underside without the markings found on the southern.

   They are normally found in the surf and in the bays near passes. Whiting are primarily bottom feeders, feeding on worms and crustaceans. The best bait for Whiting is dead shrimp fished on the bottom. They are not known as a sport species because of their size. I have a friend that refers to fishing for Whiting as "Meat Fishing" as they are good table fair.

OFFSHORE FISH

The Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) is one of the largest members of the jackfish family. It is widely distributed in warm waters and is the largest amberjack in the Atlantic. It is capable of reaching weights over 100 lbs. It's overall coloration is silvery, and there is often a broad yellow or coppery stripe along each side. In Alabama waters, they are most often found around reefs and oil rigs. Most amberjack are caught incidentally while snapper fishing. Amberjack are opportunistic feeders, feeding on other fishes and squid. Trolling, drifting, and chumming are the usual methods employed to catch amberjack. Chumming will attract and hold schools of amberjack near the boat.

The Lesser Amberjack (Seriola fasciata) is not a confirmed visitor to Alabama waters, but is included here since as a group the amberjacks are difficult to identify. Small Greater Amberjack may actually turn out to be the lesser which does not grow quite as large as the other. Doesn't matter, Amberjack are Amberjack and they are excellent table fair.

The Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), which is a highly prized gamefish off the Atlantic coast, are found in Alabama waters also. The fish is a dark, greenish blue on the back and shades to a blueish silver on it's sides, to silver underneath. Bluefish travel in thick schools and are highly migratory. They are voracious eaters, going into a feeding frenzy when they encounter schools of prey fish. Bluefish will eat shrimp, squid, and small fish. They are tough fighters when hooked. Blues should be handled with care while removing the hook, as they have sharp triangular teeth. They are normally found offshore, but will venture into the surf and passes. Best fishing occurs in the spring and early summer, using shrimp, mullet, and plugs and spoons.

   The Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda) is the species of this group most common to Alabama. Just like the mackerels, they are fast swimming predators that feed on squid and small fish. The bonito is dark blue above, shading to silvery below. A distinguishing characteristic is the dark stripes running obliquely from the lateral line to it's back.  Bonito are a schooling fish, and are known for going on incredible feeding frenzies, biting everything thrown at them, including bare hooks. Bonito are not a particularly popular food fish, but they are good fighters. They do however, make excellent bait for other gamefish.

The Cobia, (Rachycentron canadus) commonly known as "Ling", is in a family by itself with no close relatives to clutter the picture. Wherever you catch him, the Cobia is one of the best gamefish to be found in southern waters. Ling are very inquisitive fish coming right to the boat as if to say "what's up?" One thing for certain, it is a fish that refuses to follow the rules. One day you will find him lolling near the surface close to a patch of sea grass or timber. You can cast your arm off with every artificial and natural bait you have, and he will refuse to give your offerings a glance. The next day he will savagely attack anything you offer the second it touches the water. At other times he will be sulking in deep water practically on the bottom. Favorite hangouts for Ling are under or around floating clumps of seaweed, large pieces of driftwood, buoys, sunken wrecks, and offshore structures. Small live baitfish are the best baits, although they will eat shrimp, cutbait, and blue crabs. I have heard of that live hardhead catfish are deadly baits, imagine that, a hardhead is good for something. Artificials work good also. The main thing to remember is, that there are times when they are extremely choosy about what kind of bait they will accept.

Dolphin are fast swimmers and feed heavily on flying fish. It is a popular gamefish because it tends to tail walk and get airborne when hooked. Dolphin will strike just about any natural bait and artificial bait that is trolled. Dolphin are a blast to catch on light tackle. They can be found around weed lines, or hanging around just about any type of floating debris.

Nassau Grouper
Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER
Epinephelus striatus
Description: color light background with brown or red-brown bars on sides; stripe in shape of tuning fork on forehead; third spine of dorsal longer than second ; pelvic fins shorter than pectorals; black dots around the eyes; large black saddle on caudal peduncle. Similar Fish: red grouper, E. morio. Where found: range limited to south Florida; somewhat site specific; smaller individuals NEARSHORE, adults OFFSHORE on rocky reefs. Size: most catches under 10 pounds. Remarks: forms large spawning aggregations, making this species highly vulnerable to overharvest. NOTE: all harvest of this species is prohibited.

The Jack Crevalle (Caranx hippos) or common jackfish of inshore waters can attain weights of over 40 pounds. It has dark red meat and is not considered to be very edible. It is most prized as a hard fighting game fish. Believe me when I tell you, when you've battled a beast like a Jack to the boat, you know you've been in a fight. Typically, fish over thirty pounds will still be pulling hard at the end of an hour. And forget about them laying over on their side and giving up. Surrender is not a word used in a big Jack's vocabulary. Jacks are experts at cornering baitfish and then relentlessly hammering them, which produces a sight that resembles nothing else. Next time you see mullet scattering to the four winds and the water literally boiling from underneath them, chances are good that a Jack is to blame. Crevalle are voracious scavengers that will often follow shrimp boats around looking for an easy meal. Jacks are also suckers for a good chum-line. If your in a mode for keeping your rod bent, your arms tired and your reel smoking; the Jack Crevalle is just the ticket.

The King Mackerel or "Kingfish" (Scomberomorus cavalla), is a stream-lined, high speed gamefish. They lack swim bladders, and are thus forced to stay on the move throughout their lives. During the winter months they inhabit tropical waters and with the coming of spring begin their northward migration into the waters along the Alabama Gulf Coast. As the the days cool in the fall, they reverse their direction and head south back to the tropics. The angler who has never tangled with a big "Smoker" King is in for a shock, both mentally and physically. They strike hard, and when they feel the hook, they take off on a scorching run. The reel stripping run of a big King is a startling experience. Stainless wire leaders are a must. The mouths of Kings are full of sharp teeth and they can cut an unprotected line almost instantly. Just about any bait in the 5 to 8 inch range will catch Kings, be it artificial or natural. Trolled feather jigs and large spoons work wonderfully. Natural baits such as cigar minnows, mullet, croaker, ribbon fish, and cut baits work just as well. When fishing offshore, keep an eye out for the shrimping fleet early in the morning. Shrimpers drag their nets at night and usually haul them in at daylight. The culling and cleaning of the nets, draw Kings and other fish together around the shrimp boats looking for an easy meal.

    The Sailfish, (Istiophorus platypterus) is a blue water fish and is

named for it's large dorsal fin which extends most of the length of it's body. It's sail is dark blue with black spots in rows between the spines. The sail can be folded down into a depression on it's back where it can't be seen. It's back is bluish black fading to silver on it's side and belly. Sails have an elongated spearlike upper jaw, torpedo shaped body and large forked tail. Adult Sailfish reach weights close to 95 pounds and lengths of about 8 feet. Sailfish are swift and powerful fish that show up in Alabama waters in early May and are usually gone by November. The Sailfish is a highly prized gamefish, known for it's lightning fast runs and spectacular jumps. Sailfish will hit almost any type of trolled baits and lures.

Scamp

Family Serranidae, SEA BASSES AND GROUPER Description: color light gray or brown; large adults with elongated caudal-fin rays; reddish brown spotson sides that tend to be grouped into lines; some yellow around corners of mouth. Similar Fish: yellowmouth grouper, M. interstitialis.Where found: NEARSHORE reefs off the northeastern coast, and on OFFSHORE reefs in the Gulf.Size: generally smaller than gags or blacks.Remarks: spawns in late spring; feeds on small fish, squid, and crustaceans; undergoes sex transformation from female to male as it becomes older

Several species of the Lutjanidae family are found in Alabama waters. Snappers are an opportunistic predatory fish with sharp, conical teeth. There are several species of the Lutjanidae family found in Alabama waters. Snappers tend to congregate around some sort of structure offshore such as reefs, wrecks, and rigs. Snappers normally feed on crab, squid, shrimp, and small fish. They are generally a bottom dwelling fish and thus a heavy sinker is needed to get the bait down to them, past the triggerfish and spadefish that live in the water column above them. Most fishermen use squid to catch their snappers. For the bigger Snappers, I prefer to use whole fish in the 6 to 8 inch range, such as Spanish Sardines, small Croakers, Mullet, and Sand Trout. They can be caught on artificial jigs also. Red Snappers are regarded as one of the best tasting fish and are sought commercially as well as recreationally.
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Swordfish
Family Xiphiidae, SWORDFISHES
Xiphias gladius Description: color of back variable, black, greyish blue, brown, metallic purple, or bronze; sides dusky; underbelly dirty white; long, flat, sword-like upper jaw; lacks scales, teeth, and pelvic fins; single keel on each side of body in front of tail; first dorsal fin high, rigid and short; large eyes. Similar Fish: no close resemblance to other billfishes.
Where found: OFFSHORE species worldwide in temperate and tropic waters; known to frequent depths of 400 to 500 fathoms; also has been seen basking at the surface.
Size: once averaged 200 pounds but overharvest has reduced size of commercially caught swordfish to average of 48 inches.
Remarks: large swordfish are all females, males seldom exceeding 200 pounds; except when spawning, females believed to prefer water cooler than that favored by males; feeds on squid, octopus, and pelagic fishes of all kinds. Conservation efforts in our area have brought our swordfish stock back and resulted in some fine catches.

    The Gray Trigger Fish (Balistes capriscus) is a very common fish found offshore near reefs and oil rigs and at times near shore at the jetties. It has a gray body with irregular dark markings. There are small blue spots on it's upper sides and spinous dorsal membrane. These fish are well armored with long dorsal spines. They have small tough mouths that are well adapted for browsing on the organisms that are attached to the rocks and oil rigs around which they congregate. These small tough mouths make them very resistant to capture with a hook and line. None the less they will readily steal your bait. At times they are so thick around the rigs that it's difficult to get a bait down to the bottom to the snapper that your after. Young Trigger Fish are often found in the patches of Sargassum weed and other objects floating about the gulf.

Tuna are members of the Scombridae family are widespread in temperate and tropical waters. They are of considerable importance commercially, as well as being important as gamefish. Tunas are pelagic, living in the open sea and moving freely. TheYellowfin Tuna is known for it's yellowish tint on it's sides

and fins. It also has elongated fins on it's back and behind it's head. It is one of the larger tunas averaging about 100 pounds with a maximum weight of about 250 pounds. The tuna in the upper left is a blackfin. The fish next to it is a bluefin tuna. The Tuna pictured at the bottom right is a yellowfin.

The Wahoo (Acanthocybium solanderi) is a long slender-bodied fish with long, heavily toothed jaws that form a beaklike snout. It is a predatory fish and it's flat-sided razor-sharp teeth allow it to rip into schools of squid and baitfish. Wahoo are solitary fish and are caught by fishermen trolling in the deep blue waters of the gulf far from shore. When fishing for Wahoo, try trolling with large artificials or a natural bait such as a mullet or balao, rigged for trolling. Wahoo can also be taken while drift fishing with natural baits. When caught, Wahoo make tremendous runs with abrupt changes of direction, sometimes leaping from the water. This makes it one of the most exciting gamefish to catch, leaving the angler to hold on to his rod and holler wahooooo...

The White Marlin (Tetrapturus albidus) is a highly prized big-game fish by anglers because of it's reputation for being spectacularly hard-fighting. They strike hard and make fast runs with many jumps during the fight. The White Marlin is greenish blue above and silvery-white below. The dorsal fin and anal fin are rounded and the bright blue dorsal fin has black or purple spots between the rays. They reach lengths in excess of 7 feet and weights over 100 pounds. The White Marlin is an opportunistic carnivore eating anything that they can capture. They will readily hit almost any natural or artificial bait. Trolling at or close to the surface is the usual technique for taking a white. Live or dead fish, such as mullet, mackerel, herring, and squid along with lures such as Kona Heads, feathered jigs, and plastic squids will work. As with all billfish, they must be handled carefully when brought along side the boat to be hauled onboard or released, because the bill can inflict serious wounds. It's best to wear gloves to protect your hands when handling the fish as it's bill is very rough.

Blue Marlin: color cobalt blue on top shading to silvery white on bottom; upper jaw elongated in form of spear; dorsal fin pointed at front end; pectoral fin and anal fin pointed; lateral line reticulated (interwoven like a net), difficult to see in large specimens; no dark spots on dorsal fin; body covered with embedded scales ending in one or two sharp points.
Similar Fish: white marlin, Tetrapterus albidus (white has rounded tip of pectoral and anal fins, and spots on the dorsal fin).
Where found: OFFSHORE, a blue water fish.
Size: largest of the Atlantic marlins, common to 11 feet, known to exceed 2,000 pounds.
Remarks: all of trophy size are females; males do not exceed 300 pounds; make trans-Atlantic migrations; spawning procedures unknown; feeds on squid and pelagic fishes, including blackfin tuna and frigate mackerel.