80018 DMR_Poster 3/17/11 10:46 AM Page 1 SaltwaterSaltwater FishFish CommonCommon toto MississippiMississippi

Crevalle Jack hippos Peak Season:Summer Red Snapper Habitat:Bays through offshore waters, often found near anchored Lutjanus campechanus boats Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi, Dorado) Peak Season:Spring through Fall Average Size:15 lbs. Coryphaena hippurus Southern Kingfish (Ground ) Habitat:Offshore structures, including oil rigs Characteristics:Yellowish green, deep bodied, with spot on edge of Peak Season:Summer through Fall Pompano Menticirrhus americanus and artificial reefs gill cover. Habitat:Offshore waters, frequently found Atlantic Croaker Trachinotus carolinus Peak Season:Summer Average Size:4 lbs. Remarks: One of the most powerful of all the fish around floating debris or Micropogonias undulatus Peak Season:Summer Habitat: systems and Characteristics:Pinkish red with white underside, red common to nearshore waters, the jack crevalle is a Average Size:2 lbs. Peak Season:Summer through Fall Habitat:Surf zone of barrier islands and Average Size:under 1 lb. iris, anal fin pointed. challenge on light tackle. This fast-moving is Characteristics:Color varies from blue, yellow and Southern Flounder Habitat:Bays and estuarine systems Average Size:1 lb. Characteristics:Silvery gray to coppery with irregular Remarks: Charcoal-broiled, grilled, attracted to fast-moving, shiny baits; and a silver spoon is green. Body laterally compressed. Paralichthys lethostigma Average Size:under 1 lb. Characteristics:Bluish silver on back with silver sides blotches on sides. Single under chin. fried or blackened, red snapper is one one of the most effective lures for catching a jack. Remarks: This fish is not to be Peak Season:Spring through Fall Characteristics:Light silvery to brassy yellow with and yellow underside. Body flattened of the tastiest of all fishes common to confused with the bottlenose dolphin, Habitat:Silty bottoms of bays and estuaries short irregular brown streaks on sides. with rounded snout. the Mississippi Gulf Coast. which is a marine mammal. Average Size:1 lb. Fortunately, this species is also one of Characteristics:Flat fish. Brown, often with numerous the most abundant inhabitants of spots. offshore fishing reefs. Remarks: Probably as many folks catch flounder using a lantern and gig as do those who fish hook and line for them. Either way, this flatfish is a Gag culinary delight that’s often served Mycteroperca microlepis Bonnethead stuffed with crabmeat dressing. Hardhead Peak Season:Fall through Winter Sphyrna tiburo Spotted Seatrout (Speckled Trout, Speck) Arius felis Habitat:Offshore structures, including oil rigs and Peak Season:Summer Cynoscion nebulosus Peak Season:Year-round artificial reefs Habitat:Bays, estuaries and artificial reefs Peak Season:Spring Habitat:All coastal waters Average Size:5 lbs. Average Size:10 lbs. Scalloped Hammerhead Habitat:Bays and estuaries Atlantic Spadefish Average Size:1 lb. Characteristics:Pale to dark gray with worm-like marks. Chaetodipterus faber Characteristics:Head spade-shaped. Sphyrna lewini Average Size:1 lb. Peak Season:Spring through Fall Characteristics:Grayish with flattened head and six whiskers. Characteristics:Bluish gray on back with silvery white underside. Many black spots Color may deepen to dark brown after removal Peak Season:Year-round Remarks: Anglers need to take care when handling these from water. Habitat:Offshore oil rigs and Habitat:Open waters, bays, estuaries and on upper side. island passes fish as an encounter with a hardhead’s dorsal and pectoral Remarks: This species has earned its popularity among nearshore other hard structures spines can leave a nasty, painful wound. Average Size:2 lbs. Average Size:100 lbs. sportfishermen by its eagerness to strike a live shrimp or artificial Characteristics:Deep bodied with Characteristics:Head flattened and expanded with bait with equal abandon. Silver spoons, soft plastic jigs and hard Ladyfish (Ten-Pounder) grayish silver background middle indentation. plastic plugs are all effective in taking trout along the Mississippi Elops saurus and numerous dark Gulf Coast. The early morning and late afternoon hours on strong Peak Season:Spring through Summer vertical bars. tides provide the best fishing conditions. Habitat:Coastal waters Red Drum (Redfish, Channel Bass) Average Size:1 lb. Sciaenops ocellatus Characteristics:Long, slender, silvery body. Peak Season:Spring and Fall Striped Mullet (Popeye Mullet) Remarks: Though not considered Habitat:Bays, estuaries and island passes Cobia (Lemonfish, Ling) Mugil cephalus edible, the ladyfish has saved many a Megalops atlanticus Average Size:5 lbs. Rachycentron canadum Peak Season:Fall fishing trip with its aerobatics and Peak Season:Summer Characteristics:Coppery brown or reddish. Large spots common at base of tail. Peak Season:Spring through Fall Habitat:All coastal waters eagerness to strike an artificial bait. Habitat:Sound through offshore waters Remarks: Red drum have become one of the glamour species of Habitat:Coastal bays, sandbars Average Size:under 1 lb. Average Size:75 lbs. nearshore waters as they are superb fighters when hooked on light and offshore structures Characteristics:Dark on back, silvery sides are Characteristics:Silvery with dark greenish back. Last ray tackle. Reds up to 30 pounds and more are caught each year in the Average Size:20 lbs. striped. Characteristics:Dark brown on top to of elongated. Very large fall months when spawning schools of these fish first move into the Spanish Mackerel Remarks: Known as Biloxi Greater Amberjack upturned mouth. western Sound. Gold spoons are a favorite among fishermen for white on bottom. Head Bacon, mullet are a staple flattened. Scomberomorus maculatus Seriola dumerili Remarks: Where once these magnificent sight-casting and trolling for reds. Peak Season:Summer through Fall among locals who catch them in Peak Season:Summer Remarks: These bona fish were exceedingly rare in sportfishing Habitat:Surf zones through offshore cast nets all along the Coast. Habitat:Offshore structures, including oil rigs and catches, the silver ghost seems to be fide heavyweights can Excellent table fare when freshly weigh upwards of 100 waters Carcharhinus leucas artificial reefs making a comeback along the Average Size:2 lbs. caught, mullet are readily Peak Season:Summer Average Size:15 lbs. Mississippi Gulf Coast. Drift fishing a pounds and call for some available throughout the year. stout tackle. Characteristics:Silvery with distinct yellow Habitat:Coastal waters, may Characteristics:Darker on back, whitish underside with live mullet is one popular way to hook spots. Front portion of dorsal enter freshwater broad yellow strip along mid-side. Dark up with one of these challenging fish, fin black. slopes Average Size:20 lbs. stripe through the eye. but catching one on the fly is more evenly downward. Characteristics:Heavy-bodied, snout exciting. Remarks: Spanish Mackerels short, very broad. provide dependable fishing Remarks: Implicated Pinfish Gray Snapper action in the barrier island in many shark attacks, Lagodon rhomboides Lujanus griseus surf and in the passes from this aggressive coastal Peak Season:Year-round Peak Season:Summer through Fall early spring on into summer predator oftentimes Habitat:Man-made and natural Habitat:Juveniles inhabit inshore when they will move into the takes top honors in structures Black Drum structures, while adults inhabit waters of the Sound. Fishing Blacktip Shark fishing rodeos and Average Size:under 1 lb. Pogonias cromis offshore structures, including a silver spoon with a fast- Carcharhinus limbatus tournaments in the Characteristics:Bluish silver with many Peak Season:Fall oil rigs and artificial reefs paced retrieve is almost Peak Season:Summer unclassified shark Sand Seatrout (White Trout) narrow bronze stripes, Habitat:Bays and estuarine systems Average Size:2 lbs. certain to get a hookup with Habitat:Bays, estuaries and coastal waters category. Cynoscion arenarius dark shoulder spot. Average Size:5 lbs. Characteristics:Dark red or maroon. Commonly any hungry mackerel. This Average Size:20 lbs. Peak Season:Summer Characteristics:4-5 dark vertical bars over silvery has dark stripe through eye. fish’s sharp teeth make steel Characteristics:Gray with fins tipped in black, except anal fin. Habitat:Bays, estuaries and inshore artificial Gray Triggerfish background. Numerous barbels on chin. Pomotomus saltatrix leaders a necessity. reefs Balistes capriscus Remarks: These big fish love oysters and Peak Season:Summer Average Size:under 1 lb. Peak Season:Year-round can frequently be found feeding wherever Habitat:Bays, Sound and offshore waters Characteristics:Generally pale, yellowish brown on Habitat:Offshore structures, the mollusks are known to occur. Average Size:3 lbs. back with silvery underside. including oil rigs and Characteristics:Greenish blue on top, silvery below. Pronounced teeth. artificial reefs Average Size:1 lb. Characteristics:Body grayish with irregular Atlantic Sharpnose Shark dark markings. (Sand Shark) Rhizoprionodon terraenovae Peak Season:Spring through Fall Tripletail (Blackfish) Habitat:Bays, estuaries and nearshore King Mackerel (Kingfish) Lobotes surinamensis Wahoo artificial reefs Scomberomorus cavalla Little Tunny (Bonita) Peak Season:Summer Acanthocybium solanderi Average Size:8 lbs. Peak Season:Spring through Fall Euthynnus alletteratus Habitat:Flotsam in open waters; Channel markers Peak Season:Summer Characteristics:Grayish top to white underneath Habitat:Oil rigs, offshore wrecks and shoal waters Peak Season:None Sheepshead and buoys inshore Habitat:Offshore pelagic waters with small white spots on sides. Average Size:15 lbs. Habitat:Offshore waters Archosargus probatocephalus Average Size:8 lbs. Average Size:30 lbs. Origin of second dorsal fin Characteristics:Sides silvery with greenish on back, lateral Characteristics:Yellow to coppery brown; often blotched Average Size:5 lbs. Peak Season: Fall through Spring Characteristics:Body long and slender, over midpoint of anal fin. line drops rapidly after second dorsal fin. with anal, dorsal and tailfin close to same Characteristics:4-5 dark spots below pectoral Habitat:Man-made and natural structures boldly barred. Jaws marinus Juveniles resemble Spanish Mackerel. length. fin. Wavy black lines on dorsal Average Size:2 lbs. elongated. Peak Season:Spring through Fall Remarks: These shade-loving fish are surface. Characteristics: 6-7 black vertical bars on side, noticeable “sheep-like” teeth. Habitat:Bays and shallow Gulf waters commonly found along the many Remarks: Consummate bait-stealers, sheepshead are most Average Size:2 lbs. navigational aids along the Intracoastal easily caught using sharp hooks and a lightning fast hookset. Characteristics:Bluish gray with very long fin rays and four whiskers. Waterway during the summer months. A Contrary to its name and appearance, the sheepshead with its big tripletail is a formidable foe that can put firm, white flesh is actually superb table fare. a strain on both light tackle and nerves.

MississippiMississippi DepartmentDepartment ofof MarineMarine ResourcesResources •• 11411141 BayviewBayview Ave.Ave. •• Biloxi,Biloxi, MississippiMississippi 3953039530 •• (228)(228) 374-5000374-5000 •• www.dmr.ms.govwww.dmr.ms.gov This poster was printed through a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration Program. This public document is not for sale, and all rights are reserved to the DMR. Illustrations by Marty Wilson© YYourour purchasepurchase ofof aa fishingfishing license,license, equipmentequipment andand motormotor boatboat fuelsfuels supportssupports SportSport FishFish RestorationRestoration fundedfunded programsprograms inin MississipMississippi.