Fish Question

Type: Tidal
Region: Southern
Location: Port Tobacco

Good afternoon, I have a question that I hope you can answer. I fish out of Port Tobacco and I have caught several of the same fish and I am not sure what it is. It looks like a croaker but skinnier and it had spots on it like a spot (but several spots). When you catch one and bring it in, you do not hear the croaking like a croaker either. Any ideas?

DNR Response:These are almost certainly small red drum, also called puppy drum. Some have only a single spot at the base of the tail some have multiple big spots on the back and tail. They are related to spot and croaker. That�s why they look similar.