Other Common Names:

Red Drum, Redfish, Spot-tail Bass, Red Bass, Red Dorse, School Drum, Puppy Drum

State Record:

94 pounds 2 ounces

Identifying Features:

Channel bass have a copper-red body with one or more black spots on the tail.

Typical Adult:

Length: Up to 27 inches
Weight: Up to 40 pounds (sometimes as big as 95 pounds)
Life span: Up to 20 or more years

Habitat:

Juvenile channel bass are found inshore, in bays and channels off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. As the juvenile grows to adult, around age 4, it prefers colder temperatures and moves back to the oceans.

Feeding Behavior:

Channel bass feed on crustaceans, fish, and mollusks.

Reproductive Behavior (Spawning):

When: Summer or fall
Preferred Water Temperature: About 75 °F
How: The channel bass migrate out of estuaries (water where a river meets the sea) and lagoons into deeper water near the mouths of bays and inlets. The female broadcasts eggs randomly and the male fertilizes them.

Did You Know:

Female channel bass can lay over a million eggs when they spawn.