The relationship between length (L) and weight (W) for nearly all species of fish can be expressed by an equation of the form: Īs red drum grow longer, they increase in weight exponentially. Larval red drum use vertical migrations to ride high salinity tidal currents into tidal creeks and shallow salt marsh nursery habitats.Males produce drumming sounds using muscular contractions to vibrate the swimbladder, to attract females. Spawn during late summer and fall occurs near estuary inlets and passes along barrier island beaches.Adults mature by 3 – 5 years of age approximate length at maturity: males – 28 inches, females – 33 inches.About half of red drum are able to reproduce by age 4 years, when they are 660-700 mm long and 3.4 – 4 kg in weight. After the first year, they may be 271 – 383 mm long. Scharf (2000) reported that in the first year, young red drum in Texas estuaries grew about 0.6 mm per day, though the rates varied with location and year and were higher in more southerly estuaries. A female lays about 1.5 million (with a range of 200,000 up to more than three million) eggs per batch. The red drum's eggs incubate for 24 hours. Mature red drum spawn in near shorelines from mid-August to mid-October. length for red drum (data from Jenkins 2004) Around this type of structure, they are found throughout the water column. Both younger mature red drum (3-6 years of age) and bull red drum prefer rocky outcroppings including jetties and manmade structures, such as oil rigs and bridge posts. Immature red drum prefer grass marsh areas of bays and estuaries when available.
Aquaculture activities involving them occur around the world. They are a highly prized game fish in the Gulf of Mexico. Red drum naturally occur along the eastern and southern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia. In the summer and fall, adult red drum feed on crabs, shrimp, and mullet in the spring and winter, adults primarily feed on menhaden, mullet, pinfish, sea robin, lizardfish, spot, Atlantic croaker, and mudminnows. On the top and middle of the water column, it uses changes in the light that might look like food. The red drum uses its senses of sight and touch, and its downturned mouth, to locate forage on the bottom through vacuuming or biting. Scientists believe that the black spot near their tail helps fool predators into attacking the red drum's tail instead of its head, allowing the red drum to escape.
As the fish with multiple spots grow older, they seem to lose their excess spots.
Having multiple spots is not uncommon for this fish, but having no spots is extremely rare. The most distinguishing mark on the red drum is one large black spot on the upper part of the tail base. Male red drum make a knocking or drumming sound during spawning by vibrating their swim bladders. The largest red drum on record weighed just over 94 lb and was caught in 1984 on Hatteras Island. Three-year-old red drum typically weigh 6-8 lb. The red drum has a characteristic eyespot near the tail and is somewhat streamlined. Red drum are a dark red color on the back, which fades into white on the belly. ocellatus) showing characteristic spot(s) at the base of the tail: This one is not a "bull red" because it is shorter than 27 inches (0.69 m).
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