

Their large size and spirited fight make them a favorite among trophy fishers. Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) is a game fish with a habitat from Massachusetts to Key West, Florida, and along the Gulf Coast to Mexico. The fastest fish in the ocean, sailfish can reach speeds of 68 miles per hour. They are under no special status or protections. How to catch Red Drum in Fishing Planet Check recommended baits, lures, guides, and more.

Sailfish are fairly abundant throughout their range, and their population is considered stable. When hooked, they will fight vigorously, leaping and diving repeatedly, and sometimes taking hours to land. These powerful, streamlined beasts can grow to more than 10 feet and weigh up to 220 pounds.

Their meat is fairly tough and not widely eaten, but they are prized as game fish. They are found near the ocean surface usually far from land feeding on schools of smaller fish like sardines and anchovies, which they often shepherd with their sails, making them easy prey. Striper fishing has been terrible, Neill admits. They are members of the billfish family, and as such, have an upper jaw that juts out well beyond their lower jaw and forms a distinctive spear. For inshore anglers, red drum offer a ray of hope as dark clouds hang over other fisheries. They get their name from their spectacular dorsal fin that stretches nearly the length of their body and is much higher than their bodies are thick. They are blue to gray in color with white underbellies. The two main subspecies of sailfish, Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, range throughout the warm and temperate parts of the world’s oceans.
