The red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as redfish, channel bass, puppy drum, spottail bass, or simply red, is a game fish found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to northern Mexico.

The largest red drum on record weighed just over 94 pounds (43 kg) and was caught in 1984 on Hatteras Island.

[6] The most distinguishing mark on the red drum is one large black spot on the upper part of the tail base.

[7] The red drum uses its senses of sight and touch, and its downturned mouth, to locate forage on the bottom through vacuuming or biting.

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.

[citation needed] 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.

Catch limits and size restrictions have increased the average weight of redfish caught in Louisiana coastal waters.

States actively vary the recreational catch limits and minimum and maximum lengths to help maintain sustainable red drum populations.

Executive Order 13449 of October 20, 2007, issued by U.S. President George W. Bush, designated the red drum as a protected game fish.

[citation needed] The North Carolina General Assembly of 1971 designated the red drum the official state saltwater fish.