What determines a redfish's color?

[KeepItReel]

I've heard various theories on why some redfish are silver and some are dark copper/brown: Tannic in water, amount of crustaceans they are eating, etc.? I know the pups we catch in the ocean are silver and the inshore pups are dark, but the old drum are always dark even in the ocean. Can anyone explain this?

[gottaflylee]

This is a great question and I think little is confirmed on this. I do know that some fish that live in tannic colored water will be coppery in color, but not all of them will be that way some in the same school will be bright in color.

When we put a fish in the live well that is silver in color, by the time we get to weight in, they are copper in color. Is this from stress or becsuse they are relaxed, I don't know, just what I see.

I think the amount of blue on the tail brightens during a fight, much like a billfish does when he first takes a bait. When the Red Drum comes to hand, they will quickly lose some or most of the brightness in their tails.

I do know that there are sweet and sour bottoms, talking PH here. You will not find Red Drum on many sour bottoms, the ones that I do see are always bright

[lemaymiami]

We get asked the same question about their coloration down here in pardise (more specifically in the 'Glades out of Flamingo or Everglades City) and I always speculate that it's as much where they've been as where they are... Here's a pic of one from the inside of Whitewater Bay about ten miles from the coast....
[img][img]

They're a whole lot lighter colored out on the coast...
Tight lines
Bob LeMay