Spot Details

• Water Type: saltwater
• Latin Name: Leiostomus xanthurus
• Common Names: Norfolk spot, Spot, flat croaker, golden croaker, silver gudgeon, goody, chub, roach, jimmy, spot croaker
• Water Temp: 35-93 degrees
• Last Modified By: bassprochuck on 06/03/09 10:29 PM
• Ask about Spot in our forum

A popular commercial and recreational fish found primarily in the Chesapeake Bay all the way down to South Carolina. It is a moderately deep-bodied, compressed fish with an elevated back. Body color is typically bluish-gray dorsally, fading to golden yellow or yellow-tan ventrally. A set of 12 -15 dark streaks run obliquely from the dorsal surface down the sides to about mid-body. These tend to fade with age. Fins are typically pale yellow in color. The head is short, with a small, inferior mouth. The maxilla extends to approximately the middle of the eye. The dorsal fin is continuous, with a notch separating the spinous portion from the soft rays. There are 9-11 dorsal spines, and 29-35 soft rays. The anal fin has 2 spines and 12-13 rays. The caudal peduncle is moderately deep, and the caudal fin is notched. A large black spot is set above the upper edge of the gill cover. There are 72-77 lateral line scales (Johnson 1978).