Side by Side

Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus

Typical: 16–28 in, 3–12 lb

Quickest tell: A red eye, angular anal fin, canine teeth and a barely forked tail separate the larger red snapper from the small-mouthed, deeply-forked-tailed vermilion.

• Uniform brick-red to rosy body, red iris
• Sloping forehead and pointed snout
• Anal fin pointed/angular (not rounded)
• Enlarged canine teeth in the jaws; large mouth
• Tail only slightly forked; juveniles show a dark spot high on the side that fades with age

Full Red Snapper guide — season, gear and rules →

Vermilion / B-sea Rhomboplites aurorubens

Typical: 12–18 in, 1–3 lb

Quickest tell: A proportionally large eye over a tiny mouth, a rounded anal fin and a deeply forked tail flag a vermilion (beeliner) versus the canine-toothed, red-eyed, barely-forked red snapper.

• Vermilion/red back fading to silvery-pink sides
• Large yellow-gold eye relative to a small mouth
• Faint yellow streaks/dashes along the upper sides
• Rounded anal fin; no enlarged canine teeth
• Deeply forked tail; smaller, more slender body than red snapper

Full Vermilion / B-sea guide — season, gear and rules →

When Each Is Running July — current month highlighted

Where Red Snapper and Vermilion / B-sea Overlap

Both run in Southeast Atlantic — that is where telling them apart actually matters.

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