Side by Side

Scup / Porgy Stenotomus chrysops

Typical: 8–14 in, 0.5–2 lb

Quickest tell: The deep silvery oval body with a tiny blunt mouth and no fangs or incisors marks a scup; black sea bass is darker, longer-bodied, and shows white-spotted fin rows, while sheepshead wears bold black bars and protruding front teeth.

• deep, compressed silvery body, sometimes with faint dusky bars
• small mouth, blunt snout, no canine or incisor teeth (rows of small teeth only)
• single dorsal fin with sharp spines
• slightly forked tail
• iridescent silvery flanks, sometimes dusky-blotched

Full Scup / Porgy guide — season, gear and rules →

Sheepshead Archosargus probatocephalus

Typical: 14–18 in, 2–5 lb

Key field mark: Forward-set human-like incisor teeth and the absence of chin barbels distinguish sheepshead from the similarly barred but barbeled, blunt-toothed black drum.

• Silvery body with 5-6 bold black vertical bars
• Prominent human-like incisor teeth at front of mouth
• Strong, sharp dorsal and anal fin spines
• Steep, blunt forehead profile
• Small terminal mouth, no chin barbels

Full Sheepshead guide — season, gear and rules →

When Each Is Running July — current month highlighted

Where Scup / Porgy and Sheepshead Overlap

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

← All fish species