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Whiting
Species Information
| Scientific Name: | Menticirrhus americanus |
| Common Names: | sea mullet, whiting, Virginia mullet, southern kingfish, southern kingcroaker |
| Environment: | Inshore, Surf |
| Ideal Temp: | 72-86°F (22-30°C) |
About Whiting
Menticirrhus americanus, the southern kingfish, southern kingcroaker, the king whiting, the Carolina whiting, or the Sea Mullet, is a species of marine fish in the family Sciaenidae. It lives in shallow coastal waters on the western fringes of the Atlantic Ocean.
The southern kingcroaker can grow to about 50 centimetres (20 in) but a more usual adult length is 30 centimetres (12 in).
The southern kingcroaker is a slender fish, deepest about two fifths of the way along. The upper jaw projects further than the lower and the snout overhangs the mouth. There is a small barbel on the fleshy lower lip. The dorsal fin is divided into two parts. The number of spines and soft rays in the fins is indicative of the species and in M. americanus, the front part of the dorsal fin is broadly triangular and has 10 spines and the other part is long and has 1 spine and 22 to 25 soft rays. The pointed pectoral fins are large and the anal fin has 1 spine and 7 or 8 soft rays. The tail fin has a characteristic slightly concave upper lobe and a rounded lower lobe. The colour of the fish is silvery grey, sometimes with a coppery sheen, and paler grey below. There are sometimes several broad slanting bands of darker colour on the back of the fish.
The southern kingcroaker is a subtropical, demersal fish found in shallow waters in the western Atlantic Ocean. It has a discontinuous range extending from New York southwards to Texas, and from Yucatán southwards to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The northern portion of its range is interrupted its not being found in southern Florida and the southern portion of its range is interrupted by absence from the West Indies. It is found in places where the seabed is sand or mud, often on sandy beaches. The juveniles can tolerate low salinity levels and are often found in estuaries.
The southern kingcroaker feeds on benthic invertebrates. The diet consists mainly of small crustaceans such as shrimps and crabs but amphipods, polychaete worms, molluscs and small fish are also eaten and it also scavenges for detritus and carrion.
Anglers catch kingfish from piers, jetties and boats in the nearshore ocean, usually with two-hook bottom rigs baited with shrimp, mole crabs, bloodworms or squid. Anglers also use jigs or spec rigs to catch kingfish. Kingfish are often caught while fishing for weakfish.
Whiting Fishing
| World Record: | 1.27 kg (2 lb 13 oz) Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA |
| # Fish Caught: | 2968703 documented in database. |
| Earliest Record: | 1/1/1830 12:00:00 AM and located at 29.36809, -94.84530. |
| Latest Record: | 6/28/2024 4:46:00 PM and located at 30.66968, -81.46259. |
| Common Techniques: | Bottom Fishing, Jigging |
| Popular Lure Types: | Bottom Rig, Jigs |
| Fishing Spots: | 860 Whiting fishing spots. |
Latest Whiting Fishing Reports and Spots
Today’s high was 53 while the low was 48 with light to gentle winds. Gusts up to 23mph. Currently it’s 48 with NNW winds around 4mph. Tomorrow (
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Wednesday November 6 2024 Fishing Report We couldn’t have asked for a nicer start to the week. It’s been sunny and 75 and we’re still slowly eas (
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Thursday October 31 2024 Fishing Report Happy Halloween fishin’ guys and ghouls! It’s a beautiful day to be fishing followed by some Trick-or-Tr (
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Sunday November 3 2024 Fishing Report It was another beautiful weekend for fall fishing! There was a lot of action with reports of nice fish cau (
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Monday October 28 2024 Fishing Report It was a weekend full of action! With a decent Trout bite inshore and even better Sea Mullet fishing angle (
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Thursday September 12 2024 Fishing Report Fishing continues to be on point for us here on the Outer Banks! Surf fishing continues to see Puppy D (
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Monday September 16 2024 Fishing Report Fishing continues to be on point for us here on the Outer Banks! Surf fishing continues to see Puppy Dru (
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Saturday September 28 2024 Fishing Report Hurricane Helene has made things a bit interesting but fortunately for our area the effects have been (
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Wednesday October 2 2024 Fishing Report Fall fishing is here and has kicked into high gear! It’s been a drummy few days with big Drum and Puppy (
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Monday August 26 2024 Fishing Report It’s back to school week for our local community but a lot of you spent your last days of summer vacation f (
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