Black MargateorSheepshead
Two fish anglers mix up. Here is what separates them, and what each one’s rules are in your state.
How to tell them apart
Black Margate
Chunky pale grunt with a black smudge behind the pectoral and jet-black fins; sheepshead-deep body.
Sheepshead
Bold black vertical bars and startlingly human-like teeth.
Sheepshead, next to black margate: true vertical convict bars.
Side by side
| Black Margate | Sheepshead | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Anisotremus surinamensis | Archosargus probatocephalus |
| Also called | Pompon | Convict fish |
| Waters | Nearshore | Inshore |
| Heaviest state record | 12.8 lb · Texas (2000) | 21.25 lb · Louisiana (1982) |
| On the table | Good. | Excellent — sweet, crab-fed; famously hard to clean. |
| Rules of its own in | 2 states | 10 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 10 of 10 states with a rule for either. In Florida (Atlantic), black margate is No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per day and sheepshead is 12 in TL min, 8 per person. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Black Margate: size · bag · season | Sheepshead: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 12 in fork length minimum8 per personOpen year-roundOpenAL MRD 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Atlantic) | No size limit2 fish or 100 lb per dayOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · likely · checked | 12 in TL min8 per personOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Gulf) | No size limit2 fish or 100 lb per dayOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · likely · checked | 12 in TL min8 per personOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Georgia | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 10 in fork length15 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenGA DNR CRD 2026 · checked |
| Maryland | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 12 in min4Open year-roundOpenMD DNR 2026 · checked |
| Mississippi | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 14 in total length minimum15 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenMS DMR 2026 · checked |
| North Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 14" TL min5/dayOpen year-roundOpenNC DMF 2026 · checked |
| South Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 14 in total length10/day, max 30/boatOpen year-roundOpenSC DNR 2026 · checked |
| Texas | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | 15 in total length5Open year-roundOpenTPWD 2026 · checked |
| Virginia | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit4 per personOpen year-roundOpenVMRC 2026 · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, black margate or sheepshead, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell black margate from sheepshead?
Black Margate: Chunky pale grunt with a black smudge behind the pectoral and jet-black fins; sheepshead-deep body. Sheepshead: Bold black vertical bars and startlingly human-like teeth. Sheepshead, next to black margate: true vertical convict bars.
Which gets bigger, black margate or sheepshead?
Sheepshead. The heaviest state record we hold is 21.25 lb in Louisiana; the heaviest black margate record is 12.8 lb in Texas.
Which is better to eat, black margate or sheepshead?
Black Margate: Good. Sheepshead: Excellent — sweet, crab-fed; famously hard to clean.
Do black margate and sheepshead have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 10 state rulebooks. Florida (Atlantic): black margate No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per day, sheepshead 12 in TL min, 8 per person; Florida (Gulf): black margate No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per day, sheepshead 12 in TL min, 8 per person; Alabama: black margate no rule of its own, sheepshead 12 in fork length minimum, 8 per person; Georgia: black margate no rule of its own, sheepshead 10 in fork length, 15 per person per day; Maryland: black margate no rule of its own, sheepshead 12 in min, 4; and more in the table on this page.