CHUM Get the app

Species · Nearshore

French Grunt

Haemulon flavolineatum

Rules in 0 state rulebooks, checked Sep 22, 2026. Every rule names its source and the day it was last checked; the official rulebook is the final word.

Studio photograph of a French Grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum), side view, on a white background

How to tell it

Yellow grunt whose blue stripes run straight on top but SLANT below the midline; yellow fins.

Often mistaken for

Two fish that get called french grunt, and what gives each one away.

Rules for

Every state

StateSizeBagSeasonToday

Not specifically regulated in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida (Atlantic), Florida (Gulf), Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia: each state’s rule for unlisted species applies there (on its page).

On the table

Fine panfish.

Related fish

Same genus (Haemulon): Bluestriped Grunt, Cottonwick, Sailors Choice, Tomtate, White Grunt, White Margate.

Side by side: French Grunt vs Bluestriped Grunt, French Grunt vs Tomtate.

In the app

Point the camera at a french grunt and the name appears before you take the picture, with these rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed, and every catch goes in the log.

Get the app

Questions anglers ask about french grunt

How do you tell french grunt from bluestriped grunt?

French Grunt: Yellow grunt whose blue stripes run straight on top but SLANT below the midline; yellow fins. Bluestriped grunt: stripes straight the whole way.