Gulf Menhaden
Brevoortia patronus
Also called Pogy.
How to tell it
The Gulf's bunker — shoulder spot trailed by smaller spots, keeled belly, tight flipping schools.
- Not a atlantic menhaden? That one Atlantic-side twin. (Atlantic Menhaden)
- Not a atlantic thread herring? That one trailing dorsal thread. (Atlantic Thread Herring)
Rules for
Every state
| State | Size | Bag | Season | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (Gulf) | No size limit | No bag limit for bait | Open year-roundFWC 2026 · likely · checked | Open |
Not specifically regulated in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida (Atlantic), 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
Bait and chum.
In the app
Point the camera at a gulf menhaden 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 appQuestions anglers ask about gulf menhaden
How do you tell gulf menhaden from atlantic menhaden?
Gulf Menhaden has this: The Gulf's bunker — shoulder spot trailed by smaller spots, keeled belly, tight flipping schools.. Atlantic Menhaden Atlantic-side twin.