Puddingwife
Halichoeres radiatus
How to tell it
Large blue-green wrasse with pale vertical bars, a yellow tail, and blue lines on the head.
Often mistaken for
One fish that gets called puddingwife, and what gives it away.
- Slippery dick: Small, striped. Tell them apart
Rules for
Every state
| State | Size | Bag | Season | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (Atlantic) | No size limit | 5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate | Year-roundFWC 2026 · likely · checked | Open |
| Florida (Gulf) | No size limit | 5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate | Year-roundFWC 2026 · likely · checked | Open |
Not specifically regulated in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, 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
Edible, rarely kept.
In the app
Point the camera at a puddingwife 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 puddingwife
How many puddingwife can you keep?
Florida (Atlantic): 5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate; Florida (Gulf): 5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate.
How do you tell puddingwife from slippery dick?
Puddingwife: Large blue-green wrasse with pale vertical bars, a yellow tail, and blue lines on the head. Slippery dick: small, striped.