Sea BreamorPinfish

Two fish anglers mix up. Here is what separates them, and what each one’s rules are in your state.

Studio photograph of a Sea Bream (Archosargus rhomboidalis), side view, on a white background — **Sea Bream***Archosargus rhomboidalis*

Studio photograph of a Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), side view, on a white background — **Pinfish***Lagodon rhomboides*

Rules for both fish from 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.

How to tell them apart

Sea Bream

Pinfish-like porgy with gold pinstripes and a dark shoulder spot on a deeper, rounder body.

Pinfish

Thin blue-and-yellow stripes, dark shoulder spot, needle-sharp dorsal spines.

Pinfish, next to sea bream: slimmer, spot sits right at the shoulder midline.

Side by side

	Sea Bream	Pinfish
Scientific name	Archosargus rhomboidalis	Lagodon rhomboides
Also called	Western Atlantic seabream	—
Waters	Inshore	Inshore
Heaviest state record	1.11 lb · Texas (1996)	3 lb 5.6 oz · Mississippi (1992)
On the table	Panfish.	Bait first, panfish second.
Rules of its own in	0 states	0 states

Rules for

Every state, both fish

State	Sea Bream: size · bag · season	Pinfish: size · bag · season

Questions anglers ask

How do you tell sea bream from pinfish?

Sea Bream: Pinfish-like porgy with gold pinstripes and a dark shoulder spot on a deeper, rounder body. Pinfish: Thin blue-and-yellow stripes, dark shoulder spot, needle-sharp dorsal spines. Pinfish, next to sea bream: slimmer, spot sits right at the shoulder midline.

Which gets bigger, sea bream or pinfish?

Pinfish. The heaviest state record we hold is 3 lb 5.6 oz in Mississippi; the heaviest sea bream record is 1.11 lb in Texas.

Which is better to eat, sea bream or pinfish?

Sea Bream: Panfish. Pinfish: Bait first, panfish second.