Sea BreamorPinfish
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
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 | 2 states | 0 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 2 of 2 states with a rule for either. In Florida (Atlantic), sea bream is No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per day while pinfish has no rule of its own there. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Sea Bream: size · bag · season | Pinfish: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Florida (Atlantic) | No size limit2 fish or 100 lb per dayOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · likely · checked | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. |
| Florida (Gulf) | No size limit2 fish or 100 lb per dayOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · likely · checked | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, sea bream or pinfish, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions 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.
Do sea bream and pinfish have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 2 state rulebooks. Florida (Atlantic): sea bream No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per day, pinfish no rule of its own; Florida (Gulf): sea bream No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per day, pinfish no rule of its own.