Silver PerchorSpot
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
Silver Perch
Small bright-silver drum with yellowish fins, no chin barbels, no shoulder spot, no canine teeth.
Spot
Single dark shoulder spot, forked tail, no barbels.
Spot, next to silver perch: dark shoulder spot and oblique bars.
Side by side
| Silver Perch | Spot | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Bairdiella chrysoura | Leiostomus xanthurus |
| Also called | — | — |
| Waters | Inshore | Inshore |
| Heaviest state record | 0 lb 5.12 oz · Mississippi (2020) | 2 lb 6 oz · Virginia (1980) |
| On the table | Good but small — a panfish. | Very good panfish — fall roe spot are a Carolina tradition. |
| Rules of its own in | 1 states | 8 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 8 of 8 states with a rule for either. In North Carolina, silver perch is No size limit, No bag limit and spot is No size limit, 50/day. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Silver Perch: size · bag · season | Spot: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit50 per dayOpen year-roundOpenDE DNREC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Atlantic) | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit50 per personOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Florida (Gulf) | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit100 lb per personOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · checked |
| Georgia | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit25 per person per dayOpen year-roundOpenGA DNR CRD 2026 · checked |
| Maryland | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit50Open year-roundOpenMD DNR 2026 · checked |
| North Carolina | No size limitNo bag limitOpen year-roundOpenNC DMF 2026 · checked | No size limit50/dayOpen year-roundOpenNC DMF 2026 · checked |
| South Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit50/day aggregateOpen year-roundOpenSC DNR 2026 · checked |
| Virginia | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit50 per personOpen year-roundOpenVMRC 2026 · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, silver perch or spot, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell silver perch from spot?
Silver Perch: Small bright-silver drum with yellowish fins, no chin barbels, no shoulder spot, no canine teeth. Spot: Single dark shoulder spot, forked tail, no barbels. Spot, next to silver perch: dark shoulder spot and oblique bars.
Which gets bigger, silver perch or spot?
Spot. The heaviest state record we hold is 2 lb 6 oz in Virginia; the heaviest silver perch record is 0 lb 5.12 oz in Mississippi.
Which is better to eat, silver perch or spot?
Silver Perch: Good but small — a panfish. Spot: Very good panfish — fall roe spot are a Carolina tradition.
Do silver perch and spot have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 8 state rulebooks. North Carolina: silver perch No size limit, No bag limit, spot No size limit, 50/day; Delaware: silver perch no rule of its own, spot No size limit, 50 per day; Florida (Atlantic): silver perch no rule of its own, spot No size limit, 50 per person; Florida (Gulf): silver perch no rule of its own, spot No size limit, 100 lb per person; Georgia: silver perch no rule of its own, spot No size limit, 25 per person per day; and more in the table on this page.