Yellow JackorBar Jack
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
Yellow Jack
Slender, clean-lined jack that turns brassy-gold toward the tail; no fin blotches anywhere.
Bar Jack
Sleek jack with electric blue-and-black stripe along the back into the tail.
Bar jack, next to yellow jack: black stripe along the back running into the lower tail lobe.
Side by side
| Yellow Jack | Bar Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Caranx bartholomaei | Caranx ruber |
| Also called | — | — |
| Waters | Nearshore | Nearshore |
| Heaviest state record | 27.6 lb · Florida (2025) | 7.75 lb · Florida (1999) |
| On the table | Very good — among the best-eating jacks. | Good; ciguatera caution on southern reefs. |
| Rules of its own in | 2 states | 4 states |
Rules for
Every state, both fish
The two fish are regulated differently in 5 of 5 states with a rule for either. In Florida (Atlantic), yellow jack is No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per day and bar jack is No size limit, 10 per person per day within 20-fish snapper-grouper aggregate. Call the fish wrong and you keep a short one or throw back a legal one.
| State | Yellow Jack: size · bag · season | Bar Jack: size · bag · season |
|---|---|---|
| Florida (Atlantic) | No size limit2 fish or 100 lb per dayOpen year-roundOpenFWC 2026 · likely · checked | No size limit10 per person per day within 20-fish snapper-grouper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenFederal rule (South Atlantic federal waters)SAFMC / NOAA SERO 2026 · checked |
| 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. |
| Georgia | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit10 per person per day within 20-fish snapper-grouper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenFederal rule (South Atlantic federal waters)SAFMC / NOAA SERO 2026 · checked |
| North Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit10 per person per day within 20-fish snapper-grouper aggregateOpen year-roundOpenFederal rule (South Atlantic federal waters)SAFMC / NOAA SERO 2026 · checked |
| South Carolina | Not specifically regulated; the state’s default for unlisted species applies. | No size limit20/day aggregate, max 10 of any one speciesOpen year-roundOpenSC DNR 2026 · checked |
In the app
Point the camera at the fish and Chum names it before you take the picture, yellow jack or bar jack, with the right rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask
How do you tell yellow jack from bar jack?
Yellow Jack: Slender, clean-lined jack that turns brassy-gold toward the tail; no fin blotches anywhere. Bar Jack: Sleek jack with electric blue-and-black stripe along the back into the tail. Bar jack, next to yellow jack: black stripe along the back running into the lower tail lobe.
Which gets bigger, yellow jack or bar jack?
Yellow Jack. The heaviest state record we hold is 27.6 lb in Florida; the heaviest bar jack record is 7.75 lb in Florida.
Which is better to eat, yellow jack or bar jack?
Yellow Jack: Very good — among the best-eating jacks. Bar Jack: Good; ciguatera caution on southern reefs.
Do yellow jack and bar jack have the same limits?
Not everywhere. They differ in 5 state rulebooks. Florida (Atlantic): yellow jack No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per day, bar jack No size limit, 10 per person per day within 20-fish snapper-grouper aggregate; Florida (Gulf): yellow jack No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per day, bar jack no rule of its own; Georgia: yellow jack no rule of its own, bar jack No size limit, 10 per person per day within 20-fish snapper-grouper aggregate; North Carolina: yellow jack no rule of its own, bar jack No size limit, 10 per person per day within 20-fish snapper-grouper aggregate; South Carolina: yellow jack no rule of its own, bar jack No size limit, 20/day aggregate, max 10 of any one species.