The Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), also known as Channel Bass, Redfish,or just Reds, is a game fish that is found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Northern Mexico. It is the only species in the genus Sciaenops.

Characteristics
Red Drum usually occur along coastal waters. Three year-old red drum typically weigh six to eight pounds. The largest one on record weighed just over 94 pounds. When they are large they are called Bull reds and most people do not find the large ones good to eat.
Mature Red Drum spawn in near shorelines. Juvenile red drum typically inhabit bays and coastal marshes until they reach maturity between 3 and 6 years of age. They will readily accept any bait but prefer Menhaden, Shrimp, Mud Minnows and crabs. Red Drum are relatives of the Black Drum and both make a croaking sound when in trouble.
Redfish are usually targeted in South Florida using 8-15 pound class line or 6-10 weight fly rods.  They can often times be seen sticking their tails up in the air (tailing) as they eat in water 4-12” deep.  When targeting redfish in this environment it is often called sight-fishing.

Relationship to humans
The North Carolina General Assembly of 1971 designated the Red Drum as the official State Salt Water Fish. (Session Laws, 1971, c. 274; G.S. 145-6). President of the United States George W. Bush in an Executive Order on October 20, 2007 designated the Red Drum as a protected game fish. This prohibits sale of Red Drum caught in Federal waters and encourages states to consider designating Red Drum as a protected game fish within state waters.

The spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, is a common estuary fish found in the southern United States. While most of these fish are caught on shallow, grassy flats, spotted seatrout reside in virtually any inshore waters, from the surf of outside islands to far up coastal rivers, where they often come for shelter during cold weather. Contrary to its name, the spotted seatrout is not a member of the trout family (Salmonidae), but of the drum family (Sciaenidae).

These fish have large, prominent canine teeth; dark back with grey or silvery sides marked with scattered ocellated black spots of varying size. Plain black spots are also present on the dorsal and tail fins. Its shape and coloration is reminiscent of a Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta), hence the name. In stained water, this fish's background may take on a golden hue.

The average size of these fish is 0.5-1.0 kg (1-2 lb), but in most areas fish up to 2.5 kg (5 lb) are fairly common. 3.5-4.5 kg (8-10 lb) fish are rare. World record is 7.9 kg (17 lb 7 oz). These fish are active most at dawn and dusk. And a proven catching technique is at dark to throw out a glow stick into the water and cast around it as these fish are attracted to light. (shrimp is ideal bait)

Like all members of the drum family, mature males produce a "drumming" sound to attract females during the spawning season (May through early September). This fish is often found in shallow tidal creeks near flooded salt marshes, where it feeds mainly on shrimp and small fish. Spotted Seatrout are also know to congregate heavily over oyster reefs. It is fished both commercially and recreationally.

The Spotted Seatrout makes for excellent tablefare with a firm, white meat.

This fish is more commonly referred to as "Speckled Trout" by coastal fisherman along the Gulf of Mexico. The shorter alias, "specks," is also used.

This fish is closely related to the weakfish.

The Black Drum (Pogonias cromis) is a saltwater fish similar to its cousin, the Red Drum. It is the only species in the genus Pogonias. Though most specimens are generally found in the 5-30lb (2-14kg) range, the black drum is well known as the largest of all the drum family with some specimens reaching excesses of 90lbs (40kg). They are often black and/or gray in color with juvenile fish having distinctive dark stripes over a gray body. The world record black drum was just over 113lbs (51kg).

It is recommended that those caught by fishermen which are over 15lbs pounds (7kg) should be released, as the flesh is very coarse and tough. Black drums are capable of producing tones between 100 Hz and 500 Hz when performing mating calls.

Their teeth are rounded and they have powerful jaws capable of crushing oysters and other shellfish.

Goliath Grouper (Jewfish)
The Atlantic goliath grouper or itajara (Epinephelus itajara) is a large saltwater fish of the grouper family. It was formerly known as the jewfish; however, in 2001 the American Fisheries Society made the decision to change the name to the more considerate "goliath grouper". It is a cousin of the Pacific Goliath grouper.

The goliath grouper is found primarily in shallow tropical waters among coral and artificial reefs at depths of up to 165 feet (50 m). Their range includes the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, most of the Caribbean, and practically all of the Brazilian coast, where they are known as mero. On some occasions it is caught in New England off Maine and Massachusetts but it is not that common. In the eastern Atlantic Ocean, it occurs from Congo to Senegal.
Young grouper may live in brackish estuaries, canals and mangrove swamps, unusual behavior among grouper.

Atlantic Goliath grouper
They may reach extremely large sizes, growing to lengths of 8.2 feet (2.5 m) and can weigh as much as 800 pounds (363 kg). In Florida, the largest hook and line captured specimen weighed 680 pounds (309 kg). They are usually around 400 lb when mature. Considered of fine food quality, the goliath grouper were a highly sought after quarry for fishermen of all types. The goliath grouper's inquisitive and generally fearless nature make it a relatively easy prey for spear fishermen. They also tend to spawn in large aggregations returning like clockwork to the same locations making them particularly vulnerable to mass harvesting. Until a harvest ban was placed on the species, the species was in rapid decline. The goliath grouper is totally protected from harvest and is recognized as a critically endangered species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The U.S. began protection in 1990 and the Caribbean in 1993. The species' population has been recovering since the ban, however with the fish's slow growth rate it will take some time for populations to return to their previous levels.
Goliath grouper eat crustaceans, other fish, octopuses and young sea turtles. Grouper are preyed upon by large fish such as barracuda, moray eels and large sharks.

Goliath grouper are believed to be protogynous hermaphrodites, with individuals first maturing as females and only some large adults becoming males. Most grouper follow this pattern, but it has not yet been verified for the Goliath. In fact, Bullock et al. found that males could be sexually mature at smaller sizes (~1150mm) and younger ages (4-6 years) than females (~1225mm and ~6-8 years).

The black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci) is one of the best known of the large group of Perciform fish called groupers.

The black grouper is a large marine fish, growing up to 150 centimetres in length and 100 kilograms in weight. It has an olive or gray body, with black blotches and brassy spots.

Thepreopercle is gently rounded. It is associated with rocky or coral reefs but is not dependent on them; it is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean, from Massachusetts, USA, in the north to southern Brazil, but is particularly associated with the southern Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Adults are not found at the northern extremes of its range. It lives mostly near the surface, at depths ranging from 6 to 33 meters.

The black grouper is quite tasty and an important food fish, is fished for sale but also for sea-angling. While not currently considered endangered, it is vulnerable to increases in exploitation because it is a relatively slow breeder.
The black grouper is a solitary fish. Adults feed mainly on other fish and squid, though the younger fish feed on crustaceans especially shrimp.
The fish spawns between May and August. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, i.e. the young are predominantly female but transform into males as they grow larger.

There are other fish that are sometimes called "black groupers". These include the similar gag grouper, Mycteroperca microlepis, the misty grouper Epinephelus mystacinus, and the critically endangered Warsaw grouper Epinephelus nigritus.

The gag grouper (Mycteroperca microlepis) is a drab, mottled gray fish lacking the distinguishing features of other groupers. It has a pattern of markings which resemble the box-shaped spots of the black grouper. It lacks the streamer-points on the tail fin that scamp (Mycteroperca phenax) and yellowmouth grouper (M. interstitialis) have and lacks yellow coloration around the mouth.

Ten- to twenty-pound (5 to 10 kg) fish are common. The world record is 80 lb 6 oz (36.45 kg). The gag grouper is a bottomfeeder and is often caught by fishermen seeking bottom-dwelling species such as snappers. It has flaky white meat that is considered quite delicious.

Members of this species are known to be protogynous hermaphrodites, schooling in harems with the most aggressive and largest females shifting sex to male, probably as a result of behavioral triggers, when there is no male available. Commercial and sport fishing have created tremendous selective pressures against the largest animals, typically male, restricting the reproductive capacity of the entire breeding population.

Recently, a small closure in the Gulf of Mexico was established to provide this and other species a refuge from commercial fishing pressure, however, this data is highly in dispute and is currently being challenged for inaccuracies. They are found in hard bottom with an uneven bottom. Things they like are ledges,rocks,coral reefs,etc. They also like structure. Like wrecks,artificial reefs, and sunken barges.