A 53-Spotted Redfish Steals Spotlight at Marco Fishing Tournament

Dick Larson has fished the waters around Marco Island for years, but a redfish he caught Wednesday, October 21, during the Marco Sportfishing Club’s Redfish XXI Team Event gave him something he had never seen before: a 19.5-inch redfish covered in an extraordinary pattern of black spots.

When the anglers returned home and examined their photographs, the fish’s unusual markings became even more apparent. By carefully counting the visible spots on both sides, they tallied 53 spots.

Larson was fishing south of Marco Island with fellow anglers Jay Jones and Keith Wohltman. Jones, a longtime Marco Island resident and club member, provided the boat for the outing. Wohltman is also a longtime island resident and a past president of the club. The tournament was coordinated by Ed Vesely.

The unusual catch was part of a productive six-hour outing for the three anglers, who landed 11 redfish. Tournament size standings included only fish meeting the legal minimum size for their species. The boat’s two largest qualifying redfish measured 26 inches and 21.25 inches. Larson’s 19.5-inch fish was also measured, not for tournament scoring, but to document its size alongside photographs of its extraordinary markings. Other fish caught during the outing were not necessarily measured, since only the two largest qualifying fish were required for the tournament.

A competitive tournament

The Redfish XXI Team Event brought together Marco Sportfishing Club anglers for a multi-species competition featuring redfish, snook and spotted seatrout. In keeping with the tournament’s late-October timing, teams were divided into the Black Team and Orange Team — a nod to Halloween’s traditional colors.

Across the competition, anglers caught and released 65 fish. The Black Team led with 51 fish, including 37 redfish. The Orange Team recorded 14 fish, including four redfish. Redfish count double in the tournament scoring, giving the Black Team 74 redfish points and the Orange Team eight.

There were also some notable individual catches. Jay Jones landed the largest redfish at 26-and-a-half inches, with Ed Brown taking second place at 23-and-three-quarters inches. Brown also had the largest spotted seatrout at 17-and-a-half inches, while Jones had the second-largest at 15-and-three-quarters inches.

Tournament coordinator Ed Vesely deserves credit for organizing a successful Redfish XXI event, bringing together the fishing competition and the social gathering that followed. Two days after the tournament, club members met at Sarazen Park for a picnic, where the team results and individual honors were announced.

But among the many fish caught and released during the event, Larson’s 19-and-a-half-inch redfish stood out for something other than its size.

A rare pattern

Redfish, also known as red drum, typically have one prominent black spot on each side near the tail, although some have several. The markings have long fascinated fisheries biologists. One explanation is that the tail spot resembles an eye, potentially confusing predators into striking near the tail rather than the fish’s head and giving the redfish a better chance to escape.

A redfish with dozens or even hundreds of spots is sometimes called a “leopard redfish” by anglers. The nickname is descriptive, not a separate species designation. Researchers have suggested that exceptionally heavy spotting may result from genetic variation affecting pigmentation. The precise cause, and whether having so many spots provides any survival advantage, remains uncertain.

Larson’s catch is unusual, but it is not without precedent. A redfish caught near Flamingo in the Everglades in 1997 reportedly had more than 500 spots, a count confirmed by marine biologists. Other heavily spotted redfish have made headlines along the Gulf Coast, including fish with more than 600 spots.

At the other end of the spectrum, redfish with no visible spots are also reported, although they are considered rare. Together, these variations demonstrate how much individual fish can differ in their pigmentation.

For Larson and his fellow anglers, the discovery made the catch especially memorable. The fish was released alive, allowing it to return to the waters south of Marco Island and potentially be encountered by another angler someday.

Rather than keeping such an unusual fish, the anglers relied on photographs to document its markings without sacrificing the fish. They have shared the photographs with fisheries professionals in hopes that the unusual catch may provide a useful observation.

The Marco Sportfishing Club conducts fishing tournaments and other activities for local anglers throughout the year. More information about the club and its events is available at marcosportfishingclub.com.