Why Do Redfish Have Spots?

[Harmsway]

Is it just me, or does anyone else wonder why redfish seem to be getting more spots than they used to. It seems like Florida redfish have more spots than Louisiana redfish. I have caught a few Louisiana redfish, and they all only have the one spot near the tail. I always thought that the single spot evolved to replicate an eyeball that, when paired with the natural eyeball, might fool a predator out of attacking.

Guess I am really wondering if someone around here has monkeyed with the gene pool. Some sort of breeding and re-stocking effort, maybe?

Any body know anything about it?

[Flanders]

The scientific theory is a mutation in a gene is supposedly responsible for the multiple spots. However my theory is we just have retarded red fish. Hope this helps.

[GAJOEY]

[lordsfisher]

This one is worth a look...
http://www.redfishonfly.com/redfishspots.html

[MudDucker]

Those are God's fingerprints!

[Jumptrout51]

Those spots are essentially melanoma -- skin cancer -- not a very good trait to retain on fish that live to be 30 or 40 years old," Tringali said.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

CAUSE WITHOUT SPOTS, THEY NOT BE REDFISH.
PA

[Chalk]

Defense mechanism

[Redbelly]

If from evolution, who or what did the thinking to come up with the spot idea? Wouldn't one say it took a creative thinking force to come up with the change?

A lot of blank spaces of that sort with evolution. Takes a kind of religious faith to follow evolution.

One could just look at the evidence of God all around in nature, and believe Him.

[birddog]

The redfish without the spots got eaten by the Pterodactyls. So there you go.

[Redbelly]

The redfish without the spots got eaten by the Pterodactyls. So there you go.

They may not have eaten fish.

[Good Times]

Fenhollaway Redfish are reproducing and taking over.

[leonreno]

I read somewhere that the redfish raised by the state and released into the wild have an unnatural number of spots, could be they are breeding with wild stocks and producing more fish with more spots. Isn't there a statewide tournament based solely on the number of spots the redfish has?

[4C's]

Speckled Trout in the woodpile? Once you go spot you never go back!