Why do redfish have blue tails?
Most scientists agree that the blue tails that occur on some redfish are a result of their dietary intake. More specifically, their blue tails are caused by the accumulation of a blue-green algae that enters their system from the foods that they eat like shrimp, crabs, snails and small fish that feed on the blue green algae.
Redfish feed on shrimp, crabs, snails, fish and other marine animals that in turn feed upon the blue-green algae in the ecosystems in which they live.
As the redfish consumes more and more of these creatures who are themselves consuming large amounts of the blue-green algae, the blue color is naturally absorbed by the redfish. This accumulation of the color blue shows up in the tails of the redfish who consume large quantities of those blue-green algae consuming prey items.
It is more common in the smaller redfish which infers that the diets of the larger redfish differ greatly from the diets of the smaller redfish. This makes sense because a large redfish can feed upon large mullet, large pin fish, large croakers and ladyfish that a smaller redfish cannot catch or swallow.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the tidal creeks and oyster bars all over Florida for more than 40 years. Continue reading the article below and I will teach you what I know about the causes of the blue tails on many redfish.
I believe that this shift from a crustacean rich diet of various types of shrimp and crabs to a diet of predominantly fish is why the largest redfish usually do not have blue tails. I have never seen a 30 inch plus redfish that has a blue tail but I have seen dozens and dozens of 16 inch redfish with blue tails.
I have also noticed that the blue tails in redfish are more common in the colder months in Florida. I believe that many inshore fish species that do not migrate are forced to switch their diets to consume larger quantities of shrimp and crabs in the Winter months.
Learn the best bait and lures to catch more redfish here.
The many different types of the fish schools that run through the state of Florida in the Spring through the Fall are the main forage for redfish during those time periods. Those fish species include finger mullet, anchovies, scaled sardines, menhaden, croakers and threadfin herring...…
In the Winter, when those fish schools are nowhere to be found the redfish are forced to focus more on crustaceans and mollusks for their survival. They survive in a large part on the various species of shrimp, snails and crabs when the migrating fish are not available to them.
This takes us back to the blue-green algae that the shrimp, snails and crab species, in the redfish's diet, are consuming in large quantities. This is very similar to the pink colors that flamingoes and roseate spoonbills bio-accumulate from the iodine in the shrimp that they eat.
When they are eating more fish than shrimp, their pink coloring fades significantly and is much less vibrant than when they are consuming a mostly shrimp diet.
WANT TO CATCH REDFISH? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Watch the video below to learn more about the blue tails of redfish.
Most scientists agree that the blue tails that occur on some redfish are a result of their dietary intake. More specifically, their blue tails are caused by the accumulation of a blue-green algae that enters their system from the foods that they eat like shrimp, crabs, snails and small fish that feed on the blue green algae.
Redfish feed on shrimp, crabs, snails, fish and other marine animals that in turn feed upon the blue-green algae in the ecosystems in which they live.
As the redfish consumes more and more of these creatures who are themselves consuming large amounts of the blue-green algae, the blue color is naturally absorbed by the redfish. This accumulation of the color blue shows up in the tails of the redfish who consume large quantities of those blue-green algae consuming prey items.
It is more common in the smaller redfish which infers that the diets of the larger redfish differ greatly from the diets of the smaller redfish. This makes sense because a large redfish can feed upon large mullet, large pin fish, large croakers and ladyfish that a smaller redfish cannot catch or swallow.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the tidal creeks and oyster bars all over Florida for more than 40 years. Continue reading the article below and I will teach you what I know about the causes of the blue tails on many redfish.
I believe that this shift from a crustacean rich diet of various types of shrimp and crabs to a diet of predominantly fish is why the largest redfish usually do not have blue tails. I have never seen a 30 inch plus redfish that has a blue tail but I have seen dozens and dozens of 16 inch redfish with blue tails.
I have also noticed that the blue tails in redfish are more common in the colder months in Florida. I believe that many inshore fish species that do not migrate are forced to switch their diets to consume larger quantities of shrimp and crabs in the Winter months.
Learn the best bait and lures to catch more redfish here.
The many different types of the fish schools that run through the state of Florida in the Spring through the Fall are the main forage for redfish during those time periods. Those fish species include finger mullet, anchovies, scaled sardines, menhaden, croakers and threadfin herring...…
In the Winter, when those fish schools are nowhere to be found the redfish are forced to focus more on crustaceans and mollusks for their survival. They survive in a large part on the various species of shrimp, snails and crabs when the migrating fish are not available to them.
This takes us back to the blue-green algae that the shrimp, snails and crab species, in the redfish's diet, are consuming in large quantities. This is very similar to the pink colors that flamingoes and roseate spoonbills bio-accumulate from the iodine in the shrimp that they eat.
When they are eating more fish than shrimp, their pink coloring fades significantly and is much less vibrant than when they are consuming a mostly shrimp diet.
WANT TO CATCH REDFISH? BOOK YOUR FISHING CHARTER TODAY!
Watch the video below to learn more about the blue tails of redfish.
Conclusion:
It is very common for certain species of animals to change colors because of an accumulation of a certain color that they get from their diets. It is very common in birds and is the most likely cause of redfish that have blue tails some of the time.
Redfish will also change color based on their immediate environment that they are living in. If you are a redfish connoisseur like me, then you have also noticed that the redfish that you catch off of the beach are silver or white. The redfish that you catch up in the muddy tidal creeks are copper and look like a shiny new penny.
Learn more about how to catch a blue tailed redfish here.
So the color of a redfish can change based on their environment and the foods that they are consuming. I hope that this article answers the question, "Why do redfish have blue tails?"
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