Gulf Menhaden (Marine)
Clupeiformes Clupeidae Brevoortia patronus

Maximum Size: 10.6”
Shape: Deep-bodied
Suggested Hook & Size: Mustad 33909 #1/0 - #14
Thread: Gray 8/0 Uni-thread

Tail: Pearl Green Hanked Lite-Brite color a
Jasmine Prismacolor Pen tail
Tail Fin: Jasmine Prismacolor Pen
Body: Silver Bodi-Braid
Eye & Insert: Silver Spirit River, Real Eye with Priz Silver 3-D Molded insert
Lower Side: Pearl Green Hanked Lite-Brite
Upper Side: Pearl Green Hanked Lite-Brite with Silver Hanked Lite-Brite over with 6 or 8 small Black Prismacolor Pen spots starting at the shoulder and continuing toward the Caudal fin

Snout Color or Change Thread: Silver
Belly or Stomach: Pearl Green Hanked Lite-Brite
Dorsum or Back: Silver Hanked Lite-Brite with Minnow Blue Hanked Lite-Brite sparsely over
Head Color: Parrot Green Prismacolor Pen lightly
Cheek & Chin Color: Pearl Green

Pectoral Fins: Jasmine Prismacolor Pen
Anal Fin: Jasmine Prismacolor Pen
Pelvic Fin: Jasmine Prismacolor Pen
Dorsal Fin: Clear

Colored Markers: Black Prismacolor Pen for 6-8 spots starting at the shoulder, behind and slightly above the eye and continuing on toward the Caudal Fin, each spot becomes lighter as they progress toward the Caudal Fin: Jasmine Prismacolor Pen for Caudal, Pelvic, Anal, and Pectoral Fins: Parrot Green Prismacolor Pen for Head (lightly)
Tying Notes: None

Distribution: In the Gulf of Mexico estuaries from the Yucatan Peninsula to Tampa Bay Florida.
Habitat: Occurring in bays and estuaries, sometimes moving into brackish or freshwater.
Spawning Period: Spawn in saltwater in January and February.
Spawning Habitat: Open sea.
Important Notes: This specie lives in freshwater for only one year, so most freshwater specimens are less than three-inches long. Commercial fishing off the Gulf Coast is mainly to render the oil from the Gulf Menhaden which is used in Europe for cooking, cosmetics, rust preventatives, paints and feed for livestock. In 1995 one billion pounds of Gulf Menhadens were landed off the coast of Mississippi valued at fifty-one million dollars.