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How to catch Redbanded seabream

Pagrus auriga Valenciennes, 1843

About Redbanded seabream fishing

The redbanded seabream is a striking marine teleost belonging to the porgy and seabream family Sparidae, recognised by its deep, compressed body and distinctive vertical reddish bands. Growing up to eighty centimetres in maximum length, this benthopelagic species inhabits warm coastal waters down to one hundred and seventy metres, favouring hard rough grounds, rocky reefs and rubble beds, while juveniles stay closer to shallow shores. It feeds primarily on benthic invertebrates, crushing hard-shelled molluscs, cephalopods, and crustaceans with powerful molar-like teeth. As an oceanodromous fish that migrates seasonally and spawns during the cooler winter months, it is highly valued by both commercial fleets and marine sports anglers across the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    30 cm SL

  • Market value

    Low

  • Habitat

    Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    Murudai, Red-banded sea bream

Redbanded seabream

Vertical Bars

Distinct dark vertical bands along the flank distinguish this seabream species.

Elongate Spines

Thread-like extensions on the anterior dorsal fin spines identify this seabream.

Redbanded seabream fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    30 cm SL (max 80 cm SL )

  • Typical weight

    0.6 kg (max 3 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    14.3–27.5 °C

  • Depth

    1–170 m

  • Body shape

    Short And / Or Deep

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    68.8

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Peak

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Active

  • Midday

    High sun

    Low

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Active

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Peak

  • Night

    After dark

    Low

When to fish for Redbanded seabream

01
January
02
February
03
March
04
April
05
May
06
June
07
July
08
August
09
September
10 Now
October
11
November
12
December

How to catch Redbanded seabream

Tips for catching Redbanded seabream

To target redbanded seabream successfully, focus your efforts over rocky outcrops, deep rubble zones, and hard seabed structures where adults forage for hard-shelled prey. Ledgering or bottom fishing with sturdy tackle works best when baited with fresh strips of squid, whole prawns, crabs, or large lugworms presented on strong hooks to withstand their powerful jaws. You can also tempt them during daylight hours by working vertical metal jigs or slow-pitch lures near the bottom layer where these fish cruise for crustaceans. Plan your sessions during early morning or late afternoon light windows when feeding activity increases over the coastal shelf, and adjust your weights carefully to maintain natural bait presentation while drifting with moderate tidal currents.

Other names for Redbanded seabream

Local and alternate names anglers use for Redbanded seabream.

  • Redbanded seabream
  • Red-banded sea bream
  • Murudai

Best equipment to catch Redbanded seabream

Compare fishing methods for Redbanded seabream — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 0.6 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for Redbanded seabream

Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.

How Redbanded seabream migrates — Oceanodromous

Migrates within the sea between spawning, nursery and feeding grounds, and never enters fresh water. Follow its seasonal shifts along the coast and offshore.

How Redbanded seabream migrates — Oceanodromous 1. Eggs: Laid on the spawning grounds. 2. Larvae: Drift with the currents to the nursery grounds. 3. Juveniles: Grow up in sheltered nursery waters. 4. Adults: Range widely over the feeding grounds. 5. Spawners: Return to the spawning grounds each season.
Spawning grounds Nursery grounds Feeding grounds

1 Eggs

Spawning grounds

Laid on the spawning grounds.

2 Larvae

→ Nursery grounds

Drift with the currents to the nursery grounds.

3 Juveniles

Nursery grounds

Grow up in sheltered nursery waters.

4 Adults

Feeding grounds

Range widely over the feeding grounds.

5 Spawners

→ Spawning grounds

Return to the spawning grounds each season.

It stays in the sea and never runs up into fresh water.

Hover or tap a number to read each stage.

Diet and behavior of Redbanded seabream

  • Diet

    Carnivore

  • Feeds by

    Hunts animals

  • Hunts

    Dawn · Dusk

  • Feeds over

    Hard bottom · Intertidal

  • Main prey

    Baitfish

Prey and predators of Redbanded seabream

Prey is what Redbanded seabream eats. Predators are the animals that eat it.

That is how it feeds, and how it is hunted.

Prey

What it eats

Where Redbanded seabream lives

Lives near the bottom but swims in the water just above it. Cover the lower column, not only the mud.

Habitats
Saltwater
Depth zone
Sublittoral
Continental shelf · 1–170 m
Water column
Benthopelagic
Just above the bed

Where this species lives

Where to fish for Redbanded seabream

Mapped fishing spots where Redbanded seabream is recorded — open a pin for access and methods.

Rada de Arrieta

Las PalmasCanariasSpain