Thread: What's the difference, if any,...

...between a whiting and a ground mullet? I was down this past week surf fishing, catching a grunch of both on Fishbites with very light tackle, and a gent I was fishing near told me they are related but different species of fish. He said the way to tell the difference is 1) ground mullet have a thread fin on top running off the dorsal fin and 2) whiting have a visible black spot on the top of the tail fin. I've looked on line but haven't found a definitive answer yet.

It's not that big a deal, I just wanted to know. I was fishing strictly catch and give away, primarily to him...he said they were both pretty good eatin' fish.

Any help would be appreciated...thanks in advance.

First time I heard Whiting referred to as ground mullet, but that may be due to my limited time Gulf fishing which I attempt to correct as often as possible. Got my curiosity up so this is what I web surfed: Southern Kingfish - Interesting Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico and Coastal Mississippi. There are several species of Whiting and what they are called mostly pertains to the local area where they are caught.

Originally Posted by snakeeater

I was fishing strictly catch and give away, primarily to him...he said they were both pretty good eatin' fish.

That is what i think to.
They are related no doubt. Different though, maybe only because of where you are when puttin a hurt on em.

And better than pretty good, by our experience.

Snakeater, sand flea is correct. They are actually two different fish. Northern kingfish and Southern kingfish and your friends description was spot on. The differences are negligible to the ocaisional fisherman and they are often schooled together. As far as eating goes, they are both excellent and you couldn't tell the difference in taste. There is no size or creel limit so telling them apart really doesn't matter. Shoulda kept some for dinner...

3 species actually
Southern, Northern and Gulf kingfish.
"Whiting" and "ground mullet" are colloquial names thus the confusion.

When I was a kid we called the mottled brownish ones "ground mullet" and the essentially same shaped white ones "whiting".

That was 60ish years ago.

Originally Posted by snakeeater

...between a whiting and a ground mullet? I was down this past week surf fishing, catching a grunch of both on Fishbites with very light tackle, and a gent I was fishing near told me they are related but different species of fish. He said the way to tell the difference is 1) ground mullet have a thread fin on top running off the dorsal fin and 2) whiting have a visible black spot on the top of the tail fin. I've looked on line but haven't found a definitive answer yet.

It's not that big a deal, I just wanted to know. I was fishing strictly catch and give away, primarily to him...he said they were both pretty good eatin' fish.

Any help would be appreciated...thanks in advance.

I had caught several whiting the last time I was in GS and the DNR guy checked my cooler and said that he thought they were ground mullet. Then he changed his mind and said that they were whiting and he was mistaken. Whichever they were, they were tasty.

Originally Posted by fordguy

I had caught several whiting the last time I was in GS and the DNR guy checked my cooler and said that he thought they were ground mullet. Then he changed his mind and said that they were whiting and he was mistaken. Whichever they were, they were tasty.

The distinction is insignificant, except possibly to the fisheries biologist. I want to go on the record saying that I do not discriminate between the three varieties! I will fillet them and fry them up without prejudice or species differentiation!

The distinction between Northern, Southern and Gulf Kingfish are indeed visually significant enough to allow for easy identification.
And the Gulf, better known to us as Whiting is very distinctly different from the other two.

The DNR officer showed astounding ignorance of his knowledge of common species ID.
He'd likely screw up IDing juvenile Black drum from Sheepshead. Much less Spanish from juvenile King.
And this is his profession?

Now mix a bag of fillets and no one will be able to tell you the difference.