Thanks for the info Bill and CJ. Shucks now I'm not sure what they are, they look so similar, and I don't have one to look at now.
But CJ, I am close to you and I catch these in all the creeks around the Patuxent River. They have that brilliant orange yellow color in the summer when they spawn. And these things are carnivores, they attack dead crabs and chicken necks when you are crabbing. And they travel in packs. They are very fast and dive for cover when anything approaches them. When held in bait tanks I have seen a 3" try to swallow a 1.5". And they can do it.
I hope this helps what they are. Maybe I can trap some and take pics but I haven't tried that in Oct before.
