Greater Amberjack
Description: Silver and black skin separated by a distinguishable yellowish stripe down the mid-section of body. Amberjack have a dark stripe from their nose to the front of dorsal fin which"lights up" when they are in feeding mode.
Where Found: Offshore around rocky reefs, debris, and wrecks, typically in 60 - 240 feet of water; juveniles associated with floating objects and may occur in water less than 30 feet deep.
Feeding Habits: Feeds best on live bait (pinfish, cigar minnows, croakers, Grunts, spadefish and squirrelfish). Also feeds on dead bait (spanish sardines, threadfin and finger mullet) squid, and crustaceans.
Size Range: From 20-100 lbs. Current Florida state record 142 lbs.
Bag Limit/Size Limit: 1 Greater Amberjack per person per day - amberjack must be 28 inches in length from nose to fork of tail.
Food Value: Good table fare if cooked properly. Thick white fillets, with a medium to strong fish taste. Served in restaurants as a main dish, or used as key ingredient in fish spread.
Blackfin Tuna
Description: Blackfin tuna are the most abundant tuna species. They are equally shaped from the head and tail from their midsection, making look in shape like a football. Silver side, dark blue on the back and white on the stomach. Small gray finlets run from the second dorsal fin to the anal fin. Eyes are large size.
Where Found: Found offshore in warmer water during summer months, on or near the surface usually near offshore reefs, along current lines over reefs and banks . Prefers water above 67 F.
Feeding Habits: Feeds in schools by surrounding prey or "corraling up" bait schools. Also feeds on small crustaceans, squid and small food organisms in the water through straining.
Size Range: From 10-35 lbs. Current Florida state record 45 lbs. 9 oz
Bag Limit / Size Limit: No size or bag limits are currently in place.
Food Value: Outstanding table fare. Found on the menu at many restaurants. Excellent raw as Sushi, or cooked very rare. The "filet mignon" of fish.
WARSAW GROUPER
OTHER NAMES: Giant Grouper, Black Jewfish, Garrupa NegritaRANGE: All Texas coasts, Atlantic and Gulf, but not reported from the Bahamas.
HABITAT: Very deep dropoffs, ledges and seamounts. Seldom encountered in less than 200 feet, and most common in much deeper water. Partyboats working offshore waters of the state's upper half both Gulf and Atlantic seem to bring in Warsaws more often than elsewhere.
DESCRIPTION: Mottled dark brown, shading to slightly lighter brown on lower portions. Tail square and yellowish. Second dorsal spine is elongated and crest-like.
SIZE: This is the second-largest Grouper, commonly caught at 30-80 pounds, with 100-pounders not rare. Probably grows to more than 500. World and Florida records 436 pounds, 12 ounces.
FOOD VALUE: Good. Large specimens (which most are) can be somewhat coarse unless the fillets are cut into thin steaks for frying or baking.
Dolphin (aka Mahi-Mahi or Dorado)
Description: Bright greenish blue with yellow on sides and a variety of other colors. Irregular blue or golden blotches scattered over sides; anterior profile of head on adult males is nearly vertical; head of females more sloping.
Where Found: Offshore in warm waters. Around weed lines or floating objects. One of the fastest growing fish, thought to live no more than 5 years; swimming at speeds up to 50 knots.
Feeding Habits: Feeds mostly on ballyhoo, flying fish, grass minnows, squid, and crustaceans. Trolling skirted dead bait or artificial rigs proven to be very successful method of angling. Known to change colors to all gold or yellow when feeling threatened, causing them to stop feeding.
Size Range: from 8-40lbs. Current Florida state record 77 lbs.
Bag Limit/Size Limit: 10 per person per day - no size limit on this fish.
Food Value: Outstanding table fare. Nice white fillets, with a very light fish taste. Found on the menu at most restaurants and known as a “Florida Favorite”.
Gag Grouper
Description: Brownish gray in color with dark patch-like markings on sides.
Where Found: Both offshore and nearshore. Larger gags usually migrate further offshore in the Summer time and move closer Inshore during the winter months.
Feeding Habits: Fees on dead bait (spanish sardines, threadfin and finger mullet) and live bait (pinfish, cigar minnows, croakers and grunts).
Size Range: From 10-60 lbs. Current Florida state record 71.3 lbs.
Bag Limit/Size Limit: 5 Grouper (gag, black or red) per person per day – gag & black grouper must be 22 inches in overall length.
Food Value: Outstanding table fare. One of the most sought after eating fish in the Gulf of Mexico. Fillets are white, and flaky when cooked. Very light fish taste. Found on the menus of most Florida seafood restaurants.
King Mackerel
(aka Kingfish)
Description: Streamlined body with tapered head. Silver color on the side of body, with a greenish blue color on their back. A spectacular fighting fish, known for long, steady, high speed runs.
Where found: Offshore and nearshore, in depths from 30 feet to 200 feet. During spring and fall migrations often found nearshore.
Feeding Habits: Feeds best on live bait (blue runners, pinfish, cigar minnows, ladyfish, ribbonfish, mullet and threadfin hearing). Also feeds on dead bait (spanish sardines, threadfin and finger mullet) squid, and crustaceans.
Size Range: from 10-60lbs. Current Florida state record 90 lbs.
Bag Limit/Size Limit: 2 per person per day including captain and crew of for-hire vessels - kingfish must be 24 inches in length from nose to fork of tail.
Food value: Good table fare if cooked properly. Fillets are grayish in color, with a medium to strong fish taste. Can be grilled, smoked, broiled or used as supplemental ingredient in fish spread.
Lane Snapper
Description: Silvery-pink to reddish with short pink and yellow lines running down its side. Visible black spot near posterior of fish.
Where Found: Juveniles inshore over shallow reefs; adults offshore; most common in West Central and South Florida.
Feeding Habits: Feeds on bottom, eating crustaceans, mollusks, and fish.
Size Range: from 1-2 lbs.
Bag Limit/Size Limit: 20 per person per day (as part of 20 per day limit of all reef fish combined). Must be at least 8 inches in total overall length.
Food Value: Very good table fare. White fillets, flaky when cooked with a light fish taste.
Red Grouper
Description: Brownish red; lining of mouth scarlet-orange; blotches on sides in unorganized pattern.
Where Found: Bottom dwelling fish associated with hard bottom; juveniles offshore along with adults greater than 6 years old; fish from 1 to 6 years occupy nearshore reefs.
Feeding Habits: Feeds on dead bait (spanish sardines, threadfin, finger mullet) and live bait (pinfish, cigar minnows, croakers, grunts) squid, and crustaceans
Size Range: from 10-60 lbs. Current Florida state record 71.3 lbs.
Bag Limit/Size Limit: 5 grouper (gag, black, or red) per person per day - red grouper must be 20 inches in overall length.
Food Value: Outstanding table fare. Fillets are white, and flaky when cooked. Very light fish taste. Found on the menus of most Florida seafood restaurants.
Red Snapper
Description: Color reddish pink over entire body. Lower portion of body off-white in color. Fierce biters and fierce fighters. Offer a good strong fight from hook set to gaff.
Where Found: Offshore in deeper water. Hard bottom, rock piles, wrecks, potholes. Some near shore.
Feeding Habits: Feeds best on dead bait (spanish sardines, threadfin and finger mullet) squid and crustaceans. Also feeds on live bait (small pinfish, or cigar minnows)
Size Range: Adults may live more than 20 years, and attain 35 pounds or more current Florida State Record 46 lbs., 8 oz
Bag Limit/Size Limit: 4 per person per day (as part of 10 per day limit of all snapper combined). Must be 16 inches in total overall length.
Food Value: Outstanding table fare. Fillets are white and flaky when cooked. Very light fish taste with a sweet flavor.
Sailfish
Description: Dark blue on top, brown-blue laterally, silvery white underbelly; upper jaw elongated in form of spear; first dorsal greatly enlarged in the form of a sail, with many black spots, body covered with embedded scales, blunt at end; lateral line curved above pectoral, then straight to base of tail.
Where Found: Offshore species, in South Florida and Gulf of Mexico associated with waters near the gulf stream; off the panhandle near the 100-foot fathom line. Rapid growing species, reaching 4 to 5 feet in a single year; swims at speeds up to 50 knots
Feeding Habits: feeds on the surface or at mid-depths, on ballyhoo, flying fish, smaller pelagic fishes and squid. Known for their spectacular out of water aerial leaps when hooked.
Size Range: from5-7 feet, and around 40-80lbs. Current Florida state record 116 lbs.
Bag Limit/Size Limit: 1 per person per day, sailfish must be 63 inches from tip of lower jaw to fork and all landed fish must be reported to NOAA within 24 hours 1-800-894-5528. Offshore hustler practices no kill catch and release on all species off sail or billfish.
Food Value: Poor
Triple Tail
Description: Little detail is provided about this species except that they appear to have three tails which are actually large anal and dorsal fins that drop back far and elongated along the body. Tripletail change color with their environment and are great imitators, often imitating floatsome and leaves. Color can vary from black, grey, brown and yellow depending on habitat.
Where Triple Tail Are Found: Tripletail are found in mild and warm waters around floatsome. They are often around bouys or sargassum seaweed floating on the surface.
Florida Record Triple Tail: 42.5 lbs.
Remarks: Port Canaveral holds some of the biggest tripletail in the world.
Texas Triple Tail Regulations: 15" minimum size limit, 2 per angler per day.
Spanish Mackerel
Description: silver sides with green color on back. Golden yellow irregular spots above and below mid-section; front of dorsal fin. A great fighting fish on light to medium tackle.
Where Found: Inshore, nearshore and offshore - especially over grass beds and reefs; absent from North Florida waters in winter.
Feeding Habits: Feeds best on live bait (small pinfish, glass minnows, greenbacks). Also feeds well on dead bait (chunked spanish sardines, threadfin and finger mullet) squid, and crustaceans. Artificial flash spoons and jigs.
Size Range: from 2-10 lbs. Current Florida state record 12 lbs.
Bag Limit/Size Limit: 15 per person per day. Must be 12 inches in length from nose to fork of tail.
Food Value: Good table fare if cooked properly. Fillets are grayish in color, with a medium to strong fish taste. Can be grilled, smoked, broiled or used as supplemental ingredient in fish spread.
Wahoo
Description: A member of the mackerel family. Head is pointed sharply. Distinguishable dark blue coloring along its back. Light blue vertical "Tiger Stripes" down the side which become more visible or "light up" when fish is feeding or becomes aggressive.
Where Found: Found offshore in clear warm tropical waters near the surface. Prefers water temperatures of 71-79 degrees. Often found in deeper water, over reef, humps and ledges, or sharp drop offs where sudden changes in current are present.
Feeding Habits: A high speed, aggressive feeder, and known to reach speeds in excess of 50 mph when feeding. Prefers small fish, sardines, threadfin, cigar minnows, and squid, Often hover near bottom and shoot up near surface at high speed to attack bait.
Size Range: From 15-90 lbs.
Bag Limit/Size Limit: N/A
Food Value: Excellent table fare. Fillets/Steaks are white and flaky when cooked. Mild to medium fish taste. Know to have a “sweet” flavor to meat.
Blue Marlin
Description: color cobalt blue on top shading to silvery white on bottom; upper jaw elongated in form of spear; dorsal fin pointed at front end; pectoral fin and anal fin pointed; lateral line reticulated (interwoven like a net), difficult to see in large specimens; no dark spots on dorsal fin; body covered with embedded scales ending in one or two sharp points.
Tempurature Range: 21-31 Celsius (70-88 Fahrenheit)
Typical Location: Along current lines, continental shelf drop off, deep reefs and canyons, around baitfish and logs.
Fishing Methods: Trolling Mullet or Mackerel often in combination with plastic squid, trolling live skipjack, bonito, trolling lures, konaheads and plastic squid.
World Record: 1402 lbs 2 oz. in Brazil
