This powerful fish can be 200 pounds or more and give you the fight of a lifetime. Click on common or scientific name to go to species page. Striped bass are voracious predators of a variety of small fish and invertebrates, including worms, squids, menhaden, anchovies and crustaceans. The Tiger Grouper can be seen during the day prowling around shallow coral reefs from 5 to 20 feet looking for prey. Image courtesy of Bouncers Dusky 33, Wahoo are very fast, they can swim up to 50 mph and have been found at up to 8 feet in length, and weighing up to 180 lb. The Jolthead is distinguished with a blue line under it's eyes and orange around it's mouth. You can use the unwanted soft parts of the scallop for chum or bait. Photo by Jim Franks. It is readily available for around $15.00 at Walmart and all the tackle stores. The Pinfish is a small bait fish growing to 8 inches that can be found inshore in schools numbering in the thousands. The Big-Scale Pomfret feeds on shrimp and squid. Mostly solitary, the Pomfret can sometimes be found in loose schools. The average Tautog is 2 to 4 pounds but they have been recorded to 22 pounds. Redfish have many feeding patterns from hiding behind structure to ambush their prey, to sucking prey off the bottom which is where you hear the term Redfish tailing (look for the tails above the surface). Photo submitted by Chuck D. The Greater Amberjack is a big, strong fish that grow well over a hundred pounds and are primarily target for their quick fast action once hooked. Use 80 pound line with a 100 pound leader with short shanked 9/0 hooks baited with fresh chunk bait. Atlantic sailfish can be found near schools of bait fish in areas where there is a temperature changes. Sand Sea Trout are best eaten fresh, they do not freeze well. The best time to catch squid is dusk to dawn on an incoming and slack tide?squid are attracted to lighted water, so look for them under a lighted bridge, pier or dock or supply your own light. Pilchards must be kept in an uncrowded, well aerated tank with constant water changes, they do not keep as well as other bait fish like pinfish but do make great bait. Use circle hooks and if you would like to help FWC, get a Tarpon DNA testing kit and keep it on your boat so you can take a sample and send it in for research. Many fish in the sea eat clams, as well as humans. Occasionally, North Atlantic right whales and humpback whales may be found in nearshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico, usually during the winter season. You can get some of the shrimp boat by-catch in exchange for some beer, just approach them when they are anchored. This species is fun to catch and quite tasty, best eaten fresh, not frozen. This is a schooling fish and is a good pier and shore fishing target. Clams are bivalves that live in the sand at the waterline, the bottom of bays or on the ocean floor. The Menhaden Fish is an important bait fish found on both the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, and they are two different species. This is a schooling fish and is a good pier fishing target. Flying fish are commonly found offshore in southern Florida especially in the Keys. Spiny Lobsters navigate using their antennae while smelling and tasting there way along the bottoms and bottom structure. Be sure to identify the Grouper species you catch, some are endangered and illegal to catch. Catch the Threadfin with a heavy cast net or on hook n line. Watch this video of a Warsaw Grouper eating an Amberjack below an oil rig on the Gulf of Mexico at 235 feet. They can grow to 15 inches, but are most commonly caught at 6 inches. You can use small Blue Crabs as bait and eat the big ones. Shrimp are by far the best bait for this elusive fish, especially when they come from the same waters as you are fishing. Squid is know as "candy bait" because most any fish will go after squid, dead or alive. Catch a this porgy using live or dead shrimp or squid. Wahoo are sought after as a sport fish for there speed and fighting ability, and for their excellent white fillets that have a delicate flavor. The Goliath Grouper is an endangered species that has been making a come back. Recreational scallop season runs from July 1st to September 10th each year and you only need a saltwater fishing license to scallop. Mutton's normally inhabit deeper water, shallower patch reefs and wrecks, as well as channels and creeks. At 12 to 20 inches, the Hickory Shad are noticeably smaller than American Shad. By visiting our website and clicking on or navigating this site, you agree to allow us to collect information on and off our website through cookies. They feed on mackerel, tuna, herring, ballyhoo, needlefish and mullet. One way to tell this Flounder from the other 2 found in Florida is by the very dark spots on it's back that form a large triangle. The Round Scad is a commonly called the Cigar Minnow. To catch a 100 pound Tarpon you need heavy tackle: 100 pound test mono leader 10 feet long, hooks up to 7/0 (depends on your bait). Since they inhabit deeper waters, use small baited hooks to catch them. When they get as big as in this picture caught off Fort Pierce their bellies turn black or a copper color and they are referred to as black bellies or copper bellies. The Hogfish averages 3 pounds in the Keys and can be as large as 20 pounds offshore in 200 feet of water. It has been difficult to find information on this species as it was only identified in 2006. Snook are excellent eating and fun to catch but do have strict catch limits and closures, so be sure to read up on current rules. Capturing sawfish is illegal in the USA and Australia. Usually they are an undesirable catch and thrown back. Many anglers catch this giant while fishing for other species. There are almost a dozen species of Lobster residing in Florida water, learn all about the different Lobster species and Lobstering on our Lobstering page. This very oily fish is edible and quite good since it feeds on fish, squid and crustaceans but some have complained of stomach irritations as the oil is not easily digested. Photo Courtesy of Tyson Brown of New Port Richey, Florida. It is usually between six and ten inches long. Did you know Cedar Key is the nations top clam producers? The Jolthead can be caught on dead bait (Spanish sardines, threadfin, finger mullet) squid, and crustaceans. For more information visit Anglers Trash Sushi Grade Tuna. Like the Longbill Spearfish, The Mediterranean Spearfish is also infrequently encountered by anglers and usually only found in Mediterranean waters. This fish grows to 30 inches and 12 pounds, has a compressed body with distinct vertical stripes, and has no teeth on the roof of it's mouth. The Horse-Eye Jack can be found swimming in school, large and small, sometimes along with the Crevalle Jack. Using live Pilchards to chum for these fish is a great tactic. Wahoo, tuna and swordfish also dine on flying fish. The Graysby grows to 15 pounds and is usually not targeted but an accidental catch. The American Shad is a schooling fish found in very deep coastal waters, sometimes almost a mile down and grow to about 20 inches, but can be up to 30 inches and weigh up to 12 pounds. Next cast very softly into the school and retrieve your bait quickly. Nearly identical to the White Marlin, the Roundscale Spearfish differs in the distance between the anus and anal fin and has slightly rounder scales across portions of its body. = Bait Fish =Protected Species, Bay Anchovy's are schooling bait fish found in bays and deep water. Feeding on shellfish and jelly fish makes them excellent tablefare. The juvenile African Pompano has long, filamentous dorsal and anal fin tips said to deter creditors. Florida has specific bag limits for each region of the state so check current regulations before targeting this good eating species. Snook are drawn to the night lights as they take the opportunity to feed on shrimp that are drawn to the lights. Amberjack eat small fish especially bigeye scad, as well as crabs, squid, crustaceans, and invertebrates. If you see a Sargassum weed line and flying fish soaring out of the water, you know dolphin fish are under the weeds. FWC encourages anglers and divers to eradicate any lionfish you encounter. This catfish should be avoided at all costs but it is not easy to do so, they are prevalent inshore especially in south Florida. We provide Fishing Reports and Tips for offshore and inshore Anglers. Sheepshead porgy has a small dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin, and there is often a maroon-colored margin on the tail. The white variety is popular for catching Cod fish in the U.K. where they use them to "tip their cocktail" or whole as bait. Yellowtail Snapper are found mostly in the southern Florida waters offshore near reefs and wrecks in waters deeper than 30 feet. Larger Mutton can be found travelling grass flats following stingrays. Good chum & bait are squid, clams and small bait fish is best and should be presented near the bottom around rock jetties and pilings, reefs and wrecks. This mackerel species is primarilary found on the Atlantic side of the state and into the Keys, mostly on the coast, although it has been found in the Gulf of Mexico, mostly on the western side. The Mahogany Snapper is rare and usually found in the Bahamas and Caribbean, but sometimes in the Keys and South Florida. Schools can generally be found 10 miles offshore, look for birds diving on bait fish and you may find a school of tuna. This small fish has a unique set up pectoral fins that allow them to fly through the air to avoid predators. Pictures submitted by Maureen Jan 2015. The species has been over fished and in 2016 was classified as "threatened". Use cut up Threadfin for chunk chumming or grind them up for an excellent chum. ><((((*>   Copyright @ 2011- Pen Shells are large clams with very fragile shells that live on the bottom of the sea floor submerged in the soft sand, pointy end down, with a few inches showing above the surface. The Ocean Triggerfish is found offshore in open waters from 3 to 200 miles but sometimes near reefs, rocks, and structures. On the Gulf coast it is less common to see Gag this large. Grey Triggerfish are known to be "bait stealers" commonly caught while fishing for snapper or grouper. The Horse-eye feeds on smaller fish, shrimp and crabs. They caught about 30 fishing inshore near an island off Ozona on the Gulf of Mexico. Using very heavy line and large J hooks, thread a double hook system through the belly then through the mouth. The Pigfish is great eating, but is mostly used for bait fish. Photo submitted by Leonardo Manella. Sand Fleas are not insects but 1 1/2 inch long crustaceans that live in the sand. Beginning January 31, 2011 it is prohibition to harvest or retain the Speckled Hind and Warsaw Grouper in federal waters in the South Atlantic. It can be found both inshore and offshore, and is often found near floating objects. This common bait fish can grow to 12 inches and can be found in shallow waters on the bottom or mid-water. This is a large Grouper weighing up to 800 pounds and can grow to 8 feet in length. Most anglers catch Bonito while fishing for Kingfish; Bonito will hit on any bait if they are in the area. Needlefish hover just below the surface to feed access to spawning areas know to in! 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