Crevalle Jack
Crevalle Jack Fishing Information source: myfwc.com illustrations: Diane Rome Peebles Description: color bluish-green to greenish-gold back and silvery or yellowish belly; soft dorsal and anal fins almost identical in size; prominent black spot on operculum (gill cover); black spot at the base of each pectoral fin; no scales on throat. Similar fish: other Caranx. Where found: common to both INSHORE waters and the open sea. Size: usually 3 to 5 pounds. Remarks: tolerates a wide range of salinities; schools corner a pod of baitfish at the surface and feed with commotion that can be seen for source:...
Blue Runner
Blue Runner Fishing Information source: myfwc.com illustrations: Diane Rome Peebles Description: color light olive to bluish green above, silvery gray to golden below; frequently black spot on operculum; readily distinguished from crevalle jack by lack of a dark blotch on the pectoral fin; tail tips blackish. Similar fish: bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix; other Caranx. Where found: juveniles found OFFSHORE; adults NEARSHORE in schools, but something ranging INSHORE as well. Size: usually less than 1 pound (11 inches). Remarks: matures by 9 to 10 inches; spawns OFFSHORE from January...
Lesser Amberjack
Lesser Amberjack Fishing Information source: myfwc.com illustrations: Diane Rome Peebles Description: olive green or brownish back and silver sides; dark band (variably present) extends backward and upward from eye; juveniles have split or wavy bars on sides; proportionately larger eye and deeper body than greater amberjack. Similar fish: other Seriola. Where found: NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE, apparently living deeper than other Seriola (commonly 180-410 feet deep). Size: usually under 10 pounds. Remarks: believed to spawn offshore; adults eat fish, and squid. source: wikipedia Lesser amberjacks,...
Greater Amberjack
Greater Amberjack Fishing Information source: myfwc.com illustrations: Diane Rome Peebles Description: dark stripe (variably present) extends from nose to in front of dorsal fin and “lights up” when fish is in feeding mode; no scutes; soft dorsal base less than twice the length of the anal fin base. Similar fish: other Seriola. Where found: OFFSHORE species associated with rocky reefs, debris, and wrecks, typically in 60-240 feet of water; sometimes caught NEARSHORE in south Florida; juveniles associate with floating objects and may occur in water less than 30 feet deep. Size: common...
Banded Rudderfish
Banded Rudderfish Fishing Information source: myfwc.com illustrations: Diane Rome Peebles Description: fish less than 11 inches long have dark band from eye to first dorsal fin and six prominent bars on body; larger fish are bluish, greenish, or brown; soft dorsal base about twice the length of the anal fin; tail-lobe white tipped. Similar fish: other Seriola. Where found: NEARSHORE and OFFSHORE over hard bottom, generally in shallower water than other amberjacks; young associated with weed lines or floating debris and may follow sharks and other large fish. Size: usually less than 10 pounds. Remarks:...
Almaco Jack
Almaco Jack Fishing Information source: myfwc.com illustrations: Diane Rome Peebles Description: deep-bodied amberjack; sometimes darker in coloration; front of soft dorsal and of anal fins high and elongated; body more flattened than Almaco Jack or greater amberjack; no scutes. Similar fish: other Seriola. Where found: wide-ranging in OFFSHORE waters, not a common catch; young are associated with Sargassum. Size: usually less than 20 pounds. Remarks: spawns offshore, apparently during spring, summer, and fall. Read More →
Jacks and Pompano
Jacks and Pompano Fishing Information source Wikipedia Pompanos are marine fishes in the Trachinotus genus of the Carangidae family. Pompano may also refer to various other members of the Carangidae family and Perciforme order. Their appearance is deep bodied and mackerel-like, typically silver colored and toothless with a forked tail and narrow base. There are twenty described species and most are valued as seafood. Some species are considered prize delicacies and game fish. Read More →
Scalloped Hammerhead
Scalloped Hammerhead Fishing Information source: myfwc.com illustrations: Diane Rome Peebles Description: fifth gill slit shorter than 4 preceding ones and located posterior to pectoral fin base; flattened head extending to hammerlike lobes on each side; distinct indentation of the front margin of the head at its midpoint; second dorsal fin longer than tail; gray-brown to olive in color with white underbelly; teeth smooth-edged; pectoral fins tipped with black on the undersurface; tips of first and second dorsal lobes and caudal also may have dusky tips; pelvic fin with nearly straight...
Bonnethead Shark
Bonnethead Shark Fishing Information source: myfwc.com illustrations: Diane Rome Peebles Description: broadly widened head in the shape of a shovel; only slight indentation of anal fin; front of head not notched at midline; gray or grayish-brown in color. Similar fish: other hammerhead sharks. Where found: INSHORE species found in bays and estuaries. Size: commonly 3 to 4 feet. Remarks: matures at about 3 feet in length and bears 6 to 12 young at a time; feeds chiefly on crabs and other crustaceans. Read More →
Blacktip Shark
Blacktip Shark Fishing Information source: myfwc.com illustrations: Diane Rome Peebles Description: dark bluish gray (young paler) above, whitish below; distinctive whitish stripe on flank; inside tip of pectoral fin conspicuously black; dorsal fin, anal fin, and lower lobe of caudal fin also black-tipped in young, fading with growth; 1st dorsal fin begins above axil of pectoral fin; snout long, almost v-shaped from below; no mid dorsal ridge; upper and lower teeth serrated, nearly symmetrical. Size: to 2.5 m (8.25 ft.). Where found: principally pelagic, but often comes inshore in large...
