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Tarpon |
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last
ray of dorsal fin extended into long filament; one dorsal fin;
back dark blue to green or greenish black, shading into bright
silver on the sides; may be brownish gold in estuarine waters;
huge scales; mouth large and points upward.
Slow grower, matures at 7 to 13 years of age; spawning occurs
between May and September; female may lay more than 12 million
eggs; can tolerate wide range of salinity; juveniles commonly
found in fresh water; can breathe air at the surface; feeds
mainly on fish and large crustaceans.
Size: Avg caught 40 - 50 lbs Florida
Record 243lbs
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Snook |
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Deeper
body than other snooks; color yellow-brown to green-brown above,
silvery on sides; black lateral line extends onto tail; mouth
reaches to or beyond center of eye; usually no dusky outer edge
on pelvic fin, as in other snooks; smallest scales of all snook.
usually found inshore; mangrove shorelines serve as nursery
grounds for young.
Size: Avg caught 6 -20lbs
Florida Record 43lbs |
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Redfish |
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Chin
without barbels; copper-bronze body, lighter shade in clear
waters; one to many spots at base of tail (rarely no spots);
mouth horizontal and opening downward; scales large.
red drum are an inshore species until they attain roughly 30
inches (4 years), then migrate to join the nearshore population;
spawning occurs from August to November in nearshore waters.
Inshore waters; feeds on crustaceans, fish, and mollusks; longevity
to 20 years or more.
Size: Avg Caught 8 - 20 lbs Florida
Record 51lbs |
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Gag Grouper |
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Brownish
gray in color with dark worm-like markings on sides; strong
serrated spur at bottom margin of preopercle, less noticeable
in large specimens; fins dark, with anal and caudal having white
margin.
Often confused with black grouper; most noticeable differences
are brassy spots on black grouper; tail of gag is slightly concave,
black is square; gag has white margin on anal and caudal fins,
black does not; under 10 pounds, gag's spur or preopercle is
distinctive, where black is gently rounded.
Size: Avg Caught 8 - 20lbs
Florida Record 71lbs |
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Black
Grouper |
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Olive
or gray body coloration with black blotches and brassy spots;
gently rounded preopercle.
Size: Common to 40 pounds, may attain weights
exceeding 100 pounds. No Florida record because of identity
confusion with gag, which are mistakenly called:"black
grouper." |
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King
Mackerel |
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Color
of back iridescent bluish green, sides silvery; streamlined
body with tapered head; no black pigment on front of the first
dorsal fin; lateral line starts high and drops sharply below
the second dorsal fin; young fish often have yellowish spots
like those of Spanish mackerel.
Size: Avg Caught 8- 30lbs |
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Gulf
Flounder |
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Body
color brown, its shade depending on color of bottom, with numerous
spots and blotches; 3 prominent eye-like spots forming a triangle;
one spot on lateral line, one above, one below; numerous white
spots scattered over body and fins (albigutta, white-spotted);
strong canine-like teeth; caudal fin in shape of wedge, its
tip in the middle.
Size: Avg Caught 2lbs |
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Jack
Crevelle |
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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.
Size: Avg Caught 3 -15 lbs Florida
Record 51lbs
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Cobia |
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Long,
slim fish with broad depressed head; lower jaw projects past
upper jaw; dark lateral stripe extends through eye to tail;
first dorsal fin comprised of 7 to 9 free spines; when young,
has conspicuous alternating black and white horizontal stripes.
Size: Avg Caught 10-40 lbs Florida
Record 103lbs |
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Sheepshead |
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Basic
silvery color, with 5 or 6 distinct vertical black bands on
sides, not always the same on both sides; prominent teeth, including
incisors, molars, and rounded grinders; no barbels on lower
jaw; strong and sharp spines on dorsal and anal fins.
Size: Avg Caught 2-8 lbs Florida
Record 15lbs |
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Grey (Mangrove) Snapper |
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Color
dark brown or gray with reddish or orange spots in rows along
the sides; dark horizontal band from snout through eye (young
only); two conspicuous canine teeth at front of upper jaw; dorsal
fins have dark or reddish borders; no dark spot on side underneath
dorsal fin.
Size: Avg Caught 2-40 lbs Florida
Record 16lbs |
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