FISHING TRIPS
Bottom fishing and /or trolling for the following fish:
RED DRUM (BULL REDFISH)
Description: over 30 inches in length; 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.
SPANISH MACKEREL
Description: color of back green, shading to silver on sides, golden yellow irregular spots above and below lateral line; front of dorsal fin black; lateral line curves gently to base of tail.
KING MACKEREL
Description: color of back iridescent bluish green; sides silvery, streamlined body with tapered head; no black pigment on front of dorsal fin; lateral line starts high and drops sharply below the second dorsal fin; young fish often have yellow spots.
COBIA (Lemonfish)
Description: 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.
JACK CRAVELLE
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
Blacktip shark
Description: short snout and stout body; gray above, white below; tips of dorsal and pectoral fins are black, as is the lower lobe of the caudal finwhite trailing edge of pectoral; dorsal fin begins at a point above the rear portion of the pectoral fin.
SAND SHARK
Description: has a large first dorsal fin located over its pectoral fins rather than slightly behind them as in the dusky shark. It can be differentiated from the bull shark by having a distinct ridge on its back between the dorsal fins. Color is widely variable, ranging through all shades of brown and gray above, becoming paler or whitish beneath.
STINGRAY
Description: The front edge of each pectoral or wing from the tip of the nose to its outside tip is straight. The outside tips of the pectorals are relatively pointed rather than broadly rounded. Common up to 3 feet wide, but can occasionally reach 6 feet wide and 10 feet long.
Bottom fishing and /or trolling for the following fish:
RED SNAPPER
Description: color pinkish red over entire body, whitish below; long triangular snout; anal fin sharply pointed; no dark lateral spot.
VERMILLION SNAPPER
Description:color of entire body reddish, with a series of short, irregular lines on its sides, diagonal blue lines formed by spots on the scales above the lateral line; sometimes with yellow streaks below the lateral line; large canine teeth absent; orientation of mouth and eye give it the appearance of looking upward; no dark lateral spot.
GRAY SNAPPER (Mangrove)
Description: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.
LANE SNAPPER
Description: vivid rosy-pink color, shading to silver on the belly with 8 to 10 horizontal bright yellow bars on each side. The body also has lighter vertical bars. A single large black spot is found on each side above the lateral line, but below the rear half of the dorsal fin.
BLACKTIP SHARK
Description: short snout and stout body; gray above, white below; tips of dorsal and pectoral fins are black, as is the lower lobe of the caudal finwhite trailing edge of pectoral; dorsal fin begins at a point above the rear portion of the pectoral fin.
Bottom fishing and /or trolling for the following fish:
GAG GROUPER
Description: 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. tail of is slightly concave; has white margin on anal and caudal fins.
BLACK GROUPER
Description: olive or gray body coloration with black blotches that form box-like patterns and brassy spots; fins are black; their edges also black or deep blue; gently rounded preopercle.
AMBERJACK
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.
COBIA (Lemonfish)
Description: 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.
TARPON
Description: 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 estuarien waters; huge scales; mouth large and points upward.
TRIPLE TAIL (BLACK FISH)
Description: Deep, somewhat rounded shape gives it the appearance of an oversize panfish. Color varies but is usually brownish and mottled. Head is concave above the mouth. Name derives from similarity and near juxtaposition of the dorsal, caudal and anal fins, resembling three tails.
BLUE FISH
Description: color blue or greenish blue on back, sides silvery; mouth large; teeth prominent, sharp, and compressed; dorsal and anal fins nearly the same size; scales small; lateral line almost straight.
GRAY TRIGGERFISH
Description: has a large trigger-like first dorsal spine, followed by two smaller spines, the second of which can lock the large spine upright. The body of this species is deep and very compressed laterally. The color is a drab gray overall. They have tiny chisel-like mouths and sandpaper-like skin.
LADYFISH
Description: terminal mouth, slender body, small scales; last dorsal ray not elongated; head small and pointed.
SPADEFISH
Description: silvery with 4 to 6 black vertical bands on each side which sometimes become obscure in larger fish; deep, flattened body; separated first and second dorsal fins; concave caudal fin; anterior rays of second dorsal fin and anal fin elongated.