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The Redfish is a super-challenging opponent on the grass beds and flats using light spin tackle. The shallower the water, the more thrilling the fight. The bulk of small marine life and food will be found in shallow water around structures and near grassy cover. This offers the small fish, crustaceans and mollusks protection from predators. Therefore, Redfish will be found near this abundant food supply. Redfish are easily identifiable by the body spot near their tail. They typically have one spot on each side, but I have seen as many as 12 spots on these pretty fish.
| Turned fully on its flat side, a startled pompano hurls itself across the water's surface, skipping like a flat rock thrown with a perfect sidearm toss. It's an age-old way of locating this highly prized little fish but until recently a rare sight. Voters did away with gill nets and the apparent result is what many see as the start of something big. The excitement isn't just that there appear to be more fish, but that they are roaming in schools unlike anything anyone has seen in recent years. What it means for anglers is they are getting a taste of a fishery they never dreamed possible. |
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Is there a better eating fish than the mangrove snapper? I’d say no, which makes it that much more surprising that so many anglers take for granted these smart, delicious, feisty, abundant and widely distributed species. Moreover, with limits tight in places on snook, redfish and trout, Mangrove snapper are excellent candidates for a fish fry. They are a great target fish on those super windy days that keep you pressed up against the mangroves for shelter.
(Continued) Fishing in Chokoloskee and the 10,000 Island area of the Everglades National Park.
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I like to use light tackle for shark, particularly the smaller sharks which inhabit the near-shore Gulf. Juvenile blacktip, bonnet head and small spinner sharks are all common in the 12' - 30" Range. Larger bull sharks and nurse sharks are also common in the area with the most common size being about 75 lbs. After you catch a shark, the next question is "What do I do with it?" It might surprise you, but smaller sharks provide delicious meat if you follow several important steps after you boat the shark (I'll get into the gory details when you catch one). I call it poor man's sword fish at the table.
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| I sometimes consider flounder to be a consolation prize on days when the Snook or Redfish action is slow. They also provide excellent table fare that can be prepared in many ways, making for a tasty treat that few fish can equal. These bizarre looking creatures are flat and occupy the bottom of the water column. They are pure white on their bottom side and dark brown with lighter brown spots on top. Both eyes are on top and are used to observe what is directly over them. They are ambush predators, waiting for small fish or your bait to swim by. Flounder are not real common, but certainly available and very welcome aboard! |
| If you ever looked closely at a sheepshead's mouth, you will notice that the front teeth on both the top and bottom look exactly like the teeth of a sheep (hence the name!). |
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They use these teeth to crush small crustaceans and shells to get at their food. The inside of their mouth is lined on the top with a very hard grinding surface, which aids in further pulverizing the shells it picks up for food. They love shrimp on a hook, but not as much as you will love sheepshead in a pan!
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| Tripletails are unusual fish that are somewhat mysterious in their ways. Studies are just now being made to learn more about these hard fighting, good eating fish. You can find them from the beach up to a mile off the beach, floating on their side on the surface, usually near a crab trap buoy, marker, or some other surface object. They seem to float along waiting for baitfish to seek shelter from the sun under their shadow. They gladly take a free lined shrimp, and fight like a big grouper once hooked. |
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One of the largest fish found anywhere along the coastal United States, Goliath Grouper (formerly known as Jewfish) regularly grow to the size of a small compact car. These behemoths are found in shallow waters both inshore, and offshore over wrecks and reefs. Goliath Grouper reek havoc on your every day reef fisherman, as they are known to engulf Cobia, Amberjack, Snapper, and Grouper as large as 30lbs. They are considered by many to be the ultimate in shallow water big game fishing. We generally catch goliath grouper while fishing the inside mangroves for snook. They will give a strong fight like no other!
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| We also catch many other eating and sport fish such as Cobia, Permit, Mackerel, Kingfish, Black Drum, Jack Crevalle, Ladyfish, Stingray, Silver trout, and many more! |
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