Fishing in Florida can be quite a challenge regardless of how many fish we say inhabit the waters surrounding the state. Everyone knows they don’t have to eat on anyone’s schedule other than their own so catching them may not be as simple as finding them.
One challenge I never quite took into account when moving down here was identifying the shear variety of fish in both fresh and saltwater. There are dozens of species to catch with regularity and hundreds of others you just might luck into at one point or another, and just about every one of them has teeth or stickers that will bite, jab, or otherwise harm you if you don’t know how to handle it. But besides knowing which ones can do you harm, identifying which ones to keep for food purposes can be equally as difficult.
I erroneously identified the fish to the right as a Striped Bass whereas more properly it is a Hybrid Striper or Sunshine Bass (man-engineered Striper/White Bass cross). A good friend of mine and fish authority corrected my error and gave me a few other tips on how to better identify the difference. Thankfully, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission knows that it would be a common mistake and therefore sets the size and bag limits accordingly. And that’s the whole point of this article. We need to know what kind of fish we’re catching so that we know and can apply the fishing regulations accordingly. Not doing so can adversely affect the fish population and possibly your pocket when you get caught.
I once caught a legal size Spanish Mackerel while fishing the beach in Marco Island, which I offered to a couple fishermen I’d seen rigging for sharks on the evening tide. They graciously accepted the fish but were puzzled by its appearance. “We caught a Spanish yesterday and used it for bait, but it didn’t look like this. Ours was kind of silvery, had lots of spots, a yellow mouth and a couple nasty fangs on the top and bottom jaw." These gentlemen had caught, mistakenly identified, and then used for bait, a Spotted Seatrout which has a different size and possession limit than the Spanish I gave them. We talked about their mistake and I suggested that they take a look at the book on Florida Saltwater Fish Species before using anything else for bait.
But it isn’t just the saltwater fish we need to worry about. The fresh are just as difficult with the original native species and then all the exotics that have invaded the waters over the years. It can be a real trick if you don’t do a little studying before hitting the water. There are more than a half dozen fish grouped into the "Panfish” family alone, and numerous subspecies of bass to worry about depending on your location.
All fishermen need to learn their species before hitting the water in order to avoid hefty fines as well as potential injury. Pinfish earned their name for a reason and knowing the difference between a bluefish and mullet can save a bunch of stitches. Being able to identify a mutton snapper and a red snapper will help to avoid large hits to your pocket. Easiest rule of thumb for me has been “If you can’t positively identify it, leave it alone and definitely don’t keep it.”
Brian “Beastman” Eastman
White River Fly Shop
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