The Saltwater Game Fish Of Florida

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The Saltwater Game Fish Of Florida

Florida has very tropical waters all year round, especially in the south, which makes it one the best places in the world to saltwater fish. Some of the main attractions to anglers in Florida are the Keys and the Everglades.

The warm waters of Florida will offer you a variety of fish both offshore and inshore. For the offshore fishermen you can expect grouper, marlin, big sharks, dolphin fish, snapper and more. For the inshore fishermen you can expect to catch snook, trout, redfish, sheepshead, bonefish and snapper also.

Snook are among the favorites for saltwater fishing inshore. Some of the reasons for this is that they make a great meal, and they put up one heck of a fight. If you are fishing for snook you will need a saltwater fishing license and also a 2 dollar snook stamp., there are also closed seasons for snook so check with the locals before you intend to keep one.

One of the offshore fish that anglers love to go after are mahi mahi, which are also known as dolphin fish. They are highly colorful with a steep forehead, they can get up to fifty pounds or more. You will have to go miles offshore to catch a dolphin, and the preferred method for getting them would be trolling.

Another great tasting fish are snapper, which can be caught offshore and inshore. There are various types of snapper but the one thing that they all have in common is they love to hang around rocky structures. They can be a light as a pound up to over a hundred pounds.

One of the toughest fishing saltwater fish there are is bonefish. They are very edible, but are rarely kept as they have hundreds of tiny bones in them making them hard to eat. You will need a good captain and the perfect tackle set up to hook and land a bonefish, they are not for the beginner.

If you have access to a dock, then you could try and catch some sheepshead. Sheepshead are known as bait thieves, and have black and white vertical stripes, they are excellent to eat. They love to hang around barnacles, so piers, docks and mangroves are excellent spots to find some sheepshead.

As you can see there are many challenges to catch fish when saltwater fishing in Florida, these are just a few of the species that you can go after. You will have to decide what kind of fishing is best for you, for the beginner I would recommend pier fishing and surf fishing because it is a lot cheaper. Leave the offshore fish for the experienced anglers.

Now if you have your heart set on catching some big fish that are offshore then all hope is not lost. With a good amount of money you can hire a local fishing captain to take you to catch some big fish. Saltwater fishing charters can be found everywhere in Florida, just ask around and do some research before choosing one.

About the Author

To find more facts on the saltwater fish of Florida, tackle records, rules, and how to catch them you can find it here at the authors site. Saltwater Fishing In Florida

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