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1

GREAT BARRACUDA
(Sphyraena barracuda)
OTHER NAMES: Cuda, Sea Pike, Picuda
RANGE: Florida coasts, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
HABITAT: The Barracuda is at home almost anywhere in South Florida and the tropical islands from shorelines and bays out to blue water. Although most fish in the shallows are small, it still is possible to connect with a 15- or 20-pounder
perhaps even a larger one on the flats, or from shore. In Central and North Florida both Atlantic and Gulf the Great Barracuda is seldom seen inshore, but is common offshore on wrecks and artificial reefs.
DESCRIPTION: Greenish or grayish above, with silvery sides marked by numerous dark blotches. Tall widely forked with pointed lobes. Two other members of the cuda family might be encountered. The fairly uncommon Southern Sennet, Sphyraena picudilla, grows to about 18 inches, but looks very similar to the bigger Cuda and is usually found in schools. The Guaguanche, Sphyraena guachancho, is much like the Sennet in size, shape and rarity. It can be distinguished by a yellow or gold mid-body stripe.
SIZE: The Great Barracuda ranges from foot-long juveniles on shallow flats to 50 pounds or more offshore. Usual maximum is around 30 pounds, with the average being 5-15 pounds. World record 85 pounds; Florida record 67 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: Excellent up to 5 pounds or so. Larger fish sometimes carry Ciguatera (see Introduction).
GAME QUALITIES: On appropriate tackle, the Great Barracuda is one of our most spectacular and able fighters, frequently mixing fast and fairly long runs with greyhounding jumps. In deeper water, such as over the reefs, it can also fight with strength and stamina.
TACKLE AND BAITS: For inshore fishing on the flats and along shorelines, spinning and baitcasting tackle are ideal, and fly tackle will also take plenty of Cuda. The best artificial bait for Barracuda is a tube lure, made from a foot or 18 inches of plastic tubing with wire through the middle and a hook on the end. Fly casters can make or buy similar lures of braided textile materials. Over reefs and wrecks, casting tackle is still a good choice, with light saltwater gear also capable of providing good sport. Live fish make the very best natural baits. The Barracuda also attacks rigged natural baits, such as Ballyhoo, with great pleasure.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Casting; Still Fishing; Trolling.

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3

BONEFISH
(Albula vulpes)
OTHER NAMES: Silver Ghost, White Fox, Macabi
RANGE: The bonefish is a tropical species and is seriously fished only in the south end of Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami and the Florida Keys and also, of course, throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean. Stragglers are sometimes caught north of the preferred habitat, usually from the surf, although a few are taken from the Indian River. The Longfin variety is rare in Florida.
HABITAT: Bonefish do much of their foraging on shallow mud or grass flats, where they can be sighted and cast to. They also frequently gather in large schools over fairly deep, soft bottom, where their feeding stirs up patches of silt or "mud."
DESCRIPTION: Thick-bodied but streamlined. Dark back, usually greenish, and silver sides; pointed snout with underslung mouth; forked tail. A smaller and much lesser-known variety, the Longfin Bonefish, Albula nemoptera, looks almost identical, except for streamer-like extensions of its dorsal and anal fins.
SIZE: Common from 2 to 10 pounds; sometimes to 15 pounds, and possibly to 18 or 20. World record 19 pounds; Florida record 15 pounds, 6 ounces.
FOOD VALUE: Although popular in the Bahamas and tropics, Bonefish are seldom eaten in Florida. They are indeed very bony; and too highly prized as gamefish to kill for, at best, a mediocre dinner.
GAME QUALITIES: Legendary for long-distance runs in shallow water. Strong, jack-like fighter in deep water.
TACKLE AND BAITS: For sight-fishing in the classic style, the most productive tackle is a spinning outfit with a light rod of 7 feet or longer and 8-pound test line. Bonefish are also among the top favorites of fly fishermen, whose standard gear is an 8-weight outfit. Lighter fly rods get some spot use, if wind conditions allow, and 9-weight outfits are not too heavy for good sport. Live shrimp is the bait of choice among spin fishermen, but cut shrimp, conch (in the Bahamas and Caribbean) and crab all work well. Best lures are "skimmer" jigs, 1/8 or 1/4 ounce, with horizontally flattened heads that help keep the hook upright. Most fly rodders lean toward very small flies with monofilament weedguards on No. 2 or even No. 4 hooks, but standard streamers on No. 1 or 1/0 hooks work. In a less-than-classic approach, Bonefish can be caught by bottom fishing on deep flats and in channels near the flats.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Casting; Still Fishing.

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4

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5

DOLPHIN
(Coryphaena hippurus)
OTHER NAMES: Dorado, Mahi Mahi
RANGE: All offshore waters of Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
HABITAT: Dolphin ream the open sea in a continuous hunt for food. Anglers seek them along rafted weedlines and around any sort of large floating object. The location of schools may also be given away by feeding birds, particularly frigate birds.
DESCRIPTION: A blaze of blue and yellow or deep green and yellow when in the water, and sometimes shows dark vertical stripes as well when excited. Small dark spots on sides. Dorsal fin extends nearly from head to tail. Head is very blunt in males (bulls); rounded in females (cows). The Pompano Dolphin, Coryphaena equisetis, is often mistaken as a female or juvenile male Dolphin. It is found in most of the same waters, grows to about 5 pounds and can be distinguished by the rounded shape of the underbelly.
SIZE: Schooling fish run in similar sizes, from around a pound to nearly 20 pounds at times; larger fish are loners, or else pairs bull and cow. Big bulls often reach 50 pounds in weight and can exceed 80 pounds on rare occasion. Large cows generally top out at 40 pounds or so. World record 87 pounds; Florida record 77 pounds, 12 ounces.
FOOD VALUE: None better.
GAME QUALITIES: Top of the heap in any weight class speedy. Strong and acrobatic.
TACKLE AND BAITS: With the Dolphins, anything goes. Private-boat anglers seek to find a school by trolling or by running and searching for visual signs. Once a school is located, it can usually be kept around the boat by restrained chumming with cut bait and/or by keeping at least one hooked fish in the water at all times. A hot school will eagerly accept jigs and all sorts of casting baits, including flies and popping bugs. If strikes slow down, cut bait often does the trick. Big or wise fish may insist on live baits. Countless Dolphin are also caught, both by design and incidentally, on the entire gamut of rigged trolling baits and artificial trolling lures.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Casting; Drifting; Trolling.

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6

TARPON
(Megalops atlanticus)
OTHER NAMES: Silver King, Sabalo
RANGE: All Florida coasts plus the Greater Antilles and some other Caribbean islands, including the Virgin and Cayman Islands. Scattered in the Bahamas, where it is most plentiful around Andros but also present elsewhere, including Bimini, the Berry Islands, and the Exumas.
HABITAT: Fishable throughout Florida in warm months, including the Panhandle, but adults are largely confined to South Florida in the winter. Major fishing efforts for big Tarpon are directed at live-baiting in large passes, inlets, channels and river mouths throughout the state, and at
sight-fishing with fly and casting tackle on shallow flats in the Keys and on the lower Gulf Coast from Homosassa southward. Large and medium Tarpon also are found off the beaches and in the surf of both coasts at times, and many are hooked from bridges and piers, especially at night. Medium-size fish are common in a variety of settings in South and Central Florida, including freshwater rivers and landlocked canals. Tiny juveniles inhabit landlocked canals and ditches.
DESCRIPTION: Green or steel above, silver on sides and belly. Deep, thick body; forked tail. Long trailer at end of dorsal fin.
SIZE: From 12 inches or less to about 75 pounds, on average, although big fish of 100 to 150 pounds are numerous in many areas. World record 283 pounds, 4 ounces; Florida record 243 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: None.
GAME QUALITIES: Famous for the spectacle and frequency of its jumps. Giant Tarpon don't quite match the acrobatics of the smaller ones, but they leap frequently enough in shallow water, and with even more fury.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Anglers seeking big fish in passes, channels, deep bays and surf areas like stout tackle with lines testing at least 30 pounds. All sizes of spinning, baitcasting and fly tackle get lots of play for smaller fish. The same types of gear, although of heavier proportions, are also used for big fish on shallow flats. Use at least 15-pound line on spinning and casting gear, and at least a 10-weight fly outfit with minimum 16-pound tippet. Heavy monofilament leaders or tippets are required because of the Tarpon's very rough mouth. Drift-fishermen in the passes and inlets prefer live baits mainly small crabs and small fish. All Tarpon will take dead baits, such as a Mullet head or half Mullet, fished patiently on bottom. For trolling or surfcasting with heavier gear, large jigs, spoons and lipped plugs get the call. Generally, casters enjoy the most success with swimming plugs, jerk plugs and surface plugs. Fly fishermen rely heavily on scissor-action feather streamers and bulky bucktail streamers.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Casting; Drifting; Still Fishing; Trolling.

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7

TRIPLETAIL
(Lobotes surinamensis)
OTHER NAMES: Drift Fish, Leaf Fish
RANGE: Both coastal and pelogic in Florida; mostly pelogic in the Bahamas and Caribbean.
HABITAT: The Tripletail is a true world traveler, drifting with ocean currents and often spotted by dolphin fishermen in weedlines or alongside floating debris. Many are found closer to shore in most coastal areas of Florida during warm months, and also in larger bays usually hanging around markers or trap floats.
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.
SIZE: Most run 2-12 pounds; but rare catches reach 30 or more. World record 42 pounds, 5 ounces; Florida record 32 pounds.
FOOD VALUE: One of the best.
GAME QUALITIES: Despite its clumsy looks, the Tripletail is a good gamefish in all respects. It willingly strikes artificial lures and its fight is characterized by short, frantic runs and startling jumps. Big ones in deep water are also good at bulldogging. Like Cobia with which they frequently share the shade of a navigation structure Tripletail are adept at fouling lines.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Casting tackle fly, plug or spinning provides the best and most spectacular sport with Tripletails, but saltwater outfits with lines up to 30-pound test are not out of place for big fish in tight places. Streamer flies, plastic and bucktail jigs and mirror plugs are among the pet lures. Best natural baits are live shrimp and small live fish. Strip baits and dead shrimp are also taken.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Casting; Drifting; Still Fishing.

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8

LADYFISH
(Elops saurus)
OTHER NAMES: Ten-Pounder, Skipjack, Chiro
RANGE: All Florida coasts, the Bahamas and Caribbean.
HABITAT: Ladyfish occur the full length of both coasts, ranging from the open sea off beaches and shorelines, to inlets and bays, and for up coastal streams. They seem to have no preferred surroundings, but follow wherever good feeding conditions take them whether over shallow flats or in deep holes and
channels. They love to feed at night and are common around lighted areas of piers and docks. They often gather in large schools.
DESCRIPTION: A slender, silvery fish with deeply forked tail and large, scoop-shaped lower jaw. Said to be mistaken at times for the Bonefish, but the error is difficult to conceive of, given the big mouth and jumping ability of the Ladyfish.
SIZE: Usually 1-2 pounds; 3-4 pound. Ladyfish are whoppers. Reported to reach even more, but very rarely. World record 5 pounds, 14 ounces; Florida record 4 pounds, 10 ounces.
FOOD VALUE: Edible but not very appetizing; many bones and flesh is mushy.
GAME QUALITIES: One of the wildest acrobats, always getting off spectacular and frequent jumps. Larger ones are strong pullers and can uncork surprisingly long runs.
TACKLE AND BAITS: Scrappy on any light casting tackle, including fly. Great sport with ultra light gear. Most are caught on cut strips, small live fish or live shrimp by anglers fishing for something else, particularly for Trout on the flats, but Ladyfish are ready strikers on most artificial lures of appropriate size. Jigs and small topwater plugs rate high, as do popping bugs and small white streamer flies.
FISHING SYSTEMS: Casting; Drifting; Still Fishing.