Fish Species
Below are all the fish species you'll expect to hook up during your trip. Although, nature is unpredictable and every-so-often you'll catch unexpected surprises, such as: stingray, turtles, small gators, or even sharks. And, It is always possible to have a run with a Cobia, Pompano, and even Tarpon during their seasonal migration.
Red fish (Red drum)
The red drum has a characteristic eyespot near the tail and is somewhat streamlined. Three-year-old red drum typically weigh 6-8 lb. The largest red drum on record weighed just over 94 lbs. and was caught in 1984 on Hatteras Island, NC. Red drum and black drum both make a croaking or drumming sound when distressed.
Red drum naturally occur along the southern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. Immature red drum prefer grass marsh areas of bays and estuaries when available. Both younger mature red drum (3-6 years of age) and bull red drum prefer rocky outcroppings including jetties and manmade structures, such as oil rigs and bridge posts.
Floating a live shrimp under a popping cork is a good way to fish for red drum. They also chase crabs, mullet, pinfish and killifish (mud minnows). Casting soft-bodied jigs, spoons and even top-water plugs will catch the attention of these powerful estuarine musicians.
Spotted Sea Trout
The spotted sea trout has prominent canine teeth. It has an elongated, soft dorsal fin with scales; it is separated from the spinous dorsal fin by a deep notch. It usually has two anal spines and the lateral line extends to the tip of the caudal fin. The back has distinct spots scattered on it, including on the dorsal and caudal fins.
Spotted sea trout live in the top of the water column and are most numerous along the coasts of the southeastern states, such as Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida. The average size of spotted sea trout is 1-2 lbs., but in most areas fish up to 5 lbs. are fairly common. Fish weighing 8-10 lbs. are rare. The world record is 17 lbs. 7 oz. caught near Ft. Pierce, FL.
Sea trout are found inshore and nearshore in and around seagrass meadows, mangrove-fringed shorelines, deep holes and channels and above oyster bars. Free-line live shrimp or small pinfish or pigfish (grunts) near the bottom to entice trout out of grass-bed holes. Attaching a float will allow these baits to drift over the grass beds as you search for trout. Casting with soft-bodied jigs, top-water poppers and spoons can be effective. Trout are very delicate, so returning unwanted or illegal fish promptly to the water is necessary to maintain a healthy population.
Snook
The common snook is characterized by it's large mouth with a protruding lower jaw, sloping forehead, high-divided dorsal fin, and of course it's signature black lateral line extending the length of it's body. Common snook have an average length of 1.6 ft. The IGFA world record is 53 lbs., 10 oz. caught in Parismina Ranch, Costa Rica.
The Snook is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from the coast of the North Carolina to Brazil including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The common snook is an estuarine-dependent fish species. Within estuaries, juvenile common snook are most often found inhabiting areas such as coastal wetland ponds, island networks, and creeks. Common snook do show a tendency to gravitate towards lower salinity conditions in the early stages of their life. By being able to adapt and thrive in both high and low salinity conditions through osmoregulation, common snook display a high level of habitat plasticity. Common snook are opportunistic predators whose feeding habits indicate that there is a positive relationship between their size and the size of their prey, meaning that as the snook grows it feeds on larger and larger prey.
They orient themselves to face moving water and wait for prey to be carried down the current. Snook jump clear of the water, and burst into long runs. Use live pinfish, small mullet, shrimp, or sardines free-lined or fished off the bottom with a fish finder rig. They take a large variety of lures based on water conditions. Lastly, beware of the snook’s razor-sharp gill covers when handling the fish!
Flounder
Flounders are characterized by it's flat body shape. They are light to dark brown color with dark spots and blotches with a white or dusky belly, strong canine-like teeth, and a wedge-shaped tail. In its life cycle, an adult flounder has two eyes situated on one side of its head, while at hatching one eye is located on each side of its head. One eye migrates to the other side of the body through a process of metamorphosis as it grows from larval to juvenile stage. As an adult, a flounder changes its habits and camouflages itself by lying on the bottom of the ocean floor as protection against predators. As a result, the eyes are then on the side that faces up. The side to which the eyes migrate is dependent on the species type.
You'll find flounder in brackish bays and estuaries, sometimes ranging into tidal creeks and freshwater. Flounders ambush their prey, feeding at soft muddy areas of the sea bottom, near bridge piles, docks and coral reefs. Their diet consists mainly of fish spawn, crustaceans, polychaetes and small fish. Flounder typically grow to a length of 8.7–23.6 inches, and as large as 37 inches. Their width is about half their length.