Blue Marlin Fishing

BLUE MARLIN

Blue marlin is the biggest of the Atlantic Marlins and one of the largest fish in the entire world.

Females, which are significantly larger than males, can reach 14 feet in length and weigh more than 1,985 pounds.  Average lifespan in the wild is up to 27 years (female)

Average sizes tend to be in the range of 10 feet and 175 to 400 pounds.

Native to the tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, blue marlins are among the most recognizable of all fish. They are blue on top and silvery-white below, with a pronounced dorsal fin and a long, spear-shaped upper jaw. They oftne change their colors depending on their mood. Excited Blue Marlins will “ligh up” in many electric colors.

They are Pelagic fish, spending most of their lives far out at sea. They are also highly migratory, and will follow warm ocean currents for hundreds and even thousands of miles.

Blue marlins prefer the higher temperature of surface waters, feeding on mackerel and tuna, but will also dive deep to eat squid. They are among the fastest fish in the ocean, and use their bills to slash through dense schools, returning to eat their stunned and wounded victims.

Blue Marlin are known for putting up a tremendous fight when hooked, these billfish are the holy grail for sportfishermen.

Swordfish

Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) are large, highly migratory. Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood. They reach a maximum size of 177 in. (455 cm) and 1,400 lb (650kg).

 

IGFA All tackle world record for a swordfish was a 1,182 lb (536.15 kg) specimen taken caught in Chile 1953.

The swordfish is named after its sharp bill, resembling a sword (Latin gladius), which together with its streamlined physique allows it to cut through the water with great ease and agility.

Contrary to belief the “sword” is not used to spear, but instead may be used to slash at its prey in order to injure the prey animal, to make for an easier catch.

Mainly the swordfish relies on its great speed and agility in the water to catch its prey.

Females grow larger than males, with males over 300 lb (135 kg) being rare. Females mature at 4-5 years of age in northwest Pacific while males mature first at about 3 to 4 years. In the North Pacific, batch spawning occurs in water warmer than 24 °C from March to July and year round in the equatorial Pacific.

Swordfish commonly eat Tuna, Dolphin (mahimahi), Squid, Tinker Mackerals, Flyingfish. Swordfish are thought to have few predators as adults although juveniles are vulnerable to predation by large pelagic fish.Swordfish feed daily, most often at night when they rise to surface and near-surface waters in search of smaller fish. They have been observed moving through schools of fish, thrashing their swords to kill or stun their prey and then quickly turning to consume their catch. In the western North Atlantic, squid is the most popular food item consumed.

While swordfish are cold blooded animals, they have special organs next to their eyes to heat their eyes & also their brain. 

wordfish are not schooling fish. They swim alone or in very loose aggregations, separated by as much as 10 meters from a neighboring swordfish. They are frequently found basking at the surface, airing their first dorsal fin. Boaters report this to be a beautiful sight, as is the powerful jumping for which the species is known. 

Recreational swordfishing throughout the world, and especially in South Florida, has gained tremendous popularity. With the ban on longlining along parts of the eastern seashore, swordfish populations are showing signs of recovery. The recovery is far from complete and is not a fraction of what it was in the 70’s when recreational swordfish was discovered off the coast of South Florida.

To catch a swordfish off Florida, most anglers drift live or dead baits in the Gulfstream. Boats drift beam to sea, which is why center consoles are so popular for this type of fishing. From Miami’s Government Cut, Haulover Inlet or Port Everglades, the run to the swordfish grounds is less than 20 miles. Given the speed of the Gulfstream though, and fishing the majority of the night, you may end up as far as 40 to 50 miles from your homeport. From talking to longliners who used to fish in our waters, swordfish can be found in various parts of the Gulfstream, but the majority of recreational anglers fish a corridor of water that is 3 to 4 miles wide, but starts in the upper Keys and ends in Palm Beach. The reason that this area is so popular is due to the bottom terrain. In this lane there are a series of rises and falls in the depth contour which provides upwelling and seems to hold bait better than open expanses of flat bottom. Swordfishing can also be done during the day.

Redfish

Red drum have also been called redfish, spot tail, red bass, and channel bass.
The life span of a red drum can exceed 40 years! Many Redfish inhabit inshore and offshore waters along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Key West and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The majority of the redfish life cycle is spent in nearshore waters and estuaries. Since estuaries are such vital nursery grounds for red drum, we must realize that deterioration of water quality or loss of suitable habitat can have drastic effects on the number of young fish that survive into adulthood. Since redfish are not normally long distance travelers, they don’t stray far from the areas in which they were born.
In Florida waters, redfish can reach lengths up to 55 inches and weigh over 40 pounds.
Redfish begin spawning in the fall when daylight hours decrease and water temperature begins to cool.
Commercial harvesting of redfish is prohibited throughout the gulf coast states with the exception of Mississippi.

Sea Trout

Spotted sea trout range throughout Florida’s bays and coastal waters. Studies indicate that spotted sea trout from various areas of Florida are more genetically isolated from one another as their geographic separation increases (Ramsey and Wakeman 1987, Gold et al. 1999). Results from a reanalysis of spotted sea trout genetic structure in Florida show the presence of five genetic spotted seatrout stocks (Wilson et al. 2002). These stocks and their boundaries are: 1) a northeast stock located from approximately northern Volusia county to the Atlantic state border (and possibly beyond) 2) a southeast stock located from approximately southern Martin county north to Volusia county 3) a Biscayne Bay vicinity stock 4) several Florida Bay – Keys stocks, in which a complex of populations subdivisions apparently exists, and 5) a gulf coast stock from Florida Bay through the Florida panhandle. Each area may have specific, localized groups of fish that do not intermix regularly with other groups, thus they are affected only by local fishing pressure. Growth is sex- and area-specific. Males grow more slowly than females, and spotted sea trout in the Indian River Lagoon, and Apalachicola Bay grow more quickly than do those in southwest Florida Maximum ages reached in Florida are 9 years for males and 8 years for females. Spotted sea trout first spawn between 0 and 2 years old and 11.8–15.7 inches total length . Spawning occurs within estuaries and in nearshore waters during spring, summer, and fall.

Tarpon

TARPON

Tarpon grow slowly and usually don’t reach maturity until they are six or seven years old and about 4 fee long. Female Tarpon may shed up to 12 million eggs, which hatch at sea. The eggs turn into eel-likelarvae that drift inshore, where they shrink to half their size and start to look like tarpon before beginning to grow again.

Tarpon flesh is edible, though usually eaten only in developing countries, where the scales are used to make souvenirs for tourists. The most sought-after inshore, big-game fish, the tarpon puts up a stubborn and spectacular fight, often leaping up to 10 feet out of the water. It’s difficult to hook because of its hard, bony mouth.

Anglers fish with live mullet, pogies, pinfish, crabs and shrimp, or cast or plugs. Many people enjoy Flyfishing. Best fishing is at night, when tarpon feed. The tarpon is found in warm-temperate, tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, both inshore and offshore, and has introduced itself to the Pacific side of the Panama Canal.

Tarpon have the ability to gulp air directly into its air bladder by “rolling” at the surface, the tarpon is able to enter brackish and fresh waters that are stagnant and virtually without oxygen.Many of these areas are relatively free of predators, offering a safe refuge for the Tarpon. Tarpon Fishing fact: The Tarpon was one of the first saltwater species to be declared a game fish. I saw a bunch of tarpon pictures on Tribenwater  http://www.tribenwater.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/718

Snook

Common Snook

 

The common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, is one of Florida’s most popular inshore game fish because of its spectacular fighting ability and awesome table fare.

Anglers call the common snook many names, but the two most common are robalo and linesider. The word “snook” comes from the Dutch word “snoek,” meaning pike. The majority of anglers pronounce the name as “snook” (like took), but in parts of south Florida, it is pronounced “snuke” (like fluke) I think Flip Pallot started this or just jumped on the bandwagon cause it sounded cool. Common snook are a euryhaline diadromous, estuarine-dependent species occurring in the tropics and subtropics of the western Atlantic Ocean. Snook are limited in distribution by water temperature. Partial genetic isolation occurs between Florida’s Atlantic and gulf coast stocks (Tringali and Bert 1996). Snook are protandrichermaphrodites: some males develop into females when between 1 and 7 years of age. Females smaller than about 500 mm fork length are uncommon. Snook growth rates are highly variable.

Females are generally larger than males of the same age. Atlantic coast fish grow more quickly and to a larger size than do fish on the gulf coast . Maximum snook age is just over 20 years.

Spawning occurs every 1 to 3 days from April through October within  estuarines and nearshore waters.

Early juvenile snook occupy sloping banks, under overhanging vegetation within estuarine waters.

As juveniles grow they occur in a wide range of estuarine habitats, including docks and mangrove habitats.

Description: distinct lateral line; high, divided dorsal fin; sloping forehead; large mouth, protruding lower jaw; grows much larger than other snooks; pelvic fin yellow.Similar Fish: other Centropomus. Fat Snook, Tarpon Snook, Sword spine Snook – I have only caught common I think.

Found from central Florida south, usually INSHORE in coastal and brackish waters, along mangrove shorelines, seawalls, and bridges; also on reefs and pilings NEARSHORE.

Size: most catches 5 to 8 pounds. not for me mine are usually 2 to 3 pounds

*Florida Record: 44 lbs., 3 ozs. dude that is huge!

Remarks: spawns primarily in summer; cannot tolerate water temperatures below 60 degrees F

can tolerate mostly fresh or saltwater; schools along shore and in passes during spawning season; snook feed on fish and large crustaceans.