Florida Big Game Saltwater Fish Identification

Tarpon


Tarpon: Megalops atlanticus
Appearance:


Tarpon have a distinctive dorsal fin ray that extends into a long filament, a large upward pointing mouth and very large scales



Habitat:


Primarily inshore fish, preferring shallow estuaries around mangrove forests, salt marshes or hard-bottom/seagrass communities of the Keys. They tolerate a wide salinity range, and as juveniles, enter fresh waters.



Behavior:


Tarpon can gulp air and remove oxygen by means of lung-like tissue near their swim bladder. This "rolling" effect is one way to spot tarpon. Anglers catch tarpon that weigh 40 to 150 pounds on average. Tarpon do not mature until 7 to 13 years of age. They spawn offshore between May and September.



State Record:
243 lb, caught near Key West

Fishing Tips and Facts:
Live shrimp or pinfish make good baits, but plastics and Keys-style streamers work too. When sight fishing, land your presentation softly in front of a tarpon at an angle that lets you withdraw your lure away from the tarpon. Tarpon are not eaten. A tarpon tag is required for harvest.

Additional Information:

 

Ladyfish


Ladyfish: Elops saurus
Appearance:

• Terminal mouth
• Slender body
• Small scales
• Last dorsal ray not elongated
• Head is small and pointed
  
  

Habitat:


Ladyfish are found inshore in bays and estuaries. They may occasionally enter freshwater. Ladyfish frequent tidal pools and canals and often form large schools and harasses bait at the surface.



Behavior:


Ladyfish are known to spawn offshore. Adults feed predominantly on fish and crustaceans. They leap when hooked.



State Record:
6 lb 4 oz, caught near Cocoa Beach

Fishing Tips and Facts:


Additional Information:
Ladyfish appear similary to juvenile tarpon, Megalops atlanticus.

 

Gray Triggerfish


Gray Triggerfish: Balistes capriscus
Appearance:

• Entirely olive-gray
• Dorsal and anal fins marbled
• Caudal fin lobes elongate in large adults
• One or more enlarged scales behind gill opening
• 26 to 29 dorsal fin rays
• 23 to 26 anal fin rays
• Young: large darker saddle on back (these saddles sometime persist in adults)
• Blue spots and short blue lines in dorsal fin and on upper half of body, becoming white below anal fin
• Upper rim of eye blue
  

Habitat:


Hardbottom, reefs, ledges



Behavior:


State Record:
12lb 7oz

Fishing Tips and Facts:


Additional Information:

 

Tripletail


Tripletail:
Appearance:


The rounded second dorsal and anal fins are similar in size and along with a rounded tail fin, give the fish its name. The bases of those fins have scales.



Habitat:


Frequently associated with structure.



Behavior:


Found in Florida primarily during spring, summer and fall.



State Record:
40.8 lbs.

Fishing Tips and Facts:
Often found near structure and when hooked will seek to escape by heading hard for shelter.

Additional Information: