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Black Sea Bass

## Black Sea Bass Fish Species (Centropristis Striata) ## Fish Description Black Sea Bass is a member of the Grouper family. They are plump-bodied with an extended pelvic and dorsal fin. The dorsal fin comes with a soft rayed rear section and a spiny forward section, marked with a sequence of white spots and bands. Their body color is gray to black, but the center of the scales is white. During the spawning season, males can turn bright blue in color and have a large hump on their heads. Juveniles are brown and have a dark stripe running down the body. ## Fish Size The Black Seabass can reach about 25 inches in length; weigh more than 8 pounds, although most of them caught is less than 4 pounds in weight. The Black Sea Bass world record catch is 10 lb 4 oz. and was caught in Virginia Beach, January 2000. ## Fun Facts About Black Sea Bass Up until recently, the furthest north the black bass was found was Massachusetts. Because of the warming climate, the bass has ventured up to the Gulf of Maine where the water temperatures have increased over the years. They are born as females then change to males. This generally happens when they reach 9 - 13 inches Social interaction can play a big role in this sex reversal. The removal of the big male from the Black Sea Bass population may cause one or more of the remaining bigger females to change sex and play the male role. The female Black Seabass normally matures at the age of 2 to 5 years and produces about 280,000 pelagic eggs. ## Fish Diet Adult and juvenile Black Sea Bass feed on a variety of invertebrates such as hermit crabs, rock crabs, squid, and razor clams. ## Distribution and Habitat  ## Fishing Method The best time to fish for Black Sea Bass is from late spring to summer when they congregate close to the shore. Underwater structures like jetties, piers, and wrecks, is where you will be likely to find them. The bigger males will be found in deeper water and a rocky bottom. The Black Seabass will put up a good fight until it breaks water. A medium-weight rod that's 6-8 feet long with a reel with a 20-30 pound fused, mono or braided line will be successful. They are mostly bottom feeders although they will occasionally strike at jigs, plugs, and lures including a 2 hook bait rig. Live bait such as squid or fish strips is a very good method. The Federal Recreational Black Sea Bass season is February 1 through 28, and May 15 through December 31. ## Habitat During the summer months, they will gather around sunken wrecks, rocky bottoms, old pilings, and wharves and are most abundant at depths of less than 120 feet. Juvenile seabass tend to prefer estuaries where they feed and avoid predators. During the winter months, they migrate to the more south Atlantic states and offshore. ## Distribution Black Seabass are found on the US eastern seaboard from the Gulf of Maine to the Florida Keys and then to the Gulf of Mexico.

Gag Grouper

Gag Grouper (Mycteroperca Microlepis) Fish Description

The Gag Grouper appears to be one of the less aesthetically appealing fish among the Groupers. Some even describe the Gag Grouper as “drab” in appearance. Its fins are mostly composed are rays and have a laterally-compressed oblong body. However, it does have a similarity to the Black Grouper: it’s the box-shaped black spots on the back. Their dorsal fins have 11 spines mixed with 16-18 rays while their anal fins have 3 spins with a mix of 10-12 rays.

Female Gag Groupers are normally pale or medium grey in color. Their bodies have a more marbled appearance due to the wavy patterns covering their bodies. But the best way to tell a female and a male apart is through the dorsal fin. Unlike female Gag Groupers, a male Gag Grouper’s dorsal fin is reticulated. Color-wise however, they are also darker than female Gag Groupers. Their bellies and breast are usually dark gray, almost black.  

Gag Grouper Diet and Size

Depending on their size, a Gag Grouper’s diet changes. Though, Gag Groupers are seen to prefer a variety of crustaceans such as crab and shrimp. They do like some fish and sometimes, an occasional squid.

An average Gag Grouper is 20 inches (50 cm) long. However, some have reported seeing a Gag Grouper reach 145 cm (57 inches) in length and weigh 36.5 kg (80 lbs).

Interesting Facts about the Gag Grouper

• Gag Groupers, when they mature, change sex from female to male.
  • When they’re young, all Gag Groupers start out as females.
  • However, Gag Groupers are more commonly female.
• Gag Groupers grow slowly. It usually takes them5-6 years to sexually mature.
• Juvenile Gag Groupers have a different habitat preference to adult Gag Groupers.
• Its scientific name microlepis means small scales in Latin.
• Gag Groupers can live up to 30 years.
• Red Tide can heavily affect Gag Grouper populations.

Gag Grouper – Fishing Techniques: How to Fish for a Gag Grouper

The first thing to look for is a place that can serve as shelter. Gag Groupers like hiding so, they would make use of any structure that can serve as shelter. Young Gag Groupers prefer staying inshore and in shoals until they mature. Older Gag Groupers loiter around offshore reefs and shipwrecks. Usually, when fishing for Gag Groupers, they are usually accompanied by Kingfish and Spanish Mackerel. At times, they’re also accompanied by Blacktip and Spinner Sharks. They’re found chasing herrings that swarm near the beach.

Others advise looking for stone crab traps. Since Gag Groupers love crab, they’ll most likely go to a place where crabs hide.

When it comes to bait choice, Gag Groupers love live bait. They prefer mullet and pinfish. However, some anglers have reported having success with also cut bait like octopus, squid, and crabs. Other options include using Pilchards, Cigar Minnows, and Grunts. 

For your equipment, it depends on where you are. In Florida, you’re required to use a circle hook when going bottom fishing. But some say that the standard equipment will do. Standard rod with a 40-pound line works but people have done well even with a 20-30 one. Make sure that your bait is hooked on well but with the barb still sticking out. 

When going for the Gag Grouper, be prepared to wrestle with it. Once they snag your bait, they’ll want nothing but to drag their food back to the depths where they came from. They’ll try to run against the rocks to make sure they don’t get fished out. To avoid that, make sure the reel’s locked and don’t let it freewheel otherwise it’ll give them a chance to dive into a hole. To make it easier, some people advise keeping your rod low so it’s easier to just yank them out of the water.

Gag Grouper Habitat and Distribution

Gag Groupers like staying in coastal waters with a lot of rocky structures. Some of their preferred rocky structures include rocky bottoms and reefs. They also like loitering near drop-off walls in the deep waters. But the younger Gag Groupers like staying more in the seabed.

Great Barracuda

Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) Fish Description

The Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) is one of the well-known apex predators in the ocean. In fact, because of their large size, blinding speed, and tenacious behavior, this fish doesn’t have that many predators except for sharks and dolphins. There were also some documented attacks on humans, including a couple of deaths that happened a few decades back off the coast of Key West and North Carolina. But even though it happens quite rarely, the mere fact that there have been deaths attributed to them makes the Great Barracuda one of the most feared fishes in the ocean.

The Great Barracuda, as the name implies, is quite big, often reaching five to six feet in length. Aside from its size, it’s also a well-known speedster of the sea thanks to their long, tubular body and pointed snout that allows it to swim fast with top speeds reaching thirty-five miles per hour in short bursts. With its size, strength, and speed—not to mention it’s equipped with a large mouth containing two sets of razor sharp teeth—the Great Barracuda is an extremely successful predator. It also swims in groups during a hunt, often circling and trapping preys swimming in schools. It mostly feeds on herrings, sardines, and small tunas; but can also eat shrimps, octopi, and other marine animals given the opportunity. A mature barracuda also can blend well with the shimmery open waters because of its gray, silvery color, which they use to either ambush prey or to protect themselves from other predators.   

Interesting Facts About Great Barracudas

• Great Barracudas can grow as much as six feet long and can weigh up to one hundred three pounds.
• They could swim at blinding speeds of up to thirty-five miles per hour
• Great Barracudas don’t have many predators except sharks and dolphins.
• They can live up to fourteen years in the wild.
• They hunt mainly by sight and are naturally inquisitive.
• They hunt in small groups, often trapping their prey as they swim in circles.
• They often approach divers and snorkelers not to attack but either to check for food or they were attracted by the shiny object the diver might be carrying or wearing.
• Despite its fearsome reputation, Great Barracudas rarely attacks humans.
• The last recorded death due to barracuda attack was off Key West and North Carolina that happened way back in 1947 and 1957 respectively.
• Attacks are said to be easily prevented with a few simple precautions.
• The Great Barracuda is a popular gamefish not because of its meat—which is rarely eaten due to some cases of food poisoning—but because anglers find catching them quite challenging.

Great Barracuda Size and Swimming Speed

Because of their slender, streamline body, the Great Barracuda can swim fast, with some recorded to swim as fast as thirty-five miles per hour. They can also grow huge, with some reaching up to six feet long; although average size tends to be between two to four feet.

Great Barracuda Habitat and Distribution

The Great Barracuda can pretty much be found anywhere in the world, with most occurring near shore in tropical and subtropical seas, but rarely in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In the US, you can find it along the coasts of our eastern seaboard—from as far up north as Massachusetts down to the Gulf of Mexico and the Keys.

Great Barracudas are also found near the surface of the water, especially the mature ones. Although they mostly tend to swim nearshore in coral reefs, seagrasses, and mangroves, they can sometimes wander to the deeper parts of the open ocean, often in search of food. They are also mostly found swimming alone, except when aggregate during spawning season (which is said to happen during the spring) or when they form a hunting group.

Great Barracuda Fishing Tips

Finding and hooking a Great Barracuda are not that hard given their widespread distribution as well as their veracious eating behavior. The fun begins when you hook one as it’s known to be a rather tenacious fighter, although it’s known to have a very limited stamina. If you’re lucky enough to hook a large one, you should also watch out for its last attempt to fight for survival as huge ones are known to jump and would even attempt to bite, which, as you could imagine, can do serious damage if those razor sharp teeth come in contact to your bare skin. So we highly suggest using a landing net and gloves.

Grey Snapper

Grey Snapper (Lutjanus Griseus) Description

Also known as the Mangrove Snapper, the Grey Snappers are known for their greyish red color that changes from copper-red to bright red. From a dorsal view (top view), one can see a dark stripe that runs across its eye while it's swimming. Grey Snappers also have a pointed snout and thin lips with small teeth.

However, the Grey Snapper can be confused with other fish such as the Cubera Snapper and the Black Snapper. And the best way to tell apart a Grey Snapper from the Cubera Snapper is by opening its mouth. Unlike the Cubera Snapper, the Grey Snapper has a triangular-shaped tooth patch whereas the former has an arrow-shaped tooth patch. However, the Grey Snapper’s tooth patch doesn’t have an extension unlike that of the Cubera Snapper. 
 

Grey Snapper Diet

Grey Snappers are known for being opportunistic hunters. They sometimes feed on zooplankton. Young Grey Snappers usually feast near seagrass beds where they can eat a variety of crustaceans and smaller fish. Grey Snappers are carnivorous for a more piscine diet.
 

Grey Snapper Size

The Grey Snapper can measure between 10-14 inches, weighing between 1-2 lbs. However, if found in open water, Grey Snappers can weigh as heavy as 20 lbs! However, fishing inshore usually yields lower numbers rarely exceeding 3-4 lbs.
 

Interesting Facts about the Grey Snapper

• Grey Snapper are usually prized for their white, flaky, soft meat.
• During full moons, Grey Snappers spawn millions of eggs.
  • They are considered the most abundant among their species.
• Interestingly, Juvenile Gray Snappers have darker colors than their adults.
• Grey Snappers are nocturnal animals.
  • They usually feed and are more active at night.
  • They’re not aggressive towards humans.
• Grey Snappers are known to be swift swimmers.
   

Grey Snapper – Fishing Techniques: How to Fish for a Grey Snapper

When fishing for a Grey Snapper, many anglers would recommend using a 4J hook as it’ll easily get them hooked. Once you have your hook, anglers would recommend using live bait. One of the most common recommendations was using a live shrimp. Instead of sticking the hook through its head, keep it stuck in its tail. This will allow your shrimp to live for quite a long time. However, other people would recommend using mud minnows. Once you have chosen your bait, thread your line through your bobber and knot it to your hook. Make sure your line is something that can handle a lot of abrasions since you’ll be letting your bait sink down.

Next, let your bait sink to the bottom. No need to do any fancy casting or reeling. Grey Snappers seek opportunities so having too much movement might throw them off. Once you feel your bait is all the way at the bottom, reel it up a little so your hook doesn’t get snagged anywhere.

Next, pick your spot. One of the more recommended spots is at a beach pier or at docks. Normally, those structures are built near water columns where the Grey Snapper like to be in.

Since they are opportunistic, Grey Snappers like to ambush their prey. Bobbing it too many times might drive them off so let it dangle and float until they feel that they can seize the opportunity. Once you feel a tug, don’t jerk it up. Reel it in to make sure the hook gets through before slowly bringing the Grey Snapper to the surface.
 

Grey Snapper Habitat and Distribution

Grey Snappers stay among canals or grass flats or any place with warm to temperate waters. These fish love structures as it serves as their cover as opportunistic predators. They like rocks, mangrove forests, shipwrecks, and debris. If you’re fishing in open water, let your bait sink down into the reefs to draw them out.

Red Snapper

Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) 

Fish Description 

Red Snapper can grow very large.  They are pink to light red in color when they are young, and as they mature they turn red over most of their body. The lower area of their body is pale-white in color. 

They are popular with recreational fishermen as well as commercial seafood markets and restaurants. Snappers are bottom dwellers that are a trophy catch for anglers.

Habitat and Distribution

The Red Snapper is commonly found on the Atlantic coast of the US and the Gulf of Mexico. They like water temperatures of 50-70 degrees. Juveniles are found inshore and muddy bottoms. Adult snappers are found mainly near structure in deep water. 

Red snapper is commonly found at the depth of 30 - 620 feet in the Gulf of Mexico and down the eastern coast of the US.

Size 

Red snapper can grow to 3 feet  and weigh 35 pounds or more, but the average size caught is 1-2 feet long and weighs less than 10 pounds. The world record is 50 lbs 4 oz. the monster was caught off Louisiana water in 1966. Their lifespan is more than 20 years. 

Spawning

Larger, matured Red Snapper produces more eggs than the young ones. A 24-inch female snapper (about 8 years) produces a large number of eggs as 212 17-inch females (about 5 years), most of the red snapper caught in the Gulf today is around 4-6 years old. 

Fertilized eggs drift to the surface and hatch in about one day. After just a month, the young fish settle out of the water column in shallow water, and as they grow older they move to a regulated habitat where they will mature and eventually move to the deeper Gulf waters of the bay.  The spawning season is between May and October. 

The females lay eggs in rocky and shallow regions or on coral reefs. Generally, the eggs hatch within a day, and the young one settles out of the water column in shallow waters. 

Fishing Techniques - How to Catch Red Snapper

Red Snapper can be caught using rigs, manual reels, handline, and electric reels, all dressed with heavyweights and multiple hooks. Lure with cigar minnows or fresh squid; pigfish or live pinfish will land the biggest snapper. Other effective bait is octopus, live squid, and shrimp, followed by small natural baitfish in the area. Keep in mind that you need to take the baits down the bottom to where the Red Snapper settles. When fishing Red Snapper, don’t forget that they are true warriors They will give you a real fight when hooked. They will often run to cover or near debris, which can be entangled or even cut your line. 

Snappers can also be caught fly fishing. Some anglers like to work chum in the snapper area and then fly fish to rising fish. But if snapper is near the surface, fly fishing is a great and exciting technique. Rig setup is an 11 - 13-weight fly line tipped with Clouser minnows and deceivers. The key is presenting the fly to the snapper naturally. As the fly floats back toward the snapper, strip the line as you would normally retrieve the fly. The snapper will attack the moving fly.

Red Snapper Good to Eat?  

Absolutely! Red Snapper is a fish that has a mild and nutty taste. It is delicious and a very popular fish for at home and in restaurants. It is considered one of the most in-demand fish.  To really experience the true essence of Red Snapper's taste, it is important to cook it with minimal seasoning. A light seasoning of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice is enough to enhance its natural flavor. Whether baked or pan-fried, this fish tastes delicious when cooked in a straightforward manner. Its taste is one of the main reasons why Red Snapper is such a popular dish among seafood enthusiasts. The next time you eat Red Snapper, try to savor its unique taste by keeping the seasoning simple.

This tasty fish will not only satisfies your taste buds but also provides numerous health benefits. From improving heart health to aiding in weight loss, red snapper is full of essential nutrients that can have a positive impact on your overall well-being. 

Health Benefits of Red Snapper

Red Snapper is a highly satisfying seafood that is not only an absolute delight to taste buds, but also a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are essential for maintaining a healthy body and mind. In addition, Red Snapper is low in calories, high in protein, and low in saturated fats, making it an excellent choice for those who wish to maintain a healthy diet. It is rich in vitamins B12 and D, iron, and potassium, all of which are essential nutrients for a healthy life. As a result, consuming Red Snapper offers numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, improving brain function and memory, boosting the immune system, and promoting healthy skin and hair. When it comes to choosing a delicious and healthy seafood option, Red Snapper is undoubtedly an excellent choice.