Here in Southwest Florida, our anglers are spoiled with some of the best fishing around! Over the next two weeks, as part of National Fishing Month, we’ll be talking about the different types of fish that you can expect to find in Southwest Florida, whether your out trawling in deeper waters or casting lines inland.

This week, lets check out a few of the most common species of fish that you’ll pull out of the water when you’re on one of our Deep Sea Fishing Cruises:

Red Grouper. These fish are opportunistic feeders and top predators within reef communities. They are a moderate sized fish (on average 22 inches), with a reddish brown body color and are often covered with white spots. They can be found throughout semi-tropical and tropical climates, most commonly in open seas and coral reefs.

FACT: Red Groupers are unique in that they are protogynous hermaphrodites. Beginning life as females some later transform into males (between ages 7 and 14).

Lane Snapper. These fish are typically more aggressive and easier to catch than their snapper counterparts and are often not wary of hooks or lines. They are silvery-pink to reddish in color and with a touch of yellow and a spot on the side. They are 8-12 inches long and are often caught as a result of anglers targeting other fish, such as the Red Grouper.

FACT: Like other species of snapper, these fish are prized for their great tasting filets!

Spanish Mackarel. The Atlantic Spanish Mackerel is a silvery, shiny fish with a green back and gray spots. Quite the hardy eaters, Spanish Mackerel are voracious, opportunistic, carnivores. They primarily eat small fish or the occasional shrimp or squid. They are also very fast and require fast lure retrieves. Some people prefer to troll for them off drift boats instead.

FACT: This is a migratory species of mackerel that swims to the Gulf of Mexico in spring, returns to south Florida in the eastern gulf, and to Mexico in the western gulf in the fall.

Other fish we frequently see on our deep sea excursions out on the Lady Brett are the Mangrove Snapper, the White Grunt, the Squirrel Fish and the Altantic Sharp Nose Shark.

If you’re interested in taking home some of these fish for yourself, visit our website to book your next adventure. If you’ve already had your share of deep sea fishing experiences, we’d love for you to share your favorite catch with us by commenting below!