Florida Keys Fishing Calendar

SEASON: YEAR ROUND

BEST: MARCH - JUNE

The barracuda is a salt-water fish found in tropical and sub-tropical oceans worldwide. There are over 20 species of barracuda. They are known for their large size and predatory nature. Barracudas have large jaws, conspicuous and sharp teeth resembling fangs like those of a piranha. Their gill covers are covered with scales with a wide separation between the dorsal fins and a massive swim bladder. Usually, they are dark gray, green, blue or white on the upper body while the sides are silvery. The belly is mostly chalk-white and can grow to sizes of up to 65 inches in length.

SEASON: YEAR ROUND

BEST: DECEMBER - FEBRUARY

The blackfin tuna (Thunnus atlanticus) is the smallest tuna pecies in the genus Thunnus, generally growing to a maximum of 100 cm (39 in) in length and weighing 21 kg (46 lb).

Blackfin tuna have oval-shaped bodies, black backs with a slight yellow on the finlets, and yellow on the sides of their bodies. They are found in the western Atlantic from Massachuetts, to Brazil, including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. They are a short-lived, fast-growing species; a 5-year-old fish would be considered old. They reach sexual maturity at the age of 2 years, and spawn in the open sea during the summer. Blackfin tuna are a warmer-water fish, preferring water temperatures over 20 °C (68 °F).

SEASON: NOVEMBER - APRIL

BEST: JANUARY - MARCH

Attaining a maximum length of 2 m (78 in) and maximum weight of 78 kg (172 lb), the cobia has an elongated, fusiform (spindle-shaped) body and a broad, flattened head. The eyes are small and the lower jaw projects slightly past the upper. Fibrous villiform teeth line the jaws, the tongue, and the roof of the mouth. The body of the fish is smooth with small scales. It is dark brown in color, grading to white on the belly with two darker brown horizontal bands on the flanks. The stripes are more prominent during spawning, when they darken and the background color lightens.

SEASON: APRIL - SEPTEMBER

BEST: MAY - JUNE 

Dolphin AKA Mahi-mahi have compressed bodies and a single long-based dorsal fin extending from the head almost to the tail. Mature males have prominent foreheads protruding well above the body proper. Females have a rounded head. Their caudal fins and anal fins are sharply concave. They are distinguished by dazzling colors - golden on the sides, and bright blues and greens on the sides and back. The pectoral fins of the mahi-mahi are iridescent blue. The flank is broad and golden. Out of the water, the fish often change color (giving rise to their Spanish name, dorado, "golden"), going through several hues before finally fading to a muted yellow-grey upon death. 

SEASON: SEPTEMBER - APRIL

BEST: DECEMBER - MARCH

The king mackerel is a medium-sized fish, typically encountered from 5 to 14 kg (30 lb), but is known to exceed 40 kg (90 lb). The entire body is covered with very small, hardly visible, loosely attached scales. The first (spiny) dorsal fin is entirely colorless and is normally folded back into a body groove, as are the pelvic fins. The lateral line starts high on the shoulder, dips abruptly at mid-body and then continues as a wavy horizontal line to the tail. Coloration is olive on the back, fading to silver with a rosy iridescence on the sides, fading to white on the belly. Fish under 5 kg (10 lb) show yellowish-brown spots on the flanks, somewhat smaller than the spots of the Atlantic Spanish mackereL.

SEASON: YEAR ROUND

BEST: MARCH - MAY

The mutton snapper has a moderately deep, almond shaped body, with a nearly lunate caudal fin. The dorsal fin is almost two lobed and it has a sharply pointed anal fin. The pectoral fin is long, extending just past the origin of the anal fin. Both pairs of nostrils are simple holes. It has small eyes, a straight dorsal profile on the forehead and comparatively large terminal mouth with a protrusible upper jaw which is mostly covered by the cheek bone when the mouth is closed. The jaws are equipped with 1-2 tows of conical teeth with some of the outer row being enlarged into canine-like teeth. The vomerine teeth are arranged in a chevron shaped patch with another patch of teeth on each side of the palate. 

SEASON: JANUARY - MAY

BEST: NOVEMBER - MARCH

Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio) Red grouper are easily recognized by their color and by the sloped, straight line of their spiny dorsal fin. The fin has a long second spine and an unnotched interpine membrane. Most epinepheline groupers have a notched dorsal spine membrane and a third spine longer than the second. The body is deep brownish-red overall, with occational white spots on the sides. Tiny black specks dot the cheeks and operculum. The red grouper is most closely related to the Nassau grouper, Epinephelus striatus, which has several verticle bars and blotches, and is found more commonly on coral reefs in the West Indies.

SEASON: YEAR ROUND

BEST: DECMBER - MARCH

Sailfish, (genus Istiophorus), (genus ), valued food and game fish of the family Istiophoridae (order Perciformes) found in warm and temperate waters around the world. The sailfish has a long, rounded spear extending from its snout but is distinguished from related species, such as marlins, by its slimmer form, long pelvic fins, and, most especially, its large sail-like dorsal fin. It is a deep blue fish, silvery below, with a bright blue, spotted dorsal fin. Size ranges to about 3.4 metres (11 feet) and 90 kg (200 pounds) or more. It feeds mainly on other fishes. ver the head.  Stanley H. Weitzman   

SEASON: YEAR ROUND

BEST: NOVEMBER - MARCH

The common snook is a protandric hermaphrodite fish species. Its spawning season appears to span from April to October, with the peak spawning occurring during July and August. Spawning typically occurs in near-shore waters with high salinities. Following the spawning period, the juveniles then migrate to the brackish waters of the nearby estuarine environments. When these juveniles mature, they return to the higher-salinity waters of the open ocean to join the breeding population.

SEASON: YEAR ROUND

BEST: JUNE - OCTOBER

the habitats of tarpons vary greatly with their developmental stages. Stage-one larvae are usually found in clear, warm, oceanic waters, relatively close to the surface. Stage-two and -three larvae are found in salt marshes, tidal pools, creeks, and rivers. Their habitats are characteristically warm, shallow, dark bodies of water with sandy mud bottoms. Tarpons commonly ascend rivers into fresh water. As they progress from the juvenile stage to adulthood, they move back to the open waters of the ocean, though many remain in freshwater habitats

SEASON: YEAR ROUND

BEST: APRIL - JUNE

Yellowtail snapper have a distinct yellow lateral band beginning at the snout that gets wider towards the forked tail, which is completely yellow. The rest of the fish is an olive to bluish black color with yellow spots above the lateral band. The dorsal fin is yellow while the anal and pelvic fins are whitish by bony spines. The dorsal fin consists of 10 spines and between 10-12 soft rays, while the anal fins consist of 3 spines and 8-9 soft rays each. In contrast to other snapper species, the head and mouth of Ocyurus chrysurus are small and the species does not have a dark lateral spot below its dorsal fin

SEASON: YEAR ROUND

BEST: APRIL - MAY, OCTOBER, DECEMBER

The Wahoo body is elongated and covered with small, scarcely visible scales; the back is an iridescent blue, while the sides are silvery with a pattern of irregular vertical blue bars. These colors fade rapidly during death. The mouth is large, and the teeth of the wahoo are razor sharp. Both the upper and lower jaws have a somewhat sharper appearance than those of king or Spanish mackerel. Specimens have been recorded at up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in length, and weighing up to 83 kg (183 lb). Growth can be rapid. They are among the fastest fish in the sea.