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Welcome to Gigging Lights: Orig. Please scroll the entire page to see flounder gigging lights for boats young that we build Our LED flounder gigging lights are built with attention to details.

We use only the best and brightest LED chips available providing outstanding lumen per watt ratings for the best brightness. If you will call us to place boars order and pay by check, we can often make it worth your while in reduced shipping costs. Major Credit Cards accepted. No international or overseas shipments.

Click Here for more information and photos. Each light is individually wired with 2ft. For more information, call Three, Four, and Floundee Prong Click above images for larger view. All of our hand held gigging lights are designed to be powered by easy to carry 4Ah or 7Ah rechargeable SLA batteries. Carry the batteries flounder gigging lights for boats young fanny pack or backpack.

No international or overseas shipments Tired of the "toy" dual lamp LED lights? See the what the difference and brightness can mean to your next gigging trip! Links and Info. Flounder boat build More photos. We are glad to help. Buyer pays all shipping charges both ways. The Warm White is flouncer actually quite this much "yellow", but there is an obvious and noticeable difference between the three colors.

Best I could do with camera to show comparison Note: All Sales are Final - No exceptions exchanges for different model light will be considered if shipment has not been. Be sure to read Flounder gigging lights for boats young Agreement Terms. NOTE: When making a deposit, please read the Deposit Agreement terms with respect to forfeiture of the deposit when items are not pickedup in a timely manner. By making the deposit, you indicate that you agree with these terms.

This is for our local customers Make your deposit here Available in very warm white, neutral white, and bright white.

Each light head is individually wired with 10ft. Three, Four, and Five Prong Click above images for larger view No international or overseas shipments. Warm Fir K Great for murky water. Take care of the light and it flounder gigging lights for boats young give you many years of trouble free use. The Fine Print: Warranty does not cover damage to any aspect of the product caused by weathering, atmospheric fallout, or other corrosive residue, flounder gigging lights for boats young does not extend to loss or damage caused by normal wear and tear.

The warranty is under no circumstances transferable to any other party that is not the original buyer of the Product. The ylung of the light must be able to provide proof of purchase. This warranty only covers a Product that is purchased directly from GigFlounder.

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The Hogfish can be found in many color variations around hard bottom areas, coral reefs, rocky ledges and shipwrecks all over Florida with most found in the western Keys and the Middle Grounds of the Gulf of Mexico. The Hogfish averages 3 pounds in the Keys and can be as large as 20 pounds offshore in feet of water. There are fewer but larger ones the further north you go in Florida.

Hogfish can be taken by hook and line using live Shrimp or Crabs as bait although the vast majority of Hogfish are taken by spear because it's hard to get a shrimp past the grunts! The Hogfish is excellent table fare, their diet of shellfish like Mollusks, Crabs, and Sea Urchins gives the meat a fine flavor. The spotfin hogfish is also called the Cuban hogfish. This colorful species of wrass commonly inhabits reefs from 50 to 80 feet of water in the South Atlantic from the Carolinas to Brazil and in the Gulf of Mexico.

The spotfin has been recorded in waters almost feet deep, but this is rare. This is a small species that can reach lengths of 11 inches but is commonly found at 7 inches. The bright coloring of this species can be attributed to it's diet of crabs and shellfish.

Photo submitted by Chuck D. The Greater Amberjack is a big, strong fish that grow well over a hundred pounds and are primarily target for their quick fast action once hooked.

They travel in schools and are commonly caught from bridges, piers, or docks as they travel by. Amberjack eat small fish especially bigeye scad, as well as crabs, squid, crustaceans, and invertebrates.

Chumming for Amberjacks's should be made with herring, menhaden, mullet, pinfish and blue runners. Set out your chum slick and if Jacks are nearby you are guaranteed a fun time. Amberjacks are not commonly table fare but we have the secret to cooking this delicious fish on our webpage Grilled Amberjack.

The lesser amberjack is the smallest amberjack, around 12 inches long and weighing 10 pounds, and seldom encountered by anglers because they are usually found in over feet deep waters.

Lesser Amberjack are believed to live deeper than other Amberjacks in water from to feet deep and spawn in offshore waters. Lesser Amberjack feed on fish and squid. The Almaco Jack typically is caught around 35 inches but can grow to over 60 inches and weigh up to pounds. Normally found on deep water offshore wrecks, this species of Jack is not encountered as often as Amberjacks. The Almaco Jack feeds at all times of the day and night on bait fish and small Squid.

The firm white flesh is excellent, similar to Tuna. The blue runner is a spunky fish prized as an excellent bait fish because it survive long periods in the bait well and once on a hook can swim great distances. Blue runners are normally found at 12 inches but can grow to 28 inches and they are excellent table fare. Blue runners inhabit offshore waters in large schools and feed primarily on? Throw your cast net over a school, you'll have plenty for your next chum mix.

The Crevalle Jack can be found both inshore and in deep offshore waters feeding on schools of bait fish, usually the cause of a bait fish frenzy as they coral the schools together for an easy dinner. The largest Crevalle ever caught in Florida was near Jupiter at 57 pounds. The Horse-Eye Jack can be found swimming in school, large and small, sometimes along with the Crevalle Jack.

They inhabit mostly offshore reefs and wrecks but sometimes are found inshore. They have distinctly large eyes hence their name, a blue gray body with a yellow tail. This species of Jack can grow to 30 inches and weigh 8 pounds. The Horse-eye feeds on smaller fish, shrimp and crabs.

Palometa jacks are commonly found in schools inshore in South Florida in clear surf at 1 to 2 pounds but can grow to 3 pounds and 20 inches long. This species of jack has 4 long bars at the top of its body, long dark colored fins and a light yellow breast. With a diet of small fish and crustaceans, this small fish is excellent table fare.

The fast swimming, brightly colored rainbow runner inhabits both inshore and offshore waters. Highly migratory, the Rainbow travels in large schools feeding on small fish, shrimp and crabs.

Reaching sexual maturity at 24 inches this runner in the jack species is a formidable opponent when hooked. Often hooked while trolling, this species is commonly used as trolling bait for billfish and tuna. The Banded Rudderfish is usually encountered less than 11 inches and under 10 pounds. It can be found both inshore and offshore, and is often found near floating objects.

This fish feeds on fish and shrimp. Ladyfish can be found in great numbers in bays, lurking just outside of dock lights at night, feeding on bait fish and shrimp. They are fun and easy to catch and make fantastic chum or chunk chum.

Use cut up Ladyfish to catch Snook, Grouper, Shark, and other species that like chunk bait. Photo submitted by Leonardo Manella. Leatherjacket are found inshore, usually near beaches and the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico and southern Atlantic coast. Growing to12 inches in length, the Leatherjack eats small fish and shrimp. Jorge P. Lionfish are an invasive species that inhabits all coastal waters of Florida. This species has no predators and can destroy delicate marine environments if left unchecked.

Lionfish are excellent ambush hunters, with lightning speed they capture their prey. They use their venemous spines to deter predators, and as of this writing there are no known fish that prey on Lionfish in the Tropical Western Atlantic.

FWC encourages anglers and divers to eradicate any lionfish you encounter. The best way to destroy this fish is to use a speargun or gaff. Lionfish have venomous spines so be very careful when you encounter this creature.

The lionfish flesh is very good to eat and the only precaution during preparation is to cut off the venomous spines, then prepare the fish as you would any other. Check out our Lionfish page for more details. Courtesy of NOAA. Lookdown's are most often found in small schools near the coast in shallow waters over sandy bottoms, usually near bridges, pilings and on coastal shipwrecks.

Lookdowns are in the Jack family and can grow to 19 inches and up to 3 pounds. Lookdowns feed on small worms, small fishes and crustaceans attached to structures. The Lookdown puts up a great fight but has little food value so please release this beautiful fish. The Cero Mackerel is usually caught at 10 pounds but can get to 30 pounds.

The Cero is a tropical Mackerel species rarely found further north than Palm Beach. The Cero can be identified by it's long lateral stripe.

Feeding on small fish and squid this fish can be found on offshore reefs and wrecks and sometimes inshore. This mackerel species is primarilary found on the Atlantic side of the state and into the Keys, mostly on the coast, although it has been found in the Gulf of Mexico, mostly on the western side.

King Mackerel travel in large schools near the surface of the water, close to shore over sandy bottoms. King Mackerels can also be found near reefs, wrecks and other hard structures.

Bottom fishing from bridges, piers, the surf and from boats is the best way to catch a Kingfish. Downriggers are often used to get the chum below the surface to entice this powerful fish. King Mackerel are heavy feeders preferring herring, shad, sardine, pilchard, menhaden, jack, anchovy, ladyfish, mullet, drum, and will also eat shrimp, sand fleas and squid. The Spanish Mackerel is not the only Mackerel with yellow spots - young King Mackerel have the same spots.

The easiest way to tell them apart is by the distinctive "black flag" on the dorsal fin of the Spanish. The Spanish Mackerel is a very colorful fish. The Spanish can be found close to shore and further out in waters to about 40 feet, traveling in schools. This fish migrates seasonally, spending the winters in southern Florida waters then migrating north to spawn and spend the summers in the Panhandle or the Carolina's on the east coast.

The fish is targeted primarily for later use as bait for larger species, but it's strong white flesh is quite good and is used for sushi by many. Spanish Mackerel are aggressive feeders preferring shrimp, squid and small fish. The trick to catching a Spanish Mackerel is to use fast moving lures such as spoons or by trolling. The Margate, either White or Black, belongs to the grunt family.

The Margate can be found on offshore reefs, inshore, or the surf, and grows to around 15 pounds and 2 feet. This fish is referred to as the white snapper and makes great table fare because it feeds on crustaceans, although you do not get a lot of meat off the fish.

Source: NOAA. Blue Marlin primarily feed near the surface on a diet of tuna, mackerel, squid, octopus and any number of fish species indigenous to the environment. White Marlin can be found in very deep water, usually to feet down. Downriggers with chum bags attached or weighted dispensers must be used. They usually eat fish such as herring, jacks, mackerels, triggerfish, dolphin fish and flying fish, but a significant portion of their diet is squid and crabs.

The Black Marlin is found in Pacific waters on the surface near shore close to land masses, islands and coral reefs. This marlin is one of the fastest fish on earth reaching speeds up to 80 mph and weights up to 1, lbs. The black marlin feeds on dolphinfish, squid, cuttlefishes, octopods, mackerels, trevallies, swordfish, and large decapod crustaceans, but prefers small tunas.

The Menhaden Fish is an important bait fish found on both the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, and they are two different species. This fish can be found in huge schools and is caught with cast nets. The Menhaden is used to make Menhaden oil and Menhaden Milk that is used for chumming fish, either straight using a dripper unit or mixed in with your favorite chum recipe. Many charter boats make a not so secret potion by adding Menhaden Oil to store bought chum blocks.

Visit our Menhaden fish page for information on this very important species. Glass minnows are sometimes called Silversides or Anchovy and are a popular bait fish from Maine through the Gulf of Mexico. This fish seldom reaches over 3 to 4 inches and is abundant in large schools along the shore in seagrass beds and on offshore reefs.

This bait fish is an important food source for predatory fish that will dart through the Glass Minnow's large schools feeding.

Mojorra are common bait fish found on both coasts of Florida in schools, mostly inshore. The Slender Majorra is a small fish commonly found at 3 inches. The Silver Jenny mojarra has an unusual looking mouth which helps to identify this species. The mouth looks like a mouth inside a mouth!

It is found in schools inshore preferring bays with muddy bottoms and high salinity. Jenny can grow to 9 inches but is commonly caught at 6 inches.

The Mojarra Spotfin is usually 3 inches but can grow to 8 inches. This schooling bait fish lives inshore in many oceans in both warm and cool waters. The prefer open, shallow waters that have sand and mud bottoms, seagrass, and mangroves. They are abundant in tropical estuaries and are used for Snapper bait. Mullet are common table fare and are used as bait for larger sport fish. Mullet range from 8 to 12 inches in length and can be found in large schools in inshore coastal regions such as bays, estuaries and freshwater environments.

They feed on algae, small crustaceans, and detritus. They can be caught with a cast net and used as bait or for making chum. The Silver Mullet are mostly used for bait due to their small size, less than 12 inches.

They live in large schools and are caught with cast nets for bait or to use for chumming. The shinny Atlantic Needlefish is very common and can be found inshore hovering around pilings. Needlefish hover just below the surface in schools over shallow reefs or in the quiet waters of estuaries hunting small fish.

There are many species of Needlefish in Florida, most averaging about a foot. It is not uncommon to see smaller specimens inshore around docks and mangroves.

Watch out, this fish can jump out of the water and have been known to get aggressive and spear you if agitated. The larger species like the Hound or Flat Needlefish can be found over inshore reefs in loose schools. This fish has very good meat but is shunned by most because the flesh is a green color. The Spotted Hound Needlefish shown here was caught in Key West on an inshore reef and is rare at 48". Normally in the Keys they are seen at 18 to 24 inches both inshore and in the backwaters.

Use caution if snorkeling near one of these, they have been know to attack snorkelers. The 60 to pound Oilfish travels in schools and is caught unintentionally by anglers fishing for Tuna and Swordfish in the deep, open waters near the continental shelf.

This very oily fish is edible and quite good since it feeds on fish, squid and crustaceans but some have complained of stomach irritations as the oil is not easily digested. The Sand Perch is common on both coasts of Florida and this colorful fish reaches around 8 inches.

Sand Perch are found from bays and shorelines to well offshore over a variety of bottoms. They seem to prefer open bottom with patches of grass or scattered rock, and also like deep channels.

This small fish is tasty but mostly used as bait for Tarpon or Grouper. The American Silver Perch can be found from New York to Florida in muddy inshore waters in bays and estuaries and lurk in seagrass beds. Silver Perch grow to 12 inches and are similar in appearance to the Sand Seatrout with a silvery skin and yellow fins.

This Perch eats crustaceans and small fish which attributes to it being excellent tablefare. The picture above was caught in Riviera Beach under a bridge. Permit are usually found in shallow, tropical waters such as flats, channels, and muddy bottoms feeding on crabs, shrimp, and smaller fish.

Permit are commonly found from 20 to 30 pounds with the record in Florida at 51 pounds. Angler fish for Permit by stalking them by sight on shallow flats, and cast directly to them.

Use fresh crushed crab and lobster in a dispenser for an excellent attractant for the Permit fish; use small live crab on your hook. On offshore wrecks large Permit swim around the wrecks and sometime hang around the bottom of the structure.

If you hook up a Permit near structure it is best to unhook from your anchorage and drift to bring in your catch. This species tends to dive for cover once hooked and if they get into the structure you will soon lose your prey. Live crab is by far the best bait for Permit; use a splitshot to weigh the crab down if the fish are lower in the water column. Permit have excellent eyesight so use dark colored hooks and will don't use swivels.

The Pigfish inhabits bays and muddy coastal waters in northern and southern coastal waters. They can grow to 15 inches, but are most commonly caught at 6 inches. Pigfish feed at night using their throat teeth to grind up shellfish and small bits of other food.

The Pigfish is great eating, but is mostly used for bait fish. Tarpon love Pigfish. Pilchards are small bait fish in the herring family that are easily caught with a cast net because they travel in large schools. Pilchards must be kept in an uncrowded, well aerated tank with constant water changes, they do not keep as well as other bait fish like pinfish but do make great bait. The Pinfish is a small bait fish growing to 8 inches that can be found inshore in schools numbering in the thousands.

They are found in bays and shallow water grass beds where they feed on shellfish. Use a castnet, Sabiki Rig or Pinfish trap to collect Pinfish for bait. They are very hardy and survive nicely in a bait well. The Spot Tail Pinfish is a bait fish found in shallow coastal waters and in lower areas of coastal bays in grass beds but can also be found offshore around hard bottoms and reefs from Chesapeake Bay all the way into the Gulf of Mexico.

This fish can be found in small schools, grows to 10 inches and is usually caught with small baited hooks. Us this fish as bait or cut up for chunk baiting.

The Big-Scale Pomfret Taractichthys longipinnis is a rarely caught fish because they live in depths over 1, feet in the Atlantic Ocean along the continental shelf. Mostly solitary, the Pomfret can sometimes be found in loose schools. This deep bodied fish grows up to 3 feet long with the world record at 20 pounds 10 ounces caught in St. The Big-Scale Pomfret feeds on shrimp and squid. This Pomfret is usually caught as by catch with little know about them.

Adults travel solitary in tropical waters both inshore and offshore in the first feet of the water column, sometimes feet deep, generally swimming deep over sandy bottoms, adjacent to rocky structure. The juvenile African Pompano has long, filamentous dorsal and anal fin tips said to deter creditors.

The African grows to a length of 5 feet but are normally in the 18 to 24 inch range and it can grow to 50 pounds with 20 to 30 pounds common in Florida. African Pompano feeds on slow-moving crustaceans, small crabs, and occasionally on small fish.

This fish is a great fighter and excellent table fare. The above image is a 40 lb African Pompano. Pompano are a highly prized food fish and sought after game fish that is usually between 6 and 10 inches long. This is a schooling fish and is a good pier and shore fishing target. Often confused with the Permit which is deeper bodied, Pompano rarely grow larger than 6 pounds, Permit are common to 40 pounds.

They feed on mollusks, crustaceans, and sand fleas. As its name implies, the Grass porgy can be found on both coasts of Florida inshore in shallow water on grass beds and sandy bottoms. Usually solitary, they can sometimes be found in small schools. This is a small porgy growing to a pound and 10 inches long. Delicious to eat because this species feeds on invertebrates including crabs, clams, snails, worms and starfish.

Catch a this porgy using live or dead shrimp or squid. Pictures submitted by Maureen Jan They caught about 30 fishing inshore near an island off Ozona on the Gulf of Mexico. The Jolthead Porgy can be found offshore around rocky reefs, debris, and wrecks, typically in feet of water. The Jolthead is distinguished with a blue line under it's eyes and orange around it's mouth. This Porgy feeds on Mollusks and Crustaceans.

The Jolthead can be caught on dead bait Spanish sardines, threadfin, finger mullet squid, and crustaceans. This fish ranges from 2 to 10 pounds and are good tablefare. Courtesy of Bouncers Dusky 33 Miami Beach. The most brightly colored of the Porgy's, the Littlehead Porgy has small silver scales with violet color spots on the scales that form stripes.

This Porgy is only found in the tropical Atlantic, northern Gulf to the Caribbean usually at 15 inches in length. This Porgy is a good tasting fish which feeds mostly in invertibrates. The Red Porgy is an uncommon catch due to it's reduced populations from earlier overfishing. The Red Porgy is sometimes called Seabream and is found is waters from 60 feet in depth to the edge of the continental shelf where they can be 16 inches and weigh 2 pounds.

The Red Porgy are bottom feeders who use their strong teeth to prey on snails, crabs and sea urchins from structures and they also consume worms and small fishes. The Red Porgy in this picture was caught off Naples during the winter in of water on a wreck while bottom fishing.

Common on reefs around Key West, this porgy feeds on a variety of creatures including sea urchins, brittle stars, mollusks, sea worms, hermit crabs, and crabs.

Sheepshead porgy has a small dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin, and there is often a maroon-colored margin on the tail. Sometimes the fish will display dark bands so that it resembles a sheepshead, which is where it gets its name.

Atlantic sailfish can be found near schools of bait fish in areas where there is a temperature changes. They feed on mackerel, tuna, herring, ballyhoo, needlefish and mullet.

They can be found near the Gulf Stream in deep water near underwater structures like rock walls and drop offs. The best bait is live ballyhoo and pilchards. Sailfish show up in Southeast Florida and the Keys in Mid-October, offering anglers great fall action. Sardines travel in large schools close to shore and are popular around the world for food, bait, and as additives to other products such as fertilizer. They are caught mainly at night, when they approach the surface to feed on plankton.

To catch sardines it is best to use a castnet and you will catch hundreds if not thousands in one cast. To use Sardines as bait first twist the center of the body to open up the fish, this allows other small fish to come and nibble on the sardine and attract the larger fish to the commotion. Hook the sardine though the eyes or up through the head from the the mouth so the hook is exposed. For catching large fish use a double hook system.

In Florida, Spanish Sardine is purchased frozen, the fish in this picture is from such a box. The Scaled Sardine is sometimes call Whitebait and is a common bait fish found in southern tropical waters. The Scaled Sardine can be caught easily with bait net, just chum the water and when they arrive cast away.

Do not over crowd them in your bait well as they are sensitive to water quality. Growing to about 6 inches this fish is excellent bait and makes great chum.

This critically endangered species is characterized by a long, toothy nose extension snout and can be found as large as 23 feet long. Sawfish live only in shallow, muddy water and can be found in both freshwater and saltwater in tropical and subtropical regions. They inhabit coastal areas such as bays and estuaries, but frequently penetrate far into rivers and major lakes. Capturing sawfish is illegal in the USA and Australia. The Round Scad is a commonly called the Cigar Minnow.

This common bait fish can grow to 12 inches and can be found in shallow waters on the bottom or mid-water. Grouper and Snapper love this fish so use them as bait, for chunk chumming or ground up for an appealing chum mix. Black Sea Bass average 12 inches and weigh 1 pound and are bottom-feeders that love crustaceans such as crabs and shrimp, as well as small fish, worms and mollusks.

Bank Sea Bass are found in deep, offshore waters from 50 to feet around rocks and reefs with high relief.

The Bank Sea Bass forages along the bottom on small fish, squid and crustaceans. This beautifully colored Bass is small, it only reaching 11 inches in length. Striped Bass is a schooling species rarely found more than several miles from the shoreline. Anglers usually catch stripers in river mouths, in small, shallow bays and estuaries, and along rocky shorelines and sandy beaches.

Striped bass usually grow to approximately 20 inches and weigh about 30 pounds, but can be as long as 6 feet and weigh as much as pounds. Striped bass are voracious predators of a variety of small fish and invertebrates, including worms, squids, menhaden, anchovies and crustaceans.

The most effective way to chum for Stripers or Striped Bass is to chunk chum with live bait of their preferred species such as herring, menhaden, flounder, alewives, sand lance, silver hake, tomcod, smelt, silversides, and eels.

They also consume significant quantities of lobsters, clams, small mussels, sea worms, squid, eels, and soft crabs, which you can also use for your chum mix. They feed mostly at dusk and dawn, thus the best time to fish for stripers.

Anglers looking for trophy size Stripers use live eels, so make your chum mix with eels and catch a big one! Freshwater Sstripers feed almost exclusively on large shad and minnow species, so make your chum with these species.

Soft-shell steamer clams are also a favorite chum in the Chesapeake Bay area. Although Stripers by design cannot get the clams out of the shells, they go crazy for them when offered and this can provide for some fast, furious action!

The Sand Sea Trout is a silver colored fish lacking any markings and are found in shallower bays and estuaries with oyster beds and seagrass bed. They can be from 19 to 25 inches and weigh 2 to 3 pounds. When they are located near passes in estuaries they eat mainly fish, especially bay anchovies and gulf menhaden. Sea Trout feed on squid, peeler crabs, shrimp, live spot or other live bait, so a chum mix of their favorite food is best.

Sand Sea Trout are best eaten fresh, they do not freeze well. The Silver seatrout is similar to the Sand seatrout but smaller, averaging 10 to 13 inches and is a great bait fish for large game fish such as King Mackerel and Barracuda. Find the Silver Trout close to shore near muddy or sandy bottoms, usually in the winter in the northern Gulf of Mexico in bayous and the intercoastal waterway.

They can be caught with a cast net or small baited hooks. Use them cut up for bottom fishing reefs or inshore and they make great chum. Speckled seatrout inshore action in the winter months throughout the state is a lot of fun with the average sized catch at 4 pounds. Look for the spotted seatrout in grassy areas, around structure, in the mangroves or in deep holes with a sandy bottom.

Speckled seatrout feed on crustaceans, shrimp, crabs and bait fish. Free line live pinfish or shrimp near the edges of mangroves or over grass beds to attract them out of deep holes. This species is fun to catch and quite tasty, best eaten fresh, not frozen.

The schooling Weakfish is the most common of the Seatrout and usually are found at 12 to 18 inches, but can grow to 3 feet and weigh 19 pounds. They have the same diet and habitat as the other Seatrout. Be careful when reeling in a weakfish it gets it's name from having a weak mouth, hooks tear apart their mouths. Diane M. The American Shad is a schooling fish found in very deep coastal waters, sometimes almost a mile down and grow to about 20 inches, but can be up to 30 inches and weigh up to 12 pounds.

They come ashore to freshwater inlets and rivers to spawn. The American Shad is primarily a plankton feeder, but will eat small shrimp and fish eggs.

The Alabama Shad is also a schooling fish that grows to 12 to 18 inch. This species has declined largely because of the many locks and dams blocking access to spawning areas. The Alabama Shad was listed as a Species of Concern in and fishing is prohibited. Like other Shad, the Hickory Shad is a schooling fish adults living in coastal ocean waters from Maine to Florida. The Hickory Shad feed on small fishes, fish eggs, crabs and other crustaceans, and squid.

At 12 to 20 inches, the Hickory Shad are noticeably smaller than American Shad. Look for Sheepshead near structures that have oysters growing on them such as mangrove roots, jetty rocks, docks, pilings, and piers. Sheepshead are common at 4 pounds but can be found further from the shore near navigational markers at 10 pounds or more. Chum made with oysters, shrimp, clams, clam juice, scallop guts, sand fleas, or fiddler crabs are best for Sheepshead as these crustaceans are their main diet.

Ever notice they have teeth like humans and they can crush oyster shells with ease. The Clearnosed Skate is a Florida native found mostly inshore in salt and brackish waters. They are usually not targeted as sportfish but this fish will take any bait if in their range. The Clearnosed Skate feeds on crustaceans, mollusks, sand fleas and fiddler crabs giving them excellent tasting flesh. Prepare Skate utilizing the wings and use in any recipe calling for Scallops as they have a very similar flavor.

You can also use Skates for bait, Sharks love them. This small fish in the wrasse family found in tripical waters on both coasts can reach up to 14 inches. Find the Slippery Dick on reefs and grass beds inshore up to 50 feet deep feeding on invertebrates including crabs, shrimp and sea urchins. This species goes through many color changes as it grows and all start out their lives as females.

The Slippery Dick is very good to eat, that is if you find one large enough. The Slippery Dick makes excellent bait for bigger species like Snook. The Blackfin Snapper is a deepwater fish usually found in over feet of water, but your fish are found in a little as feet of water. The fish is stocky but small, only growing to 16 inches and 4 pounds.

Find this fish near deep drop offs near continental shelf. Chumming for this deep water fish is not possible, but how about trying a line bait dispenser attached above your live or cut bait presentation.

The Cubera Snapper can reach pounds and has the nickname The Bad Boy because it has two large canine teeth capable of grabbing large prey or easily crushing whole lobsters. Find the Cubera on reef and wrecks using live baits. If you want to catch a big one put a Spiney Lobster on a heavy jig with strong line and drop down to a reef; be sure to hold on tight, this big fish will dart for cover and give you one exciting fight.

The Cubera is suspect of having Ciguatera, so testing with a portable kit for the presence of the toxin is advisable. The dog snapper is also one of The Bad Boys see cubera above with two large canine teeth and all the same traits of the Cubera, it's cousin, but only gets to 20 pounds and average 24 inches.

Record size specimens have been recordered at over 60 pounds and 50 inches. The Dog snapper is not picky and will go after any kind of bait or jig. They are usually solitary and found around shallow reefs in the Keys and Caribbean. To distinguish the dog snapper, look for a pale triangle and a light blue interrupted line below the eyes.

The lane snapper has bright yellow lines running it's length with a red tail. The lane are more common in south Florida with the young found inshore and in the mangroves and the adults on inshore reefs. The largest lane snapper caught near Pensacola was 6 pounds 6 ounces; anglers can expect an average of 12 inches on offshore wrecks and reefs. The lane snapper is a bottom feeder preferring crustaceans, mollusks, and fish. They like very salty water that is shallow.

The Mahogany has big eyes, grows to 20 inches, and usually swims in schools around reefs. Mangrove Snapper are common in shallow waters especially around mangroves but larger Snappers move off shore to hard-bottom or reef areas for more food and shelter. Usually found at 10 inches inshore, they can grow to 2 feet offshore.

Mangroves are inquisitive fish that will come out of their ambush spot to see what's going on when they hear noise like your engines motor, but they will flee after hearing loud sudden noises. These fish are considered extremely smart and once you have hooked one, the rest become tight lipped after seeing your hook.

Toss in their favorite baits? Mutton's normally inhabit deeper water, shallower patch reefs and wrecks, as well as channels and creeks.

Larger Mutton can be found travelling grass flats following stingrays. Where there is an abundance of small Pilchards, Ballyhoo, and Herring you will find the Mutton Snapper.

Using live Pilchards to chum for these fish is a great tactic. Sardines can be cast netted and Pinfish trapped for line bait or live chumming.

The Queen Snapper is a rare catch and a unique snapper having a long, slender body with big forked tail with yellow eyes. The Queen snapper grows to 3 feet long and can be found in very deep water, feet or more. The Queen can be found amongst very large rocks, so you cannot anchor and target this species; dropping your line deep and drifting by rocks is the only way you can hopefully catch this great eating fish.

He used for bait a fresh piece of Blackfin tuna that he caught minutes before. Red Snapper can live 25 years and weight more than 25 pounds with the record in Florida caught at 46 pounds near Destin. This Snapper is more abundant in the colder northern Florida offshore deep wrecks and reefs but can be found statewide.

The Red Snapper feed on crab, shrimp, fish and worms. Chumming with crushed blue crab or mussels can drive the Red Snapper into a frenzy. There are federal and state fishing restrictions on this species so be sure to know the current rules before taking very tasty this fish home for dinner. The Schoolmaster Snapper is a small yellow and brown colored Snapper that is usually found in shallow waters 8 feet or less in small schools near reefs.

This fish is a great kid's catch as they are easily caught during the day and take most baits. Silk Snapper are the most common deepwater species and is often found for sale in fish markets.

Silkies can be found in water from to feet deep near rocks and pinnacles and average 8 pounds. The best bait is squid, blue runner, or chunks of tuna on circle hooks that you drift near drop-offs. The Vermillion Snapper is a current feeder that swarm high in the water column feeding on smaller fish and shrimp that pass in the current. This brightly colored fish only grows to 3 or 4 pounds and average 10 inches long.

The Vermillion has a small mouth so using very small circle hooks with a chunk of squid works best. Night fishing for this species is usually best and chum made of shrimp and squid is irresistible. The Wenchman Snapper is a small, large-eyed fish that feeds primarily on fishes and are caught surprisingly often by anglers, who usually discard them because of unfamiliarity with the fish or their small size.

The Wenchman averages 1 pound or slightly under, but can reach 3 pounds. Find the Wenchman in deep waters, from 80 feet to 1, feet deep over hard, low-relief bottoms, but they can be found on almost any bottom type except soft mud. Yellowtail Snapper are found mostly in the southern Florida waters offshore near reefs and wrecks in waters deeper than 30 feet. In the Florida Keys you will find large schools of juvenile Yellowtail around inshore reefs.

The Yellowtail travels in schools feeding on shrimp, worms, crabs and small fish. The Yellowtail is commonly caught from 12 inches to 16 inches with the large ones caught in waters over feet. You can make our recipe Yellowtail Snapper Sand Balls to attract this excellent eating fish.

Snook can be readily found in bays usually around structures and in shallow water off beaches, but mostly in southern Florida. On the east coast, from Sebastian south you have great numbers of Snook, further north Snook are limited due to the colder waters. Snook cannot survive in water temperatures below 60 degrees. Snook are excellent eating and fun to catch but do have strict catch limits and closures, so be sure to read up on current rules.

They tend to feed two hours before sunrise and two to three hours after sunset with the best fishing during a tide change at these hours. One popular technique to catch Snook is to fish docks at night that have "snook lights" shinning into the water. Snook are drawn to the night lights as they take the opportunity to feed on shrimp that are drawn to the lights.

Shrimp are by far the best bait for this elusive fish, especially when they come from the same waters as you are fishing. Some people use live pilchards with great success.

Visit our Snook page for more info on snook. The strong fighting Atlantic Spadefish can be found on inshore structures like buoys or towers and on reefs. The Spadefish are normally caught at 10 pounds but can grow to 25 pounds and be 36 inches long.

Feeding on shellfish and jelly fish makes them excellent tablefare. For bait and chum use pieces of fresh mussels, clams and jellyfish. Longbill Spearfish are found in deep offshore waters and can reach weights of 70 pounds. Often confused with the Marlin, this fish can be identified by their fin which is much higher throughout its length.

This species feeds on the water surface and dines on small fish including dolphin, sauries, flying fish, needlefish and pilot fish, and squid. There is not a lot known of this fish, probably due to it's short lifespan of 5 years. This species is infrequently encountered by anglers. Like the Longbill Spearfish, The Mediterranean Spearfish is also infrequently encountered by anglers and usually only found in Mediterranean waters.

The Mediterranean Spearfish is similar to the Longbill and matures at 2 years and has a lifespan of only 5 years. Nearly identical to the White Marlin, the Roundscale Spearfish differs in the distance between the anus and anal fin and has slightly rounder scales across portions of its body.

Due to the difficulty of distinguishing these two species, the classification of the Roundscale Spearfish is not officially endangered, but being considered. It has been difficult to find information on this species as it was only identified in If you would like to read about the "mistaken identity" of both the White Marlin and the Roundscale Spearfish, check out this ScienceDaily article.

Spot one of the most popular fish to be caught and eaten. It is usually between six and ten inches long. This is a schooling fish and is a good pier fishing target.

They are usually found near oyster reefs or around pilings and jetties, but have been collected from all depths and bottom types. Spot love chum made with bloodworms, fish bites, pieces of cut fish, squid or shrimp. Image submitted by angler Larry Manion. The Atlantic Stingray is the same fish common along the coast; they are the ones where we see signs to shuffle your feet to avoid getting stung.

This species inhabits shallow coastal waters over sandy or silty bottoms, estuaries, and lakes and are common on the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

It has been know to venture into brackish waters where it is called the Freshwater Stingray. This ray is one of the smallest stingray species, it attains a maximum length of 24 inches 61 cm and a weight of 11 lb 4.

You will often see large schools swimming into bays during the spring and summer months in tropical waters. This stingray feeds on bivalves, tube anemones, amphipods, crustaceans, and Nereid worms.

The Atlantic Stingray makes great bait for catching numerous species of sharks, such as the Hammerhead, Tiger and the Bull Shark.

To use the Atlantic stingray for bait, first remove the short poisonous spine with pliers that is at the base of it's long tail.

Using very heavy line and large J hooks, thread a double hook system through the belly then through the mouth. The goal is for the stingray bait to appear to be swimming. You will catch very large fish with this setup, so be sure to use a heavy duty pole setup. Spotted eagle ray's are spotted most often flying throught the air as in this photo. They are a beautifully colored ray with spots all over it's back.

If you see a ray jumping out of the water, do not seek it out but turn and go the other way - they have been know to land in boats unexpectadly injuring people as they land.

This ray does not have a stinger. Sturgeon are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines. While some are entirely freshwater, very few venture into the open ocean beyond near coastal areas. Sturgeons range from 7? Most sturgeons are bottom-feeders, they use their projecting wedge shaped snout to stir up the soft bottom, and use the barbels to detect shells, crustaceans and small fish.

They do not have teeth, so they must swallow their prey whole. Most species of sturgeons are considered at risk of extinction, making them more critically endangered than any other group of species. Sturgeon jump out of the water and can jump in your boat without warning, watch this FWC video.

Swordfish are deep water dwellers found from the surface down to over 2, feet near the continental shelf. This powerful fish can be pounds or more and give you the fight of a lifetime. The Swordfish feed on squid, fish and crustaceans. Swordfishing is primarily done at night when the Swords come close to the surface to feed.

Chunk chumming works great with this species. Learn all about Swordfishing in Florida. Image courtesy of Florida Sea Grant. Tarpon are found in mostly in coastal waters and estuaries where the water is warm and shallow with sandy mud bottoms. In the Keys you can find Tarpon lurking around docks in large numbers and around seawalls.

This large species is commonly 6 feet and over pounds in south Florida and get get as large as pounds. Often encountered solitary, they frequently travel in schools especially in the Keys. Tarpon feed on stingrays, mullets, silversides, catfish, blue crabs, sardines, anchovies, and pinfish. They are a sought after species for sports fishing but make terrible table fare, so catch n' release is the game with this fish.

Beware of the Great Hammerhead shark when reeling in Tarpon, this shark loves to steal your Tarpon catch. Common bait used are blue crabs, pinfish, threadfin herring, mullet, grunts, and ladyfish. Most anglers use trolling motors to stalk the Tarpon. Tarpon are famous for their aerobatics once hooked. In order to keep your catch hooked you must bow to the Silver King and lower your rod tip by pointing it at him when he goes airborne.

Your slack line keeps you line from breaking and the hook in place. You need a Tarpon stamp on your fishing license to catch a Tarpon, so be sure to get one if you plan on stalking this catch and release only fish.

Use circle hooks and if you would like to help FWC, get a Tarpon DNA testing kit and keep it on your boat so you can take a sample and send it in for research.

Tautog are typically encountered within several miles of shore in water less than 60 feet deep, but have been found well offshore in feet of water.

Tautog are usually near cover, hovering around steep, rocky shorelines or hiding near wrecks, wharf pilings, piers, jetties, mussel and oyster beds, and bolder-strewn bottoms. The average Tautog is 2 to 4 pounds but they have been recorded to 22 pounds.

The backs of their throats contain a set of teeth resembling molars which they use to pick and crush prey such as mollusks and crustaceans.

The Atlantic threadfin is a rare catch in Florida and has many names - threadfish, goatfish, surf runner, and glassnose whiting. The above pictures were of a 15 inch fish caught in the surf on Dania Beach. This species is found on all coasts of Florida through the Caribbean and primarily enhabits near shore waters with sandy or muddy bottoms, usually in the surf at the beach. More information on the Atlantic Threadfin.

Tidewater Silverside is a bait fish found in schools in coastal waters and estuaries and is up to 6 inches in length. They are common in southern coastal waters. The Blueline Tilefish is a bottom dweller found in water ranging from feet deep and is frequently found in the same habitat as groupers and snappers, preferring irregular bottom with sand, mud and shell hash.

Blueline Tilefish feed on bottom creatures, such as crabs, shrimp, snails, worms, sea urchins and small fish. Golden Tilefish are found in deep offshore waters and feed during the day on the bottom on crustaceans, clams, snails, worms, anemones and sea cucumbers.

The Tomtate can grow to 12 inches and weigh a pound and is ID'd by the inside of it's mouth being bright red. The Tomtate travels in large schools along rocky reefs. Since they inhabit deeper waters, use small baited hooks to catch them.

Use the Tomtate as cut bait and for chunk chumming around reefs where they normally inhabit for Grouper or other reef fish. The Grey Triggerfish is found offshore near wrecks, reefs, rocks, and structures like oil platforms over hard bottom in 60 to feet of water and are know as bait stealers.

The average weight is 1 to 3 pounds, but they have been recorded at 14 pounds and can grow to 30 inches. The Grey Triggerfish feeds on shrimp, crabs, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea stars, sea cucumbers, and bivalve mollusks. The Triggerfish are excellent table fare with great tasting firm white flesh - remove it's tough skin and fillet.

Grey Triggerfish are known to be "bait stealers" commonly caught while fishing for snapper or grouper. The Grey Triggerfish will carefully nibble your bait with their sharp teeth leaving your with an empty hook! It takes a small hook and tough bait to actually land this tasty fish. The Ocean Triggerfish is found offshore in open waters from 3 to miles but sometimes near reefs, rocks, and structures. The Ocean Triggerfish is the largest of the Triggerfish growing to 2 feet in length and weighing an average of 2 to 5 pounds, rarely over 10 pounds.

They eat primary large zooplankton, coral, and molluscs. The Tripletail is a surface fish, lounging around floating debris and buoys waiting for it's dinner to arrive. They can grow to 40 pounds but are normally found much smaller.

They have very sharp teeth and spines with razors for gills, so handle with care. Tripletail feed on smaller fish, shrimp and crabs and are very good table fare. They are quite shy and slow to take your bait. Check out NOAA's "A Guide to the Tunas of the Western Atlantic Ocean" for detailed information on identification of Tuna, protected species, and getting a reward for reporting the archival tagged bluefin tuna to your local fisheries agency.

Albacore Tuna is an offshore schooling fish found in the open tropical and temperate oceans. Schools can generally be found 10 miles offshore, look for birds diving on bait fish and you may find a school of tuna. Albacore are carnivores consuming schooling fish, such as sardine, anchovy, and squid. Chumming with a mix of anchovies or squid or chunk chumming with whole anchovy or parts works well. The Bluefin tuna is an offshore schooling fish that will aggregate and forage on concentrations of small pelagic prey like mackerel, sand lance, sea herring, menhaden and squid.

Bluefin tuna follow the boat's chum line created by the shrimp boats by-catch, it is the world biggest chum line! March is a great time to follow the ship boats that are in full gear this time of the year. You can get some of the shrimp boat by-catch in exchange for some beer, just approach them when they are anchored. A 6-pack can get you a five gallon bucket or two. Now when you chum with this by-catch, you will surely have some great tuna action.

The Yellowfin Tuna are a schooling fish found offshore usually feeding on bait fish or squid. When you spot a school of jumping bait fish with diving birds get up current of the school and throw in chunks of sardines mixed with fish chum and let the chum drift to the bait fish.

Cast your line into the cut bait and hold on tight, this is one powerful fish that can weigh pounds. Be sure to have a lot of line on your heavy reel because once the Yellowfin Tuna is on your line they will dive straight down at amazing speeds.

The Yellowfin Tuna's meat is excellent on the grill or pan seared with wassabe. Image courtesy of Bouncers Dusky This species inhabits the intertidal zone area between the low and high tide zones and forms deep borrows, over 4 feet in depth.

This species is sought by fishermen as bait, especially those targeting sheepshead. The ghost shrimp are collected by sucking the ghost shrimp out of their burrow with a sand pump see Crab and Ghost Shrimp regulations. This device can be found at local fishing tackle shops.

Ghost shrimp reach a maximum size of around 5 inches. There is a bag limit on this species 20 per day per person. This limit was established to reduce the impact on the population by anglers collecting these for bait. Do we have any of those big conch shellfish in Texas water? We have two larger conchs in our bay systems in the Redfish Bay area. They are the Florida Horse Conch Pleuroploca gigantea, which grows up to 8 inches in length.

It is the largest shell on the Texas coast. It is an offshore and inlet type shell. It is not real common in our bay systems but can be found. Usually when you find one in an area there are quite a few. The other is the Lightning Whelk Busycon sinistrofulgur perversum pulleyi. This is the state shell of Texas. There are various other Gastropods single shell organisms in our bays, however most of them are less than 2 inches in length.

I saw a very big whale or shark in the water off South Padre Island. Is there something like that? You may have seen a whale shark, the world's largest fish species. I have periodically heard reports of sightings off South Padre and farther north, but most are seen farther offshore. Two months ago while conducting scientific sampling I encountered a small whale shark 15 ft near South Padre Island approximately 4 miles offshore.

It was very cooperative and allowed our boat to drift within feet. Considering the size vessel we were in, that was fairly close. In the summer of , we came upon a ft whale shark right about the same location that followed our boat while we collected shrimp trawl samples. I have also encountered whale sharks while diving around oil platforms off of Port Mansfield and Port Aransas. Since they reach lengths of 60 ft, the possibility exists that we are noticing evidence that the sharks use the western Gulf of Mexico as nursery grounds.

Is there a swim with dolphins program on the Texas coast? There are no swim with dolphins programs in South Texas. What can be done about the abundance of Portuguese-man-o-wars that we saw on Matagorda beach? Strong, prevailing southeasterly winds usually blow lots of Sargassum seaweed and man-o-war onto the beach.

There is really nothing that can be done about it other than to educate your children and beachgoers around you about the hazards of being in the water while the man-o-war are washing ashore, or touching man-o-war that are stranded on the beach. A dead, deflated man-o-war can still pack a heck of a sting!

Could you please tell me the name of that prehistoric worm that made the rock formations down in Baffin Bay out of Kingsville?

The rock formations in Baffin Bay that you refer to are the calcareous tube of serpulid worms. It is believed that reef growth began about years ago and continued until about years ago.

The serpulid worm reefs of the Alazan-Baffin Bay complex are believed to be dead. While living serpulid worms have been collected from some reefs in Baffin Bay, the high salinity conditions of the system are probably not favorable to reef formation or growth.

Most of the sand dollars we find along the Texas coast are Mellita quinquiesperforata -- the five-lunuled sand dollar. We do, however, have other organisms such as the Heart Urchin, Brissopsis alta , and even some heavy bodied starfish that sometimes wash ashore and leave parts that could be confused with the sand dollar.

The body of our common sand dollars contain elongated notches or openings known as lunules. These lunules vary in number throughout the world but are usually symmetrically arranged.

In most cases the lunules arise from indentations that form along the circumference of the animal and then become enclosed in the process of growth. The sand dollar is a very common inhabitant of the second and third sandbars found off the Texas coast. It prefers salinity above 23 ppt and a clean sandy substrate since it has difficulty burrowing in other sediments.

Most of their day is spent motionless, just below the surface, but at night they form dense feeding aggregations in the offshore troughs and bars. Sand dollars are closely related to sea urchins and have numerous short spines which are used for locomotion and protection when they are alive.

Both the mouth and the anus are located on the bottom flat side and potential food particles are removed from the sediment by hundreds of tiny podia and moved to the mouth with the aid of mucous and cilia. Breeding season for Mellita is late spring and summer when thousands may be found in close proximity since gametes are shed into the water and fertilization depends on synchrony of spawning for success.

What can you tell me about the effects of temperature on spotted seatrout? Spotted seatrout easily tolerate a wide rage of temperatures and temperature changes. They are a responsive fish, and are quick to migrate to deeper waters in cold weather or sudden cold snaps. This correlates exceedingly well with times that trout are caught by recreational fisherman. Although trout are caught throughout the year, peak months are May through July with secondary peaks in October and November.

These peak periods are when water temperatures are moderate F not as hot as during August and September , when a diverse food base is available, and when spawning occurs.

During the winter months, trout are often caught in deep, protected waters of boat basins and channels. When the air temperature stays at or below freezing for more than three days, and subsequently lowers the water temperature to near freezing, trout will congregate in deep channels and will cease eating.

They may come out of this stunned state if the temperatures warm up quickly. We have a limited number of reservoirs with walleye. The best walleye lake in Texas is Lake Meredith located near Amarillo; however, the Texas Department of State Health Services recommends limited consumption of walleye from this reservoir.

Fryer Reservoir south of Perryton in Ochiltree County has a good population of saugeye, a walleye-sauger hybrid. Rainbow trout are stocked in numerous places around Texas starting in late November or early December and lasting through the end of March.

A schedule showing dates and locations for these stockings is posted on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website each fall, usually by mid-November. Most of the places stocked are small lakes. Some rivers are stocked. Red drum are stocked in three freshwater reservoirs on a regular basis. They are: Braunig, Calaveras and Fairfield. Please note that that in these reservoirs the minimum length limit is 20 inches and the daily bag is 3.

How can I find public boat ramps and fishing areas close to where I live? Locations and directions to many public access areas are available online. It's also available as a printed booklet, without cost, the GLO. For more detailed information on fishing a particular bay, contact the appropriate TPWD Coastal Fisheries field office. If those pages don't answer all your questions about a particular freshwater location, contact an Inland Fisheries Management Office.

Another suggestion would be to visit the chamber of commerce or tourist information office in the area you plan to fish. They often can provide access points and some fishing tips. Where are the best fishing opportunities for people who don't have boats?

Our Go Fishing page offers some suggestions. Residents of major urban areas will want to check out our Neighborhood Fishin ' program, which features frequent stocking of catfish and trout in selected small lakes and ponds. All along the Texas coast, both in the bays and into the Gulf are piers and jetties that offer excellent fishing access. Some piers are private, so be sure to not trespass.

Commercial operations on some piers will charge you a small fee usually by the number of rods you have with you. Many piers and jetties are public and no entrance fees are charged.

Bay fishing offers many shore-based opportunities. All of the major bay systems have commercial and public piers and jetties. There are many shorelines either natural beach or bulkheads that have public access. I am a person with a disability and on a fixed income. Although many piers are accessible, fishermen without disabilities crowd us out.

Are there any fishing piers exclusively for people with disabilities? If you haven't seen TPWD's list of wheelchair accessible coastal fishing piers , I recommend a visit.

I discussed your problem with crowding on accessible fishing piers with others here at TPWD. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has authority over fishing and hunting; however, that authority is narrowly restricted by the Texas Legislature. While the Commission is free to alter means and to accommodate hunters and anglers with disabilities, and the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that accessibility issues be addressed on public facilities, neither of these authorities extend to restricting non-disabled sportsmen from participating in open seasons based on their lack of a disability.

One way that your problem could be addressed is through a publicized event on an accessible pier and let peer pressure do the rest. This could be done on either a public or private pier, but it would have to be based on fishermen restricting themselves out of courtesy or respect for the event.

Alternatively, Legislative action would be required during a Legislative Session for the Parks and Wildlife Commission to address this issue. What you see on your trip to Texas will depend on when you come and exactly where you look.

The various different habitats that you may encounter include barrier island beaches, sand dunes, mud flats, mangrove shorelines, jetties, oyster reefs, cord-grass marshes, and seagrass beds. All host their own unique collections of critters. Crabs such as blue crabs, land crabs, fiddler crabs, and hermit crabs are among the more common creatures seen.

A variety of shells including lightning whelks, olive shells, nerites, periwinkles, fighting conchs, oyster drills, moonshells, quahogs and sand dollars are commonly found in the bays and on the beachfront. Starfish, sea urchins, sea hares, sea turtles and dolphins are among some of the interesting animals that may be encountered on or around jetties. Of course there is a dizzying array of fish species that may be observed if you have the means to capture them.

Besides aquatic creatures, you may see a variety of interesting terrestrial animals including coyotes, deer, turkeys, various reptiles including alligators, and perhaps even an endangered ocelot or jaguarundi. In addition, the Rio Grande Valley is widely known as one of the premier birding sites in the world.

Of course birding will vary seasonally, but there are always a lot of birds around. Before you visit, you may wish to pick up a book or two on shelling, birding etc. Britton and Brian Morton, It is a bit technical, but it will give you an excellent idea of where to look for various plants and animals.

The book contains detailed descriptions of each of the habitat types that you may encounter along with descriptions and drawings of the various organisms that commonly inhabit that particular habitat type.

It is an excellent aquarium and it will give you some idea of what to look for and where to find it when you are out beach combing. Admission is free, and they have several aquaria and other displays for your viewing pleasure. This may also be a good place to pick up a book or two on beach combing in Texas. If you have trouble locating the book that I recommended, you may be able to find it there. What should I know about fishing in the gulf from shore or on head boats?

There are several options for fishing in south Texas during December. There are miles of public access on the beach for surf fishing. You can also fish from the jetties at the Brazos Santiago Pass. Surf fishing is typically the best during the summer, but some anglers target pompano in the surf during the time period when you will be visiting.

Typical surf tackle consists of a long rod surf rod 10 feet or so and a large capacity reel with lb test line, however, a rig like this would be overkill for pompano. I would bring a couple of rods similar to what you might use for bass fishing.

You can use these for casting small pieces of shrimp in the surf for pompano, or if you decide you would like to try wade-fishing in the bay, tackle this size will be also be suitable for spotted seatrout or red drum.

Local tackle shops can get you rigged out with terminal tackle for the particular type of fishing you decide to do.

In addition to surf or jetty fishing in the gulf, or wade-fishing in the bay, there are also two fishing piers on the bay in the South Padre Island area, and one in Port Mansfield. Many people fish at night under the lights of piers for spotted seatrout. For much less money, a "head boat" will take you fishing in the gulf or bay.

They are called "head boats" because they charge by the head to take people fishing. All tackle and bait is provided. Gulf head boat fishermen are likely to catch anything from red snapper to yellowfin tuna. Several gulf and bay head boats operate out of the South Padre Island area. The flags on the map indicate buoys or weather stations that record real-time data along the Texas coastline. You may click on these to get the most current observations.

You can also click on the link that says "Data Query" to get real-time, recent, or historical data in a time series format e. When you do a data query, you will specify the location, the parameter of interest, the time period, the format of the data graph, tabular list etc , English or metric measurements, time zone, and date format.

This is a very useful site used routinely by TPWD staff. Can someone prevent you from fishing around private or marina boat docks? If a lake is public water, then all of the lake is public water, including the water around marinas and boat docks. The right to build or operate a marina, dock, or other structure on or over public water does not carry with it the right to restrict boating or fishing from a boat. Kennedy went on to note that by law, the basic authority for the enactment of boating regulations is reserved to the state.

Some local government authorities may impose boating regulations for safety purposes, but TPWD statistics show that fishing around marinas and boat docks is not a safety problem. It is not legal to go onto private property without the permission of the landowner. There is no right to trespass to get to a public streambed. The hard part is usually determining exactly where the public streambed ends and the privately owned adjacent property begins.

In many cases, it takes a professional survey to determine the location of the gradient boundary in a given area. The streambed is not necessarily the part covered by the water. Depending on water levels, the water may be at, below, or above the gradient boundary. If the water is below the gradient boundary, there may be some dry bank that the public may lawfully use. If the water is at or above the gradient boundary, there may be no way to get in or out of the river without landowner permission.

A landowner may charge parking and access fees if he chooses. The reason certain lakes do not appear in the fishing reports is that a consistent source of information for that lake has not been developed. New lakes are occasionally added when new sources are established. The report is updated weekly usually by Thursday morning. However, not every location will have a new report each week. How can I get a detailed map of a reservoir in Texas?

Sporting goods and tackle stores sell maps of lakes, especially those in the local area. Most fishing and outdoor magazines and newsletters have advertisements for maps. Call for more information. I would like to take a guided fishing trip. Can you help me find a guide? TPWD doesn't recommend specific guide services.

There is a Texas Fishing Guides Web site, www. We also recommend checking with a Chamber of Commerce in the area where you want to fish. Could you provide information on charters for marlin fishing? For marlin fishing in the Corpus Christi area, we recommend contacting the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce see above.

If you would like to fish other areas of the Texas coast, the best starting point for locating offshore charters is the Chamber of Commerce in each location. Trips out of Port Aransas will begin targeting snapper after April There are large party boats and small charter boats, depending on your preference. For more information, contact the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce see above.

What kind of fishing gear can you use for flounder? Does the gig need a barb? Flounder may be caught with a gig except during November Nov. Each flounder must be 14 inches or larger. The daily bag limit is 5 except from November 1�December 14, when the daily bag is 2 fish. You do not need large rods and reels to catch flounder. Most people use spinning tackle or bait casting tackle with lb test line. Best baits are live fish and soft plastic worms bumped along the bottom.

Most flounder are caught along the channels leading to the Gulf. Many are caught from the bank. We do not catch them in the deeper Gulf water proper. Most flounder caught are in the lb range. The Hawaiian sling can be used to spear the flounder and it can have a barb on it.

A hand held gig can have a barb s on it. The main problem being that is you gig a flounder that is Regarding having the barb on a hook, it is helpful as flounder are pretty good about throwing a jig out when rod and reeling them. Again, a barbless hook would make it easier to remove and be less damaging to undersized fish when releasing them. Florida pompano the species in question as the name would imply, occur primarily on the west coast of Florida.

However, they are present throughout the Gulf Coast. They occur in fair numbers in Texas, and the abundance increases as you go south into Mexico. Pompano live for approximately four years, and reach a size of about mm, or about Flounder Gigging Lights For Boats Up 18 inches.

They spawn offshore and the juveniles migrate inshore to sandy beaches such as those on North and South Padre islands. Conventional wisdom has it that they live on the beachfronts for about one year, and then migrate offshore as subadults when they are somewhere between mm in length, or about inches.

There is evidence in our data, however, that two year classes are present on the beachfront in Texas, so they may be hanging around a little longer than they are supposed to. In addition, some larger adult fish are present most of the year near the beaches and associated passes. They can also be found around offshore oil rigs or other structure.

Peak abundance occurs between May and July, but these were mostly small fish. In fact, juvenile pompano were the most abundant fish that were sampled in the surf, but larger fish over mm about 10 inches were abundant from March - December, but were most abundant in October. As far as what they eat goes, the adults feed primarily dine on small crabs and bivalves clams , but larger specimens have been known to eat shrimp and even fish.

People who fish for pompano target them in the surf in fall and winter with small pieces of shrimp. In the coastal bend area Corpus, Rockport etc. They are probably using ghost shrimp, pieces of clam, small pieces of shrimp, or small crabs such as mole crabs for bait.

In Florida, anglers have had success using flies that are tied to look like small crabs. Fresh table shrimp can be purchased year round in the Rockport area; however the size and price vary. The winter Nov through Feb is not the best time to buy what you might call table shrimp or medium size. These are not generally present in the bays during this time of year.

However, some gulf boats operate during this time and large gulf shrimp are available, but expensive. The spring March thru May marks the beginning of shrimp season. The bay shrimp begin to become available, starting out rather small and inexpensive and increasing in size and cost as June approaches.

The late spring and June are good times to buy shrimp locally. Gulf shrimp are available, but generally expensive, before the Gulf closure in June to early July. Mid-July Gulf large gulf shrimp are landed and can be purchased at a good price.

I think August is the best time to buy both bay and gulf shrimp at very reasonable prices. Shrimp are generally available at reasonable prices the remainder of summer and into fall. All the local fish houses, bait dealers that sell shrimp and some road side vendors carry good product and the price varies no more that 10 to 25 cents per pound. Some times you can ask for a discount if you buy large quantities.

The Texas Department of State Health Services is the state agency that issues fish consumption bans and advisories. These fish are good to eat. However, barracuda caught in certain areas may be contaminated with ciguatoxin. To avoid possible poisoning, the Texas Department of State Health Services advises anglers not to eat barracuda and other species caught within 10 miles of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

For more information, see " Ciguatera " in our section on Harmful Algal Blooms. I was on the coast last week and now I have a red rash all over my feet and legs. What is it? Sometimes anglers develop an itchy rash after wade fishing, particularly in the spring. This may be caused by a larval cestode or trematode in search of a host, and is commonly known as "swimmers itch", aka cercarial dermatitis. The larvae burrows into human skin and dies, which causes an allergic reaction much like a chigger for land lubbers.

This is very different from a jellyfish sting, and easy to distinguish. Looks like this:. When we went fishing last night, we noticed thousands of worms swimming under lights on the surface of the water. What are these worms? It is it normal for worms like these to inhabit our waters? Are the fish safe to eat? Are these the type of worms that are often found in large black drum?

The worms you observed under the lights are common in Texas Bays. These are polychaetes which inhabit the bay bottom, but occasionally, when the tides are right, form schools and migrate. Many fish, including spotted seatrout, feed on them during this migration.

It cannot survive in man, even if eaten raw. They can be easily removed from the fillet, and that is what most people do to make the flesh more appealing. I have seen information that indicates they are more common in the warmer months and when the salinity of the water is high. Other than looking unappetizing, they will not harm you if you eat them. Can you really only eat oysters during months that have an R in them?

Back when we were having real winters, this was an effective means of keeping oysters for several days. The R months were generally cooler and spoilage of the oysters was reduced. Today, oysters can be eaten throughout the year. Our public oyster season extends from November through April.

Oysters are generally in best eating condition fat during the colder months as glycogen reserves are built up giving oysters a deep yellowish-brown color. They will remain in this condition until they begin spawning, generally during May.

They remain this way through the summer and into the fall. The conditioning process starts over again and, depending upon water temperatures, they reach their prime condition for eating. It would be difficult to say what a good water temperature would be for oysters to develop into prime condition. I believe that water temperatures somewhere around F or lower would be very conducive to the conditioning process.

In summary, my favorite time to purchase oysters is December-April. Summer oysters are available from our private lease program but they do not have the fullness as during the winter. I do not encourage eating raw oysters due to the Flounder Gigging Lights For Boats 72 possibility of contracting a naturally occurring bacteria Vibrio vulnificus and becoming sick.

Cooking an oyster will kill any Vibrio bacteria and is safe to enjoy. I caught a fish that has worms or grubs in its flesh or internal organs, or has sores on its body. Is it safe to eat that fish? Although some parasites and diseases of North American fishes can be infectious, the vast majority will not develop in humans even if eaten raw.

All are killed by thorough cooking, pickling, or freezing. There is no danger of eating an infected fish if it is properly cleaned and prepared. Fish that contain such parasites or diseases are still edible although their appearance is sometimes not appetizing.

I think I caught a fish that could qualify as a state or lake record. How do I find out for sure, and how do I apply for a record? Please check our records pages for information on the current state and water body records. To submit your record catch, use the link provided there to download and complete the official application form.

How can I estimate the weight of a fish that was caught and released? For largemouth bass : TPWD biologists have developed a length-to-weight table based on a survey of more than 3, individual fish. Anglers who don't have scales readily available can measure a bass and use this table to estimate its weight.

For any species : If you have the length and girth of a fish, you can use this formula to estimate its weight.

Square the girth in inches girth multiplied by itself then multiply this times the length in inches. Divide this product by to get weight in pounds. For example, we can use one of the ShareLunker bass. The girth was First, take Multiply this times 26 to get 10, Divide this by to get The actual weight of this particular bass was According to our conversion factor - a inch black drum would weigh, on average, around 32 pounds.

Generally, fish do not weigh a pound an inch. The state record black drum weighed 81 pounds and was The average weight of black drum landed by recreational anglers in Texas is about 3 pounds. What changes were made to red snapper fishing for the summer of ?

A 3-day framework was chosen that establishes 39 weekend days in summer for red snapper fishing in state and federal waters beginning Friday June 16 and running through the first weekend in September. Red snapper harvest would be closed in state and federal waters Monday through Thursday each week with the exception of July 3 , 4, and September 4. The federally permitted for-hire charter boats and commercial fisheries are not impacted.

What would this mean for red snapper fishing in state waters? In exchange for allowing red snapper fishing in federal waters on weekends and holidays through Labor Day state waters would be closed on weekdays Monday-Thursday until Monday, September 4.

Beginning September 5, state waters are open 7 days a week. Texas agrees with the outraged recreational anglers who have only seen their fishing seasons get shorter in federal waters. The time has come for a substantive change within the current management structure that is not only based on relevant science, but one that is also in the best interests of the anglers and the resource they enjoy and value so much.

With federal partners like the Department of Commerce working with us it is possible to provide additional recreational angling opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico, which recreational anglers have consistently advocated for. Department of Commerce as well as the public through its input. What will the bag and size limits be for this season?

The size and bag limit for red snapper during the proposed federal season days will remain the same; 15 inches and 4-fish per person in State waters and 16 inches and 2-fish per person in Federal waters.

According to the latest red snapper stock assessment over half of the red snapper found in the Gulf of Mexico are located west of the Mississippi River. Additionally, several of the stock assessment indices show increasing red snapper abundance in the Western Gulf with record highs reported in TPWD Gulf trawl data also shows increasing abundance over time for young-of-the-year red snapper.

All of this data suggests that red snapper populations off of Texas can safely handle the additional take from either of these scenarios. How does Texas gather its data regarding red snapper landings?

The Coastal Fisheries Division conducts creel surveys with recreational anglers at boat ramps along the entire coast. This survey data is expanded to estimate catches for the entire year. Texas state waters include all waters out to nine nautical miles.

Federal waters are those from nine to nautical miles. This would be done in consultation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Chairman and the public's input.

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