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Fishing in Miami BeachFlorida Fish Species

Fishing in Miami provides you with the best fishing charters in Miami, Miami Beach, Key Biscayne, Key Largo, Key West, Islamorada, Tavernier, Layton, Key Colony Beach, Sugarloaf Key, Cudjoe Key, Stock Island, Big Pine Key, Duck Key, Marathon, West Palm Beach, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Boynton Beach, Daytona Beach, Sebastian, Stuart, Rockledge, Cape Canaveral, Hollywood, and Jupiter. Every location and charter has different types of marine game fish they target. Choose from a variety of fishing charter types such as Deep Sea Fishing, Spearfishing, Flats Fishing, and even Pier Fishing. You can fish for Mahi-Mahi, Marlin, Wahoo, Tuna, Sail Fish, Swordfish, Grouper, Snook, Tarpon, Snapper, Kingfish, Permit, Bonefish, Red Drum, Black Drum, Barracuda and even Shark fishing. Below we have listed more information on all the types of fish you can catch in Miami Dade, Broward County, and Palm Beach County. Click on any one of the fishes below to get more information on each different species including where to find them, best times to catch them, what bait they prefer, and even how to prepare and cook them.

Mahi-Mahi (Dolphin)

Miami dolphin fishing

Mahi-Mahi, also known as Dorado or Dolphin is one of the best eating and exciting fish to catch. Learn more about Mahi-Mahi fish.

Sailfish

Miami sailfish fishing

Sailfish is one of the fastest and strongest fighting fish you can catch in Miami. Sailfish can reach speeds of up to 68 miles per hour. The large size and aggressive fight make it one of the most prized catches for sports fishing.

Marlin

Miami Marlin FishingMarlin is the ultimate big game fish and can reach sizes of up to 16 feet and weigh up to 1400 pounds. These beautiful fish are caught way offshore in the Atlantic ocean and are incredible fish to catch.

Swordfish

miami swordfish fishingSwordfish are one of the most prized game fish. They are a popular sports fish and give one hell of a fight. A fully grown swordfish can reach sizes of up to 600 lbs.

Tuna

Miami tuna fishing

Florida is home to several tuna species including bluefin tuna, blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna, and little tunny and Atlantic bonito. Tunas are some of the strongest and fun fighting fish to catch. For more information regarding Tuna fishing in Miami click on the image above.

Wahoo

Miami Wahoo FishingWahoo is another fun fighting marine game fish you can catch in Miami. The Wahoo is a highly prized game fish due to its aggressive fighting style and tasty meat. These fish are best caught using high speed trolling rigs. For more information on Wahoo including bag limit and fishing techniques visit our Wahoo section.

Kingfish

Miami Kingfish FishingAlso known as the king mackerel the kingfish is a fun fighting aggressive fish. They are very fast fish and are great eating as well. The regal fish in the sea make for an exciting fishing adventure in Miami. They typically weigh anywhere between five and 30 pounds but the record kingfish in Miami was 90 pounds. For more information on Kingfish including bag limit and fishing techniques visit our Kingfish section.

Spanish Mackerel

Miami-spanish-mackerel-fishing

The Atlantic Spanish mackerel are fun fish to catch and are also the best eating fish in the Mackeral family. They can live as long as 11 years and can grow up to 33 inches and weigh as much as 11 pounds.

Grouper

Miami Grouper Fishing

The grouper is a bottom dweller mostly caught offshore and deep water. In Florida, there are over 40 different species you can catch. The most popular ones are gag grouper, black grouper, and red grouper. You can also catch goliath groupers but they must be released after catching.

Snapper

Miami snapper Fishing

Snapper is one of the best-tasting fish in the sea. There are many different types of snapper species but the most popular to fish in Miami are the mutton snapper, gray snapper, and yellowtail snapper.

Cobia

Miami-cobia-fishing

Cobias are also known as the black kingfish, black salmon, lemon fish, crabeater, black bonito, ling, lemon fish and prodigal son. They can weigh as much as 82 pounds and reach lengths of 6 1/2 feet long.

Shark

Miami Shark FishingThe most ferocious predators in the sea, Sharks are a fun aggressive fish to catch. There are several types of sharks including hammerhead, black tip, and mako sharks are the most popular.

Snook

Miami Snook FishingSnook is one of the best-tasting fish you can catch in Miami. It is illegal to buy or sell snook so if you want to eat this tasty fish you’re going to need to book a Miami charter. Other names you might have heard for snook is linesiders, soap fish, and robalo.

Tarpon

Miami Tarpon FishingTarpon which is also known as the silver king can reach sizes up to 8ft and are commonly found near piers or inshore in the Florida flats. Although they are not commonly eaten they are highly prized game fish due to their enormous size and aggressive fighting style. Once you hook them they usually jump out of the water creating a spectacular show. They have an incredible amount of endurance and are one of the most exciting gamefish to fight.

Permit

Miami Permit FishingPermit are commonly found in shallow water in the South Florida flats but can also be found in offshore wrecks, oil platforms, and artificial reefs, as well as sand and grass flats, and deep channels. Many South Florida anglers confuse this fish with a pompano but the Permit grows much larger. The average Permit caught in Florida is between 15-20 pounds and have been seen up to 3 feet long.

Florida Pompano

Miami-Florida-pompano-fishing

Permit are commonly found in shallow water in the South Florida flats but can also be found in offshore wrecks, oil platforms, and artificial reefs, as well as sand and grass flats, and deep channels. Many South Florida anglers confuse this fish with a pompano but the Permit grows much larger. The average Permit caught in Florida is between 15-20 pounds and have been seen up to 3 feet long.

Spotted Seatrout

Miami Sea Trout FishingAlso referred to as Spotted Seatrout are great eating fish. They can be found in seagrass meadows, mangrove shorelines, channels, above oyster bars and deep holes. They can be caught with dead pilchards and sardines as well as soft-bodied jigs, top-water poppers, and spoons as well.

BoneFish

Miami Bonefish FishingBonefish are also referred to as the “grey ghost of the flats” are one of the most difficult Florida’s gamefish to catch. They are fast-swimming fish that can be found in shallow saltwater flats of Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys.

Red Drum

Miami Redfish FishingThe Red Drum is also known as Redfish, channel bass, spottail, and red bass. They are a popular sport fish to catch in Florida and get the name red drum because of the drumming sound they make when you take them out of the water. They can reach sizes of 45 inches and weigh as much as 51 pounds. They can be found along the Atlantic coast

Black Drum

Miami Black Drum FishingSimilar to the black drum they can be distinguished by the blackish color and barbels under the lower jaw. They are great eating fish and can be caught The largest Black Drum caught in Florida weighed 96 pounds. They are not as strong as the red drum but still put up one hell of a fight. They can be found along shell bars, shorelines, shallow flats, inside channels, and under bridges.

Barracuda

Miami Barracuda FishingBarracuda’s are known for their large size, scary looks, and aggressive feeding style. They can reach sizes up to 6 feet in length and weigh as much as 110 pounds. They prefer coastal habitats along the continental shelves and coral reefs but can also be found in deep water. They can swim as fast as 25 mph in short burst and put up one hell of a fight. Although you can eat any size barracuda the larger ones are commonly released because they have been known to cause ciguatera from high mercury and cadmium levels. They are also refred to as the tiger of the sea.

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