Top-Rated Vero Beach Inshore Fishing Charters

Black Drum

## Black Drum (Pogonias Cromis) ## Black Drum Description The Black Drum is a fish in the Sciaenidae family. The Black Drum is also the largest fish of that family, including almost 300 species, including their popular cousin, the Redfish. They are known as drums or croakers due to the repetitive drumming or croaking sounds they make. They are black and or grey and have powerful jaws with strong teeth capable of crushing prey like shellfish and oysters. ## Black Drum Size The Black Drum's typical weight range varies considerably from 5 to 30 pounds but can reach a weight of up to 90 pounds. If you intend to eat your catch, you may want to release Black Drum over 15 pounds. As they grow larger, the meat is tough and more comparable to chicken than a flaky texture. Also, the flavor of the older fish is not as tasty as the smaller-sized fish. ## Black Drum Spawning Black Drum have mating calls that they use to seek out others during the spawning season, capable of producing tones that reach 100 to 500 Hz. Black Drum grow rapidly and reach maturity within the first 2 years of their lives and live to 50 years. The females can lay eggs every three days during the spawning season. Their spawning seasons vary due to location, spawning occurring in February and March in southern areas like Texas, and April to June farther north. ## Black Drum Habitat Black Drum typically prefers brackish waters and estuaries. The adults live closer to the saltier areas near the ocean. They can be found around an oyster bed and other areas with plentiful food sources. The juveniles prefer the less salty areas of the same estuaries with sandy bottoms. Black drum are extremely adaptable when it comes to temperatures and salinity and can be attracted to freshwater creek openings and extremely shallow water, but are also found in depths of up to 100 feet. ## Black Drum Fishing You will find the best Drum fishing is on shallow water, muddy flats, and oyster beds, but they can also be found near inlets, pier pilings, creeks and estuaries that make way inward. Most anglers also fish for the Black Drum in the spring around the spawning season. At this time, the fish school up and are easier to target. After the spawning season, the fish disperse and become much harder to target. ## ## Black Drum Bait and Lures The best bait an angler can use for Drum fishing is live bait because they are bottom-feeders. Live bait such as fresh soft crabs, mollusk, peelers crabs, sea clam, or crushed mussels are the preferred bait. Anglers like to use crab because it does not tend to get eaten by catfish and other bait stealers. If you are not using live bait, then choose very slow-moving jigs like bucktail jigs. It is also vital to use the correct weighting for the conditions to ensure that your bait is on the bottom. When fly fishing, most anglers prefer to use a 7- or 9-weight fly rod, leaning towards a 9-weight for throwing heavier flies and a little extra strength when pulling on fish that may be more than 20 pounds. You will want to present your fly on the bottom, and weighted black flies that get to the bottom quickly are best such as the Redfish Worm, Merkin, and Clouser Minnow. ## Distribution and Range The Black Drum has a wide range and extends as far north as Nova Scotia, down the whole Atlantic coast of the United States, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. ## Black Drum Regulations Check the state you are fishing in as they each have their own regulations, but you will find most at 5 fish per day between 14 and 24 inches long, with one allowed over 24 inches.

Crevalle Jack

## Crevalle Jack Fish Description The Crevalle Jack (Caranx Hippos) is a large fish that is part of the Jack family. The colorations can vary from brassy green to blue on the back, golden scales on the sides, and a white belly and bright yellow/gold on the tail and fins. It is an extremely popular game fish for anglers as well as important for the commercial fishing industry. ## Fish Habitat and Distribution The Jack Crevalle inhabits both inshore and offshore water.  In the shallow water, they prefer seagrass beds, flats, sand-bottomed bays, or shallow-water reef. The larger adults prefer deeper water compared to the juveniles. They can also inhabit brackish waters and freshwater tributaries, although these are rare occurrences. While they do not often leave the continental shelf, they will inhabit waters as deep as 1100 feet. They also inhabit man-made structures like oil rigs as well as floating vegetation mats. They use these structures to hunt prey. Crevalle Jack are found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Florida (especially the Keys), Gulf of Mexico, and Texas are hotbeds for these fish. The broader range includes the eastern coastal waters of the U.S. and the eastern South American coast as far south as Argentina, not to forget the Caribbean Sea and the eastern coast of Central America. ## Crevalle Jack Size The Crevalle Jack can reach up to 4 feet and 60 pounds, but the average size range for this Jack species is 12-24 inches in length and 3-5 pounds in weight with females being larger than males. The current world record was caught off the coast of Angola in Africa and weighed in at 66 pounds. ## Crevalle Jack Fun Facts The Crevalle Jack is a powerful fish and should be handled with care. They reach maturity at 5 to 6 years of age and can live up to 17 years or more. Anglers chasing Jack Crevalle sometimes report the smell of something similar to watermelon when approaching schools when they are feeding. The dorsal fin is split into two, the first consisting of eight spines and the second consisting of one spine following 19 to 21 soft rays. While most fish species are cautious around divers, schools of the friendly Crevalle Jack will actually approach and swirl around divers, possibly due to the bubbles given off by divers, or simply out of curiosity. ## Fishing Methods and Lures One of the biggest indicators to the angler when looking for these fish is to watch for schools of birds. The Crevalle Jack schools push baitfish to the surface and the birds attack from above. Unlike other schooling fish that jump you will rarely see this fish jump while on the surface. Some great lure choices consist of silver spoons, hard and soft plastic baits that imitate their prey of mullet, sardines, and herring. Crankbaits and swimbaits are great options as well as live bait (mullet, herring, or sardines) . For fly fishermen, streamer flies and topwater popper flies are popular. Use flies larger than an inch to really help them stand out, along with baitfish patterns. They are the bullies of the ocean and enjoy the chase. The fast and continuous movement of the bait will attract them. Cast the bait over and away from the school, and then retrieve it rapidly. If you are fishing in deeper water, quick and aggressive jigs will be effective. If they are closer to the surface, sight casting with topwater plugs is the way to go.

Florida Pompano

Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) Description

The Florida Pompano is one of the most prized fish in Florida. In appearance, Florida Pompanos are compressed in structure. They are flat on both sides and appear tall and thin. The Florida Pompano has a short snout and it has a silvery, white-blue body with yellow fins. Its tail fin is deeply forked and all its fins are yellow in color. The Florida Pompano also has a short dorsal fin, being separated by six spines.

A Florida Pompano has around 20-24 anal rays. They have a yellowish underbelly but a dark green-gray hue on their dorsal side.

Diet and Size

A fish with a moderately compressed structure, Florida Pompano usually slip through vertical crevices to find their food. Their diet usually consists of mollusks, crustaceans, smaller invertebrates, and fish. While feeding, Florida Pompanos usually travel in schools.

Florida Pompano can grow up to 12 inches. Their average weight is around 1-3 lbs. Though, there have been some cases of an 8-9 lbs Florida Pompano being caught.

Interesting Facts 

• The Florida Pompano is one of the most prized fish that they actually have a beach named after it is known as Pompano Beach.
• Florida Pompano is commonly mistaken for the Permit because of their similar appearance. 
• Florida Pompanos are expensive in restaurants because of their delicious, buttery meat.
• Their migration is often influenced by temperature but their local positions are affected by tides.  They will stay in the same place unless the temperature forces them to go deep into the waters.
• Florida Pompanos have a short life span of 3-4 years. However, there have been some reports of an angler catching a 6-9-year-old Florida Pompano.

Florida Pompano Fishing Techniques 

Florida Pompano is a terrifying fighter when caught. As a member of the Jack family, it’s quite tenacious as a fish and will definitely give even experienced anglers a run for their money and quite the thrill.

When fishing for Florida Pompano, use small hooks as they have small mouths; using a big hook will definitely drive them away. Live bait such as mollusks or worms works best for this fish. If using jigs, its best to use is brightly colored ones, especially in clear waters. Similar to fishing for a Great Pompano, using yellow- or orange-colored jigs will catch their attention. 

The best time during the year is during the summer and fall since they usually move deeper into the water during the winter.

Habitat and Distribution

Florida Pompanos like staying near the Gulf beaches where there’s an abundance of shrimp and mollusks. Sometimes you will find an adult Florida Pompano has moved into bay areas. 

Red Grouper

Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio) Fish Description

As the name suggests, the Red Grouper (Epinephelus morio) can easily be distinguished from other groupers by the mostly rusty red coloration of its body. While its head and upper parts tend to be darker, the color gradually lightens until it reaches the rather light red to pinkish hue of the belly. It also has some sort of blotches on its side and some distinctive white spots on its body—from the head right across to the base of its tail. And although the fins sometimes have the same coloration as its body, they usually have some sort of a black margin that runs right around the edges.

The body of the Red Grouper is known to be robust and meaty even though it’s mostly moderate in size. It has a large mouth which allows them to eat its prey whole. Its lower jaw protrudes a little bit beyond the upper jaw, both of which are equipped with several sets of razor sharp teeth that the fish uses to prevent its prey from escaping, not to rip its flesh apart. Its prey mostly consists of marine invertebrates including octopi, shrimps, and crabs, but from time to time will also eat smaller fishes.

The Red Grouper is a protogynous hermaphrodite fish. This means that all of them are females at the very beginning of their life. Many would, however, change to males as soon as they hit their sexual maturity, which is between seven and fourteen years of age. When the spawning season comes which usually occurs between January and April, both the males and the females would release their sperms and eggs in the water. The fertilized eggs would just drift with the currents until they hatch into larvae in about thirty hours. The larvae would just then live among the zooplanktons near the surface of the water. As they reach their juvenile stage, they would swim down to the bottom of the water and settle within seagrass beds where they would prey on smaller fishers and different marine invertebrates until they reach their full maturity.

Interesting Facts About Red Groupers

• The Red Grouper can grow up to four feet long and can weigh around a little more than fifty pounds.
• The biggest Red Grouper caught on record was a forty-two pounder caught off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida in 1997.
• Red Groupers have long lifespans with some reaching up to twenty-nine years of age.
• It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, which means they are all born females.
• Many would change to male as they hit sexual maturity.
• About 70% of groupers harvested in U.S. waters are Red Groupers.
• Its meat is highly regarded for its moist, firm, and flaky consistency.
• It is said to be one of the best tasting groupers because of its shellfish-like taste.
• Red Grouper meat is sold either fresh or frozen as a whole a fish, as steaks, or filleted.
• Red Grouper meat is susceptible to red tide due to its shellfish diet.
• Red Groupers are known to be one of the top predators in reefs, making them an essential part of the reef’s ecological balance.
• Red Groupers are often preyed upon by other known reef apex predators, including barracudas, moray eels, and different species of sharks.
• They are targeted by both commercial and recreational fishers.
• Although their population status hasn’t reached the “critical” levels yet, there were recorded declines in their populations in some parts of the Gulf of Mexico due to overfishing.
• Another reason for the decline is the huge number of juveniles that are accidentally caught by shrimp trawlers.
• Catch limitations for commercial and recreational fishers are placed by the authorities to help with the fish species’ population recovery.
• Commercial and recreational fishing seasons are also closed from January to April—the Red Grouper’s spawning season.

Red Grouper Average Size and Swimming Speed

Although there were some reported sightings of a Red Grouper reaching a whopping fifty pounds in weight, average weights tend to be a lot smaller of about five to ten pounds. Most also don’t grow too long as average length rarely hits the two feet mark. As for the speed, Red Groupers don’t swim that fast although they can swim much faster in short bursts to help them escape predators. 

Red Grouper Habitat and Distribution

The Red Grouper is not a migratory fish and can often be found near our eastern seaboard—from as far north as Massachusetts down to Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico. It can also be found abroad as far south as the Caribbean Sea up to southern Brazil.

This fish primarily prefers muddy and rocky bottom underwater habitats at depths of 16 to 1,083 feet. It can also be seen swimming or resting close inshore, especially in reefs, ledges, and wrecks of up to 300 deep, with many anglers catching these tasty fish in about 10 to 100 feet.

Red Grouper Fishing Tips

Although you can pretty much catch a Red Grouper using a light tackle, you better be ready for a somewhat long battle with this fish as it’s known to be one of the toughest fighters out there. Hooking one wouldn’t be much of a problem as it’s a pretty aggressive predator that is always ready to strike on every opportunity of a meal, especially if you use its favorite diet as baits such as shrimp and crab.

Tripletail

Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) Description

The Tripletail or commonly known as the Atlantic Triple Tail is a medium-sized saltwater game fish. It has an olive color mixed with dark or white blotches. It has a large, round-like, body with small eyes. Its caudal fin has a round shape and both its anal and rear dorsal fin have a round shape that extends toward the back. The appearance of the rear dorsal fin and anal fin has the same shape as the caudal fin, hence the name triple tail.

Size and Diet

The tripletail can get as big as 3 feet long and weigh as heavy as 40.8 lbs. On average, they are only 18 inches long and weigh between 2 to 13 lbs. The tripletail is an opportunistic carnivorous fish. They are known to eat shrimps, crabs, and baitfish.

Interesting Facts About the Tripletail

• The tripletail has the ability to change its color from a mix of white and black to either black or white.
• Triple trails rapidly grow from their first year alone. It is believed to be an adaptation to quickly outgrow and protect themselves from predators.
• If you catch one a tripletail, be careful when handling one and avoid holding around the gills. Their gills are razor sharp.
• Juvenile triple tails mostly have mottled black, brown, and white coloration
• The tripletail is also known for having a firm and tasty meat, some anglers claim the taste is close to that of a Red Snapper or Grouper.
• One of the defense mechanisms of the triple trail is to lie on its sides to mimic floating weeds or any materials near them.

Tripletail Fishing Techniques

The tripletail is slowly becoming a popular game fish in the fly fishing world. For their bulky bodies, they are quite acrobatic. To catch a tripletail, the best method to catch them is by sight casting. They usually swim near the surface, making it easy to sight cast. Anglers often target weed lines to find them. Once you spot one, be stealthy when catching a tripletail. You can easily spook them, so cast away from the spot and drag your line towards them and let them ambush your bait.

Here are the recommended gears of anglers so you can fly some triple tail – use a rod between 7 to 9 foot 8wt fly rod with 20 lbs test. As this fish swims near the surface, the best lines to use are floating lines. Use hook sizes from #2 up to 1/0.

The best baits to use for triple tails crabs, shrimps, sardines, and minnows. For the lures, you can use squid, shrimp, or crab flies.

Habitat and Distribution of Tripletail

The tripletail is found in the tropical and subtropical waters of oceans around the world. They prefer water temperatures above 69.8F. In the western Atlantic, their range is from Massachusetts to Argentina. The season for the tripletail is the whole year-round. Their spawning season occurs in summer and it peaks from July to August. They mainly spawn in inshore and nearshore water, but some have been found spawning offshore. You can find them in depths from near-surface up to 210 feet.

They are solitary fish but can sometimes be seen in small schools. The tripletail makes small north and south migrations from April to October. To find this fish, check shorelines and gulfs for juveniles that are about 1 foot long. Adults are mainly found in offshore waters and bays. The tripletail is a saltwater fish but some have been found in estuaries and mouths of rivers. The best fishing spots for the triple tail are in Massachusetts, Florida, Mississippi, and Texas.