Fish Species Gulf of Mexico fishing charters

Scamp Grouper

Other Names :Broomtail Grouper, ScampRange & Habitat :Gulfwide, but more common in the central and northern Gulf of Mexico waters. In the Florida Keys it is replaced by the yellowmouth grouper. It seems to prefer low-profile reef bottoms, or bottoms encrusted with living organisms (live bottom), although they are occasionally caught at high-profile structure such as offshore oil and gas platforms. It is most common at depths of 75 to 250 feet.Identification & Biology :Scamp have a speckled and dotted body coloration and usually have some yellow color on the corners of and inside their mouth. They are most easily identified by the lyre-shaped tail having its fin rays extended into streamers. It very closely resembles the yellowmouth grouper, but has less yellow pigment in and near the mouth. The major distinguishing feature between the two is that in the yellowmouth grouper, the front and rear nostrils are the same size, while in scamp the rear nostril is larger. There is some disagreement among scientists about whether these are two different species or the same species.

Scamp can live up to 25 years and at least some begin spawning at age 3 and 16 inches in length. Spawning takes place in April and May, with eggs and larvae being free-floating, until the young settle out to the bottom on reef-type habitats. Scamp feed day and night, targeting crabs, shrimp and fish. By 10 years of age, they average 26 inches in length and over 8 pounds in weight. By age 20, they average 35 inches long and 20 pounds.Size :Scamp will grow to over 20 pounds, but the average catch is under 10 pounds.Food Value :Excellent

Yellowtail Snapper

Other Names :Flag, Yellowtail SnapperRange & Habitat :Gulfwide, but most common in the southern Gulf. Enough are caught in the northern Gulf of Mexico for them not to be considered stragglers. They are found in waters 35 to 230 feet deep. While they often concentrate near ledges or other structure, they are frequently caught well above bottom.Identification & Biology :This fish is relatively elongated for a snapper and has a deeply forked tail. It is easily identified by the wide yellow horizontal stripe on each side and the bright yellow tail. The back is blue, broken by yellow spots and the lower sides are silver with yellow stripes. Upon death and storage on ice, the blue color turns to pink. Yellowtail snapper feed on open-water animals, including substantial amounts of tiny zooplankton, such as pelagic crustaceans and worms, larval fish, and jellyfish relatives, among other things. It is assumed that they feed most heavily at night.Size :Averages 3-5 pounds, but can grow to 10 pounds.Food Value :Excellent

 King Mackerel

Other Names :Kingfish, King, King MackerelRange & Habitat :King mackerel are found Gulfwide in open nearshore and coastal waters. While these fish as adults are seldom found inshore, they are found as near to shore as clear water can be found. While they are generally considered an open-water fish, in the northern Gulf of Mexico they are very commonly encountered near the perimeters of offshore oil and gas platforms.Identification & Biology :Body shape is extremely elongated and strongly compressed laterally. Color distinguishes it from its relatives. It lacks the wavy vertical lines found on the body of the wahoo and the pronounced black spot on the front of the dorsal fin in the Spanish mackerel and the cero. Body color is silvery-gray to iridescent green. Young king mackerel have spots on their sides similar to Spanish mackerel, but can be differentiated from the latter fish by having a sharper bend in the lateral line midways down the side.

King mackerel are considered to be migratory fish, but a resident population of large fish (commonly over 40 pounds) remains year round in the northern Gulf of Mexico, off of Louisiana. King mackerel in the eastern Gulf winter off of Florida and in the summer migrate up the Florida coast to the northern Gulf of Mexico, with some moving as far as Texas. Western Gulf king mackerel move between Louisiana, Texas and Mexico, spending their winter months in the south and summer in the north. Waters off of Louisiana serve as a mixing ground for eastern Gulf, western Gulf and large resident fish. King mackerels can be found alone, but are usually in small groups.

King mackerel are aggressive, hard-hitting predators that specialize in feeding on other fishes. By far the most common fishes eaten are herrings, including menhaden and sardines. These are followed by seatrout, primarily sand and silver seatrout, and then various jacks. Other species are also eaten. Researchers have found that most fish eaten by king mackerel are less than 8 inches long, generally averaging 4-6 inches. Surprisingly, the average size of fish eaten did not increase in larger king mackerel. Non-fish food items make up only a small amount of the diet, with shrimp being the leading category. King mackerel can live to at least 14 years, although most die earlier. Females grow larger than males and spawn in their third or fourth year of life. Spawning takes place in the warmer months.Size :Common at 15-50 pounds, with larger fish being more common in the northern Gulf. Fish to over 6 feet and 100 pounds have been reported.Food Value :Edible, but the greenish-gray flesh color and strong taste discourages most consumption. King mackerel consistently test highest of all Gulf of Mexico fish for the presence of mercury in their flesh. High levels of mercury in fish consumed over an extended period of time has been linked to birth defects and other illnesses in humans. Because of this, consumption advisories have been issued by every Gulf state for king mackerel.

  Spanish Mackerel

Other Names :Spanish, Spanish MackerelRange & Habitat :Spanish mackerel are distributed Gulfwide in coastal nearshore waters and saline estuaries and bays.Identification & Biology :The body is elongated and strongly flattened from side-to-side. They are green above with silver sides, heavily marked with oval yellow or golden-olive spots. This species closely resembles the cero in color, however the spots on the cero are arranged in a row and the cero has 1 or 2 longitudinal stripes that are the same color as the spots. Both species have a pronounced black spot on the front of the dorsal fin.

Spanish mackerel are schooling predators that relentlessly attack schools of smaller fish, especially anchovies. Often, diving gulls will attack the terrified prey fish forced to the surface by the mackerel and other fish that join them, such as spotted seatrout, jacks, ladyfish, and bluefish. Feeding Spanish mackerel will gracefully leap clear of the water. Spanish mackerel grow fast, to 12-15 inches in length their first year, and few fish live beyond 3-5 years. They spawn during the warm months of the year.Size :Spanish mackerel will grow to 27 inches long and 12 pounds, although the average is less than one-third that. Smaller fish are more common inshore.Food Value :Good, but it does have a high-oil flesh, which makes it more suitable for broiling than frying.