No matter how long you have been fishing, in the state of Florida you will always or eventually come across a species or saltwater fish that you might not be able to identify.Thats why we wanted to put this Florida fish identification page together so you could have a place to come and look up the florida fish and view pictures of them.

White Marlin: ( Tetrapturus Albidus)

The white marlin is a small marlin found in concentrations off Venezuela, Gulf of Mexico, and from North Carolina to the southern New Jersey coasts of the U.S.A.  The white marlin is a great light tackle gamester and a "finicky feeder" that will try the patience of the most ardent angler.  Just when all the proven tricks and techniques of a tried and tested crew have failed, the white will seize the most unlikely bait and turn an organized cockpit into a Chinese fire drill.  On the eastern seaboard the white marlin is most often the first marlin experience the offshore fisherman will have.  Tackle of 20-30 lbs. is ideally suited for white marlin fishing where the angler can test his prowess with an evenly matched contender.  The white marlin is easy to identify by the lack of the hump on the shoulder and the rounded dorsal fin.
Tackle Tip:
White marlin like the tropical and warm temperate waters of the western Atlantic with temperatures of 72-86° F.  Trolling 4-8 MPH with rigged balao, mullet, or squid and artificial baits produce the best results.  White marlin will often strike baits intended for sailfish.

Tarpon: (Megalops Atlanticus)

Megalops atlanticus, otherwise known around Florida as the “tarpon.” These large fish are easily recognizable due to their size and coloration. Tarpon have huge silver scales, a greenish or dark blue back, a large upward opening mouth, a forked caudal fin, and a dorsal fin that extends into a long filament.
Tarpon are ancient creatures, having survived for several million years. Tarpon are found in warm saltwater all over the world. Specifically in the United States they range from Virginia down the Atlantic to the Florida Keys, and up and around the Gulf of Mexico, down to Texas. Their largest concentrations are found in South Florida and the Caribbean. Regardless in the fishing world, they are one of the most prized and sought after game fish. So highly thought of, they are often referred to as the “silver king.”
The "Silver King", many a fisherman's first tarpon materializes as a smoking spool and burning thumbs as the fish rips off line at incredible speeds and explodes the surface like an ICBM launched from a submarine wearing a rhinestone suit.  It is at this time, the angler, with mouth open in awe, discovers the thrill of jumping a tarpon.  If the angler has done his job and has firmly set the hook in the cinder block hard jaw of the prehistoric gamester, he is in for one of angling's greatest challenges.  Every tarpon fisherman's responsibility is to release every tarpon , to guarantee the future of the great "silver king", and offer future generations unforgettable thrills.
Tackle Tip:
Tarpon are found in the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic coastal areas and prefer water temperatures of 72-88° F. They take shelter in the most unlikely of places...ditches, retention ponds, canals, etc. Because these waters are stagnant and oxygen depleted, natural enemies are few and far between. Yet juvenile tarpon are able to survive because they can breathe air from the atmosphere.  Tarpon can be caught casting or live bait fishing from boats or shore.  Recommended baits are shrimp, live pinfish or mullet,  blue crabs, catfish, ladyfish, and other baitfish. Tarpon fishing in Central Florida is a prime attraction.

Blue Marlin: ( Mikaira Nigricans)

The blue marlin ranges worldwide in cool to warm, temperate and tropical waters preferring temperatures of 68-88° F.  Sportfishermen worldwide spend thousands of dollars and many years in pursuit of sportfishing's most glamorous trophy.  Every angler's first encounter with a blue marlin is an unforgettable experience.  Whether the strike ends in a hook-up or a miss, the vivid electric blue of an excited marlin will be indelibly etched in the angler's mind forever.  Any size blue marlin is a trophy, even though large females can reach 2,000 lbs.  A surface water temperature gauge is a vital piece of equipment when fishing for a blue marlin.  Once  a positive hook-up is made, efficient crew team-work is essential to land the fish.  Although delicious, the blue marlin is fabulous sportfish that is best released.
Tackle Tip:
For the most productive results, trolling large whole fish baits or skirted lures at 4-8 MPH have proven effective for both the Atlantic and the Pacific blue marlin.

Snook :(Centropomus Undecimalis)

Centropomus undecimalis , better known around Florida as the snook. There are actually 4 species of snook found in Florida. (Common Snook, Fat Snook, Swordspine Snook, and Tarpon Snook) A snook is easily identifiable by the dark black line that runs the length of its body on each side and the high divided dorsal fin. Their pike-like body is very light in color, generally olive with silver sides and belly and yellowish-green tail and fins. Ocean snook tend to be more silver while those found in the coastal inshore backcountry are darker.
The snook, known also as robalo and "Old Linesides".  If ever a state has a fishing mystique, it would be that inspired by the snook in Florida.  Snook fishermen are addicted to the allure of the snook and pursue the snook with missionary zeal, whether drifting live bait on the outgoing tide near a bridge abutment, jetty or trying to deceive your quarry by casting your favorite lure into the shallows of the overhanging mangroves.  In the world of gamefish, the snook is always a gentleman and a prize that always ignites an adrenaline rush when a starting explosion at the surface followed by an aerobatic display announces hook-up. Snook are native to the coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. They are highly sensitive to water temperatures, severely stressing in waters below 60 degrees. For this reason they generally are found south of Daytona Beach and Tampa in Florida.  Average size is from 5-50 lbs. While snook are considered an inshore fish, they can be found in saltwater or freshwater and it's in this mix that snook spend a majority of their life. Snook can live close to 20 years and reach lengths up to 50 inches. The average snook that anglers find attached to their line ranges from 2-5lbs. An adult snook can reach weights up to 50-60lbs in some parts of the world, even here in Florida. The current Florida all-tackle record is 44lbs and was caught in the Ft. Myers area.

Tackle Tip:
Snook prefer the warm temperate waters of the Atlantic and Pacific coastal areas with temperatures of 70-86° F.  Bait fishing with shrimp or live pinfish, trolling with artificials, and casting medium sinking or floating lures are recommended for best results.

Yellowfin Tuna: ( Thunnus Albacares)

Also known as the allison tuna, the yellowfin tuna is an excellent big game fish found worldwide in warm seas with temperatures ranging from 60-80° F.  Yellowfin are on record of approximately 9 feet and 400 lbs., but are more common from 10-100 lbs.  They are a strong fish, renowned hard fighters with enough speed and tenacity to test the mettle of both the angler and his tackle.  Yellowfin tuna are excellent table fare and can be prepared in a variety of ways to suit your palate.
Tackle Tip:
The two favored methods for catching yellowfin tuna are drift fishing with cut bait in a chum line, commonly called "chunking", or top water trolling with artificial lures, rigged balao, or small strip baits.  Recommended bait is a small skirted lure or rigged balao trolled at 4.5-9.0 MPH.