FLorida- what fish and all do you usually see?

[flamingonhot]

OK, in like two weeks i'm going down to Florida (cousin's driving me down there with her) and i'm dying to go collecting. Does anyone live down there? What do you usually see? Where are the hot spots? ANy tips? Misc???

I'm going to be down by tampa is that helps out. I really want to go collecting and i'm trying to get a really good idea of what I should expect.

EDIT: i've been in florida before (lived there for 4 months but we decided to move back) but that was eight-9 years ago and I was only interested in reptiles back then.Never went into the water becuase I thought i'd get attacked by a barracuda or something!Lol

 

[tbonem91]

collecting ocean life? isnt that somewhat illegal? or are you actually allowed to do it?

 

[Guest]

Harvesting local wildlife is illegal in Fl. without permission from FWC. However trying to get permission would be like waiting for the second comming.

On the other hand if you are talking about collecting species from the local pet stores I could recommend a very good place that seems to know what they are doing and has a good selection of critters and fish. Only thing though its in Leesburg FL not tampa.

If your still into reptiles I know a guy down there that breeds snakes and by now maybe other reptillian critters aswell. If interested I could give him a call and tell him he may have a customer with some contact info if you would like?

 

[flamingonhot]

Harvesting inverts and stuff illegal? I've asked some others and they said it isn't. Also looking at the regulations it says you can as long as you follow the guidelines and bag limits. I'm under 16 so i don't need a fishing license. Or are you talking about stuff like lizards? Definitely not getting any of them when I go there, just fish and the like. I've read what you can and can't catch, bag limits, and all but want to get an idea of what you usually see so I have a heads up when I go there and don't just blindly go through the water where there might not be anything or not find what i'm looking for because I didn't know where "it" lives.

 

[moose9]

stone lobster mini season may be coming up soon,

 

[newfound77951]

I think there might be a difference between "fishing" and "collecting fish". A fishing license would allow you to catch a certain quota of different types of fish, but I think the implication is that the fish are not kept alive, i.e. you catch them with the purpose of eating them. It is illegal in many states to collect and transport live fish, even of the same species that you can "fish" for.

 

[Guest]

Yes during the lobster season you can harvest lobster. I do think that you still need to get the game stamp for it though I may be wrong being that you are a minor. However the words (Collecting and Harvesting) are for use as food only. If they havn't been killed the animal needs to be slaughtered before transport. If not dead the FWC can and probably will charge you with transportation of a native species. I do not know if this is considered a felony or a misdomenour, but considering the state its probably a felony conviction with fines and or jail time.

 

[Jermz79]

From Florida here and as far as I know there are certain species of fish and coral that can be collected. If you check the florida Fish and Wildlife site there is information regarding what and how many you can have.

Two things I know of that you can not collect. Live Rock and Florida Ricordea Shrooms. Other than that you have to have proper equipment to capture animals ... ie. Slurp Gun, Nets, bags and containers.

Check the website and you should find some interesting information.

Good Luck ... and I'm about 30 minutes north of Tampa!

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

live in tampa, and honestly i dont think youll find much of interest. im not sure about the legal aspects, but most of the beaches and such are located along the coast, like clearwater, st pete, and farther south like venice. most of the beaches have too many ppl for the critters to even be around. best thing i can say is go to the skyway peir (its in st pete) and go along the rest areas shores. youll find hermits, snails, crabs, and some fishies, but im not sure that its anything youd even want to take home. theres also a similar place on the way to clearwater, but its the same things.... hth