inshore strawberry

saltwater shiner

lunched the boat just after the rain, headed for the grouper hole, the wife got 2 mother inlaws, few mins go by and drag starts peelin set the hook and up comes this fine pice of dinner, wife set the hook on one couldnt get it to the boat but a good nite for the dinner table

fish_stix

That's a red grouper, not a strawberry.

SammyT

yep, thats a red

Fish Tails

SammyT wrote: »

yep, thats a red

And he has really small feet. :wink

saltwater shiner

size 13 isnt small and 2hat the hell is a strwberry then

Lead slinger

little spots look like the seeds on a strawberry. smaller specie but tasty

Uncle Buck

Oh boy... here we go.

First off, that's a Red Grouper you caught, Shiner. As I don't see a tape measure in that photo, I won't speculate on it's legality.

Second, that's not an illustration of a Strawberry Grouper, Lead Slinger... that's a Red Hind.

The irony is that a true Strawberry Grouper Epinephelus drummondhayi (aka: Speckled Hind, Kitty Mitchell, Calico Grouper), has a color pattern that looks opposite that of an actual strawberry. They have many small LIGHT spots on a DARK background... which is the inverse of the several other similar species that have darker spots on a lighter background.

This is a Strawberry Grouper: These are NOT a common catch, are are usually found on deeper reefs... 200-300ft.
Federal: prohibited. State: 1 per vessel, no minimum size, no closure.



—————

Red Grouper: They're actually more brown than red.
Federal & State: closed January 1 thru April 30. 3 per angler grouper aggregate, 20 inch minimum size.



—————

Red Hind: These are probably the most common on the reefs, and most often mis-named "strawberry groupers" because of their bright red color. And honestly, I think they look more like a strawberry than a true Strawberry Grouper.
Federal & State: closed January 1 thru April 30. 3 per angler grouper aggregate, no minimum size.



—————

Rock Hind:
Federal & State: closed January 1 thru April 30. 3 per angler grouper aggregate, no minimum size.



—————

Coney: The spots on the red phase are sometime ringed with blue. These can also be a bright yellow at a certain times of their lifecycle.
Federal & State: closed January 1 thru April 30. 3 per angler grouper aggregate, no minimum size.





I know my post may seem condescending, but my aim is to inform. Especially since this information could mean the difference between a legal catch and a $500 fine.

dpdash

Very nice comparison Bill, never knew kitty Mitchell's were strawberrys

saltwater shiner

ok that was my wrong so I got a nice red grouper for dinner thank you for clearing that up

Uncle Buck

Fair enough. Learn by experience. :grin

Fireman Bill

Make sure you know what it is before you kill it. I had spanish mackerel checked while fishing from the beach one morning. The FWC was checking for short kingfish. We were good but if we had been wrong I think a ticket was coming.

Fireman Bill

Flat yakkin

:AgreeYou might as well throw in pics of the gag and blacks too and the comparison with the reef pig, goliath!!

Uncle Buck

I just wanted to compare the ones that are similar in color or name to red or strawberry.

Gag, Black, Scamp, Goliath, Warsaw, Nassau, Mistic, Broomtail, Snowy, Yellow Edge, Yellow Mouth ... that's a whole 'nother lesson! hahaha

A1A Sportsman

no he didn't...................

seahuntetec

Great information, thank you. Starting of with "Oh Boy ---here we go" probably was not necessary. Your clarification at the end of post and obvious knowledge was well received by this fishing enthusiast. Thanks again!