Species Spotlight Archives - Page 4 of 5

May 30, 2026

Species Spotlight: Flathead catfish

July 23, 2020 Brian Cope

Flathead catfish make a big splash wherever they show up. They are highly adaptable to a wide range of waters and can live in very harsh conditions. […]

The majority of red snapper harvested from the Gulf of Mexico are between 2 and 7 years old.

Species spotlight: Red snapper

July 9, 2020 Brian Cope

Red snapper are large snappers that are most often found near reef habitats, livebottom habitats, platforms, shipwrecks and artificial reefs. […]

Yellowfin tuna are targeted around a lot of rigs in the Gulf of Mexico once the weather begins to warm.

Species spotlight: Yellowfin Tuna

June 11, 2020 Brian Cope

Yellowfin tuna swim throughout all the tropical and subtropical oceans of the earth. These big, bluewater fish are fun to catch and quite tasty. […]

Species Spotlight: Largemouth bass

April 23, 2020 Brian Cope

Bass are the nation’s No. 1 gamefish because of their existence in such a wide variety of water types. They also eat just about anything. […]

Most wahoo have black-blue vertical bars the length of their bodies.

Species Spotlight: Wahoo

April 9, 2020 Brian Cope

Wahoo are among the fastest fish in the ocean, are hard-fighting, and are also one of the tastiest. That’s why they are highly sought after by anglers. […]

The author shows off a nice channel catfish that will make somebody a great meal.

Species spotlight: Channel catfish

February 8, 2020 Brian Cope

Channel catfish are known as the smallest of the “big three” species of catfish, but they occupy a huge place in freshwater fisheries in the U.S.A. […]

Black crappie (left) and white crappie (right) are often caught in the same bodies of water. They’re similar, but different.

Species spotlight: crappie

January 18, 2020 Brian Cope

Crappie are one of the most popular gamefish among anglers in America. Many anglers don’t realize it, but crappie come in two varieties: black and white. […]

A dark “teardrop” marking below the eye of a flier differentiates it from other members of the sunfish family.

Take a flier on this bream

October 1, 2019 Brian Cope

The flier, Centrarchus macropterus, exists sparingly throughout America, but it can be found in big numbers in certain bodies of water. […]

Species spotlight – African pompano

August 13, 2019 Brian Cope

African pompano (alectis ciliaris) are saltwater fish that are usually caught in deep, offshore water around wrecks and artificial reefs. […]

Sheepshead like this one are often caught around docks, where the fish search for food among the barnacles that grow on the wooden structures.

Species spotlight: Sheepshead

July 17, 2019 Brian Cope

Sheepshead are sought after by many anglers for their sporty fight as well as their tasty table fare. Most succesful anglers devote a lot of time to them. […]

Ethan Cox shows off a chunky warmouth caught on ultralight gear in a millpond. Warmouth are often overlooked or misidentified by fishermen.

Species spotlight: Warmouth Sunfish

June 18, 2019 Brian Cope

Warmouth sunfish are one of the lesser-common panfish species. They are fun to catch and tasty table fare, but are often misidentified by anglers. […]

Species spotlight: Swordfish

May 3, 2019 Brian Cope

Swordfish (Xiphias gladius), often referred to as broadbills or broadbill swordfish, are highly sought-after by offshore anglers around the world. […]