Great Barracuda

Season in Florida Keys

Peak months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.

Florida Museum: nearshore reefs, seagrass and mangroves, mainly active by day. Keys Weekly: in winter barracuda lie on the grass flats where they warm up and take fast-stripped flies and tube lures. (Our inference)

Season by region

Where to find them

Grass flats in winter, where they lie in the sun; fast-retrieved tube lures or flies (Keys Weekly). Also patch reefs and channels (Florida Museum).

Opportunistic ambush predator that feeds through the whole water column; very fast over short distances (Florida Museum). In winter lies on warm grass flats (Keys Weekly).

What to look for

A long silver shape lying still over a flat or reef edge.

Bait

Live small fish such as mullet, pinfish or grunts. .

Leader

A bite-proof leader: barracuda have very sharp teeth and cut large prey into pieces (Florida Museum).

Common mistakes

• Slow retrieves; Keys guides strip or crank fast (Keys Weekly)
• Shiny gear dangling in the water; barracuda may strike at a flash (Florida Museum)

Landing

Use a net or lip grip; keep hands well away from the mouth.

Handling

• Very sharp teeth

Control the fish with a lip grip or towel and unhook with long pliers; never put fingers near the mouth.

Keep or release

Linked to ciguatera poisoning in some parts of its range and not prized as food in North American waters (Florida Museum); usually released. See the regulations file.

Recipes for great barracuda

Typical: unknown. Large: Over about 5 ft (1.5 m) is very large. Hook-and-line record 103 lb (Florida Museum).

Limits

FishOS has not checked the FL limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before you keep a fish.

Sources

• Florida Museum, Discover Fishes: great barracuda (Official source)
• Florida Keys Weekly (Bill Horn, March 2015): winter skinny-water anglers target cuda, sharks (Angler knowledge)

All the fish of Florida Keys