Havana & the Northern Cays, Cuba

Tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

The silver king — a giant, chrome, leaping gamefish that defines Florida's late-spring flats and passes. Sight-fished with bait or fly, it is a fish of a lifetime.

Bonefish

Albula vulpes

The grey ghost of the flats — a mirror-silver speedster that feeds tailing in inches of water in the Florida Keys and on Oahu, and burns off line like nothing its size.

Gray Snapper

Lutjanus griseus

Florida's everywhere snapper — gray (mangrove) snapper live under every dock and mangrove in the state, then grow bold and heavy on Gulf reefs in summer. Perfect first snapper on light tackle.

Yellowtail Snapper

Ocyurus chrysurus

The signature snapper of the Florida Keys — yellowtail rise off the reef into a chum slick and reward light line, small baits and patience. Summer nights and steady chumming produce flag-sized fish.

Yellow Jack

Caranx bartholomaei

A sleek reef jack of South Florida and the Keys, recognised by its yellow tail and fins. Unlike most jacks it is a good table fish, and juveniles are famous for riding with stingrays and sharks over the flats and patch reefs. Long listed in the genus Carangoides; the current accepted genus is Caranx.

Bar Jack

Caranx ruber

A small reef jack of the tropical western Atlantic — Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba and the wider Caribbean — with a striking dark bar through the eye. A fun light-tackle fish over clear reefs, often schooling above the reef.

Blackfin Snapper

Lutjanus buccanella

A deepwater red snapper of Caribbean slopes — very common around the Antilles, told by the black blotch at the base of the pectoral fin, and taken on bottom rigs and handlines in 40-200 m.

Coney

Cephalopholis fulva

The smallest Caribbean grouper — a colour-changing reef dweller in red, bicolour and yellow phases, from Florida and the Bahamas through the Caribbean. Taken on light bottom rigs over patch reefs.

Black Margate

Anisotremus surinamensis

The dark, high-backed Atlantic cousin of the burrito grunt, usually found alone or in small groups under reef ledges. It is one of the larger grunts and a strong fighter on reef tackle.

Tomtate Grunt

Haemulon aurolineatum

One of the most abundant small grunts in the western Atlantic, forming huge bait-stealing schools over reefs and sand. Great fun on light tackle and a classic first reef fish.

Caesar Grunt

Haemulon carbonarium

A boldly striped Caribbean grunt of clear reef water, often in mixed schools with other grunts. Its dark stripes and black tail spot make it one of the easier grunts to name.

French Grunt

Haemulon flavolineatum

Probably the most common grunt on Caribbean coral reefs, unmistakable in its yellow livery. Huge daytime schools pour out of reef shelter at dusk to feed over grass beds.

Bluestriped Grunt

Haemulon sciurus

A yellow grunt striped with brilliant blue, and one of the showiest fish on Caribbean reefs. It schools by day and feeds over grass and sand at night.

Saucereye Porgy

Calamus calamus

A deep-bodied reef porgy named for its strikingly large, saucer-like eye. Adults hold near coral and sponge bottom while juveniles start life over vegetated sand.

Mahogany Snapper

Lutjanus mahogoni

A small, big-eyed Caribbean snapper of clear shallow reefs, reddish-brown like polished mahogany. It gathers in daytime schools and feeds at night, and is a classic light-tackle reef fish.

Palometa

Trachinotus goodei

A small, deep-bodied pompano of surf and clear bays, famous for the long black streamers on its dorsal and anal fins. It schools in the wash, feeds on sand-dwelling prey and is a favourite light-tackle beach fish.

Southern Sennet

Sphyraena borealis

A small, schooling barracuda relative of Florida and Caribbean inshore water, forever in motion over mud and reef. Taxonomy note: the fish long called southern sennet (Sphyraena picudilla) is treated by Catalog of Fishes as the same species as the northern sennet, Sphyraena borealis.

Agujon Needlefish

Tylosurus acus

The big western Atlantic needlefish, a surface hunter with a toothed beak that skitters and leaps after baitfish. This page covers the western Atlantic form (long written Tylosurus acus acus); it is more often a spectacular bycatch and bait than a target.

Sergeant Major

Abudefduf saxatilis

The Atlantic's bold little striped damselfish, in yellow-green with five black bars, swarming over shallow reef tops and around piers. Taxonomy matters here: FishBase is explicit that Abudefduf saxatilis is strictly Atlantic — the look-alike Pacific fish is a separate species, Abudefduf troschelii, so no Pacific distribution is claimed on this page.

Atlantic Threadfin (Barbu)

Polydactylus virginicus

The barbu is a small Caribbean threadfin with seven free pectoral filaments, common over sand and mud in surf and estuaries and a frequent, willing catch on small shrimp baits.

Queen Triggerfish

Balistes vetula

⚠ The queen of Caribbean reefs — a spectacular blue-streamered triggerfish that blows water to topple sea urchins; IUCN lists it as Near Threatened with declining populations, so fish responsibly, follow local rules, and release where required.

Orangespotted Filefish

Cantherhines pullus

A shy western Atlantic filefish of shallow reefs, recognised by orange spots on the rear body; mostly an incidental catch on small reef baits and best released.

Bandtail Puffer

Sphoeroides spengleri

A small western Atlantic puffer of seagrass and reef flats, recognised by the dark band at its tail base — poisonous like other puffers and always to be released, never eaten.

Redtail Parrotfish

Sparisoma chrysopterum

A common Caribbean parrotfish that grazes algae from reef and rock, keeping reef surfaces open for coral — an encounter species best admired and released, as parrotfish are discouraged as food in many places for their grazing role.

Yellowtail Parrotfish

Sparisoma rubripinne

A widespread Caribbean parrotfish — yellow-tailed as a juvenile/initial-phase fish and red-finned as a terminal male — that grazes algae off reefs and is best released to keep reefs clean for coral.