Does anyone collect their own fish?

[ThePurple12]

Well, this is the 3rd time I’ve asked this question today on R2R, but there are multiple categories it could go under....

Does anyone know of any good collecting spots in the Tampa/Clearwater area? Specifically looking for lined seahorses for my seahorse tank, but open to anything.

I’m on vacation here and want to seize the opportunity. It’s a whole new world for someone from rural Virginia!

 

[CuzzA]

You need to buy a fishing license and check the regs of what you can and can't take. Finding a seahorse would be rare. Finding reef fish would require going offshore to our reefs. There are plenty of crabs and snails that can be found in skinny water grass flats. Try Fred Howard Park.

 

[ThePurple12]

Thanks, I'll check it out. Looks great from the pictures.

 

[jefra]

You need a license to take anything alive, except on license-free days: First consecutive Sat/Sun in June, first Sat in September, Sat after Thanksgiving. A license is fairly cheap, however, and supports the FWC who are essential for protecting our beaches and waters. You can even submit pictures to them and they'll identify the species for you. Certainly a worthwhile cause.

Certain fish are pretty easy. Pipefish are plentiful close to shore too. Lots of damselfish, wrasses, parrotfish. In deeper waters, there's non reef-safe angelfish (cherub is debatable), butterflyfish.

Inverts are much, much easier. I make up the cost of the license within a day or two or paying for license renewal. Essentially limitless cerith and tulip snails. Fighting conchs, urchins, sand sifting starfish, pistol shrimp, emerald crabs. Mats of macroalage filled with hundreds of baby feather dusters, baby ceriths, and pods galore. Lots of gorgonians, both NPS and photosynthetic.

 

[ThePurple12]

Thanks Jefra. I ended up getting some seagrass, a few dwarf seahorses, a pipefish, 2 gorgonians, and some shrimp.

 

[jefra]

Thanks Jefra. I ended up getting some seagrass, a few dwarf seahorses, a pipefish, 2 gorgonians, and some shrimp.

Sweet! That's a good haul, where did you go? Did you snorkel or just collect in a grass flat?

 

[ThePurple12]

I mainly ran a net through a grass flat, though I found the gorgonians on a rock while snorkeling. Very fun!

 

[jefra]

I mainly ran a net through a grass flat, though I found the gorgonians on a rock while snorkeling. Very fun!

Very cool, was this at Fred Howard Park or somewhere else?

 

[ThePurple12]

No, we ended up not having enough time to go to Fred Howard. It was just a random grass flat along the road

 

[GuppyHJD]

Thanks Jefra. I ended up getting some seagrass, a few dwarf seahorses, a pipefish, 2 gorgonians, and some shrimp.

Are you netting? Slurp gun? Container pushing?
To get the seahorses - from the beach or diving?

 

[ThePurple12]

I used a seine net in a grass flat. The dwarf seahorses were really common, so I probably could've just used a dip net.

 

[Tired]

Some of the coolest live stuff I've found at the seashore has just been at random spots along the road. Ligia sp. isopods I was catching for a friend, green porcelain crabs, loads of hermit and fiddler crabs. I just used Google Earth to look around until I spotted an area that looked like an easily accessible spot, then went.

 

[PicassoClown04]

I went to Panama City beach, cake back with a bunch of cocoa damselfish, red climber crabs (the red version of emerald crabs, same purpose as cuc), a Molly Miller blenny (no more aptasia yay!), and of course a lot of cuc members like snails and hermits. I found these beautiful white and purple hermit crabs at the Panama City beach and nowhere else. There were some nice starfish and of course pipefish, a pair of juvinile butterfly fish, pilotfish, small silver minnowish fish, and even a stingray (these fish and ray were released immediately as I cannot care for them).

Great netting, you get some weird looks but usually people are quite impressed when they get close. Very impressed about the seahorses! I wouldn’t be able to keep them due to their diet but I would love to see one in the wild!

 

[ThePurple12]

Some of the coolest live stuff I've found at the seashore has just been at random spots along the road. Ligia sp. isopods I was catching for a friend, green porcelain crabs, loads of hermit and fiddler crabs. I just used Google Earth to look around until I spotted an area that looked like an easily accessible spot, then went.

That's basically the same thing I did- scan Google Earth for some good seagrass/rock spots.