Re: fish identification
Hi Cant. Just get yourself a slot limit sticker. They usually have illustrations of the various species printed right on the sticker. However, generally speaking Groupers are like the large mouth bass of the ocean. They have a similar shape and feeding style to bass too (i.e. ambush predators that favor structure). They can range anywhere from 3-4 lbs Gag Groupers to 300-400 Goliath Groupers (aka "Jew Fish") While you can catch grouper in relatively shallow water, most are generally caught in deeper waters with structure like ship wrecks.
Snappers on the other hand, generally have a much different shape with a flatter, more vertical body with larger more prominent head and anybody which tappers into a forked tail fin. They also tend to come in much more vibrant colors and have toothy mouths. Snapper can be caught anywhere from waist deep water (i.e. Mangrove Snapper) to 100+ ft wrecks found offshore (Red snapper). Mackerel are long skinny, silvery/spotted, scaleless, schooling fish with toothy mouths, forked tails and jagged dorsal fin. Most folks catch Spanish Mackerel while inshore, whereas King Mackerels (aka King Fish) are generally caught offshore while trolling in deep water. While grouper and snapper have nice snowy white flesh perfect for sauteeing/broiling, mackerel tend to be firmmer a bit more oily and hold up well to grilling and/or soups (very popular in Japanese cuisine.) This may help.
