Photos

March 2015 Sport Fishing Girls

Pro photographer Hunter Ledbetter presents March's Sport Fishing Girls.

February 27, 2015

Species: Permit

Emma went all the way under to release this permit in the Florida Keys. Just mention the word permit to a fly or light-tackle fisherman and he will likely conjure up visions of a deep-bodied, silver fish ghosting over white-sand flats. WIN $200 IN CLOTHING! Sport Fishing Girls galleries are created from photos sent to us by hardcore lady anglers. We know you're out there, and we want to put your photo in our next informative girls-only galleries. You could be the winner, picked at random, of $100 worth of clothing from Salt Life. Remember, you have a 1-in-20 or 30 (depending upon size of gallery) chance of being the winner — pretty good odds! Send your photos to sfgirls@sportfishingmag.com.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Amberjack

Brandie caught this nice amberjack on light tackle near Bradenton, Florida. Amberjacks slug it out with slow, powerful fights, so check your drag settings closely.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Blackfin Tuna

Chrissy landed her first blackfin tuna while bottom fishing off Tampa. Throughout most of its range, the blackfin tuna (Thunnus atlanticus) is a piscatorial afterthought compared to yellowfins and bluefins. But it shouldn't be! For most Floridians at least, blackfins are the top tuna in local waters.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Red Grouper

Laura dropped down with a spear gun and came back up with a nice red grouper. Red grouper will attack a metal jig outfitted with a blade too. Don't be afraid to experiment with your own jigs and hard plugs for red grouper (if you're not spearfishing).Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Grouper

Laura with her grouper catch at the weigh-in in Bradenton.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Sand Perch

Laura showing some love to this odd catch, a sand perch, near Key West.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: False Albacore

Dee checks to see where the rest of her bonito went. Fishing off Key West, anglers are bound to run into some sharks. What may be surprising is how different shark species respond to catch and release fishing.Hunter Ledbetter

Gear: Castnet

Ali wears a perfect fashion statement for a lady angler, but hopefully that castnet hadn't been used earlier in the day to catch baitfish.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: White Marlin

Alysha and her first white marlin off Hatteras, North Carolina. Sport Fishing magazine covered the White Marlin Open, a highly popular billfish tournament on the Atlantic Coast, this past year.Hunter Ledbetter

Gear: Castnet

Ali using a castnet over the crystal flats of Key West.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Snapper, Grouper and Tuna

Lady anglers Quin, Chrissy, Laura and Brandie with their snapper, grouper and tuna catches. Check out these techniques to catch Gulf red snapper. WIN $200 IN CLOTHING! Sport Fishing Girls galleries are created from photos sent to us by hardcore lady anglers. We know you're out there, and we want to put your photo in our next informative girls-only galleries. You could be the winner, picked at random, of $100 worth of clothing from Salt Life. Remember, you have a 1-in-20 or 30 (depending upon size of gallery) chance of being the winner — pretty good odds! Send your photos to sfgirls@sportfishingmag.com.Hunter Ledbetter

Technique: Wadefishing

Sunni wadefishes the waters off Ballast Key, Florida. That's a lot of water for a fish to hide! In the Florida Keys, charter captains and anglers have developed a seemingly well-loved sight fishery for big bull, lemon and hammerhead sharks in the shallows.Hunter Ledbetter

Techniques: Bottom Fishing

Quin gets ready to bottom fish for some grouper. One of the most popular bottom rigs off Florida is called the chicken rig. Learn how to rig it.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Red Grouper

Laura preps a red grouper for the box — proper cold storage is vital for offshore boats. Here are six ways to create more cold-storage on any sport-fishing boat.Hunter Ledbetter

Technique: Flats Fishing

Sunni works the flats of the Florida Keys. Discover some of the best shallow-water fishing locations on the planet during the best months to visit them.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Black Grouper

Nikki proudly displays her first black grouper off Key West. Blacks range throughout the western Atlantic. The northern boundary of its range is off Massachusetts and extends east to Bermuda, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Goliath Grouper

Laura hops in the water and releases this juvenile goliath grouper near Key West. According to the FWC, harvest and possession has been prohibited in both state and federal waters off Florida since 1990.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Hogfish

Amanda landed this massive hogfish near the Dry Tortugas. Hogfish are not a snapper, but a wrasse native to the western Atlantic.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Tuna

Christina handles first tuna of the day at the Humps off Islamorada. Few places offer more dependable offshore action than this series of underwater seamounts in the Florida Keys.Hunter Ledbetter

Species: Bonnethead Shark

To finish off the day, Sunni works her shark catch to the flats boat. Check out these versatile vessels that bridge the gap between micro skiffs and bay boats. WIN $200 IN CLOTHING! Sport Fishing Girls galleries are created from photos sent to us by hardcore lady anglers. We know you're out there, and we want to put your photo in our next informative girls-only galleries. You could be the winner, picked at random, of $100 worth of clothing from Salt Life. Remember, you have a 1-in-20 or 30 (depending upon size of gallery) chance of being the winner — pretty good odds! Send your photos to sfgirls@sportfishingmag.com.Hunter Ledbetter