Being that the Everglades is one-third water, it is a great place to go fishing. In the Everglades, fisherman have the opportunity to fish for snapper, sea trout, bluegill, bass, red fish, and more. Saltwater and freshwater fishing are both available in the Everglades, but fisherman need to obtain separate Florida fishing licenses in order to fish in one or both. It is essential to pay attention to the state and federal fishing guidelines to avoid fines.

When it comes to freshwater fishing, you need a Florida freshwater fishing license. You cannot use live or dead fish, amphibians, or roe for bait. You cannot dig for bait inside the park. Fishing is not allowed at

the Ernest F. Coe (Main) Visitor Center lakes, Royal Palm Visitor Center area and trails, Chekika Lake, along the first 3 miles of the Main Park Road, including Taylor Slough, or along the Shark Valley Tram Road.

For saltwater fishing, you need a Florida saltwater fishing license. Bait, except for mullet and shrimp, is not included in bag limits. Saltwater bait allowed includes shrimp, minnows, pilchards, pinfish, mullet, mojarras (shad), or ballyhoo. Bait may be taken with hook and line, dip net (not wider than 3 feet / 0.9 m) and cast net. There is no fishing is allowed in Eco, Mrazek or Coot Bay Ponds, or from the boardwalk at West Lake, or at the Flamingo Marina during daylight hours.

With saltwater fishing, fisherman need to keep and eye out for manatees.

Fisherman are not allowed to take lobster or queen conch. You can take stone crabs during the open season and blue crabs can be taken using the proper attended gear like star traps, baited lines, landing nets, etc. You are limited to 5 traps per person. You can fish for shrimp by a dip net (not wider than 3 feet) or cast net – you cannot sell the shrimp.

It’s important to note high levels of mercury have bee found in the bass in the Everglades, so they should not be eaten. You should also not eat spotted seatrout, gafftopsail, catfish, bluefish, crevalle jack, or ladyfish more than once a week by adults or once a month by children or women of child-bearing age.

While fishing, it is prohibited to take plants, seahorses, starfish, conch, tropical fish, coral, sponges, sea shells, and driftwood (except for fuel).

Explore the Everglades on An Airboat

Fishing in the Everglades can be a blast, but make sure you follow the guidelines, which can be found here.

If fishing isn’t your thing, go on the water in a different way…an airboat.

You’ll make lots of memories on an airboat ride. To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Private Everglades Airboat Tours page.

Seemingly endless amphibians live within the Everglades, including, unfortunately, some invasive species. The Everglades is the ideal habitat and breeding ground for amphibians considering there is so much water intertwined with land. Throughout the park, you can easily hear frogs and toads at any given time.

For this article, we wanted to share information on the Florida cricket frog. This frog is native to Florida and the Everglades and lives mostly all over the state. This frog can be found in freshwater places like lakes, puddles, streams, marshes, and roadside ditches.

An adult Florida cricket frog can grow to be between 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches in length. This type of frog can be different shades varying from dark brown to tan to green.

You can easily identify a Florida cricket frog by the triangular mark on the back of its head in between its eyes – they often also have a stripe along their spine, as well.

In Florida, there are three types of cricket frogs: Northern Cricket Frog, Southern Cricket Frog, and Florida Cricket Frog. The Florida cricket frog has two dark stripes on the back with no anal warts. The other two types have anal warts and different types of stripes.

The Florida cricket frog has webbed toes, do not have enlarged toe pads, and do not have enlarged glands behind the head.

This species of frog breeds from April to the fall months. They lay small clusters on plants in the water.

The cricket frog’s call sounds lick clicking similar to glass hitting another piece of glass.

Explore the Everglades on An Airboat

Come try and see (and hear) the Florida Cricket Frog on an airboat ride in the Everglades – you never know what you will see on one of these rides!

You’ll learn a lot on an airboat ride while seeing a lot of beautiful, majestic sights.

An airboat ride is a once-in-a-lifetime experience – experience it for yourself! To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Private Everglades Airboat Tours page.

The Everglades is known for its birdwatching. The region attracts all kinds of birds each year. In fact, more than 360 species of birds exist in the Park. For this article, we wanted to share some facts about the Northern Pintail, which is a type of duck.

• Northern pintails have long necks.
• These ducks are smaller than mallards.
• They have a long and pointed tail. The tail is even longer on breeding males than females and non-breeding males.
• They have long and narrow wings.
• Breeding males have a white breast and a white line down their brown head and neck.
• While flying, you can see green feathers on the winner wings of the male pintails, while females have a bronze-colored inner feathers.
• These ducks eat seeds and insects from the surface of the water. They will also eat grain.
• They can be found around the edges of wetlands, ponds, lakes, tidal marshes, bays, croplands, grasslands, wet meadows, and shortgrass prairies.
• They socialize with other ducks throughout the year and are usually in big groups.
• The Northern Pintail is known to be one of the most numerous duck species in the world.
• It is known for its elegant appearance.
• These ducks molt in the late summer.
• These ducks find most of their food under water.
• They can lay anywhere from 6 to 12 eggs at one time.

Explore the Everglades on An Airboat

As you jet through the waters of the Everglades, there is always a chance to spot a bird, whether in the sky or water. On an airboat tour, you will have the opportunity to see the Everglades up close and personal. Your airboat Captain will also educate you about some Everglades facts along the way.

Come out for the time of your life on an airboat – it will be an experience you will never forget.

To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Private Everglades Airboat Tours page.

Bartram’s Scrub-Hairstreak is a federally-endangered butterfly native to the pine rockland habitat of south Florida. Here are some facts about this species of butterfly in the Park:

• This butterfly is easily recognized by its wide, white bands with black edges.
• Their host plant is pineland croton, which they don’t fly far from. It’s usually never more than 17 feet away from the plant.
• They can be found year-round in the Park, but are not in abundant.
• Their populations have declined over the years possibly due to the destruction of the pine rockland habitat, invasive species, insecticides, collecting, and fire suppression. They also are dependent on the health and population of their host plant.
• They can be found in small amounts in Miami-Dade County and Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys.
• Bartram’s scrub-hairstreak caterpillars molt five times while growing.
• Scientists have studied this butterfly to see how it responds to prescribed fire. The National Park Service is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help keep these species of butterfly from becoming extinct.
• This butterfly is one-inch long.
• This butterfly is mostly gray in color, which it helps it blend in with the pine rockland environment.
• Males have a white abdomen while females have a gray abdomen.
• This butterfly became federally protected in 2014.

Explore the Everglades on An Airboat

Being that it’s endangered and rare to spot, it’s likely you won’t get to see this beautiful butterfly on a trip to the Everglades; however, there are plenty of other butterflies and insects for you to see on your visit.

Looking for a fun way to explore the Everglades? An airboat tour is exhilarating. You can see parts of the Everglades you’d never get to see by foot.

To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Private Everglades Airboat Tours page. We are open seven days a week 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.