Hooked: Florida’s Big Fish is a collection of old-time images that documents Florida’s long history of fishing.
_The images come from the State Archives of Florida, part of the Florida State Government. _
Boasting the longest coastline in the lower 48 states, Florida has long provided a wealth of fishing opportunities.
With recreational fishing surpassing commercial fishing economically, catch and release fishing is more popular than the “days-of-old” mentality of filling the cooler.
But these photos are from the bygone days, so it’s fun to see how fishing practices have changed. Many of the photos below show fish-handling and fish- harvest practices that today are frowned upon or even illegal.
_From tarpon and sailfish, to bizarre manta rays and sawfish, Florida has attracted the curious and ambitious to test its waters for centuries. _
The images in the set illustrate some of the most-fantastic fish specimens that were caught in Florida’s waters and still are.
View the Flickr gallery below by clicking through the photos with your arrow keys on your keyboard:
