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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:
