Florida saltwater fishing is an excellent pastime or passion, depending on your level of dedication. There are plenty of opportunities and even more reasons why this is a must for any first time angler or seasoned professional.
There are many saltwater species of fish in Florida, and chief among them are such popular catches as King Mackrel, Smyrna Trout, Middle Keys Bonefish, Waccassasa Bay Redfish, and Panhandle Pompano. Where you go and how your chosen catch will determine how you should go about snagging your limit! (And do know your limit as most regions have very strict guidelines to consider.)
If you have a desire to fish for King Mackerel, many anglers find St. Augustine Inlet a prime target that will maximize your chances for success even if you have a relatively small boat.
With catches ranging from respectable twenty pound averages to fifty-pounders being caught on a regular basis around a mile from shore in anywhere from twenty to fifty feet of water, even boats as small as fourteen feet can usually handle these conditions and bring in a respectable catch. The best conditions for fishing the St. Augustine Inlet for King Mackrel are calm waters during the month of June.
There are other Florida saltwater fishing locations to consider, too. If your target is Seatrout, Florida offers several options for prime seatrout fishing. At almost any of the popular fishing spots, you will hear on a regular basis of large numbers of very big seatrout all over the state.
One area that is particularly easy to get into is the Intracoastal Waterway North of Mosquito Lagoon and South of New Smyrna Beach. Both Mosquito Lagoon and New Smyrna Beach are popular areas for fishing, and if the Intracoastal Waterway is a little less well known, well, that has its advantages as well.
Movement of seatrout is almost always geared to light levels, clarity of the water, and the tides. Especially in the narrow inlets, it is very easy to fish for seatrout. Ideally, fishing for seatrout is best when the high tide occurs at sunrise. When this happens, the fish tend to feed at the shore edge in the mangroves. Try areas that tend to stay shaded longer for the best catches.
Fish tend to disburse with the high tides, but the lower tides see the fish congregating near the food sources down current of cuts and creek mouths. In low light, seatrout tend to be closer to the shore in anywhere from four to two feet of water but in brighter sunshine they tend to be found in anywhere from eight to five feet of water near where the shore first begins to drop into the main channels.
Should you have set your sights on Middle Keys Bonefish, you should fish the shallow flats in the hotter months of the year. If you choose to fish between the Cudjoe and Long Keys, your chances for success are excellent. Fishing such popular locations known for great bonefish as Buchanan, Arsnicker, and down the area of Big Pine gives you a great chance to bring home a great catch whether you are a boater or wading angler.
One thing all bonefish enthusiasts need to be vigilant about is timing the tides. Full incoming tide down to mid tide are the best time to be on the water if bonefish are your targets.
Dan Eggertsen is a fishing researcher and enthusiast who is committed to providing the best saltwater fishing information possible. Get more information on
Florida saltwater fishing here:
http://www.asksaltwaterfishing.com
