Fort Myers Fishing
Fort Myers has a temperate climate that allows for nice weather year-round. Because of the weather, you can experience some very good fishing throughout the different seasons in Fort Myers. The Ft. Myers, Ft. Myers Beach and Sanibel Island area offer a variety of fishing opportunities from bay and backcountry fishing for snook, redfish, trout, black drum, sheepshead, grouper, pompano, jacks, ladyfish, triple tail and tarpon. Most of these fish caught inshore are around from the spring all the way through the winter, while some species are around in bigger numbers at different times of the year. You can easily find out what’s biting best by talking to the local bait and tackle shops as well as checking out the fishing reports from the area fishing charters.
You can head offshore and catch tarpon, shark, barracuda, permit, cobia, king mackerel, black drum, sheepshead, goliath grouper, snook, bull redfish, little tunny. There are plenty of fishing charters available to take you offshore. Check out the reports to see what the fishing is like before you book your offshore fishing adventure.
Surf fishing can be good on the area beaches as well. Most surf anglers will use live bait such as shrimp, minnows or small bait fish as well as dead baits such as cut bait, fresh and frozen shrimp. Some of the good areas to fish from the shore are Cayo Coastal Island State Preserve, the Yacht Club Community Park, Rotary Park, Causeway Beaches and Fort Myers Beach.
Space Coast Fishing
Photos provided by www.floridafishinglessons.com
The Space Coast offers some of the finest fishing in all of Florida. This area has built quite a reputation for its inshore redfish fishery, but there are plenty of other fish to come here for as well. You can target the many types of fish from the surf, the Indian River, Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River, area bridges, fishing piers, marinas or one of the many charter boats in the area.
Some of the inshore species that anglers target are redfish, sea trout, snook, flounder, tarpon, ladyfish, sheepshead, whiting, spanish mackerel and black drum. If you choose to go offshore, you can catch spanish mackerel, marlin, sailfish, tuna, shark, king mackerel, cobia, tripletail and mahi mahi. There are many other fish species that are available inshore and offshore.
If you want to do some pier fishing on the Space Coast, the Cocoa Beach Pier is a good place to go. King mackerel, spanish mackerel, whiting, bluefish, flounder, sheepshead, sea bass, snapper, tarpon and trout can be caught off the pier depending on the time of year you are fishing.
Surf anglers enjoy some excellent fishing right off the beach, although, it can be hit or miss just like fishing the surf anywhere else in the state of Florida. Hit it right and you can catch tasty pompano, whiting, cobia, spanish mackerel and even sharks.
For more information on visiting the Space Coast, take a look at our tourism links below:
- Space Coast
- Space Coast Lodging
- Space Coast Fishing Charters
- Space Coast Bait Shops
- Space Coast Boat Rentals
- Space Coast Fishing Piers
- Space Coast Marinas
Jacksonville Fishing
Jacksonville, Florida is a unique fishing destination because you have plenty of entertainment and conveniences that a larger city can offer, but you can still get onto a boat and feel like you’re away on a nice fishing trip. Fishermen enjoy a variety of fishing in the area as there are excellent inshore, offshore and beach fishing opportunities available in the Jacksonville area. The top species that anglers target in Jacksonville are redfish, speckled trout and flounder, but you can catch a variety of other fish as well.
The inshore creeks and saltwater marshes hold redfish, trout, black drum, flounder and more. There are numerous anglers that enjoy flyfishing the inshore areas from a kayak or a typical saltwater boat. If you’re visiting the area and you enjoy kayak fishing, take a look at the Jacksonville Kayak Fishing website for more information. The jetty fishing can be very good as well as anglers will target sheepshead, redfish, black drum, trout, flounder and jacks.
Offshore anglers can expect to catch amberjack, tarpon, cobia and kingfish as well as many bottom species such as snapper and grouper.
For more information on visiting Jacksonville, Florida, take a look at our tourism links below.
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Jacksonville Bait Shops
- Jacksonville Boat Rentals
- Jacksonville Fishing Charters
- Jacksonville Fishing Piers
- Jacksonville Lodging
- Jacksonville Marinas
Everglades Fishing
Fishing the Everglades is truly a unique experience that very few anglers will get to enjoy. If you are heading to Naples, Marco Island or even Miami, you are not too far from the Everglades and you may want to consider hiring a guide to take you out for a memorable fishing trip. The Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the entire United States and it boasts rare and endangered species.
The fishing in the Everglades can be very fast-paced for a number of species. With the brackish, shallow backcountry bays and rivers, outside islands, oyster bars and miles of canals, there are plenty of places to fish for largemouth bass, snook, redfish, trout and tarpon.
Most people have heard of the Everglades for the largemouth bass fishing, but there is a tremendous saltwater fishery in the Everglades as well, which gives you a couple of different options when you plan a trip down here. Most of the fishing guides and charters will take you saltwater fishing for snook, tarpon, redfish or trout or bass fishing in the canals, so you need to know what type of trip you’d like to go on before hiring a guide.
The saltwater fishing consists of Florida Bay, Ten Thousand Islands and elsewhere in the National Park’s coastal zone. While most of the anglers target snook, tarpon, redfish or trout in the Everglades, there are plenty of other saltwater fish to catch while you’re here. Some of the other fish that are available are black drum, bluefish, bonefish, cobia, flounder, grouper, spanish mackerel, pompano, shark, sheepshead and snapper.
For the freshwater angler, the bass fishing can be amazing in the canals. More largemouth bass are caught here per hour than any other place in the entire state of Florida. That says a lot knowing how many excellent bass fishing lakes that are available to Florida anglers. Most guides have no problem getting their clients to catch plenty of bass using artificials, so expect to use a lot of topwater lures, plastic snakes, plastic frogs, big spoons, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, etc. Just try not to get too distracted with all of the alligators that you may see while you are fishing.
Summer months are going to be hot and humid with temperatures in the 90s, while the winter months will cool off a little bit with temperatures in the high 70s most of the time. Fishing can be good in the Everglades in the spring, summer, fall or winter.
For more information on the Everglades, take a look at our tourism links below.
Bonita Springs Fishing
Photos from Fish Buster Charters
The Bonita Springs area isn’t a top tourist destination in Florida, but there is plenty to do here and the fishing can be excellent here throughout the year. The grass flats, mangrove shorelines, oyster bars and channels of Bonita Springs and the Estero Bay area provide lots of places to catch snook, redfish, shark, trout, snapper, grouper, jack crevalle, black drum, flounder, sheepshead, pompano, triggerfish, grouper, permit and more.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with Estero Bay, it is a 7 mile long shallow water playground for anglers and it is located between Fort Myers and Naples. Mangrove trees are by far the most dominant vegetation in the bay, although, there are extensive seagrass beds that can be found within the shallow bays and sounds. The climate in the region is subtropical and the majority of rainfall occurs from June to September. Fishing is good year-round for a variety of species. Many anglers fish the bay for the redfish and they can be found year-round. If you are looking to target schooling redfish, the end of summer through fall is typically the best time to find them.
For more information on the Bonita Springs area, take a look at our tourism links below.
- Bonita Springs, Florida
- Bonita Springs Bait Shops
- Bonita Springs Boat Rentals
- Bonita Springs Fishing Charters
- Bonita Springs Lodging
- Bonita Springs Marinas
Orlando Fishing
Photos From Tim Fey’s Guide Service
Orlando, Florida is such a popular tourist destination for families, but what most people don’t realize is that the bass fishing can be outstanding in the area lakes. There are plenty of places to fish with numerous fishing guides that will come pick you up at your Disney hotel.
Some of the places that the guides fish in the Orlando area are the Conway Chain of Lakes, Lake Toho (which is actually located in Kissimmee, Florida), John’s Lake and the Walk Disney World Lake.
Because most families are coming to the Walt Disney World area for the theme parks, there may not be very much time to get away and do some fishing. If you’re not sure where to go, we recommend calling a few of the fishing guides to get some of their latest reports. Many of the fishing guides will take their clients to the lake that has the hottest bite going on. Don’t get so caught up on the lake to fish down here. Let the guides dictate where you fish. They will put you on fish. You just have to be ready to set the hook.
Walt Disney World offers some of the most exciting fishing around with their Disney Fishing Excursions. These trips are expensive, but you should have plenty of action with a chance of catching a big bass over 5 pounds. Dockside fishing is also available at some of the Disney World resorts. Make sure to check the Disney website to see where you can fish dockside.
What type of fishing can you expect in the Orlando area?
If you’re coming to Florida and you’re hiring a fishing guide, there’s a really good chance you will be shiner fishing. Shiners are basically a big type of bait fish that Florida largemouth bass love to snack on. Shiners are typically 4 to 8 inches long and even bigger. If you want to catch big bass, go big with the shiners. They are expensive, but you’ll be glad you bought them when you pull in bass in the 3 to 5 pound range with a chance at catching one in the 7 to 10 pound range.
If you enjoy fishing with lures, many of the guides will not mind, but you typically will not catch nearly as many bass.
What other fish can we catch in the Orlando area?
Most anglers fish for largemouth bass, but you can also catch big bluegill, crappie and channel catfish. The bluegill and crappie fishing can be excellent, but you have to find a guide that will fish for them.
What about boat rentals?
It’s tough to find boat rentals in the Orlando area. Try a quick search online, but we haven’t been able to find boat rentals on any of the lakes besides Disney.
What about saltwater fishing?
The saltwater fishing can be excellent within an hour to hour and a half drive from downtown Orlando. Many of the families enjoy heading over to the beach for a day or two anyways, so why not rent a fishing charter or rent your own boat to experience some excellent fishing for a variety of species such as redfish, sea trout, snook, tarpon, black drum, jack crevalle, cobia, barracuda, shark, king mackerel and more. The inshore fishing can be excellent off the Atlantic coast with the Indian River. If you’re looking to head over to the Atlantic Coast, try the following areas:
Space Coast, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach
If you want to head over to the Gulf Coast, you can experience some excellent fishing inshore, offshore or off of the piers. (Try the Skyway Piers in St. Petersburg, Florida) Check out these following areas on the Gulf Coast:
St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tampa, Bradenton, Sarasota
For more information on the Orlando area, take a look at our tourism links.
Marco Island Fishing
Photo Provided By: Sea Gone Fishing Team
What can people expect on a fishing trip to Marco Island?
Marco Island is a gorgeous area and very popular vacation destination. For anglers, the fishing can be awesome as there are a variety of fish to be caught year round in the Marco Island area. Whether you plan on fishing the deep water wrecks, the numerous backwaters, the beaches or canals, there is something here for every fishermen.
The inshore fishermen have a blast catching snook, tarpon, redfish, sea trout, jacks, snapper, grouper, barracuda, black drum, bluefish, cobia, flounder, mackerel, king mackerel, permit, pompano, sheepshead, triggerfish, whiting and others.
Spring through fall is the best time to catch snook. Tarpon fishing can be excellent from early March through June, but the juvenile tarpon (up to 50 pounds) can be caught year round. Redfish are available year round, but you can find them in larger schools the summer and early fall. Trout, whiting and pompano are caught in the backwaters almost year round. Some of the other species may be hit or miss throughout the year, so make sure to check with local bait and tackle shops as well as fishing charters to see what will be biting on your trip to Marco Island.
The offshore fishing can be very exciting. There are huge goliath grouper, sharks, permit, barracuda, red grouper, gag grouper, king mackerel, spanish mackerel and others. You will probably find a lot more inshore fishing charters than offshore charters, but there are quite a few offshore fishing charters in the Marco Island area and they can help you figure out what will be biting when you plan your fishing trip.
For more information on Marco Island, take a look at our tourism links.
- Marco Island, Florida
- Marco Island Fishing Charters
- Marco Island Lodging
- Marco Island Bait and Tackle Shops
- Marco Island Marinas
- Marco Island Boat Rentals
Amelia Island, Florida Fishing
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What can people expect on a fishing trip in the Amelia Island / Fernandina Beach area?
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There are a variety of inshore and offshire saltwater fishing trips available in the Fernandina Beach / Amelia Island area. Deep sea trolling can be excellent for a variety of fish throughout the seasons. Cobia, spanish mackerel, tuna and king mackerel are available in the spring. Sailfish, cobia, kingfish, amberjack, wahoo and barracuda are going strong during the summer months. The fall brings some consistent action for kingfish, amberjack, barracuda, cobia and bonito. Deep Sea Bottom Fishing is usually better during the cooler months of fall through spring with some excellent fishing opportunities for snapper, grouper, cobia and black sea bass.
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Amelia Island has 2 large inlets that offer some excellent bay, jetty and beach fishing. St. Mary’s and the Nassau provide some protected waters that anglers can take advantage of without worrying about getting sea sickness. The calmer waters offer tarpon, redfish, black drum, sharks, cobia, kingfish, jack crevalle, whiting, bluefish and more. Anglers can fish the backwaters if they are more interested in the light tackle options that the flats, inlets and estuaries provide. Redfish, flounder, tarpon, jack crevalle, spanish mackerel and bluefish are common in the backwaters of Amelia Island. The backwaters are where many of the saltwater fly fishermen spend their time.
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Bass fishing is also an option with the St. Mary’s and Nassau rivers. Late January through May provides some of the best bass fishing with the spawn starting in January. Plastic worms, spinnerbaits, topwater plugs and most other common bass fishing lures will work well in the rivers.
For more information on visiting the Amelia Island area, take a look at our tourism links below.
