Best Florida Saltwater Fishing Destinations

With 1,350 miles of coastline and 2,276 miles of tidal shoreline, Florida offers its anglers plenty of opportunities to catch inshore saltwater fish throughout the year.Captain Billy Henderson of Deep South Outfitters favors the inshore fishing on the Gulf Coast around his home waters in the Crystal River area but he also highly ranks other parts of the state that offer excellent fishing for tarpon, speckled sea trout, redfish, snook and cobia. Henderson lists the following areas on the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts as great destinations for inshore saltwater action.

Atlantic Coast Saltwater Fishing Destinations

Jacksonville:

The St. Johns River is a haven for big redfish. In September and October, reds up to 50 pounds can be caught on the river near Mayport.

St. Augustine:

The Salt River is one of the most popular inshore spots for redfish. The flats and creeks off the Intracoastal are hot spots for trout, redfish and snook.

Banana River:

The shallow waters of the Banana River Lagoon around Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach provide plenty of seagrass flats for harboring sea trout. The lagoon’s mangrove swamps are also havens for snook.

Stuart:

“The Stuart area is legendary for big snook,” says Henderson. “It is a major snook fishery on the East Coast.” Henderson rates late summer as the prime time for trophy snook since the fish are spawning then. Spring and fall also provide plenty of action for big nook in the Stuart area.

Gulf Coast Saltwater Fishing Destinations

Everglades and Keys:

The Florida Keys, especially around Marathon and Islamorada, are mainly known for tarpon fishing. Large numbers of sea trout are caught annually in the Ten Thousand Islands area of the Everglades. Henderson lists the Chokoloskee area as a prime destination for catching redfish, snook, trout and cobia.

Boca Grande:

World famous for its tarpon fishing, Boca Grande is reputed to have the world’s largest tarpon population from April through August.

Tampa Bay:

The flats in the southern part of Tampa Bay are known as a good snook fishery, according to Henderson.

Chassahowitzka:

When he targets trophy sea trout, Henderson heads for the waters around the Chassahowitzka River. “We catch a lot of big 5 to 10-pound trout which is unheard of along the Gulf Coast,” he says.

Big Bend area:

Henderson claims the Big Bend area from Cedar Key to Homosassa has always been known for its high concentration of redfish that prefer the shelves and limestone bottom of these coastal waters. Tarpon caught in the Crystal River area have set fly fishing world records. “The outflow of the river makes it a prime location for tarpon fishing," Henderson said. “Our spring fed rivers keep a lot of big snook around so we have a great snook fishery there.”

Panhandle:

The mouth of the St. Marks River is legendary for big trout, according to Henderson. “The whole coastline all the way to Louisiana is famous for its big trout, big redfish and cobia,” he says. The veteran guide suggests anglers can catch 100 redfish a day in September while anchoring at the bridge across the Apalachicola Bay.