Florida Fishing Guide - Part 2
Florida Fishing Guide - Part 2
From the Ten Thousand Islands to Sarasota Bay, the king of fish is the tarpon. First showing its silver scales in March, tarpon fishing only gets better as the weather warms, particularly near Boca Grande and off the beaches from Marco to Pinellas County.Your next best bet is snook - both the small variety that feed inches from shore and the giants that hang out under bridges.
Sheepshead, whiting and pompano provide early action in February and March along the beaches and from the piers. Spanish mackerel and cobia can be snagged as they migrate up the coast from south to north. The grass flats are the best place to reel in speckled trout, especially in the early morning.
Gag grouper, black sea bass, yellowtail and mangrove snapper, amberjack, barracuda and king mackerel are the catch of the day offshore.
Freshwater South
The Butler Chain of Lakes near Orlando are widely known for bass fishing. Lake Okeechobee boasts incredibly productive waters, but keep in mind that there is a five bass bag limit and all bass from 13 to 18 inches must be released. One bass over 22 inches may be kept.
Lake Kissimmee and Lake Blue Cypress are home to black crappie, and Crooked Lake offers good speck and largemouth angling.
West Central
The speckled trout symbolizes inshore fishing in west central Florida. A versatile catch, you can snare them from a boat, bridge, pier or while wade fishing. During winter months, this fish will find warmth in tidal rivers and bayous like the Little Manatee in Hillsborough County. As the weather warms, they escape to the grass flats.
Freshwater North
Bass fishing between DeLand and Lake Harney is considered the best its been in years. The season begins in February, with prime fishing in the main creeks feeding into St. John's River. The Withlacoochee River, over 100 miles long, also houses largemouth bass along its stretch, and the Ocala National Forest is great canoe and wade fishing territory with its 600 lakes.
Northeast
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) between Jacksonville and Ponce Inlet offers more than 100 miles of sheltered inshore fishing for trout and redfish. Founder and king mackerel become strong in May, and the St. Augustine area is home to bluefish, tarpon and Spanish mackerel.
Daytona Beach is an angler's paradise. Whiting, sheepshead and bluefish are present in winter, and redfish, Spanish mackerel, flounder and black drum appear as the weather warms.
Panhandle
Just say "the cobia are in" and anglers everywhere get ready to reel in this spring/summer catch. Most of the fishing occurs in eight to 15 feet of water within 50 yards of shore.
There are boundless inshore and offshore fishing opportunities in the Panhandle. In mid-April, seatrout and redfish are a good bet, and one of the prettiest bodies of water, St. Joe Bay, is known for its bay scallops.
LivingToday.tv - February 22nd, 2005
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