Beginner inshore fishing

[def90]

Gulf and east coast also have the inner coastal waterway as well as tons of estuaries and inlets that tye west does not have.

 

[slvrslngr]

Let me throw a counterpoint at you, the grass isn’t always greener on the coast. Living on the coast can be challenging, cost of living is typically higher and wages can be lower. Keep your Idaho residence and just fly out to new places for fishing, concerts and other entertainment. You can drive to the Oregon and Washington coasts for a long weekend. Of course if you’re just ready for a change, go for it!

 

[Okhotnik]

I know every inch of the Oregon coast, from surf perch fishing at Brookings to combat fishing/fighting for salmon at Buoy 10. I've steelhead fished the Wilson River, Sandy River, Umpqua, Pistol, all of them.

My advice is head to Biloxi, Mississippi. My retired dad moved there and it is amazing fishing and extremely affordable. You can have incredible pier/shore fishing and meet the friendliest people in the US.

Good luck on your travels, don't overthink it - just go...for serious fishing reasonable housing and year round ocean fishing that would be my first choice or down by Port Everglades

 

[PNWGATOR]

Skip the fluff and head straight to the Florida Keys. You want inshore and offshore fishing, it’s there. Arguably, the best saltwater guides in the States are there. It’ll be the quickest location to learn the most with tremendous diversity in opportunity.

 

[pk_]

Skip the fluff and head straight to the Florida Keys. You want inshore and offshore fishing, it’s there. Arguably, the best saltwater guides in the States are there. It’ll be the quickest location to learn the most with tremendous diversity in opportunity.

Yea the keys are the best but I would never want to live there, unless you are wanting to immerse completely in the fishing. You are kind of cut off from the rest of the state and the world lol. I am in southern palm beach county and I can take day trips to the keys, ENP, Chokoloskee etc… but I never end up going anywhere tho cause the Gulfstream just about touches the coast right here in Boynton and I can leave my driveway, launch and have lines out offshore in less than 30 mins from cranking up the truck. Flat day I can be to Bahamas in a few hours. It’s pretty crazy.

4 hours to key west. 4 hours to Jacksonville. 4 hours to Tampa. 3 hours to Orlando. Not sure where the venues are for fights and whatnot but pretty much the whole state besides the panhandle is easy driving distance…

If you end up on the east coast of FL going offshore from about Martin county north is a whole different ballgame than Palm beach county and south. My friends up in Daytona and Jacksonville have to run out like 50-60 miles to hit the gulfstream, screw that noise. Guys down here fish Pelagics offshore with kayaks launching off the beach.

Gulf coast is also a haul to get offshore but lots of inshore fishing. Up around the big bend and the panhandle would keep you within reasonable out of state hunting…

Lots of great options.

Limit on mahi is 10/day, 20” minimum. They are a lot of fun.

 

[Hschweers]

Yea the keys are the best but I would never want to live there, unless you are wanting to immerse completely in the fishing. You are kind of cut off from the rest of the state and the world lol. I am in southern palm beach county and I can take day trips to the keys, ENP, Chokoloskee etc… but I never end up going anywhere tho cause the Gulfstream just about touches the coast right here in Boynton and I can leave my driveway, launch and have lines out offshore in less than 30 mins from cranking up the truck. Flat day I can be to Bahamas in a few hours. It’s pretty crazy.

4 hours to key west. 4 hours to Jacksonville. 4 hours to Tampa. 3 hours to Orlando. Not sure where the venues are for fights and whatnot but pretty much the whole state besides the panhandle is easy driving distance…

If you end up on the east coast of FL going offshore from about Martin county north is a whole different ballgame than Palm beach county and south. My friends up in Daytona and Jacksonville have to run out like 50-60 miles to hit the gulfstream, screw that noise. Guys down here fish Pelagics offshore with kayaks launching off the beach.

Gulf coast is also a haul to get offshore but lots of inshore fishing. Up around the big bend and the panhandle would keep you within reasonable out of state hunting…

Lots of great options.

Limit on mahi is 10/day, 20” minimum. They are a lot of fun.

Agree with this. Take trips to the keys, don’t live in the keys. I think the gulf coast is your better bet if inshore is the game you want to play.

 

[svivian]

I’m not sure your experience but since it hasn’t been said you need a good understanding of weather, wind, and tide tables. Knowing what conditions to expect can be the difference of an enjoyable trip or one that will cause your family to never go again.

 

[Red Letters]

^^^^ I’ve only had a bay boat a few years and the learning curve from fresh water to salt water is huge. We fish the Texas coast and there is almost always wind blowing… hard, I spend most of my time keeping the boat off oyster reefs and manage to chunk a few baits in between. My wife said if I run over one more sand bar she is going to start calling me captain crunch.
Our bays are tough to navigate if you aren’t real familiar with the channels or can run super skinny, my boat doesn’t, I got a V bottom thinking I might want to run offshore from time to time and still be able to fish the bays. There is no such thing as one size fits all.

I still haven’t figured out how to really get on the fish, turns out the learning curve with that is just as big.
I’m doing all of this on my own, meaning its just me trying to guide my bride. I guess I need to break down and hire a few real guides, those guys are 600-700 dollars a day though.

My only regret is not starting this 20 years ago and having bought a place thats on the water or real close to it. The back and forth from where we live to go to the bay is a huge ordeal and not something you really want to do just for a day.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Skip the fluff and head straight to the Florida Keys. You want inshore and offshore fishing, it’s there. Arguably, the best saltwater guides in the States are there. It’ll be the quickest location to learn the most with tremendous diversity in opportunity

Agree with this. Take trips to the keys, don’t live in the keys. I think the gulf coast is your better bet if inshore is the game you want to play.

Yep, just visit the Key$$$$.

 

[hawkman71]

Eastern NC here. North of @def90 a little way if he's near Wilmington. We have so much inshore, brackish water in this area, the fishing opportunities are fantastic. You can be fishing for flounder, redfish (red drum, channel bass, reds), spotted seatrout (aka "trout" or "speckled trout"), stripers, and even tarpon in places, and never go offshore. All inside the barrier islands, part of which are known as the Outer Banks. I use a small 17' tunnel-hull boat (Pathfinder 17T). I have to pick my days b/c of wind direction and waves but on a v-hull or larger skiff like a Carolina Skiff, no problems for most on any day.

Then, you can head TO the outer banks and surf fish or pier fish. Or charter a boat. Or, as @def90 said, go offshore yourself.

I suggest possibly checking out EliasV on youtube. He'll make you sick with his success rate but he's down near Wilmington and goes offshore in a kayak plus does some inshore stuff.

 

[deltadukman]

I live in Central Mississippi and have fished all over the northern gulf, the keys, etc. Talking about purely fishing, you will not beat the inshore fishery of South Louisianna anywhere in the USA. There's a learning curve to inshore fishing, but it's nothing you can't do if you know much about fishing. Go with a few guides. I can recommend some in South LA, and learn. Boat navigation is important, then knowing where the fish are at different times of the year. Other than that, most saltwater fish are more predatory, and you can catch them in all different kinds of ways, from popping corks and shrimp to artificials. Having time to get on the water and try is the best way to figure it out.

 

[MJB]

Just hit San Diego when the water warms up early summer through late fall. We have cows and super cows in the BFT variety for the last few years right offshore.
Normal years we have great yellowtail, yellowfin, bonita & Dorado too.

When the albacore come back don't miss them 35lbs and a screaming reel is suck an adrenaline rush!

We have Covina & bonefish in our inshore fishing and kelp paddies on the coast for bass, YT and other kelp forest dwellers.

We also have the next world record LMB swimming in a few local lakes!

 

[bozeman]

@deltadukman is spot on for Louisiana......I drive down from Bama often.....fantastic inshore/offshore fishing.....

 

[bayangler]

I do a bit of coastal fishing, mostly out of Half Moon Bay in Northern CA. It's not something I grew up doing so I've had to rely on multiple outside sources for knowledge - friends, forums, reading, etc. Best thing I did was to start paying attention to weather/ocean reports on a regular basis and then comparing them to actual conditions whenever I could. I quickly found comfort level varies greatly between individuals and determining what days you're comfortable launching goes a long way to making for a safe, enjoyable trip.

 

[Boarmaster]

Best way to learn is to hook up with someone who has been fishing the area you move to. When I started I ended up with a friend who had a boat and who knew the area. He appreciated someone who could fish about every weekend and who got his wallet out to pay the boat expenses. eventually I bought a boat that could go more shallow than his bay boat. We still fish together today. But we fish out of yaks now.
We both sold our boats. this isn't the only way to get started but its the best way in my opinion.

 

[FLATHEAD]

I"ll 2nd the Yaks. I love the simplicity, and no maintenance.
Throw it in the back of the truck and go.
I've caught everything from Bluegill to Shark out of mine.

 

[Studd muffin]

Baton Rouge/New Orleans area is pretty good. Couple hours from the coast. Can do all kinds of red fish, trout, flounder fishing inshore. Then go offshore in a bay boat on nice days and catch whatever you want. Lake Charles area isn't too bad either. Close to Houston and maybe an hour from the coast. Lots of inshore fishing opportunities in that area. If you get into offshore fishing, you will have to go out much further than if you were on the East side of the state.

 

[Huntindog45]

Skip the fluff and head straight to the Florida Keys. You want inshore and offshore fishing, it’s there. Arguably, the best saltwater guides in the States are there. It’ll be the quickest location to learn the most with tremendous diversity in opportunity.

he is not wrong.