Fishing Florida

[Cedarsavage]

My wife and I are thinking of going to Florida this winter. Probably January or February. I’d like to fish for a day. I fished there a couple times as a kid on bayous, but I know almost nothing about fishing there. I think Sarasota is high on the list. Can you guys throw out some ideas so I have a place to start looking into what and how? Preferably diy but charter is an option. Thanks

 

[Doc Holliday]

You said DIY is preferable, so are you bringing your own rods? If so, you can probably catch some mangroves off the Venice pier pretty easily with some cut bait (threadfins/herring). This is about 15 miles south of Siesta Key.

For snook, redfish, and trout (which are all closed season until May 2021 at earliest, but you can catch and release, you will need a kayak to get to those in the intercoastal. Let me know if you rent a kayak and I can tell you where to put in. For that you would be tossing artificials.

If you want to just make it easy on yourself and get a guide, contact CB's.....they have a whole team of Captains that can put you on the fish in short order.

DIY sounds cool, but there is no substitute for well presented lively baits on the best spots, which down there is hard to do unless you are in a boat with a livewell, and know the area.

CB's Saltwater Outfitters | Boat Rentals | Fishing Charters | Parasailing | Jet Ski Rentals | Fishing Tackle |

PS - Harbor Springs, and northern MI in general, is one of my favorite places on the planet.

 

[Cedarsavage]

You said DIY is preferable, so are you bringing your own rods? If so, you can probably catch some mangroves off the Venice pier pretty easily with some cut bait (threadfins/herring). This is about 15 miles south of Siesta Key.

For snook, redfish, and trout (which are all closed season until May 2021 at earliest, but you can catch and release, you will need a kayak to get to those in the intercoastal. Let me know if you rent a kayak and I can tell you where to put in. For that you would be tossing artificials.

If you want to just make it easy on yourself and get a guide, contact CB's.....they have a whole team of Captains that can put you on the fish in short order.

DIY sounds cool, but there is no substitute for well presented lively baits on the best spots, which down there is hard to do unless you are in a boat with a livewell, and know the area.

CB's Saltwater Outfitters | Boat Rentals | Fishing Charters | Parasailing | Jet Ski Rentals | Fishing Tackle |

PS - Harbor Springs, and northern MI in general, is one of my favorite places on the planet.

I think mangroves were what I caught as a kid. In a kayak is there any concern of gators? Snook would be cool, I'll show to the wife and see if it fits in the budget. Yes on rods if we diy. Thinking we'll drive.

I've never been to Harbor Springs, one of the few parts of the state I haven't spent any time in. I'm in Marquette.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I think mangroves were what I caught as a kid. In a kayak is there any concern of gators? Snook would be cool, I'll show to the wife and see if it fits in the budget. Yes on rods if we diy. Thinking we'll drive.

I've never been to Harbor Springs, one of the few parts of the state I haven't spent any time in. I'm in Marquette.

Thanks for the info.

No, no gators in saltwater. Only thing to worry about in the kayak would be tides......the area where i will send you gets skinny on low tide.

Mangrove snapper are tasty. You can keep 5 per day. And there is a restaurant at the base of the pier called Sharky's where the wife can have frozen drinks.....also the beach there below the pier is known for being a great place to find shark and megalodon teeth.

Sharky's On The Pier - Waterfront Dining -Venice, FL

Waterfront Restaurant and tiki bar specializing in fresh seafood, and live music. Located on the Gulf of Mexico - Smack Dab on the Beach!

www.sharkysonthepier.com

 

[FLAK]

Mangrove are the best eating inshore fish there is, IMO.
And you're def going at the best time.
Look in to hiring a guide on Lake Kissimme or Stick Marsh for LM BASS.
Jan/Feb is prime time for HUGE Bass on shiners. My son caught an 11 lb. in Polk Co.

 

[Cedarsavage]

She likes to fish but that would be a good way to wrap up the day. I imagine you can get tide charts locally?

No, no gators in saltwater. Only thing to worry about in the kayak would be tides......the area where i will send you gets skinny on low tide.

Mangrove snapper are tasty. You can keep 5 per day. And there is a restaurant at the base of the pier called Sharky's where the wife can have frozen drinks.....also the beach there below the pier is known for being a great place to find shark and megalodon teeth.

Sharky's On The Pier - Waterfront Dining -Venice, FL

Waterfront Restaurant and tiki bar specializing in fresh seafood, and live music. Located on the Gulf of Mexico - Smack Dab on the Beach!

www.sharkysonthepier.com

 

[Cedarsavage]

That looks pretty cool. I’ll look into guides there. 11 lbs is way bigger than they get here thanks for the info.

Mangrove are the best eating inshore fish there is, IMO.
And you're def going at the best time.
Look in to hiring a guide on Lake Kissimme or Stick Marsh for LM BASS.
Jan/Feb is prime time for HUGE Bass on shiners. My son caught an 11 lb. in Polk Co.

 

[menhaden_man]

Call Captain Tony at TNT Freedom Fishing Charters in Sarasota, (941) 724-9793. Trust me that you will not be disappointed... also a veteran so great guy to support. I'd stop your search right there.

My brother lives in Sarasota and is buddies with Tony. I go there every year with the family (we stay on Siesta Key). PM me if you'd like, would be happy to help.

 

[Rich M]

I want you to step back and decide what you'd like to get out of your fishing day in FL. If you bring your poles you can fish for more than just a day - think we have a 1, 3, 7 day licenses.

I don't fish Sarasota area and just want to throw a few things out - an inshore/backwater guided trip will run $400 for half or $6-800 whole day trip. This is if you want to get a snook, red, or specific fish species.

DIY from far away (or even for me at 3-4 hrs away from there) is hit or miss. You can toss a shrimp on a 1/0 circle hook off a sea wall or beach or dock and catch fish - whiting are common, sand perch things too, some snappers and the occasional sea trout maybe a jack or ladyfish, etc. With a 3 or 7 day license you can squeeze and hour here and an hour there as you travel along - and fish while the wife lays on the beach... or before she wakes up in the am. Neat stuff to be seen while fishing the FL coast. If you do it for the experience and are happy with just catching fish, then it'll be a lot of fun. If you need to catch a specific or big fish, see guide above...

If you were to rent a kayak for a couple hours and go paddling around, throw soft swim baits and you'll likely get a few fish. Live shrimp is still the best bait for the most different types of inshore saltwater fish in FL. Be fun for the experience but if you really set your mind on a specific specie and "need to catch it", get a guided trip.

Another possibility is a party boat/head boat. They'll put you on a large boat with "100" other fishermen and you'll go out for bottom species. Mostly grunts and snappers but every trip they get grouper and other stuff from octopus to tuna. This is about $100 each for a full day or $75 each for 4 hours. An experience and fun, but it won't be near as tailored as a $1,000-$1,200 charter trip.

I'm on the east coast - took my mom out for 2 hours last night. Caught jack, ladyfish, sea trout, and 2 types of catfish on live shrimp and a swimbait. Saw manatees and dolphins, and tons of diff birds. Pretty sunset. Every trip is a blessing - hope you figure out what you would like to do and can fit it in to what I'm sure is a packed schedule. Enjoy your vacation.

 

[1stGenOutdoorsman]

I fished around Sanibel last thanksgiving, silver and gold spoons worked better for us than bait or other lures. It was shortly after a red tide moved through so we didn’t get anything all that great, lots of small fish of various species especially along the causeways. My family has isn’t as into fishing as I am so I couldn’t get anyone interested in a kayak rental or guided trip but those would be the way to go in my opinion. Kayak for the satisfaction of figuring it out yourself, guide if you want better fish and cutting out the learning curve of a new fishery.

 

[FWoodKyle]

In my experience the snook are pretty lethargic during the winter if it’s cold. We will see monsters swimming in 4’ of water in the canals and they won’t touch a bait. If you can get one to take in the canals it’s a challenge to get them out of the docks.

 

[Netherman]

How'd you end up doing? I'll be leaving the mitten and headed to Florida end of March and have been looking into my fishing options. Wife, 12mo old, and I will be staying in Naples, but will probably spend a day in Sarasota visiting my uncle who just moved there.

I'm thinking some pier fishing will probably be my best bet with the 12mo old around, but will be looking into a kayak rental for a morning or afternoon. Fishing the mangroves for mangrove snapper sounds like the FL equivalent of MI brook trout fishing (good bit of exploring with a meal mixed in).