Florida possesses as much as 3 million acres of lakes, with another 12,000 miles of flowing waterways such as rivers and streams. This gives freshwater anglers many potential destinations in Florida, with the saltwater fisherman also having an immense array of choices. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) notes that there are the coastal waters of the state hold more than 1,000 marine fish species. Fishing is a major pursuit amongst the sportsmen in Florida in these varied venues.
Types of Fish
In Florida's freshwater habitats, gamefish include species such as bass, pickerel, catfish and crappie. In the saltwater environs, gamefish types include the sailfish, permit, bonefish, tarpon, redfish and snook. In addition, fish such as grouper, sea bass, marlin, snapper, flounder and mackerel inhabit Florida's coastal waters, providing anglers with many different types of fish to target.
Variety of Methods
Florida is attractive to anglers because the various species of fish in the state are subject to a variety of methods, giving every type of angler fish that they may target. If you fish on the bottom with heavy tackle in freshwater for instance, you may go after flathead catfish, with night being the ideal time to fish for them. Those that prefer light tackle can opt for bluegill, which you can catch with live bait or artificial lures and flies.
Locating Saltwater Gamefish
Anglers should seek the popular saltwater species of bonefish in the shallows around the Florida Keys. This fish often is in 1 foot or less of water. Permit are most abundant in South Florida waters both offshore and inshore. The common snook hangs close to shore, often in brackish scenarios, with this game fish swimming near structures and mangrove swamp shorelines. The hard-fighting swordfish can be in waters as deep as 400 to 500 fathoms, according to the Indian River Florida website.
Florida Bass Fishing
The Florida subspecies of the largemouth bass is the state's most sought-after game fish, states the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This bass aggressively strikes a variety of live baits and artificial lures, putting up a strong fight after you hook it. A part of the sunfish family of fishes, this bass has sides featuring light shades of green and brown, with an upper jaw that will make its way past the fish's eye. This fish favors non-flowing water that has an adequate amount of cover and food. Florida has the lure of other types of bass fishing, with the spotted bass a species sought in the Panhandle rivers, including the Apalachicola River and the Perdido River.
Florida Lakes
Some of the major Florida fisheries include a number of large lakes. Blue Cypress Lake outside of Vero Beach is a 6,550-acre body of water. The massive Jim Woodruff Reservoir near the border with Georgia is 37,500 acres. The Orlando area features 30,700-acre Lake Apopka, while the central section of Florida is the location of Lake George, which covers some 46,000 acres. These fisheries are small compared to the 448,000-acre Lake Okeechobee, found in south-central Florida. All of these venues hold bass, panfish, crappie and catfish.
References
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Fish Identification:Saltwater
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Florida Fishing Regulations:Saltwater Edition2010 (pages 4,6)
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Black Bass:Largemouth Bass
- Indian River Florida: Fish Identification
Member Comments