Understanding Florida Fishing Seasons
Last Updated on September 20, 2024 by Boatsetter Team
Let’s say for the sake of argument that you’re planning a big trip to Florida, you’re going to try some fishing, and you even have a Florida fishing boat rental lined up. If you’ve landed here on this page, there’s a very good chance that’s exactly the situation. And in all likelihood you’re doing some research right now to find out about the different Florida fishing seasons and how to be successful when you finally get there and head out onto the water. Fear not, dear angler: we’ll address each season one by one.
Summer Fishing in Florida
While the rest of the country is enjoying a taste of the sunshine Floridians get all year long, it can become overly hot this far south. In some parts of the state, this won’t be prime time for certain species, as some of the fish can get uncomfortably hot even beneath the water’s surface, and others migrate north. That said, there are still some excellent bites going off.
When deciding what you’ll target during the summer months, remember that most of the migratory species which have strong spring and/or fall runs will likely be tough or impossible to find. But Florida is a huge state, so this will vary from place to place. Take kingfish, for example. They can be caught year-round in the Keys, but peak action comes during the winter months. All the way up the coast in Jacksonville, on the other hand, the middle of the summer is generally the best time to target them. Each individual species is a bit different and you’ll have to research the habits of the specific one you hope to target, but remember that unlike many northern climates, the middle of the summer won’t necessarily be the very best time to target all the different fish swimming in these waters.
Fall Fishing in Florida
Most anglers would agree that generally speaking, fall is peak fishing time throughout the state. Some of the warmth-loving species will already have departed northern areas and some that thrive in cooler waters may not have made it back south as of yet, but this is the time when both will be transitioning and strong runs appear for multiple species in many places. Meanwhile, resident fish that don’t migrate will usually be feeding hard as the shifting temperatures trigger their urge to fatten up for winter.
While the specifics will vary from north to south and east coast to west coast, just about every portion of the state will have something special going on right about now. Snook will be slamming baits on the Gulf coast; tarpon will be biting in the Keys; flounder will be pushing through passes and inlets on both the Gulf and the Atlantic; redfish and speckled trout action will be peaking just about everywhere — the list goes on and on.
Winter Fishing in Florida
While anglers in northern climes worry about how to winterize a boat and fishing gear gets packed into closets and garages, in Florida many different bites are just beginning to crank up. Speckled trout are hitting over grass flats in southern areas and sailfish are gathering in big numbers as they work their way down the Atlantic coast. The critical factor to pay attention to, however, is the weather. While it may not be cold in most of Florida and it’s downright summerlike in its southernmost portions, cold fronts do sweep through. This is a mixed blessing, as they may trigger a strong bite, but they may also trigger strong winds. Timing your fishing around the weather patterns becomes critical, especially if you plan to fish in open waters from a boat.
Spring Fishing in Florida
Like fall, spring is a time of migration that can trigger epic angling action. Again, it will vary from area to area and species to species, but at certain times in certain places, spring will bring with it peak runs. Tarpon will mass along the Gulf Coast, and in some areas, massive schools of thousands of fish will sit right off the beaches. Cobia will head up the coast from their winter haunts, mutton snapper will aggregate as they prepare to spawn, and the flats will come alive with multiple species of gamefish. If there’s any season that rivals fall for its overall action it’s spring, so this is another awesome time for anglers to plan a visit.
Which season will be the best one for you to try fishing in Florida? That depends entirely upon which species you want to target and what style of fishing you prefer. Whatever gets you most excited, however, one thing’s for sure: every season of the year hold ample opportunity for we anglers in Florida.
With over three decades of experience in marine journalism, Lenny Rudow has contributed to dozens of boating and fishing publications and websites ranging from BoatU.S. Magazine to BDOutdoors.com. Rudow is currently the Angler in Chief at Rudow’s FishTalk, he is a past president of Boating Writers International (BWI), a graduate of the Westlawn School of Yacht Design, and has won numerous BWI and OWAA writing awards.
