FISHING Hot Spots
Florida
There’s no doubt that the title rings true for Florida being the fishing capital of the world. Here, you can
do it all. From fly fishing for tarpon and bonefish in the
Keys, to deep sea fishing in the Gulf, Florida is definitely
one of the major hot spots worth visiting.
The best place to fly fish for tarpon, redfish, bonefish,
and marlin is Islamorada in Key Largo. The keys have
been labeled as one of the best fishing areas in the world,
and for a good reason. In Islamorada, enjoy the clear,
green waters and fish right offshore. The water is shallow enough to wade out into and fly fishing is perfect
here. Many guides and tours take place, as the Keys
are a heavy with tourism, so if you’re not sure where to
pinpoint your chances of reeling in the biggest tarpon
you’ve ever seen, call around and take a ride with a Florida fishing expert.
Travel a little farther north up the east coast and you’ll
find the Indian River Lagoon. The Lagoon, which consists of the Banana River, the Indian River and the Mosquito Lagoon, make up the shallow water estuaries in
this area. The rivers aren’t “rivers,” so to speak, as each
of them have access to the ocean. However, the water is
similar to that of a saltwater lake, lacking large waves,
and only moving with the wind (or the occasional boat).
Here, you can canoe or kayak up and down the coast,
or take a ride to one of the inlets. The inlets, such as the
Sebastian Inlet, provide a perfect place for groups and
families to wade into the calm, shallow waters and fish
while the kids play. You can expect to catch a fighting
snook when fishing further south, but seatrout and red
drum are common as well, especially north of the Sebastian Inlet.
Florida also has some of the best freshwater fishing spots
around. Travel west from the Lagoon and make your way
inland to the lakes known for bass fishing, such as Lake
Tohopekaliga. Lake Toho is the host for many Bassmaster Elite Series challenges and events, and has some of
the best bass fishing around. While many fishermen and
anglers come for this reason, there are plenty of panfish,
bluegills, and crappie around as well. Lake Toho is part of
28 Summer 2015 Adventure Outdoors
the Kissimmee chain of lakes, and these many species of
fish can be found throughout the popular waters.
Try out deep sea fishing in Tampa Bay, if you haven’t already, and you won’t be disappointed. As with the Keys,
the west coast of Florida, including Clearwater Beach and
surrounding areas, are all heavily populated with different
species of fish that can be caught at any time. When deep
sea fishing, you might reel in grouper, snapper, tuna, and
even barracudas and sharks. King fish are popular in this
area as well. The salty, murky waters of the Gulf provide
some of the most popular migratory chains in the country,
so you’ll probably see salmon and striped bass, too.
California
While California provides some of the
greatest spots to catch halibut and rockfish, you can often find sculpin, yellowtail, sheepshead, halfmoons, sandbass and barracudas year round. We
recommend mapping out the artificial
reefs and shipwrecks for some of the best fishing around.
Why these places? For one, there are a ton along California’s coast, more than 20 to choose from, and they’re all
heavily populated with fish, coral and other marine life.
The shipwreck destinations are sunken ships, intended to boost the population of a variety of ocean species,
from crabs and eels, to giant tuna and even squid. The
shipwreck points, along with the artificial reefs, provide