Florida has been known to be some of the best saltwater fishing in the world. With the tropical waters and hotspots like the Florida Everglades and the Keys you can not go wrong saltwater fishing in Florida.
The warm waters of Florida will offer you a variety of fish both offshore and inshore. For the offshore fishermen you can expect grouper, marlin, big sharks, dolphin fish, snapper and more. For the inshore fishermen you can expect to catch snook, trout, redfish, sheepshead, bonefish and snapper also.
If you are looking for a great meal and a great fight you can go after snook, which are found in warm waters inshore. From the middle of Florida down to the keys are the best places to fish for snook, they can be found on both coasts of Florida. You will need a saltwater fishing license with a snook stamp to catch one, and they must be in season also.
Dolphin, otherwise known as mahi mahi is an offshore fish that will also put up a great fight. They are very colorful and often the smaller ones will travel in schools. The most efficient way to catch dolphin is by means of trolling, anywhere in south Florida on the gulf side to 10-40 miles offshore. They are excellent to eat and the season is opened year round for them.
Snapper fish are another great fish to go after for the Florida angler. There are many species of snapper and they can be found all over Florida, from the inshore waters by mangroves and docks, to off shore obstructions like sunken ships and rocky seabed terrain.
If you are flats fishing and want a fish that will give you a fight you can try to go for some bonefish. For their weight they will fight harder than any saltwater fish there are, you will need some experience under your belt to land one of these, as they can strip a 100 yards of line off your reel in the matter of seconds.
If you have access to a dock, then you could try and catch some sheepshead. Sheepshead are known as bait thieves, and have black and white vertical stripes, they are excellent to eat. They love to hang around barnacles, so piers, docks and mangroves are excellent spots to find some sheepshead.
As you can see there are many challenges to catch fish when saltwater fishing in Florida, these are just a few of the species that you can go after. You will have to decide what kind of fishing is best for you, for the beginner I would recommend pier fishing and surf fishing because it is a lot cheaper. Leave the offshore fish for the experienced anglers.
Now if you have your heart set on catching some big fish that are offshore then all hope is not lost. With a good amount of money you can hire a local fishing captain to take you to catch some big fish. Saltwater fishing charters can be found everywhere in Florida, just ask around and do some research before choosing one.
For some more information on the saltwater fish of Florida, tackle records, rules, and tips on how to catch them you can find it here at the authors site. Saltwater Fishing Florida