Everglades Fishing Charters & Guides

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Charters Near Everglades
Everglades OldTime Charters, LLC
Everglades City, FL
Old Florida Guide Service - Everglades
Everglades City, FL
(5.0, 14 Reviews)
Everglades City Fishing Charters
Everglades City, FL
ARF Charters/vet
Chokoloskee, FL
(5.0, 18 Reviews)
Popular in Everglades City
Florida Native Charters
Everglades City, FL
About Fishing in Everglades

Everglades Fishing Charters

The Florida Everglades, basically a huge swamp that drains and filters South Florida, is one of the best places in the entire state for inshore fishing. These extremely fertile waters support incredible numbers of aquatic critters. They range from the microscopic that baitfish feed on to bull reds, speckled trout, monster snook and tarpon as long as you are tall. The bigger fish feed on the smaller. Depending on where you fish, you can catch largemouth and peacock bass, panfish and even gar. Sometimes these freshwater species will be in brackish water alongside reds, snook and others.

Fishing The Everglades

The most effective way to catch either kind of bass is with live bait. Shiners, also called shad, and shrimp will draw strikes from the most reluctant fish. Both bass species also like topwater lures. The peacock bass, a South American fish imported to South Florida, has a particular love of topwater lures. These highly aggressive fish strike explosively. Jerkbaits like the Zara Spook and the Devil Horse, which have propellers at each end, are popular choices. Popping lures like the Heddon Popper, Hula Popper and the legendary Jitterbug are quite literally the last thing some peacock bass ever hear. Spinnerbaits are perfect when the fish are not interested in surface lures. Artificial worms fished slow on the bottom coax strikes from largemouths. In the spring, lizards will outperform worms. The peacock is generally not interested in a worm, no matter how it is presented. Panfish such as bream, crappie, warmouth, shellcracker, oscar and the Mayan cichlid are mid-level predators until they get to trophy size. Once they get big, gar, gators, and birds of prey are their only worries. These fish are plentiful and so easy to catch, they are perfect for junior anglers. Live worms and crickets fished under a cork on cane poles provide hours of entertainment and plenty of good food that night. Small spinnerbaits and tiny crankbaits also produce plenty of fish. Of these, the small warmouth is an outsize scrapper. Sometimes it seems like these fish are actually picking a fight with the lure rather than trying to eat it. Use light tackle for the most fun. A top predator, the gar is overlooked both as a fighting fish and something for the table. Gar fishing is best done by sight fishing. Look for them at the surface just laying there. Frayed out rope is an incredibly effective way to catch these fish. The gar's teeth get tangled in the rope. Gar is great table fare. Just do not eat the eggs. Those are toxic to people.

More Options For Your Everglades Fishing Trip

Snook is nicknamed "linesider" because of the lateral line running down the side and is a top gamefish in South Florida. This lateral line is how snook sense disturbances in the water. They use this to hone in on prey when the water is murky. A popping cork with live bait or jig under it will get a snook's attention at a distance. Depending on the water temperatures and the tide, big reds can be found cruising the edges of the grass lines or out in the channels where the water is deeper. Your Everglades fishing charter guide knows where the bulls hang out. Gold spoons and jigs are the top artificial lures. Live bait is menhaden, fingerling mullet, small crabs and shrimp fished under a popping cork. Redfish are often caught while sight fishing. You can spot them feeding the shallows. That big tail sticks out of the water as they root around the bottom, trying to dislodge dinner from its hiding place. Tarpon, known as the silver kings, cruise the shallower waters looking for anything and everything to eat. This is a target species for fly fishermen. Big streamer patterns are the go-to choices. Just make sure your rod can handle the big lure and your reel has at least 200 yards of backing on it. Big tarpon will run a long way. Live bait is crabs, mullet, pinfish and menhaden. Again, plenty of line is necessary because these fish will not wait for you. The mangrove snapper loves, well, mangroves, which the edges of the Everglades has in abundance. Jigs tipped with cut bait or shrimp for scent will draw them out of the roots. The Everglades marshes provide a sanctuary for smaller sharks and big bull sharks. Bull sharks can live in freshwater, so finding them in brackish water is common. They are very aggressive, being one of the top sharks for attacks on humans. They chum well. When they show up, use a big circle hook and big piece of cut bait or two or three small fish on the same hook. Before you head out, know the regulations. Florida has creel and slot limits for many species. Some fish, like tarpon, are catch-and-release only and other have closed seasons that vary across the state.

Book An Everglades Fishing Trip

The Everglades is one of Florida's top fisheries. There really is no other place quite like it, and fishing these waters is on many anglers' bucket list. Get your trip booked today with a local guide, found here.

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