Fernandina Beach Fishing Charters & Guides

Fernandina Beach Fishing Charters

The St. Mary’s River, which serves as part of the border between Florida and Georgia also drains the Okefenokee Swamp. It feeds a major estuary on the border of the two states. Estuary is another word for amazing fishing opportunities. Take a look at this map of Fernandina Beach. See all those islands, creeks, and crooked waterways? Those mean bull reds. These water channels mean redfish as long as your leg. If you catch reds from an old bridge, we highly recommend you lower the fish back into the water with the basket. When you book a Fernandina Beach fishing charter, you can ease the big fish back into the water over the side of the boat. These big reds prefer live bait. They are big and old because they avoided other fishermen chasing them with artificial lures. When the bull red selects a target, he is going to check the smell and the movement. If it doesn’t add up, he will pass in search of something he knows won’t have a hook in it. Big shrimp, menhaden and fingerling mullet are the baits of choice. You can still catch redfish, and sometimes tie into a big one, with artificial lures. Fishing the tidal waters means using topwater jerk baits or lightly weighted jigs. Too much lead on the line and the lure hits the bottom and stays there too much. You need to be able to get the lure moving easily across the oyster bars and points. When the tide goes out, the reds congregate the deeper parts of the channels and wait. Catching one then becomes harder, but it is not impossible. This is when you want to use a popping cork. It signals the reds that something is happening, something they probably want to eat. It is like ringing a dinner bell on a cattle ranch. Before you head out, make sure you are legal both when fishing and with what you bring back. Read the Sunshine State fishing regulations before hitting the water. Fernandina Beach is right on the border of Georgia and Florida, so you may wonder if you need a license for both states. No, if you book a Fernandina Beach fishing charter with a captain who has a federal “six pack” license. You are fishing under the captain’s license and are legal.

Fernandina Beach Inshore Fishing

Reds, trout, croakers and sharks hang out all year long in these waters. Croakers are the easiest to catch. Small hooks, enough weight to keep the bait stable and pieces of shrimp or squid are all you need. Croakers are an “unregulated” fish in Florida, meaning you can keep up to 100 pounds of fish. That is enough to take some home and feed a lot of people when you get there. Reds and trout are the top inshore targets for most recreational anglers. The same tactics that work on reds will work on trout. You just need to adjust your location a bit. Trout like the channels and the flats where they cruise over grass beds looking for their next meal. Some anglers throw jigs and grubs under popping corks while adding a bit of shrimp for scent and taste. Inshore sharks tend to be smaller. As they get bigger, the move into the ocean where the prey is bigger. Small sharks are still a challenge, especially on light tackle. If you really want to catch some sharks, chum will get them excited about biting whatever you throw at them Florida has regulations on shark fishing that include which ones can be kept and which cannot. The regs ban chumming from the beach. You can still chum them from a boat.

Fernandina Beach Offshore Fishing

Grouper, sharks and snapper are in the deeper waters of Fernandina Beach. The area has plenty of natural reefs and a lot of artificial structure sunk specifically to attract fish. Waters off Fernandina Beach also have a fair number of ships that sank accidentally. The reef fish don’t care. If it is structure, they will be all over it. Drop live baits or frozen cigar minnows down to the bottom and hang on. When the water warms up, Spanish and king mackerel and cobia move in. Trolling dusters and hard-body lures are a great way to find these fish since they are constantly on the move. Once you find them, you can throw big jigs stepped with a cigar minnow. Cobia do not have teeth, but do not let that fool you. A big cobia will test the mettle of any angler.

Book A Fernandina Beach Fishing Charter

Fernandina Beach is a fantastic place for your family to visit. And no visit is complete without a fishing trip! Check out all of the best Fernandina Beach captains here.