Daytona Beach Fishing Charters & Guides

Daytona Beach Fishing Charters

Motorcycles, racing and beaches are Daytona Beach’s claim to fame these days. Before the roar of engines took over and before people became sun worshippers, Daytona Beach was a fishing destination. It still is for people in the know. Daytona Beach stretches across the Halifax River to reach right to the Atlantic Ocean. Like many such waterways on Florida’s coast, the Halifax River is more brackish than fresh or salt. Because of this, it supports inshore saltwater fish that can stand less salt than found in the ocean proper. The Halifax is fed by marshes and tributaries that sweep all kinds of organic matter into the slow-moving river. In brackish and saltwater, that means oyster bars. Oyster bars mean redfish, lots of redfish and plenty of bull reds. Speckled trout and snook are also found cruising the bars looking for their next meal. As Steve Waters says in Sport Fishing Magazine, “Oyster bars attract more cruisers than a sports pub on a Saturday night. In fact, these natural ‘watering holes’ rank as top pickup spots for many inshore game-fish species from Maryland to Texas. Hang out at the right time, and you’re all but guaranteed to catch fish.” That “right time” is the tide. When the oysters are exposed and the water starts rising, predator fish cruise water barely deep enough to keep them submerged. They are looking for shrimp, crabs and prey fish that use the oysters for cover, but forget where they are and move into more open water. Shallow-running crankbaits, popping lures, light grubs and jigs work well. Popper lures don’t have to be huge. Bass fishing poppers work equally well in saltwater. Reds are particularly attracted to gold-colored spoons. If the water is deep enough, live shrimp or live fingering fish are excellent choices. In really shallow water, you do not need lead sinkers on the line. Let the bait swim as freely as it can. Experts can free line the bait without a cork. Before you head out, check the fishing regulations and pay particular attention to what is in season and what is not. Daytona Beach fishing charters guides know the regs, but you should also be familiar with them.

Daytona Beach Inshore Fishing

Daytona Beach offers more than just reds, snook and trout for the inshore fishing crowd. The waters here have plenty of sheepshead around the pilings and oyster bars. Sheepshead are easy to catch and excellent on the table. Fiddler crabs, caught along the river’s banks, barnacles, oysters and shrimp will catch them. Use smaller hooks and fish close the structure. The Halifax River is also home to mangrove snapper. This inshore snapper likes to hang out in thick structure. Fingerling mullet, glass and bull minnows and shrimp are the top live baits. If you prefer artificial lures, use a red and white bucktail jig. You can tip it with strips of mullet or a piece of shrimp for scent. Tarpon are a regular visitor during the summer months. The silver kings can be found cruising along the beach looking for crabs, mullet, squid and other juvenile fish to eat. Live bait, including mature blue crabs, are the best way to catch one. Many people chase tarpon with fly rods. If you are one, you need a 9-weight rod and a reel with several hundred yards of backing. Your fly choices are crab and big shrimp patterns and big colorful streamers.

Daytona Beach Offshore Fishing

Depending on the fish, you can find Spanish mackerel everywhere from close to the beach to the blue water offshore. These fish move around a lot in search of prey. Spanish, king mackerel, wahoo, marlin, mahi mahi and sailfish are the offshore cruisers. They are out there chasing the baitfish and squid. A great way to find them is to look for diving seabirds. When a school of baitfish is chased to the surface, birds show up for the easy pickings. To catch these highly mobile fish, troll dusters tipped with a cigar minnow or ballyhoo. Bigger crankbaits that can run at various depths are also good. If trolling around the ocean is not your thing, then ask Daytona Beach fishing guides about the reef fish. Barracuda, amberjack, snapper, grouper and triggerfish like to hang around structure, be that natural or manmade. Live, fresh and frozen bait dropped to the bottom will attract strikes if you are close enough to the structure. Grouper and amberjack like to hug the structure. Snappers will move away if they think something edible is not far away. Barracuda can be anywhere in the water column. They will often follow your catch to the surface, snacking the whole way.

Book A Daytona Beach Fishing Charter

Daytona Beach is one of Florida's top tourist destination. And no vacation is complete without a fishing trip! Find your next professional fishing guide in Daytona Beach here.