Hernando Beach Fishing Charters & Guides

Hernando Beach Fishing Charters

Redfish, trout, snapper, grouper and mackerel are the top targets for recreational fishermen booking trips with Hernando Beach fishing charters. They are in luck, because these waters are loaded with all five fish and plenty more species besides. Reds and trout are inshore fish. The other three are found anywhere from inshore to offshore depending on the species and water conditions The inshore fishing in Hernando Beach is best on the southern end and just to the north where estuaries and marshes dominate the landscape. These shallow water areas provide the kind of cover juvenile fish need to reach maturity. Predator species know this and will cruise in when the tides are right to find something to eat. Check the regulations before you go out because some fish have closed seasons and most have creel and slot limits.

Hernando Beach Inshore Fishing

A lot of people think a double-digit redfish is a trophy. For most anglers, that is true but how many know how big these fish can really get? How about 94 pounds for the official world record? That monster at 60 inches long was caught in North Carolina. The current Sunshine State record is 52 pounds and came from the Atlantic side of the state. A bigger one, estimated to be around 60 pounds, was caught fly fishing and released. Bull reds do haunt the waters off Hernando Beach. Thanks to Florida’s restricted redfish limits, the fishery has come back strong. Twenty-pound-plus bulls cruise these waters. Guides report seeing monsters tailing in the shallows. Getting one on a hook is a different matter entirely. The really big ones almost always fall victim to live bait. Small crabs, live shrimp and fingerling mullet are your best chance of getting one of these to the boat. If you throw artificial lures, gold spoons and lightly weighted jigs in shrimp patterns are excellent. Shrimp, minnow and crab pattern flies are the go-to for the fly fishing crowd, The definition of gator trout, a trophy fish, varies, Most people agree that a speckled trout weigh more than 6 pounds or longer than 28 inches qualifies as a gator. According to the International Game Fish Association, the biggest on record is a whopping 17.7 pounds. The biggest by length is 33.85 inches and was caught with a live fingerling mullet. Hernando Beach fishing charters can put you on the flats where these big trout hang out. Convincing one to bite is another matter. Live bait is king when it comes to trophy trout. Live shrimp, small pinfish and fingerling mullet are your best choices. You can fish them free line or under a popping cork. Streamer patterns and shrimp are the top choices for fly fishermen.

Hernando Beach Offshore Fishing

Snapper range from offshore to inshore, depending on the species and size. While most people think of the big red snapper as the fish they most want, Hernando Beach has plenty of different species; vermillion, mutton, yellowtail, cubera, mangrove and lane are some species you are most likely to find in this part of the Sunshine State. All are good to eat. The cubera is an offshore, solitary fish and can weigh more than 100 pounds and be five feet long. This is a monster and requires heavy tackle to get it to the boat. The rest of the snapper family are usually found in schools. Once you catch one, you can expect plenty more. They are all aggressive and hit live bait with a vengeance. The shallow water snappers eagerly take shrimped-imitating lures. Florida splits snapper regulations into Gulf Coast and Atlantic fisheries. The red snapper is the most heavily regulated with closed seasons. Others have varying limits based on state assessments of the fish population. Spanish mackerel is another fish that can be found anywhere from offshore to cruising the beaches. This very aggressive fish attack anything silver. Trolling dusters tipped with a cigar minnow or ballyhoo or silver spoons will get a hookup if one is in the area. The same rig is perfect for the bigger cousin, the king mackerel. Florida has plenty of grouper with the gag, sometimes called the copper belly, being the most sought after. These reef-loving fish hang out near the bottom and are best caught with live and frozen baits dropped directly down to where they hang out. One grouper, the mack daddy of them all, hangs out all depths of water. The goliath grouper is even caught from boat docks. This is strictly a catch-and-release fishery, but what a tale you have to tell when you catch one. Goliaths can easily reach 400 pounds and more.

Book A Hernando Beach Fishing Charter

Whether your group is looking for offshore thrills or an inshore adventure, the fishing charter captains of Hernando Beach will certainly get you on the fish. Check out all the best local Captains of Hernando Beach here.