Port St. Lucie Fishing Charters & Guides

Port St. Lucie Fishing Charters

Along Florida’s East Coast is a variety of luxurious cities and beach towns. And in the middle is the sleepy town of Port St. Lucie. Located off I-95 between Cape Canaveral and Miami, Port St. Lucie is a great place for visitors to get away from it all. While in town, hit the greens at a local golf course or kayak the nearby St. Lucie River. This 7-mile-long river is a maze of estuary waters for nature lovers to explore. Many will kayak the river and get up close and personal with the wildlife inhabiting the area. Launch from the River Park Marina and make sure to bring the camera. You’re sure to see manatees, turtles, fish, and a variety of wild birds. To get a glimpse of “Old Florida” (wetlands and marshes) visit Savannas Preserve State Park. This unique ecosystem stretches 6,000 acres from Fort Pierce to Jensen Beach, including the edges of Port St. Lucie. Nature enthusiasts enjoy exploring everything this preserve has to offer, typically kayaking through the waters to find alligators, turtles, birds, and fish. Those kayak fishing in Port St. Lucie enjoy paddling near the mangroves and grassy areas looking for their next catch. Kayak fishing is a really unique way for fishermen and women to cast and reel; it takes balance and minimal gear. But once you’ve experienced this minimalist way of fishing, you’ll be hooked! Port St. Lucie kayak fishing guides will get you hooked on redfish, trout, and flounder, to name a few.

Port St. Lucie Inshore Fishing

Port St. Lucie inshore fishing is known for its snook (rhymes with “hook”) and tarpon populations. Snook have dark green coloring with an identifiable black line running from just behind the gills to tail. This black line earns them the nickname “linesiders”. They feed on live shrimp, mullets, sardines, and pinfish (shiners). Anglers will typically catch snook on light tackle with 30 pound braid and fluorocarbon leader between 15-40 pounds, depending on location. The regulations for snook have them as catch-and-release for most of the summer (June - August) with slot limits the rest of the year. Although most charters in Port St. Lucie will catch-and-release snook throughout the year as this helps the population to stay healthy. The other highly sought-after species in Port St. Lucie is tarpon, or the silver king. Tarpon are speedy, silvery fish with a hard mouth, so getting them to take the bait and then set the hook is always a challenge. If you are able to get the hook firmly set, hold on for the fight of your life. They have been known to run the drag so fast it causes smoke on the reel. It could take up to 30-60 minutes to land a tarpon, especially for the heavier ones that can grow over 100 pounds. Like snook, tarpon are catch-and-release only; and if you have one over 40 inches better keep it in the water. You can still grab that picture with proof of a landed tarpon, then carefully release for another day’s fight.

Port St. Lucie Offshore Fishing

Charters in Port St. Lucie offer a variety of techniques for offshore excursions. If you’re looking for open water sportfish like tuna, mahi mahi, or marlin your captain will most likely troll the Gulf Stream. Or you can check the local reefs and wrecks for snapper and grouper and do some bottom fishing. The Gulf Stream is a river of current running parallel to Florida’s coast and is host to many nutrients and plankton that the big gamefish feed on. Trolling these waters will get you hooked on mahi mahi (also known as dolphin or dorado), tuna, sailfish, marlin, or king mackerel. Trolling is a technique where the captain will drive the boat while dragging bait in the water over a large area. The speed of the boat is a very important element of this technique, and your Port St. Lucie captain will have the experience to know how to get the fish on the line. Downriggers and outriggers are used to get the bait to the desired water depths, and the first mate will help get your catch in the boat with a gaff (if needed), and make sure the fish is safely dehooked. Various snapper and grouper species are caught when bottom fishing the local Port St. Lucie reefs. With this technique you’ll drop a line with a leader weight that gets the bait to the ocean floor. The weight of the leader is an important factor when bottom fishing; something too light won’t get the bait to the desired depths, and if the leader is too heavy the fish will feel the pull when they strike the bait. Snapper and grouper populations are under FWC regulations; your Port St. Lucie captain will know what are keepers and which ones to release. Port St. Lucie offshore charters also target tuna, triggerfish, amberjack, king mackerel, bonita, barracuda, and more.

Book A Port St. Lucie Fishing Charter

Professional Captains in Port St. Lucie are geared up and ready for your excursion. Bring your favorite fishing buddies for a great day on the water. Book your Port St. Lucie trip today with a local charter.