I was just on Anna Maria Island a couple of weeks ago. You'll  have a grand time. But my reading of Florida fishing regs indicates that non-residents do need a license. But don't worry, it's easy enough to get licensed. Depending on your vacation plans you can buy a three-day ($17), 7-day ($30.00) or annual ($47) non-resident license. You can obtain them ahead of time from www.myfwc.com or by calling 1-888-347-4356 or you can wait until you arrive and get your licenses at a local tackle shop.  I hope you enjoy your time on Florida's gorgeous Gulf Coast.

Guilty as charged! How did you know?

Best,

Doug

Hi, Paddy. If you don't mind a quick drive up to Sarasota you can do some deepsea fishing for four, six or eight hours, depending on your stamina and wallet. Actually, you'll be going on a party boat with other anglers so the cost isn't prohibitive: $55 for four hours, $70 for six hours and 86 for eight hours. I haven't chartered with the Flying Fish Fleet, but if they run the kind of boats that most charter operatons run, the mates will be very good at assisting you in getting the hang of deep sea fishing. Check out their website at www.flyingfishfleet.com.  You could also go the private charter route, hiring a captain and boat, but that's pretty expensive and only practical if you've got four or five friends who want to go along and split the bill. 

I hope you find deepsea fishing as much fun as I do. Good luck!

You've got a great plan, Dallas. Not only will you get to do lots of fishing, but you'll see a part of the U.S. that is truly unique. If only we had some 5,000 foot high mountains, Florida would have it all! 

Now let's take your questions one at a time. First, the action should be great in the Keys in September and October. The fall bait migration will be underway, bringing tuna, sails and dolphin into the deep water just outside the reef. You'll need a boat for that, of course. But inshore snook on the flats and around bridges will give you an alternative. If you have the time and want to experience the full range of Florida Keys fishing, I recommend an offshore fishing trip one day and an inshore trip another day. Round out your time with some bridge fishing.

As you move toward Southwest Florida across the Everglades you might want to drop into Everglades City and nearby Chokoloskee to really experience Old Florida. A half-day guided trip into the back country will give you yet another perspective on Florida fishing and, if you have the time, a full-day trip deep into the Everglades would be fabulous. A little further north, around Naples and Ft. Myers, you should be able to get in some surf action as the bait run continues. Redfish and snook would be the species to target. The Naples Pier is another option, offering shots at snook, reds, pompano and Spanish mackerel. 

The variety of fish and fishing methods available to you in these areas at that time of year has a downside: different kinds of equipment. If you do the guided or charter trips, the appropriate tackle usually comes as part of the package, whether big rods and reels for handling tuna and sails or smaller spinning gear for back country snook and reds. But for bridge and surf fishing, I'm afraid you're on your own and will have to supply your own equipment. I know it's a hassle to lug along rods and reels when traveling, but without them you' ll be cut off from some fine fishing opportunities.  Sinkers and other basic gear, including the appropriate lures, will be easily available wherever you want to fish. 

As for finding out more about each locale, resort to our old friend Google, doing searches for fishing in each place, i.e., "fishing Key West."  Each search should turn up the names of guides, charter operations and bait and tackle stores that you can then contact directly either by email or phone. 

Don't forget that you'll probably need a fishing license. Licensing usually is part of the package on charter boats and guided trips (and even on the Naples pier), but for bridge and surf fishing you need a license. You can obtain a license online by going to www.myfwc.com and following the appropriate links. You can also pick up a license in person at most bait and tackle stores. 

Let me know if I can be of any further help and enjoy your trip!

Hi, Erich. Florida is crawling with good fishing guides. Finding one is a matter of narrowing down the location you plan to fish, doing a Google search for fishing guides in that area, then working the phone a bit to discuss with a few of the guides what your plans and expectations are. The result should be a good day of fishing with a compatible guide who knows how you want to fish.

Good luck!

Hi, Kyle. Boating is big in Florida. The industry has an $18.4 billion impact on the state's economy and provides jobs, directly or indirectly, some 220,000 people. And there are resources that can help you. Start with the Marine Industries Association of Florida at www.boatflorida.org. You'll find lots there to help your cause.

Hi, Dallas. If you arrive in Ft. Myers, on Florida's southwest coast, and drive to the Keys, you'll have ample opportunity to wet a line.  For a real Florida experience I suggest at least a half day fishing expedition out of Chokoloskee, Fla. It's less than an hour south of Ft. Myers and is the south end of civilization on the west coast. You'll need a guide because you'll be going into some real wilderness where it would be very easy to get lost or go aground. I fished with Capt. Bert Barkus a few months ago and had a great time (chokoloskeeislandcharters.com).  You'll be targeting snook, redfish and trout.  A half day charter is fun, but a full-day charter will give you the time to really get into the back country of the Everglades, an experience you just can't duplicate anywhere else. You can get up early in Ft. Myers and make the drive to Chokoloskee, but if you want to get a little more of the Old Florida experience book a night at the Rod and Gun Club in Everglades City, about six miles north of Chokoloskee.

Once you're in the Keys the fishing changes. You can still do back country fishing in Florida Bay, but you're probabaly doing to want to go offshore. The Keys are close to deep water, the Gulf Stream and plenty of reefs, so your choices of what to try to catch are myriad, ranging from grouper and snapper on the bottom to all manner of pelagics. Key West has a large population of charter boats (do a Google seach for fishing charters Key West) and I think it's far and away the best place to stay for other kinds of entertainment and dining, too.  Consider taking a half-day snorkeling trip out to the reefs off Key West and, if you want another change of pace, take a seaplane or high-speed catamaran for a day trip to the Dry Tortugas, a little cluster of islands about 60 miles west of Key West where you'll visit Ft. Jefferson, a unique national park. 

Have fun and let me know how a big snook or redfish compares to salmon and halibut.   

Hi, Shelley. You've picked a good place to go fishing. The weather in May is generally great, the Gulf of Mexico is usually calm and your kids have a good shot at catching some nice fish. You're looking for a party boat and there are several operations in the area. I'm including the names of four with web addresses and phone numbers. There are probably more and a Google search under fishing charters Tampa will help you locate them.

www.doubleeaglerdeepseafishing.com (877 446-1653 operates two boats out of Clearwater

www.hubbardsmarine.com (800-755-0677) runs two boats out of Madeira Beach

www.queenfleet.com (800-557-3006) opeartes three boats out of Clearwater

www.misspassagrille.com (727 367 9833) is a smaller boat running out of St. Petersburg

Good luck and have fun!

Welcome, Susan. Florida is certainly the place for your vacation. The only problem is narrowing down  your choices. You might want to enlist the aid of my colleagues here at VisitFlorida: David McRee has the lowdown on beaches, Jenifer Michaels is an expert on Florida family fun, Doug Kelly knows the outdoors and Lauren Tjaden doubtless has some ideas on family-type adventures.

But before checking out their postings, let's think about laying the groundwork for your vacation, starting with transportation. If you're flying to Florida the major airports are Jacksonville, Orlando, West Palm, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and Tampa. Thus you have easy access to the entire Florida east coast, but not so much of the west coast or panhandle (assuming, of course, at you don't want to do a lot of driving from the airport to your final destination). But if you're driving, it's another story. Coming down I-95 from the East Coast again gives you all of Florida's east coast. Driving from anywhere else opens up much of the peninsula and if you're coming from the midwest or west by car you can save yourself a lot of miles by setting up vacation shop in the Panhandle. 

Beaches are good everywhere except the Keys, which tend to have rocky beaches, not the nice deep white sand most people are looking for on a beach.  For deep-sea fishing you're going to need an inlet from the ocean. Don't worry, there's almost always an inlet within an hour's drive of most beach vacation areas, but if you plan to go fishing more than once you might want to aim to be a little closer to an inlet. I'm assuming you're planning the vacation this summer when ocean temperatures everywhere are delightful for swimming and surfing. If you're thinking about coming down in the next week or so, I'd advise you to head south if you plan much swimming. Water temps are still a tad chilly in north Florida.

Being so far removed from my days as a preteen I'm not sure what activities they go for these days, so I won't be much help there.  Jennifer Michaels is more likely to know about that sort of thing, but I suspect you migh want to look for smaller towns rather than places like Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, which tend to skew more toward adult activities. I'm thinking Daytona might be a fun place since it has super beaches, good deep-sea fishing, you can tour the world-famous race track, getting around is easy and both Cape Kennedy and Orlando are close enough to make day excursions if you wish. 

I hope this is some help. If you come back with some specfics about your vacation plans I'll be delighted to narrow down these recommendations. But check out my colleagues' postings to see if they can help, too. 

Hi, Howard. You've got some good options for fishing out of the Ft. Lauderdale area. The winds have been pretty strong for the last few days so there aren't a lot of recent reports, but king mackerel and dolphin would be likely targets up high in the water column and yellowtail and mangrove snapper down on the bottom. Because deep water is so close to shore in that area you shouldn't have any trouble finding a half-day trip on either a big party boat or a private sport fisherman. Either one would supply all the tackle and bait. Do a Google search for Ft. Lauderdale Charter Fishing and you'll come up with the names of plenty of outfits. You can survey their websites then give a call to the most likely candidates. I haven't been out on the Helen S. running out of Pompano Beach, but it tends to get pretty good reviews from the anglers chatting on the Florida Sportsman South Florida Forum.  As I write this Friday morning, March 21, winds look to remain strong through the middle of next week with uncomfortably high seas. But that still gives you a few days for things to subside before you'll be in the area. Hope it works for you

If you'll be staying in the Palm Coast area you have two excellent choices for ocean fishing: Ponce Inlet to the south and St. Augustine Inlet to the north. Both areas support numerous charter boats, including some nice party boats that are relatively inexpensive and some top-of-the-line sport fishermen that will be consideraly more expensive.  If you do Google searches for St. Augustine charter fishing and Daytona charter fishing you'll come up with lots of names of boats and descriptions of the kind of fishing they do. Once you have your list you need to do some emailing or telephoning to talk to the captains about what you can expect from a trip. 

Good luck!

Hi, William. Glad you like Destin. It's fun for lots of reasons, but fishing is one of the best reasons to visit Destin. I think what you're looking for is a party boat or head boat. They're bigger boats that carry up to 50 or so anglers. Because they're able to spread the cost of the boat and fuel over a larger number of people, the cost per person is quite a bit lower--between $45 and $95, depending on the boat and how long you stay out--than if you did a private charter on a smaller boat accomodating around six anglers.  The downside of a party boat is that you're not as likely to catch big fish. It stands to reason that there are more little fish than big fish and with 40 people eager to catch something the captain of a party boat has a built-in incentive to seek out the reefs where there are lots of smaller sea bass and snapper waiting to bite your bait. But there's always the chance that a big tough snapper or grouper will grab your bait and give you a real tussle. May and June are reputed to be the best months for offshore fishing in Florida's Panhandle so you already have that advantage. To select a boat and learn more about costs and what a trip involves go a Google search for Destin Fishing Charters or Destin Party Boats. That'll get you a list of boats and captains you can call and talk about your own fishing needs and book a trip. 

Have fun and let me know how it goes.

You've picked a great location and a great time of year, Kris. The Tampa-St. Pete area offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities for you.  Let's start with the basics. With no experience (and presumably no equipment) you're going to want what I call a full service guided trip. That means you'll hire a pro and his boat to take you fishing. He'll have everything you need except sunscreen and lunch and drinks. You can either do inshore fishing--that means you're in well-protected salt water, such as the Intracoastal Water or sheltered parts of Tampa Bay--or you can go offshore, which means out in the Gulf of Mexico in open water. Which way to go depends a little bit on your knowledge of your kids. Some kids when first exposed to fishing go whole hog and love it. Others find it tedious and boring (kids...what do they know?) 

Here are the pros and cons of both inshore and offshore fishing. Inshore fishing will mean a smaller boat, relatively calm water and the chance to catch a bunch of something, whether its great eating fish like sea trout or redfish, or gamesters that put up a bit of a fight, like jack crevalle or ladyfish. You'll be near shore--the captain may even pull up on an island or beach if it looks like the little ones are getting bored and let them fool around in a non-fishing mode. The tackle is lightweight and relatively easy to learn. Half-day trips are common. Offshore fishing is a bit more hefty. The boat will be bigger, with a head (i.e., marine bathroom) and other amenities. You'll spend some time running to get to th fishing grounds, the tackle is bigger and a little more difficult to handle, especially for youngsters. The Gulf of Mexico is generally more placid than the Atlantic Ocean on the other side of the state, but a bit of wind can kick up some swells. If you're new to boating there is a chance--small, but nevertheless there--that someone might get a tad green around the gills. The upside is that you'll be going after bigger fish that can really put up a tussle. Landing a big snapper is not only an accomplishment, it's also dinner for the whole family. Costs for the offshore trlp will be greater than the inshore trip and half day trips are a little less common. 

Since all of you are inexperienced and you'll have kids along, my advice is to begin with a Google search for "Fishing Guides St. Petersburg." The resulting list gives you a starting point for a little phone work. You'll want to explain to the guides your situation and ask them if they like to take novices out for the day. Some guides will say yes regardless of their personal preferences just to get a booking, but the fact is some guides are very good with first-timers--they're teachers who want to share their craft and skills--while others much prefer to take out experienced hands who know their way around a boat and gear. Hopefully a few conversations like that will begin to narrow the scope of what you want to try and you can pinpoint a guide and make a date.  The fact that there are four of you may be somewhat limiting, since some guides prefer three or fewer anglers, so ask about that, too.

I think you'll enjoy your trip no matter which way you decide to go. Florida is a great place to get acquainted with fishing and if we can give you a great experience maybe you'll get hooked (pun intended!).

When you start to narrow down the possibilities give me another jingle and I'll be happy to express an opinion for what it's worth. And please let me know how it works out. Your experience and advice will be invaluable to future first-time anglers.

Good luck!

Hi, Geoff. I haven't done a lot of bass fishing since I was growing up in Northeast Florida and hitting the area lakes and St. Johns River, but I've read a lot of guide sites and fishing reports from all over the state and, to sum them up, anytime is great fishing in Florida. But, of course, they're selling guide services and they want you to fish anytime and all the time. The truth is September is still part of the Florida summer and the water in most lakes is still hot. I always had my best success by fishing at dawn, dusk and into the night (maybe I'm just remembering that I was more comfortable at those times than sitting out on a lake baking in the noon-day sun). The waters of the St. Johns, of course, tended to be cooler than the area lakes and I would get bass while wading the shallow weedbeds any time of the day. If I could choose I think I would look for fishing opportunities in the north part of the state later in September. But I know from the fishing reports that plenty of folks catch plenty of fish in central Florida (Lake Okeechobee and Lake Toho, for example) all through September. If it helps, guides seem to prefer using live wild shiners rather than artificials. If you're looking to do some guided fishing, do a Google search for Florida Bass Fishing Guides. Talk to different ones around the state to see what their take is on where and how to fish in September. Good luck and let me know how you fare!

What a thoughtful and fun birthday gift for your husband.  The first two choices that spring to mind for deep sea fisihing are Southeast Florida and the Floirda Keys.  Both offer excellent fishing and because deep water is so close to shore you spend less time running and more time fishing. The difference between the two is nightlife and amenities.  The Southeast Florida area, which I think of as running from Palm Beach to Miami, will be more upscale, with more sophisticated resorts (if that's what you want....there are also plenty of less expensive and chic places to stay and to eat) while the Keys are more funky and casual, albeit lots of fun. Within each area you have some choices and I would vote for Ft. Lauderdale, Boating Capital of the World, for my first visit to Southeast Florida with Miami running a close second because of its exotic internationalism. In the Keys I would choose Key West first, Marathon second and Islamarada third. To help you decide you might want to Google each of the areas I've suggested to get a feel for the ambiance and cost, then do another search for deep sea fishing in each area to get the names of charter boats and captains with whom you can discuss what kind of fishing you want to do.

I apologize for making you do some of the work to answer your question, but there are so many choices that I'm reluctant to pinpoint one place and one charter operation. And just think, we're only covering a couple of hundred miles of Florida's 1,200-mile coastline. The truth is you can find good filshing and nice places to stay from Jacksonville in the northeast corner all the way around and out to Pensacola in the northwest corner. 

If I can be of further help, don't hesitate to write again, Sheila. Meantime, Happy BIg Five Oh to your lucky husband!

Hi, Carrie. Glad to hear you're targeting Florida for some offshore fishing. It it's sailfish you're after, I'd advise starting your search in the Stuart area, which is on Florida's east coast about 25 miles north of Palm Beach. Stuart bills itself as Sailfish Capital of the World and the number of kites you see flying off the coast attests to the popularity of fishing for sails. But don't necessarily restrict yourself to that one area. There's great offshore fishing all along Florida's east coast, although the gamefish tend to be closer to shore from Stuart south through the Florida Keys (that's a lot of coastline to cover!). That just means you spend less time running and more time fishing. If fishing is your sole reason for visiting us, then any inlet or port along that whole swath of coastline will serve your purpose. If you want to combine nightlife with your fishing, then consider the area from Ft. Lauderdale through Miami, which offer some fine restaurants and clubs. If you're looking for something more funky, the Keys are lots of fun, particuarly Key West. 

In any case, once you've narrowed down what you want your vacation to be about, do a Google search of charter boats in whatever city you choose, i.e., "Charter Fishing Stuart" or "Charter Fishing Ft. Lauderdale." There are no shortage of guides in any of these areas and you ought to be able to book a trip that will nail some fish.

Good luck and let me know how you do!

You bet the fishing is good, Heather. The Sanibel area abounds in different species and you can do just about any kind of fishing you wish, whether from shore or pier or out in a flats boat or deep sea boat. April marks the beginning of the annual tarpon run centered on Boca Grande Pass. The tarpon guides can hook you up with on these monsters for the fight of your life. If you'd rather catch dinner, the trout and redfishing in the area is superb. If you only want to a little fishing as part of your vacation plan you can make good use of the pier or you can fish right off the beaches near thelLighthouse end of the island. Offshore trips are available with charter boats in the area to seek out king mackerel, cobia, snapper and grouper. Do a Google search for "fishing Sanibel" and you should come up with the names of guides with whom you can make arrangements. If you go on a charter boat the boat's fishing license will cover you, but if you fish on your own you'll need to pick up a license. 

Have fun and let me know what  you catch!     

You're right, Ryan. People do tend to head offshore for Florida coastal fishing. But the more of them who go out there, the more inshore fish are left for the rest of us. Daytona isn't very far away from the Mosquito Lagoon, an area of vast shallow-water flats that is the world headquarters for catching red fish, whether with spinning or fly gear. The best thing, as far as you're concerned, is that you don't need snow shoes or mukluks (what the hell is a mukluk?) to catch fish. Your best bet is to hook up with a professional guide who has the equipment--a shallow water flats boat that he can silently pole to put you on fish in two feet or less of water-- and the knowledge (big schools of redfish tend to move around the lagoon and a guide who is out there everyday knows the approximate location toward which they were last moving) to put you on fish. While redfish are the big draw of th Mosquito Lagoon, there are plenty of sea trout around, too. To winnow down the choices do a Google seardh for "fly fishing Mosquito Lagoon."  That should provide the names of some guides. Then put the old telephone or email to use to let a few of them know what you want to accomplish and to hear their thoughts on how best to do the kind of fishing you want to do. I don't know what you catch up there in the Great White North on flies, but red fish can be brutes, so be prepared for a tussle. 

Good luck and let me know how you do!

Hey, Josh. I grew up in Northeast Florida and it's a great place to do some offshore fishing. The local fishing clubs have been very diligent about creating and marking offshore reefs over the last several decades so there are plenty of targets. Your first decision is which port to leave from. In the very northeast corner of the state is Fernandina Beach, the port of choice for anglers residing in upscale Amelia Island. Charters from there go out the St. Mary's River. Moving south brings you to the mighty St. Johns River and the fishing community in Mayport at the mouth of the river. Finally, there's St. Augustine and charter boats that go out St. Augustine Inlet. They're all within an hour or so of driving time, so you can take your choice. After that it depends on whether you want a party boat--they're cheaper and carry a lot more anglers--or a private charter on a sport fisherman carrying six or so anglers. They're more expensive and move faster. But there are enough "hot spots" within range of any of the three inlets that no matter your choice,  you're likely to come home with dinner. Google Northeast Florida Fishing Charters to develop an initial list of possible boats and captains and use email or the telephone to narrow down your choices. 

Hope your trip is as much fun as I remember my trips from years ago!

Hi, Lisa. Welcome to Florida's beautiful Panhandle. You have several choices for deep sea fishing in the area depending upon how much time and money you want to devote to reeeling 'em in.  Party boats are the lowest-cost alternative. They're bigger boats that carry 30 to 60 anglers and usually target such tasty bottom fish as grouper and snapper. If you want to go more upscale and aim for pelagics like king mackeral, sailfish or dolphin, then you'll be looking to charter a sport fishing boat. The usually limit the number of anglers to six or fewer, but they're faster and get to deeper water quicker. The nice thing about Pensacola is that you can be in 600 feet of water, where the big boys roam, just 35 miles from Pensacola. If you're really ambitious about fishing you can take a charter for 24 hours or more that will get you out to the big offshore old rigs that have turned into huge fish havens over the years. Do a Google search for Pensacola Deep Sea Fishing and you'll find plenty of information to get you started. Then give the various boats and skippers a telephone call to discuss what it is you want to accomplish and get an idea of prices and times. I'm sure you'll find something that suits your needs.

Good luck!

Hi, Mark. Thanks for weighing in on a touchy subject. Nobody likes taxes, but taxes are the price of living together. Your boat may not use a highway, but it does use a waterway. And fortunately for us boaters, Florida a few years ago passed a bill that allocates a lot more of the taxes you pay for boat fuel to boating. It's estimated that boaters pay about $38 million in fuel taxes each year. Before the recent legislation only about $2.5 million of that came back to boating. Now the state is aiming toward providing boating with up to $13.4 million. The additional money will fund more boat ramps, more parking and  additional grants to local groups for boater safety education, all of which are badly needed. Less important, but nevertheless useful, will be a consolidation of state waterway signage to improve the consistency and maintenance of signs. And while a lot of boaters may not be happy about it, some of the additional money will be used for research in manatee avoidance technology and enforcement of manatee zone speed limits. Finally, the money will help fund salaries for additonal marine patrol officers. You'll be happy about that if you obey the laws and are concerned about safety, not so happy if you like to keep undersized or out-of-season fish.

Like they say, the only two things that are certain are taxes and death. I'll take taxes any day!

Hi, John. I'd say your best choice at this point is to toss a coin: heads you fish the Gulf side, tails you fish the Atlantic. I honestly can't say that you would be better off on one coast or the other at the end of March. To focus on big fish I think you need to consider a private offshore charter. The headboats are great fun and relatively cheap, but they're focused on making sure that anglers take home something for dinner that night and tend toward smaller species like snapper and sea bass. Trying to snag a big tuna, mackerel or dolphin on a boat with 50 lines over the side invites chaos. The private charters, usually six or fewer anglers, can move faster and are set up to fight big fish. I don't have any favorites in either location, so I suggest you do a Google search for "charter fishing" for whichever location you choose. Call the captains and tell them what you want to do. It won't take you long to figure out whether an individual captain is on your "wave length" and can provide you with the kind of fishing experience you want. 

Good luck and let me hear about your experience!

Daytona is a great fishing location and what's really great about it is that you can do all sorts of fishing. Let's start simple with inshore fishing for trout, redfish, flounder and other species that can be caught in and around the intracoastal waterway. For that you'll need a guide who specializes in that kind of fishing. He'll typically use a 20-foot boat that carries two or three anglers. Because you're essentially chartering him for a private fishing trip it'll probably cost $250 or up for half a day and maybe as much as $400 for a full day. The advantage is that you get a personally escorted trip, your guide will teach you the ins and outs of fishing and you'll see some spectacular scenery. The other way to go is offshore and Daytona is great for that, too. Running out of Ponce Inlet takes you to some great fishing grounds for pelagics like mackerel and dolphin or bottom fish such as snapper and grouper. Going offshore gives you some choices--private of public. By that I mean that a private charter on an offshore fishing boat will be limited to six or fewer anglers. The cost will be higher, say $500 for a half-day trip, $800 for a full day. Again, you have the personal attention of the charter skipper and his mate. But the alternative is a head boat or party boat, which is a larger boat that carries as many as 50 or 60 angers. Because you're packing so many fishermen aboard a single boat, the cost per fisherman can be much lower, around $45 for a half day trip or $60 or so for a full day. No matter which option you choose, your fishing license, tackle and bait will almost certainly be supplied by your charter captain. All you have to do is reel 'em up.  To begin your search for the ideal Daytona trip try a Google search under "Daytona Beach Fishing Charters."

Good luck!