Deep fishing out of Destin, Florida is very popular among locals and tourists. Known as the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” Destin offers access to rich fishing grounds that are home to numerous game fish. It is one of the best ports for planning a deep sea fishing trip in the state of Florida.
100-Fathom Hot Spot
The 100-Fathom Curve refers to the area along the Gulf of Mexico’s coastline where the water drops off super quick, reaching 600 foot depths. Destin is only about 25 miles from this drop-off, which makes it closer to this drop-off than any other port in the Gulf of Mexico. From bottom fish to the pelagic species that are known for swimming along the Gulf Stream currents, anglers have so many options here.
About 30 miles south of Destin, there is an area named the Squiggles, which is a popular offshore fishing spot that sits along the southeast edge of 100-Fathom Curve. The Nipple and the Elbow are also popular areas that anglers fish to target sailfish, marlin, tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi and more.
Bottom Fishing
Reefs & Wrecks
The Gulf of Mexico features a variety of underwater structures, including shipwrecks, reefs and natural habitats that hold a an array of saltwater fish. There are many fishing charters that will fish the offshore waters here. You may be going anywhere from a few miles out to more than 30 miles out to fish these offshore structures. Out of Destin, it is a much closer boat ride than every other port in the Gulf to get out to some amazing bottom structures that are found in very deep water.
Some of the types of fish you may be targeting on the reefs and wrecks are snapper, grouper, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, amberjack, cobia, sharks, hogfish, tripletail, jack crevalle, barracuda and more.
Artificial Reef Locations
Visit the reef locations on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.
