Destin is a very good inshore fishing destination. There are plenty of fish that stay in the inshore waters throughout the year and plenty of migratory fish move through this system as well.
Choctawhatchee Bay
The Choctawhatchee Bay is the major bay for inshore fishing the Destin, Florida area. The bay is huge and the fishing is good for redfish, sea trout, flounder, sheepshead and many other fish.
Fish the Bridges
The bridges off so many good fishing opportunities in the Destin area year-round. You will find many boats fishing around the bridges on any given day. Anglers catch lots of sheepshead around the bridge pilings to go along with many other species of fish such as redfish, sea trout, black drum, flounder and more.
Choctawhatchee Bay Causeway
Brooks Bridge
Mid-Bay Toll Bridge
Destin Bridge
Fish the Bayous
There are several bayous that provide anglers some good shallow water fishing opportunities with calmer waters. These areas tend to be better in the spring, fall and winter months.
Fish the Docks
The inshore waters are home to so many docks. At times, the dock fishing can be an excellent pattern to target a variety of different fish. Sheepshead love the docks, but you can also find trout, redfish, flounder and more.
Destin’s East Pass
Destin is home to the largest private fishing charter fleet in North America and Destin’s East Pass is the key to the shortest route to deep water in the Gulf of Mexico. This area is known as “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village” and this would not exist without the pass that connects the bay to the Gulf of Mexico.
Many anglers enjoy fishing the pass from shore or by boat. This area is home to some excellent fishing as many different species of fish will move through this pass as they move into the bay and back out into the Gulf of Mexico. Anglers catch redfish, trout, sheepshead, flounder, jacks and more in this area.
Santa Rosa Sound
The Santa Rosa Sound is an awesome inshore fishery that is close to Destin. The sound consists of no major rivers, streams or permanent passes, which helps to create a consistent calm water fishery that is known for its great fishing for redfish, sea trout, flounder, sheepshead and more.
Popular Fish Caught Inshore
Below you can find some of the most popular fish that you can catch in the inshore waters of Amelia Island. There are also pictures and some fishing tips to help you catch more fish on your next visit here.
Black Drum
Black drum move into the inshore areas of Destin, Florida in large numbers every spring. The river mouths and passes are usually good spots to fish. The inshore waters around Destin give anglers a lot of awesome places to target black drum and you can catch them here year round.
Black Drum Fishing Tips
Spring and fall are popular times to target black drum because they head into the bays and inlets to spawn. They feed on the bottom and some of the best baits are clams and crabs.
Visit our Black Drum fishing page to learn more.
Flounder
Flounder are available year round here in Destin. The inshore waters provide anglers so many awesome places to fish for them throughout the bay. For many anglers, flounder are caught while targeting other species of fish, however, they can be fun to catch and they taste excellent, so they are definitely worth targeting.
Flounder Fishing Tips
Flounder can be caught with artificial lures, however, for many anglers, live bait or natural baits are considered the norm when fishing for flounder. Flounder love hanging tight to the bottom, so pick out your favorite bottom rig and pair it with a bull minnow, finger mullet, pinfish or shrimp and you should catch some fish.
Visit our Flounder fishing page to learn more.
Jack Crevalle
Jack Crevalle are common in the inshore waters of Destin, Florida. The warm weather months will push more fish into this area. They can be super exciting to catch when you find a school of them. Anglers target them with a variety of lures and baits, but topwater lures can be a lot of fun when they are feeding near the surface.
Jack Crevalle Fishing Tips
Jack Crevalle are a very popular species for inshore anglers, although, they are commonly found offshore as well. These fish are extremely powerful and capable of making long runs, especially if you are using light tackle. Their average size ranges from 2 to 5 pounds, but in most areas fish up to 10 pounds are plentiful. Some people eat these fish, but most people would rate them as very poor-tasting.
Learn More About Jack Crevalle
Ladyfish can be a fun fish to catch, especially for younger anglers. They do not get very big, so the more experienced anglers usually see them as bait for bigger fish. Ladyfish are an excellent bait both alive and dead as cut bait. There will be plenty of ladyfish in the inshore waters here during the warmer months of the year.
Ladyfish Fishing Tips
Ladyfish are cousins of the much larger tarpon. They have a long, slender body and are fairly small, averaging 2 to 3 pounds. They are fun to catch for young anglers, but for most adult anglers, ladyfish are used for bait. Ladyfish can easily be caught with a small hook, weight and live shrimp, small bait fish or cut bait.
Visit our Ladyfish fishing page to learn more.
Redfish
Redfish are very common in the inshore waters around Destin, Florida. There are so many places you can target them here. Fish for redfish on the grass flats, around bridges, near the passes, at the mouths of rivers and back in the creeks. You can catch redfish year round here, however, the fall is when anglers have their best shot at a trophy-sized bull redfish. It is one of the most consistent fish to target here, so if you’re fishing inshore waters, plan on running into some redfish.
Redfish Fishing Tips
Anglers target redfish with a variety of artificial lures, live baits and natural baits. While you have so many options for targeting redfish, most anglers will keep it simple and use live shrimp, dead shrimp or lures that mimic a shrimp. You can target the smaller reds with medium heavy rods and reels, but if you are going after bigger redfish, you’re going to want to go with medium heavy to heavy action gear to help land some of these huge fish.
Visit our Redfish fishing page to learn more.
Saltwater Catfish
You will find plenty of catfish in the bays as well as the passes and out along the beaches. They can be annoying if you don’t want to catch them or exciting if you’re looking for some action.
Hardhead Catfish
Gafftopsail Catfish
Catfish Fishing Tips
Catching catfish is easy in saltwater. Once you find them, they will easily bite many different types of cut baits. Just get your bait on the bottom, wait for the bite and then set the hook.
Sea Trout
The bay is home to some very good fishing for sea trout and these fish are available year round. Along with redfish, sea trout are a reliable fish to catch here even during the colder times of the year. Fish the grass flats, passes and bridges and you should find some sea trout.
Sea Trout Fishing Tips
Sea trout give anglers lots of options because they can be very aggressive. At times, you can do just as well or even better with artificial lures. For the live bait anglers, you have a variety of live and natural baits that you can use to catch sea trout. Anglers can also get away with using lighter tackle as well since most of the better spots tend to be around shallow water grass flats.
Visit our Sea Trout fishing page to learn more.
Sharks
With so much excellent deep water structure just a short boat ride from Destin, Florida, anglers have lots of options to fish for sharks. You can go offshore and fish very deep water for big sharks or stay closer to fish the beaches and in the bay. Sharks are common around the inshore waters, but most will be smaller. If you’re looking for bigger sharks, there are plenty of charters that fish the 600 foot deep trench of the 100 fathom curve.
Learn More About Sharks on our Shark Fishing page.
Sheepshead
Sheepshead are common throughout the bay. While you may find some sheepshead here in the summer, it is the colder months that provide some awesome inshore fishing for sheepshead. Fish the bridges, docks, rocks and pilings and you should be able to find some sheepshead.
Sheepshead Fishing Tips
Sheepshead are one of the tougher saltwater fish to catch on artificial lures. It can be done, but using live or natural baits can out fish lures by 10 to 1 or more at times. It is easy to understand why most anglers just go with live bait and they don’t even mess with lures when fishing for sheepshead. Shrimp and fiddler crabs are the most popular baits, but don’t rule out a variety of cut baits, oysters and sand fleas. Sheepshead are known for stealing your bait and they also are a tough fish, so make sure you have a strong enough hook and a solid medium-heavy to heavy action fishing rod or you will lose a lot of fish.
Visit our Sheepshead fishing page to learn more.
Mangrove Snapper
Mangrove Snapper are a popular to fish to target in the inshore waters of Destin, Florida.
Mangrove Snapper Fishing Tips
Mangrove Snapper are one of the most popular snapper to catch because large populations of juvenile fish can be caught inshore where most anglers fish. Offshore, you will find bigger mangrove snapper over the reefs and wrecks. Some of the best baits to use for mangrove snappers are live and dead shrimp, mud minnows, small pinfish, small finger mullet and small crabs.
Tarpon
Tarpon migrate into this area from late spring through fall. In the early summer, the tarpon fishing usually hits its peak. While the tarpon are here, there will be plenty of anglers that get out here to fish for them. Tarpon can be found roaming the beaches, hanging around the passes and good numbers of them will come into the bay as well.
Tarpon Fishing Tips
While many anglers may run into smaller tarpon and catch them without much effort, to consistently target bigger tarpon, you need to make sure you have the right tackle & equipment so things go your way. Tarpon will eat a variety of baits, so you have a lot of options when it comes to live & cut baits or artificial lures. The time of year is very important as well since tarpon will migrate a long way up and down both the Gulf & Atlantic Coasts each year.
Visit our Tarpon fishing page to learn more.
