Fishing In Florida

Our son Lee enjoying an evening fishing

The pond in the photo above is only a two minute walk from our villa and is teaming with fish. If you like fishing you will LOVE Florida - the fishing is fantastic! We have each bought a simple freshwater fishing set, (rod, reel and starter tackle), from the large Wal*Mart store at the top of our road for about $20 (£13) all in and have had some fantastic days fishing. The ponds are full of fish and almost every cast gets a knock if not a fish to land - they are very good at removing the bait from the hook! As we are fishing for pleasure and never keep our catch we take barbless hooks over with us from the UK along with a disgorger - you cannot get a small disgorger of the type we use in the UK in Florida. We fish either with a float and use raw bacon for bait or spin using one of the many artificial lures available in the fishing shops.

From this pond we have caught:-

We have also seen but not managed to catch Florida Gar. For an identification chart of the more common freshwater fish to print off and take with you click here. For a more detailed list of Florida fish try here.

Anyone interested in fishing or any outdoor activity for that matter must find time to visit the Bass Pro shop at the top of International Drive, next to the Festival Bay shopping mall.

For some great information about fishing in Florida visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website & the Take Me Fishing website.

We also have available a .pdf version of 'Florida - The Fishing Capital of the World' information booklet published by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and others. To download a copy (2.95Mb) click here.

Fishing Licences

We are often asked about what fishing licences are required whilst on holiday in Florida. Licensing requirements follow the species of fish you are fishing for, regardless of where you are fishing. For example, anglers fishing for and possessing largemouth bass in brackish water need a freshwater license; anglers fishing for saltwater species in fresh water (e.g., spotted seatrout, red drum, snook, American shad) need a saltwater license to possess these species if fishing from a boat.

A basic non residents licence can be obtained from the fishing section at Wal*Mart. The cost is around $16.50 for 7 days and $31.50 for 12 months, (under 16's don't need a licence), and all the proceeds go back into fish conservation and habitats.

The best place to find the up to date licence costs and fishing rules is the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission Website.