Local Fishing

Fishing inshore, utilizing the Santa Rosa Sound as well as the Escambia, East and Choctawhatchee bays, you will find speckled trout, white trout, sheepshead, redfish, gray snapper and flounder waiting to grab your bait. Do you enjoy relaxing on the Gulf beaches in your chair with your fishing rods staked out in the sand? You will find Florida pompano, redfish, whiting, bluefish and ladyfish and beautiful, clean water in abundance. Move out onto one of the local fishing piers, and you can add king and Spanish mackerel, cobia, hardtail jacks (blue runners) and jack crevalle to your catch. If inshore trolling is your game, then pulling your baits in the Gulf waters will allow you to encounter bonita (little tunny), Spanish and king mackerel, cobia, barracuda, blackfin tuna and mahi-mahi. Six- to eight-hour fishing trips offshore is where the action really heats up. Red snapper, vermilion snapper (locally called “mingoes”), gray triggerfish, amberjack, white snapper (red porgies), lane snapper and three species of grouper (red, gag and scamp) will not only ensure great fishing action, but also provide you with fine meals afterward. Making trips longer than eight hours offshore will take you out to where the big amberjack, snapper and grouper live, as well as yellowfin tuna and an assortment of billfish.Wetting a line at the closest shore to spending a night out on the Gulf, the Emerald Coast can provide you with all the fishing challenge and excitement you desire.

NAVARRE BEACH PIER

Did you know that the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier has been celebrated as the longest fishing pier extending into the Gulf of Mexico? The pier features concrete piles and an octagonal end design with a surface area of approximately 3,800 square feet. The pier was constructed using more than 370 breakaway wood panels, which detach during heavy wave action and help preserve the integrity of the structure, reducing possible storm repair costs. With a surface area exceeding 32,000 square feet total, the pier offers fishermen ample space to angle 30 feet above the Gulf. The pier’s deck was renovated in 2020 and provides more space to enjoy with family and friends. Inside the pier store, fishermen can find last minute fishing needs, while visitors can shop for souvenirs, food and drinks. Take a walk along the pier and you may see anything from manta rays to sharks, cobia, Spanish mackerel and huge schools of bait fish. It’s like visiting an outside aquarium. Pelicans and great blue herons perch on the pier railings hoping for a handout and posing for photos. It’s a great way to experience the beauty of the Gulf of Mexico, as well experience the unique culture of the local fishing community.