By
Carolee Anita Boyles
When I moved to Tampa in the late 1990s, it was the first time I’d been in a saltwater environment since I was in high school. I was fascinated by the idea of fishing in all that blue water, but where to begin? I’d been away from saltwater for so long that the only bait I remembered was shrimp, and I didn’t have a clue how to set up a saltwater rig.
A visit to a local bait and tackle shop got me started in the right direction of where to go and what to do when I got there. In the process I discovered that bait shops do much more than just sell shiners and shrimp—whether you’ve moved into an area or are just visiting, a local bait and tackle shop is your first best source for information on where to fish. In fact, if it’s a good shop, they’ll put out charts and tell you where they’ve located fish in the past 48 hours.
A “good shop” doesn’t mean K-Mart or Wal-Mart, or even a little roadside stand that just sells bait. These sources often will have bait and tackle at better prices than a locally owned full-service shop, but their level of service, and the amount of information they can give you, just doesn’t measure up. For a few more cents, you can learn a great deal about the area and where to fish.
The next level of information is local guides. Many times, going with a guide is a good way to get some exposure to an area. Hire a guide for a day, or even a half-day. Tell the guide you’re trying to learn the area, and that you want to learn to fish better; in most cases he or she will take the time to educate you.
These same principles apply when you start looking for places to fish from the land. Whether you’re looking for a pier or a beach to fish from, or you’re interested in wade fishing, a good bait and tackle shop should be your first source of information.
However, a guide can help you here as well. A good guide can show you areas that are accessible from land, and places such as islands that you need a boat to reach, but then are better fished by wading.
Before you walk into a bait shop and start asking questions about where to fish, think about what you want to know. Here are the kinds of questions you should be prepared to answer for the person who’s helping you:
- What kind of fish do you want to catch?
- Do you want to use bait, or do you want to use lures?
- What kind of tackle do you have?
- Do you want to target fish that are going to be exciting once you have them on the hook? Or do you just want to wait for whatever comes swimming by?
When you can answer those questions for the person who’s helping you, then he or she can give you good advice about where you can go.
If you’re interested in places to fish from the land, don’t overlook state and county parks that are on the water. They frequently have public fishing piers that don’t show on maps, and some have designated fishing beaches.
One more tried and true method for finding places to fish is to just drive around and look. For instance, if there’s a long causeway that crosses a bay, see if there’s an access road that parallels the main highway. Frequently those access roads are open for recreational activities, including fishing. Look under bridges, along the shoreline of canals and channels, and on public beaches to see if other people are fishing there. Some small places like these may harbor very good fishing, but you have to observe carefully to find them.
With all the saltwater resources available to anglers in Florida, there’s no excuse for not finding a good place to fish. Learning where to go just takes a willingness to ask questions, and to get out and explore a bit until you find the spot you’re looking for.
