Destin, Florida is an infamous vacation spot thanks to its fantastic white-sand beaches, emerald green waters, luxury resorts, tourist attractions, and delicious food! This city is nestled on a peninsula in the heart of Florida Panhandle, so locals and tourists have the best views of the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay.

Not only is Detin known for its beaches, but the fantastic fishing action as well. It’s not called the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village” for nothing! But what’s there to expect?

Read on to learn about the best fish to catch on a Destin Florida inshore fishing charter.

Best Fish to Catch on a Destin Florida Inshore Fishing Charter

While you can go offshore fishing in Destin, you can also fish on the beach, docks, jetties, piers, bridges, or even kayaks! There are many inshore fish species you can catch, such as the:

Barracuda

Barracudas can range from 4-6 feet long, perfect for catching if you want a big one! This fish species love tropical and warm waters. Given their size, expect them to be swift and powerful, eating small fish like anchovies or mullets.

Watch out, though, as these fish can attack humans! If you want a bit of an adventure when inshore fishing, you’ll love the fight a barracuda can give.

When fishing in Destin, barracuda’s high season is June to September. The low season is in January to April and November to December. There aren’t any closed seasons when barracuda fishing!

Cobia

Cobia is a tasty and sustainable fish species that can grow up to six feet long, weighing up to 100 pounds! You can also keep cobia to yourself if you want to bring home quality meat to cook. As long as it’s 33 inches long, you can catch 1-2 cobia a day per vessel.

Also known as crabeater, these big fish can be mistaken for a shark or remora because of their color and size. If you want to catch cobia, we recommend doing so through trolling, jigging, or light tackling. As for bait, you can go for live or dead ones as long as it’s edible!

Mackerel

There are three types of popular mackerel species you can catch – The cero, king, and Spanish mackerel. They are all known for their tasty meat and beauty! While mackerel are small, they have a ton of flavor.

Expect mackerel to have marks found around shallow waters near shore. King mackerels would weigh between 10-20 pounds, while Spanish mackerels weigh 2-6 pounds. If you want to catch mackerel, chumming is one of the best ways to grab their attention. You can also catch these fish through tackling, jigging, fly fishing, trolling, or drift fishing.

Redfish

Redfish are one of the city’s inshore highlights as they can strike hard once hooked so that you can put up a bit of a fight. However, it’s still relatively easy to capture them, making them a suitable fish to target for beginners. Plus, these aren’t that challenging to find when in Destin.

Redfish are also known as drums, rat red, bull red, and channel bass, weighing between 10-52 pounds. You can find these fish in grassy or rocky shorelines, shallow flats, or shell bars. There are many different ways to fish for redfish in Destin, and you’ll find many places in the city where redfish are abundant.

Speckled Trout

Speckled trout don’t usually move from the areas they spawn from, making them very easy to find. This fish species would grow from 8-9 inches when mature, reaching as tall as 39 inches. Furthermore, they can live for up to ten years.

One of the more common methods to use when catching speckled trout is fly fishing. As for live baits, you can use pinfish, shrimp, mullets, grunts, herrings, or croakers. Their spawning season is from late March to September, with the peak season being from June to August.

Tarpon

Tarpon is one of Florida’s most popular fish species, and you can find the largest tarpon here in Destin! In fact, it’s what puts Destin on the map as one of the best fishing destinations.

Besides that, you can find world-class fishing charters that target tarpon, so hiring one can increase your chances of bagging a few of these fish. But do note that tarpon is a protected fish species, making it game fish in Florida. Tarpon can grow as long as eight feet, weighing up to 200 pounds. The most interesting part is that they have a long lifespan of 50 years on average, with the longest living tarpon living to 63 years old.

Why Join a Destin Florida Inshore Fishing Charter

Now that you know about the best fish to catch on a Destin Florida inshore fishing charter, you’re probably wondering: Why join or hire a fishing charter in. the first place?

For starters, a fishing charter comes fully equipped with a professional captain and crew ready to navigate the waters and assist in your fishing needs. They can teach you the different fishing techniques, some tips to improve your skills, and guide you through as you catch aggressive fish!

Moreover, the professional staff are well-knowledgeable on the best spots to fish in, so you won’t have trouble navigating the waters. It increases your chances of catching fish. Plus, if you have no equipment, that’s not a problem. Fishing charters already include equipment people can use and learn from.

Wrapping It Up

If you’re planning to fish in Destin, then it’s crucial to be prepared with what to expect! Fortunately, there are a ton of fish species you can catch when inshore fishing, ranging from tarpon to speckled trout.

For those who want to go inshore fishing, contact us now, and we can share our services and what services we can offer, and what fish you can expect to catch with us.