Big fish, tough fighting fish and good edible fish... Marco Island is one of THE best places to find varied fishing all year round. Being the northern-most of the 10,000 Islands, surrounded by natural preserves and bordering the Gulf of Mexico, Marco is ideally situated to experience many different kinds of world class fishing.
You'll find below a description of the different opportunities available here and what you can expect from each if you go out on a fishing charter. Once you've narrowed down what you're looking for, take a look at our Marco Island Travel Guide at www.whitesandgetaways.com , it will help you decide which of our highly experienced Charter Captains will be just right for you.
Family Fishing
If you want to take the family out for some fun but you haven't been fishing before or you aren't a die-hard, then nearshore or backwater would be your best bet. Here you will have a shot at snapper, jacks, pompano, trout, mackerel, sheepshead, black drum, snook, redfish and maybe even tarpon and shark at this time of year. You won't have to travel far and you'll get plenty of fishing on a half day trip. Some of the guides who specialize in near shore and backwater fishing will also mix a trip with shelling and bird watching to please the non-fishermen in your party.
Backwater for the more Experienced Angler
If you take your fishing seriously then you should take a day out with any one of Marco Island's amazing backwater guides in the 10,000 Islands and Everglades National Park - you're sure to be happy you did. They will probably target snook, redfish, trout, shark, and tarpon. Of course you could end up with a snapper or jack or small grouper - but it will be a fun day casting up against the mangroves hardly seeing another person and bringing that monster snook to the boat. You'll be surprised how big the fish are in these skinny waters.
Offshore for the Big Boys (fish and guys!!)
A great day fishing a number of wrecks, artificial reefs or fish havens up to 35 miles offshore will keep everybody quiet on the trip back to the marina. Some species you're likely to find at this time of year are permit, goliath grouper, barracuda, sheepshead, snapper, cobia, amberjack, mackerel, shark and grouper and they always make for fishing fun. There are many charter captains, with larger boats, specializing in offshore fishing and they will definitely bend your rod! Marco's certainly a great place to fish whether you're a novice, a die-hard or just want a novel work-out! If you choose to go with a charter captain, you will only need to take food and drink for your trip. However, if you want to try from land then any of the beaches (not near designated swimming areas of course), the waterway behind your rental home or the areas around the two bridges linking Marco to the mainland, are always worth a try. Don't forget to check that the fish you've caught are legal sized and in season before you keep them - you can pick up information on this at a local marina.
Written by Stephen Barker and sponsored by Jason Byington and the team at www.WhiteSandGetaways.com Marco Island, Florida
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