Fishing

By Julia Schuster

Back in 1845, Captain Leonard Destin settled in northwest Florida and pioneered the fishing industry here. Since Capt. Destin's first catches, the Emerald Coast has been known as a fisherman's paradise. Whether you fish off the shore of Okaloosa, Walton or Bay Counties, in Choctawhatchee Bay or St. Andrews Bay, or in the rivers, bayous and lakes in the area, anglers can be certain of a fishing fantasy come true.

Let's start with the Fort Walton and Destin areas. Destin has long been known as the "World's Luckiest Fishing Village", and with good reason. With the largest fleet of charter fishing vessels, over 200 boats, and an offshore shelf that dips straight from Destin's East Pass to 100-foot depths within ten miles, Destin is recognized as the quickest deep-water access on the Gulf of Mexico. Over twenty species of edible game fish are always in seasonal runs, and more billfish are caught here than at all other Gulf ports combined. Over 35,000 fishermen and women rain down on the area in October each year to test their luck in the Destin Fishing Rodeo. And you don't have to be an "old salt" to participate. Just hop on a registered charter boat or drop your hook into the beach waters or off an area dock or pier. You catch the biggest - you win! The Rodeo gives out daily, weekly and overall prizes in men's, women's and junior angler's categories for every game fish you can reel in. And don't forget the Cobia World Championship Fishing Tournament in the spring.

Yes, fishermen and women are lured by the Emerald Coast's deep sea bottom fishing for our year-round concentrations of amberjack, triggerfish, grouper, and red snapper, just to name a few. And farther off shore, trollers bring in big game such as blue marlin, wahoo and sailfish. Even landlubbers can reel in the big ones off the 1,200 foot Okaloosa Pier that is known to shelter 100-pound tarpon. Now that's a catch!

The Choctawhatchee Bay and the surrounding bayous are favorite sites to pull in Spanish mackerel, white trout, red drum and specks. And the Choctawhatchee River flows 96 miles from the Alabama state line to the Choctawhatchee Bay. It offers large amounts of bass, bream and catfish. The Hurricane Lake Reservoir in Blackwater State Forest has some large bass in the spring and early summer. Stocked with catfish, this lake should be on a fisherman's list of places not to miss.

Moving east along Highway 98, Panama City and Panama City Beach offer the angler even more fishing delights. The 5,000 acre Deerpoint Lake, which is fed by natural freshwater streams, supplies more that 750 million gallons of water each day to the Panama City area, making it well-known for springtime shellcracker fishing. Also look for your hook to drop hard with largemouth bass, catfish and bream. In St. Andrews Bay test your angling expertise by fly-casting for red fish.

Panama City Beach hosts a huge fleet of fishing charters, from 16-foot skiffs to fish the shallowest flats to million dollar sport fishing yachts to bring in the big haul. Many varieties of fish are available year-round, but spring and fall offer the best angling. The area offers a variety of tournaments to test your skills, the most famous being the Bay Point Billfish Tournament, which reeled in a record-breaking 1,046 pound blue marlin in 2001. That catch set a new Florida state record and weighed in as the 14th largest in the world. Now that was one BIG fish!

If you are between the ages of 16 and 64, you'll be required to have a fishing license before you set out for your big catch. Licenses are relatively inexpensive and may be purchased through the county tax collector's offices and at many bait and tackle shops. Or you may call 1-888-347-4356 or visit www.marinefisheries.org to purchase licenses by phone or over the Internet. Ask your charter boat captain, too. Most take care of that for you and include licenses as part of their fees.