“Can you fish from your dock and what can you catch?” This is one of the top questions we get from guests who book The Seahorse Retreat and Palm Breeze Beach House - our homes in Navarre on the Santa Rosa Sound.
Yes, you can certainly fish from our dock! The water off our beach is shallow and clear (3-4 feet) and depending on the time of year, you’ll see crabs, small schools of fish, catfish, sting ray, dolphins, and other species.
An example sheepshead also seen swimming around the dock.
Last week we saw several large bull redfish (see video below) swimming under and around our dock as well as a good sized sheepshead (see picture above).
Redfish, also called red drum, channel bass, or reds are one of Florida’s more popular sport fish. But guests have also caught speckled trout and catfish right from the end of our dock.
Fishing Report: Click here for a current Navarre Fishing Report.
Tides & Charts: Tides4Fishing is a website that will give you all the atmospheric information about high and low tides, air and water temperature, barometric pressure, UV index, fish activity by time of day based on the solunar theory, which takes into account the phases of the moon as it relates to its affect on fishing activity.
Tips for Catching Redfish: Since redfish are prevalent in the waters here, we thought we’d provide some tips for catching them, courtesy of TheOnlineFisherman:
- Depth: Redfish love shallow water, so be sure to look for them around the dock and pilings.
- Bottom Feeders: Since they are primarily bottom feeders, you may see their large spotted tails sticking out of the water - a great time to throw out live bait on the bottom.
- Know their Seasons: They move around through the day to find their preferred temperature. In the summer, they usually will be in shallow water in the morning and deeper water as the day warms; in the winter it will be the opposite.
- Bait: Redfish love crabs, including blue crab, fiddler crab, or even mud crabs.
- Clear vs. Murky Water: If the water is clear, use a live mullet on the bottom, and if it is murky, cut bait will get more bites.
- Hooks: Since redfish are a “hit and run” species, circle hooks are effective because when the fish bites and runs, the circle hooks will set itself.
- Lures: They love gold spoons.
When mullet are jumping around the dock, that's a good sign bigger fish are present.
Fishing License: Do you need a license? Most likely, yes. Children under the age of 16 are exempt. See Florida Fish and Wildlife Licensing Requirements.
You can purchase and physically pick up a license at the local WalMart at 9360 Navarre Parkway (Hwy 98) going toward Navarre. Go to the Outdoor Sporting Goods department. Each person fishing requires a license. Licenses are not transferable.
Costs: 3 day $17.50, 7 day $30.50, one year for $47.50.