Florida is a fisherman’s paradise. Saltwater or freshwater, from the shore, a bridge, or a boat, there’s a style of fishing to suit everyone in Florida. It’s no wonder anglers spend years with Florida fishing as their goal.
Here’s a quick look at a few tips to ensure your trip is as safe and successful as possible.
Fishing License
People head to Florida for more than just National Seafood Month. The thing is, seafood tastes better when you catch and prepare it yourself. Of course, before you wet that line, you’ll need a fishing license. You can get one for either fresh or saltwater, or both if you like. While the fees for both types are the same, there are a variety of tiers to choose from. 
Getting There
 If you’ll be driving to Florida for your trip, you might want to check out an article on how to safely load a truck toolbox before loading all of your tools, gear, and luggage into the back of your truck. Also, create a checklist beforehand to ensure that you have everything you need before heading out.
Of course, a lot of anglers fly into Florida to fish as opposed to driving. If you’re planning to river fish, you might fly into any of the major airports. There are rivers full of fish all over the state. If you want to fish in the Gulf, Tampa is a good, centrally located place to fly into. For the Keys, you might want to land in Fort Lauderdale or Miami.
Where to Stay
Finding the best places to fish, be they in Florida, Texas, Alaska, or anywhere else, also determines which town or city you’ll be staying in or near. Getting away from all of the tourists in places like Florida can be easier said than done, especially in popular areas. If you’ll be fishing a popular fishing destination, try to avoid staying in the larger cities surrounding it and opt for the little one-horse towns that you’ll miss if you blink. This will offer you more peace and quiet.
Types of Fish
When it comes to the types of fish you can catch in Florida, wow, do you have variety! As far as saltwater fishing goes, you can charter a boat to catch things like marlin, sailfish, swordfish, and even sharks. Of course, you can also catch sharks fishing off the pier in Tampa at certain times of the year.
If you want freshwater fish and know how to tie all of your fishing knots on your own, you can catch anything from largemouth bass and peacock bass to black bass, shad, and gar, among other species. This will vary depending on the location and time of year.
When it comes to fishing from the shore, or less than 30 miles out, you can do what northerners call crab fishing (southerners know this as “going crabbing”), or fish for things like king mackerel, mahi-mahi, tuna, sea trout, and more. If conditions are optimal, some charters will even pursue species like tarpon or grouper, though most will stick to whatever happens to be biting the most.
Gear
Finally, let’s talk a bit about gear. We mentioned above reading an article on it and the tools you might need. However, if you’ll be hiring a charter boat for fishing, most of the time, they’ll have everything you need onboard. Also, some of the designated fishing bridges will have bait shops on them that sell anything you may need. If you’ll be freshwater fishing, you’ll need to bring your own most of the time.
Overall, be safe and have fun. For most people, fishing in Florida is a once in a lifetime dream that they may never achieve, so enjoy it!