Florida Surf Fishing: Which Florida Coast is Best for Beach Fishing

Written by Tyler Paul in Surf Fishing 

There really aren't many, if any, bad beaches to fish from in Florida. Both the East Coast and the West Coast beaches produce a lot of fish every year and both coast's beaches are a slice of paradise in their own way. However, each of these coastlines does have its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to surf fishing.

After surveying over 100 experienced anglers, knowledgeable about beach fishing along the Florida Coastlines, responses show that the best overall Florida coast for beach fishing is the West Coast (Gulf Side). This is primarily due to the West Coast having calmer seas, more favorable winds, and generally more variety of fish.

During this survey, it was clear that many of the anglers had very strong opinions both ways and strong cases that could swing your decision for “the best Florida coast for surf fishing”. In this article, we will go over a few of these arguments as well and list some of the major advantages and disadvantages associated with each coast.

Beach Fishing On Florida's Gulf Coast (West Coast)

Florida's west coast (Gulf Coast), especially around the panhandle, is primarily known for its powdery white sand and beautiful sunset scenery. However, it is also known by thousands of beach-going anglers for being the best place to catch a ton of fish. You can be assured that you will have a productive day when beach fishing along the gulf coast, anywhere from Pensacola all the way down to the everglades.

In our article, Surf Fishing the Gulf Coast of Florida: A Complete Guide, we go over several great areas, along the Gulf Coast, known for their superior fishing, and provide tips on how to fish these areas. If you are planning a trip down the gulf side, I highly recommend you check out this article for great tips for fishing Florida's Gulf Coast.

How is the West Side of Florida Better than the East?

One of the biggest reasons that the West Coast of Florida wins out over the East Coast is for its ease of fishing. Since the breeze tends to move across the state of Florida from the Eastside, this gives a very favorable wind for West coast surf fishermen. Since the wind is not in your face, casting is much easier, especially for anglers who like to fish artificial lures and fly fish.

Additionally, since the winds are generally pushing away from shore, water clarity can be much better on the west coast. This is because the wind is pushing sea debris, such as grass, away from the shoreline and out of the way of beach fishermen's fishing line.

Furthermore, the surf can be knocked down quite a bit by this eastern wind making the crashing waves much smaller. This again allows fishermen, who like to sight fish, to be able to see in the water to cast for fish such as redfish and snook, cruising the beachfront.

On the negative side, and probably the biggest hit to beach fishing on the West Coast of Florida, is the existence of the red tide. Especially in recent years, the red tide has been devastating to fish and anglers along the west side of Florida, especially in the Tampa area. This event is a natural phenomenon that has been ramping up in magnitude and occurrence over the past decade due to more human induces factors such as runoff-containing chemicals, such as fertilizers, that exaggerate the effect.

Beach Fishing On Florida's Atlantic Coast (East Coast)

When it comes to surf fishing, the Atlantic coast has countless beaches that will produce plenty of high-quality fish all year round. From the North-East corner of Florida near Amelia Island all the way down to South Miami you will find fun to catch and good eating fish right from these beaches. At any given time you could catch one of the hundreds of species of fish that can range from a tiny palometa to a 100+ pound tarpon.

In our article Surf Fishing on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, we list our favorite cities for surf fishing along the East side of Florida. For each city listed in this article, we share some good spots to fish from the shore as well as some good places to shop and eat. If you are planning on making a trip to Florida, and want to work in some surf fishing, I highly recommend you check out our article for some great tips.

How is the West Side of Florida Better than the East?

One reason anglers will favor the Atlantic Coast over the Gulf coast is for the Pompano Fishing. Primarily due to their excellent table fare, some say the best-eating fish in the water, the Florida Pompano is one of the most sought-after fish along any beach. These fish can be caught from the east coast or west coast but the season will be much longer and more active on the East Coast of Florida.

Another reason the Atlantic side might be identified as the better coast to fish from is the reduced existence of red tide when compared to Florida's West Coast. Unfortunately, this natural phenomenon, exaggerated by human pollutants such as fertilizer, has been devastating once-popular fishing areas along the west coast and is responsible for massive fish kills. The East Coast does have some areas where red tide exists, but not at the same magnitude or frequency as that seen on the West Coast of Florida.

On the negative side, the Atlantic coasts tend to have more days with strong eastern (in your face) winds that can make casting difficult. Furthermore, these same winds can bring in large amounts of grass and trash from the ocean which can make fishing difficult or near impossible when present. Additionally, the east coast will generally have much rougher current and surf that can add difficulty to keeping bait still on the bottom. It is especially important when fishing on the East Coast, to keep an eye on surf conditions before lugging your gear out there.

Related Articles

To learn more about surf fishing, I highly recommend you check out some of our related articles listed below. These articles will provide information on the most common fish that are caught from the beach as well as great fishing tips along the East and West Coasts of Florida.

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