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Website Created by Keith Kalbfleisch
Copyright © 2001 Saltwater Adventures of Central Florida. All rights
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Revised: 07/25/11. |
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Saltwater Fishing Near Orlando
By Captain Keith Kalbfleisch
Saltwater Adventures of Central Florida
The reel screams, and
the game is on! It may be a Redfish, Tarpon, Sea Trout, King Mackerel,
Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) or
other Florida gamefish, but no matter what, it is a blast! Many people
don’t realize that there is spectacular saltwater fishing less than an hour
from Orlando. This article is for you to understand what type of saltwater
fishing is available near Orlando, what to expect, and how to select a good
captain.
 We are fortunate to have
three kinds of world-class saltwater fishing only an hour away from Orlando
on the East Coast—what we call the Space Coast area. Our first kind of
fishing, and the most popular, is on our fabled flats near Titusville for
primarily Redfish, Sea Trout, and the occasional other gamefish like Snook,
Black Drum,
Ladyfish, and Tarpon. Many people have seen this type of fishing on
television, and would like to have the chance to experience it for
themselves.
If you are not familiar
with redfish, they are a beautiful copper-colored gamester known for their
bulldog-tenacity fights, and they can grow quite large with 10-15 pound fish
fairly common, and “bulls” going over 30 lbs! Three bodies of water
are typically fished—the Indian River Lagoon, the Banana River Lagoon, and
Mosquito Lagoon. These are not rivers at all, but are beautiful
estuaries with not only fish, but manatees, dolphin, and an amazing amount
of unusual bird life. This is calm-water fishing (no seasickness!),
rarely gets “weathered out”, and is available year round.
 Most of our flats fish
are caught on light gear (spinning or fly) and are an extreme challenge.
These fish are very spooky and must be approached in shallow water quietly
(we use a long pushpole), sneaking up on them to cast a lure or fly, or
waiting quietly for them to approach us. Things really get exciting
when they are hooked! Using their powerful tail, they can pull many
yards of line off the reel as they try to escape. Top-of-the-line
 specialized
boats and gear are required, with a captain that has the experience to put
you on these fish.
This shallow-water
inshore fishing is available year-round, and you can get more information
about this great type of fishing on my website
www.capt-keith.com . Especially check out the “Information”
and "Types of Fish" pages.
Another type of fishing
is available during the late spring, summer and fall months, and it can be exciting! We call
it Nearshore, and it is your chance to catch a real monster. When the
water
 warms up, and the Atlantic settles into the quiet summer wind pattern,
we fish within 10 miles of the beach for large fish like Tarpon, King
Mackerel, Cobia, Monster Jack Crevalle, Barracuda, Sharks and more. This is
radical fishing for big fish on a small boat! We use light gear that gives
you the opportunity to experience the most these great fish have to offer.
Usually this is live-bait fishing, with big fish crashing the party at any
time.
 If you get the chance to fish here during the summer, make sure you
have a Captain that understands the ins-and-outs of this challenging type of
fishing, and has the top-notch gear required to handle the demands of these
monster fish! Again see pictures and get more information about this type
of fishing on my website,
www.capt-keith.com .
 The
third type of fishing available is true “deep sea” fishing out of Port
Canaveral or Ponce Inlet (Daytona area) to the north. This is typical
bottom fishing and trolling, and can be great at times. The offshore
fishing is
 weather
dependent and seasonal, and plan for long runs and big seas if the weather
is acting up. There are a variety of fish, and the fishing varies
throughout the year. I have a network of captains (including myself)
that can handle small to large parties, and give you the quality experience
you are looking for when you fish our ocean.
What kind of captain
should you look for when you come fishing in our area? One with gear,
experience, and credentials. Unfortunately, many captains do not have
these three factors, and it seems that they tend to go together—when one
factor is missing, the others are likely to be substandard also.
 When a
captain is well established he provides excellent gear, has a top-of-the-line boat,
and has many years of experience in the area. He is also happy to show
you his credentials.
Two types of captains to
be cautious of are those that guide part-time, and those without at least 10
ADULT years of experience in the local area (I have over 30 years experience
on Florida waters,
 with
over 15 in the local area). I would also pick a captain that
specializes in saltwater fishing only. A guide who fishes for bass
cannot spend the time on the flats consistently enough to give you a quality
experience on our challenging saltwater flats. Also remember that a
truly discounted rate is probably not a reputable captain, and it is a
"Buyer Beware" market where you have to be careful that you get the captain
that will give you the experience you expect.
Another factor to be
wary of are those captains that advertise "No fish, No Pay". The few
that do advertise this way are often desperate for charters, and will
"fudge" by either fishing
themselves or putting you on smaller fish. If a captain is doing all the casting for you, especially
when you want to be the one to catch fish, then it is not the experience
that you desire.
What about credentials?
You will find that most good captains have some type of sponsorship, are
featured
 in other parts of the industry, and have some media credits
indicating their prowess. Don’t use tournament experience as an
indicator—too often they are easily entered and give no real indication of
how well the captain can put YOU on fish—not just himself. To use myself as
an example, I am on Bass Pro Shops national PRO staff, Mercury Motors
sponsored, am a national staff
captain for TTI Industries (Daiichi, X-point, and True-turn hooks), an
Action Craft boats featured Captain, on the Florida State Mako Boats team, a Coastal Conservation Association guide, and
an IGFA Certified Captain. I also have plenty of media credits in both
television and written media.
 If
you are a fly fisherman, then credentials are even more important for our
wary fish. Go with a Federation of Fly Fishers guide in the minimum,
and even better a Certified Casting Instructor, like I have, to ensure you
have a quality trip.
If I were to recommend
some secondary considerations, it would be personality and involvement with
the local fishing and conservation community. A captain who respects the
environment that provides his or her living is more likely to know the
waters and give you a pleasant fishing experience.
My
Promise to You! If you call me for a booking and I cannot take care or
your trip, I will personally find you a great captain that will give you the
trip you are looking for!
Of course I would love
to take you fishing, and am happy to have you see my credentials on my
website,
www.capt-keith.com (check out the
“Captain” page), along with plenty of
photographic evidence of my ability to get you on fish!
If you want to sample
some of Central Florida's famous bass fishing, then contact me also. I
don't do this type of fishing, but I know who the good guides are and will
be happy to refer you to them--I want you to have a great fishing
experience!
Good luck on your trip
to Orlando—it is a fabulous place, and if you get the chance, LET’S GO
FISHING!
Go to my
Homepage
Go to my
"Articles" page for more fishing information
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