Offshore Fishing on Florida’s Forgotten Coast

Searching for the best deep sea fishing Florida has to offer? Look no further than the Forgotten Coast! If you want to plan a truly exhilarating angling adventure, head to the coast of Franklin County for fabulous Florida offshore fishing.

Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most memorable angling adventures you’ll ever experience. The prolific Gulf waters around the Forgotten Coast are teeming with grouper, red snapper, mangrove snapper, hogfish, tripletail, amberjack, cobia, mahi mahi, blackfin tuna, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, jack crevalle, wahoo and more.

Whether you decide to take out your own boat or book a guided offshore fishing charter, you’ll come across a wide variety of marine life and fish species while fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Artificial Reef Fishing

Florida has one of the most active artificial reef programs among the 15 Gulf and Atlantic coastal states involved in artificial reef development. The Forgotten Coast alone lays claim to 50 artificial reefs, located offshore from the Franklin County coastline. Spanning from Alligator Point to Apalachicola, these high-volume “fish hotels” provide a helpful habitat for hundreds of fish species that migrate through our region. These active reefs are fabulous fishing spots for offshore anglers.

Deep Sea Fishing Charters

The Forgotten Coast is home to an array of experienced captains who can take you out on a guided offshore fishing charter. These state licensed captains can motor you out up to nine nautical miles in the productive Gulf of Mexico, where you’ll have a chance to land king mackerel, red snapper, black grouper, cobia and mangrove snapper.

Additionally, you’ll find a handful of federally licensed fishing charter captains in Franklin County. These captains can take you out for the offshore fishing trip of a lifetime in the highly productive, federally controlled waters off the Forgotten Coast. These federal waters—which span between 10 and 55 miles off the Franklin County coast in the Gulf of Mexico—are renowned as one of the most fruitful fishing spots in Florida.

A federally licensed captain can run you to various reefs, wrecks and towers off the coast of St. George Island, Carrabelle or Alligator Point, where you’ll catch grouper, snapper, amberjack, cobia, mahi mahi, blackfin tuna, tripletail, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, wahoo, jack crevalle, barracuda and more. On longer trips, you can try your hand at landing massive monsters like marlin and sailfish.

When you get back to the dock, your offshore fishing captain will clean your catch and send you home with fresh fish for dinner!

Offshore Fishing Regulations

The bag and size limits and other regulations on Gulf of Mexico fish species varies by season. View a full listing of saltwater fishing regulations

Top Photo Credit: Southern Salinity® Guide Service – Capt. Davidson