Treasure Coast Fishing Calls Wisconsin Anglers

By Jim Weix

Hunting season is over and the endless gray cold days just keep dragging on. Looking for a change of scenery?

Maybe it is time for a fishing trip and I’m not talking about standing on the ice. Instead of insulated boots, I’m thinking sunshine and flip flops. Forget your deer hunting outfit and wear shorts and a T-shirt.

The “Treasure Coast of Florida” might be just the answer for you. The name comes from the large number of wrecked treasure ships that once sunk here. Gold and silver can still be found on the sandy beaches. The “Treasure Coast” is located on the east coast of Florida, between West Palm Beach and Vero Beach.

Yes, I know, most Wisconsinites travel to the west coast of Florida and end up in places like Naples and Fort Meyers. Some of us like to think that is because they don’t know any better.

More importantly, at least for anglers, it is also known as the “Sailfish Capital of the World”. If this claim to fame sounds like just another advertising agency promotion, consider the fact that in just 3 days, 16 boats recently caught and released almost 300 sailfish. The sailfish, along with plenty of wahoo and dolphin, were caught during the Stuart Sailfish Club’s recent Light Tackle Tournament.

Unlike the west coast, or gulf side, the east coast of Florida offers spectacular deep sea fishing, just minutes from shore. What would be a 40 mile fishing trip on the west coast, is only a 6 mile trip on the east coast.

That is due to the fact that the ocean drops off much quicker on the east coast. Additionally, the Gulf Stream, which is the major migration route for many Atlantic fish species, travels northward along the coast. During the day, offshore anglers target sailfish, dolphin, wahoo, and tuna, plus huge marlin. At night, you will find them catching swordfish, often as big as 400 pounds.

This short travel time is important when you are chartering a fishing boat. The shorter travel time means that often a half day of fishing is all you need. Not only do you save money, but if you want your significant other to go with you, they are more likely to tolerate a half day. If you choose this option, I suggest a morning trip. This has nothing to do with the fish biting, as they bite all day, but more to do with calmer seas.

Closer to shore, anglers fish the reefs for grouper, snapper, cobia, and sea bass. For about $50 dollars you can go out on a charter boat for a half day and fill a cooler. Leave at 8 a.m. and have fresh fish for lunch.

You can also forget the boats and just fish from the beach and jetties. You will see anglers with coolers filled with pompano and whiting. For entertainment, you can watch an occasional angler frantically run up and down the beach hooked up to a 100 pound tarpon or nurse shark.

Unlike Wisconsin, where almost all shoreline is privately owned, the sand beaches of the Treasure Coast are open to the public. There are numerous access points all along the coast.

One of my favorites is the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, located on the south side of Stuart. It was established September 30, 1969 and is a coastal refuge, bisected by the Indian River Lagoon, into two separate tracts of land totaling over 1000 acres. It provides some of the most productive sea turtle nesting habitat in the United States. Best of all, you will have about 7 miles of totally undeveloped beach to fish

Inshore, you can fish for tarpon, snook, pompano, redfish, flounder, and sea trout in the St. Lucie River and famous Indian River Lagoon. This is one of the most bio-diverse estuaries in the United States.

If your fishing trip is really a family vacation, then you are in luck there too. The Disney World Resort, in Orlando, is only an hour or two away. Lion Country Safari, Florida’s only drive-through safari, has over 900 animals. My first thought, when parked next to a full grown rhinoceros, was that I was glad I was driving a rental car.

Editor’s note: Jim Weix, formerly from Wisconsin, is perhaps best known for being a founding member of the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association, and his successful effort in establishing a mourning dove season in Wisconsin.

He lives in Stuart, FL and owns The Real Estate Company-Treasure Coast: http://www.realestate-treasurecoast.com