Best Times & Seasons to Fish the Everglades (Complete Guide)
The Everglades offers some of the best fishing in Florida and even the country. Knowing the best times and seasons to fish these rich waters can lead to even better fishing success than other anglers could dream of.
The best time to fish the Everglades is during the late fall and winter months as fish species that prefer warmer water are moving into Everglades water from the north and the daytime highs are relatively mild.
| Fish Species | Best Time to Fish in the Everglades |
| Redfish | 2 peak seasons: April to June & September to end of October |
| Tarpon | Fishing is good from March through August with May & June being the peak |
| Red Snapper | 2 peak seasons: June to August & December to March |
| Snook | Fishing is good from March through October with May & June being the peak |
| Largemouth Bass | Good fishing year-round; November to April is peak season |
| Peacock Bass | Good fishing year-round; fall can be especially good |
The Everglades is one of America’s true wild treasures home to an abundance of gamefish year-round. In this article, we will fully break down the best times and seasons to fish the Everglades for various major fish species to include snook, tarpon, and red snapper. We will also touch on freshwater species such as largemouth and peacock bass.
Best Time to Fish Everglades
Though fishing here is great all year round, these months are some of the slowest in terms of tourists and traffic on the waters, making them perfect fishing months.
That being said, the spring and summer months offer opportunities you wouldn’t have during the fall and winter months.
For example, summertime, especially first thing in the morning, is a great time to sight fish for tarpon in the flats of the Everglades.
On the flip side, snook and redfish heat up in the fall, though they are great all year round as well. In this article we’re going to break down the most popular species and when is best to target them.
Recommended Fishing Charters in Everglades
These Everglades-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.
| Recommended Fishing Charters | Type of Fishing Offered |
| Florida Backcountry Fishing (Islamorada) | Backcountry & Nearshore |
| Southbound Fishing Charters (Marco Island) | Backcountry, Nearshore, Inshore |
| Love-n-It Inshore Charters (Goodland) | Nearshore & Inshore |
| Kekoa Charters (Islamorada) | Inshore, Offshore, Billfish |
| Dauntless Fishing Charters (Islamorada) | Backcountry & Nearshore |
Best Times: Everglades Species Breakdown
As mentioned earlier, the Everglades is home to a diverse population of animals; the species of fish available here are part of the diversity. Let’s break down some of the most popular species and what times are best to target them.
Redfish
Redfish are one species that thrive in marshes. If you’re fishing inshore, chances are high you’ll land a redfish; plus, they are extremely tasty.
Redfish have two peak seasons, the first between April and June with the other being the months of September and October. However, it is a true year-round fish with the only slight drop in action coming during January and February.
To learn the best seasons to catch redfish in Florida, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
Snook
The snook of the Everglades are some of the largest in the world. The Everglades are made up of shallow flats and islands made from mangroves, which are what snook love the most. And, with the warmer climates, they simply stay here and grow.
With the right charter, you could have a boat full in no time. Snook fishing in the Everglades is best between March and October while it peaks in May and June.
To learn the best seasons to catch snook in Florida, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
Tarpon
The silver giant is another staple of the Everglades fishing ecosystem. The population of tarpon is a mix of migratory fish, which will seek out warmer waters during cold fronts, and resident fish who will stay in the everglades their entire life span.
Tarpon peak in the Everglades in May and June, though March through August is a great time to go for them. Outside of these times, they are still catchable, but the migratory ones will be moving out of the area.
To learn the best seasons to catch tarpon in Florida, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
Peacock Bass
The peacock bass is quickly becoming the go-to species for freshwater fishing in the Everglades. First introduced to the Everglades area in the 80s, peacock bass put up one f the toughest fights for a freshwater fish, making it a fun, and delicious, catch. Because they are a freshwater species, peacock bass can be targeted all year round, as the weather permits.
Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass is another staple of the freshwater fishing the Everglades has to offer. The hard-hitting action, coupled with world-record sizes, give any angler the opportunity to reel in a monster bass.
Though they are able to be targeted all year round, they tend to peak between November to April. Their activity level tends to fall during the summer as predators tend to take the most bass.
Snapper
The snapper is another species that loves the shallows and flats of the Everglades. If targeted with the right tackle, and with the right guide, the boat could be full of snapper in no time. The best time to target snapper in the Everglades is from June to August, and again from December to March.
To learn the best times to fish in Florida, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
I recommend this Penn Pursuit Spinning Rod & Reel combo (available on Amazon) for inshore and nearshore fishing. It can handle everything from redfish to snapper and king mackerel. The Penn Battalion Series Spinning Rod and the Penn Battle Spinning Reel are fantastic to create your combo.
Best Time of Day to Fish Everglades
The best time of day to fish the everglades is the hours before and leading up to first light around sunrise. When the sun starts rising, the low-light scenario in the water gives predatory fish the perfect cover to feed. They are often aggressive hunters during this time.
Though the larger fish will feed all day, the morning is best to target the spots where shallow waterways give way to deeper waters; these areas provide the perfect mix of food and cover for many species.
Top Fishing Spots in the Everglades (Best Times)
Holiday Park
If freshwater fishing, namely bass fishing, is what you’re after, you’ll want to head to Holiday Park. Here you’ll find a ton of local guides who know the area and can get you on the big ones.
They’re likely to take you to the l67A canal, which is one of the best bass fishing spots in the world. What makes this spot even better is the low degree of pressure on the fish.
Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in Florida and is responsible for providing the Everglades with all of its freshwater. This makes is one of the best places to go for fishing in the Everglades.
Even if you aren’t a freshwater angler, you will want to fish Lake Okeechobee while you’re in the area. The largemouth action here is second to none with the peacock bass population growing every year.
Whitewater Bay
Snook, redfish, trout, and tarpon are the main players in Whitewater Bay. Sitting on the southernmost tip of Florida, this bay is a popular destination as it offers the best of all worlds in terms of Florida Everglades fishing.
You’ll have no trouble finding a guide to take you around the hundreds of islands and inlets which make up the bay’s structure. The best time to go here is during the fall as vacationers aren’t as prominent.
Ten Thousand Islands
This backcountry waterway is a must-visit for fishing the Everglades. Snook and redfish are prominent here, as well as some of the biggest tarpon in the state. There’s easy access to the channels and many bays, not to mention being close to deep waters in the Gulf.
Snake Bight
One of the southernmost waterways in the everglades before getting to the keys, Snake Bight has it all. From tarpon in the flats to deep water charters, you’ll have a hard time experiencing it all in one trip.
Pro tip: if at all possible, go to Snake Bight during the week as the weekend makes it one of the busiest fishing spots in the entire area.
Booking Charters in Everglades
Fishing in the Everglades isn’t all about deep-sea fishing, though the waters south of the Everglades National Park bump directly up to the waters of the Florida Keys, making for some great deep-water opportunities. Shallows, marshes, and flats are what make up the majority of the waters around the Everglades.
While this means a charter boat may not be necessary for every situation, having a local guide and the proper equipment is still important. This means booking a guide or charter to make your fishing expedition the best it can be.
Best Season to Go
As we mentioned earlier, the fall and winter months tend to bring a lull in the tourist traffic and the number of boats you’re competing with on the water.
This means the fall and winter months have the best value when it comes to booking a fishing charter or guide in the Everglades. However, if you’re wanting to go for a particular species, the summer months may need to be the time you head south.
Morning Vs. Afternoon
This is a topic of great debate all throughout the fishing world; which is better? In the Everglades, the debate is strong.
That being said, the morning is when the tides are coming in, bringing with them more baitfish which drives the predatory pelagic fish crazy. This equals some impressive action as they’ll hit just about anything.
The morning tides also bring in deeper water to the flats where fishing in the afternoon tides can be difficult.
Then, when you consider most rainstorms in Florida occur in the afternoon, everything points to the morning being the best time of day to head for the water.
Trip Length
There are several different options to choose from when deciding on how long your Everglades fishing charter will last. Let’s look at the main three.
Half-day
For many, a half-day charter is perfect, especially when taking a guide through the flats and marshes. A half-day gives plenty of time to get on the fish while allowing you to not be on the water all day.
You’ll be able to choose between a 4–6-hour trip, depending on your guide and the species you’re going after. The most common species you’ll go for on a half-day trip are tarpon, bonefish, and snook, though a few others are possible.
Full Day
Full-day trips offer the most chance at success, especially if taking a deep-sea charter. When going for the larger fish in the deep waters, a full day is almost required as it will take an hour or more of travel time, depending on where your charter is working that day.
On the flip side, a full day is often more expensive. Marlin are a popular species for full-day trips, as well as wahoo and mahi mahi.
Multi-day trips
Multi-day charters in the everglades aren’t what you might be accustomed to in tropical locales. Many multi-day fishing trips are more like excursions where you stay in a cabin and fish the marshes and flats all day for several days in a row.
One day you may be fishing the flats for tarpon and the next going out on a deep-water charter in search of a marlin. That being said, it is one way to experience all of what the Everglades has to offer in terms of fishing and will give you stories to fill a lifetime.
Everglades Fishing & Tidal Impacts
The fact that the Everglades are made up of flats and marshes means the tides play a major role in the fishing ecosystem.
As the tides come in during the morning hours, the shallows flood when normally they are near dry and impassible by many species. During these tides, tarpon and snook, as well as bonefish, will make their way into the shallow waters to hunt.
During the tidal change from low tide to high tide, you’ll want to head inshore to the mangroves. This is where you’ll find the silver king hiding out hunting.
When the tides change again in the afternoon the spot to be is on the drop-offs back to deeper waters. Baitfish will congregate here causing a feeding frenzy before nightfall.
Storms and Everglades Fishing
Storms have a large effect on Everglades fishing, some for the good and some not so good. When it comes to your average rainstorm in the Everglades, many anglers find great success, especially when bass fishing.
Even deep-water fish tend to not be too affected by a simple rainstorm. However, the everglades are known to have some major tropical storms come through, especially in the summer.
These tropical storms make the fish seek out deeper water. In lakes, fish head for cover in the deep while in other bodies of water, the fish will go for cover in the deep.
This often happens in the days leading up to a storm. During those days, the fish will feed like crazy making it a great time to fish, if it’s safe.
Is winter fishing bad or Good in Everglades?
Though there is a noticeable slow down during the winter season, especially as cold fronts move through the Everglades, winter is not a complete washout.
In fact, when warmer weather comes through between cold fronts, the fishing action heats back up with it. This is especially the case in the flamingo area.
Here, the Spanish mackerel will migrate into Florida Bay, giving even a novice angler access to an incredible fishing experience. Cobia, jacks, snapper, and bluefish are among the likely species also.
Getting to the flats during a winter warm-up is exciting, too, as it provided an additional opportunity for sight fishing tarpon, especially with the calmer waters of winter. Also, bonefish, snook, and permit are active during these warm spells.
Night Fishing in the Everglades
Night fishing in the Everglades is a favorite among anglers visiting the area, especially during the summer months. The cool nights of the summer bring with them cooler water temps which often leads to more active fish.
During the summer afternoons, the water temperatures are actually uncomfortable for many, especially in the shallower waters. This makes the fish hungry and ready to eat by the time night falls.
The best time to go night fishing in the Everglades is during a full moon as the fish will use the extra light to feed and will become more aggressive in their bite.
Shore fishing
Shore fishing is a popular method of fishing in the Everglades. Many vacationers will set up to the shore as they are able to bring their own equipment and not be out any more money on their vacation.
The best time of the day to do this is in the morning when the tides are coming in. The best season for shore fishing in the everglades is the fall months as the heat is bearable
