Best Times & Seasons to Fish in Gulf Breeze, FL (Full Guide)

Gulf Breeze can be amazing any time of the year for fishing but specific times and seasons really can be better. The trick is planning your trip to this fisherman’s dream during the optimum window.

The best time to fish Gulf Breeze is during summer from late May to early November. The offseason for Gulf Breeze fishing is normally January through March.

Fish Species	Best Times to Fish Near Gulf Breeze
Tarpon	Year-round availability; July seems to be the hottest month for fishing.
Redfish	Year-round availability; September through December is awesome.
Amberjack	April through October is the best fishing season.
Flounder	The best season for fishing is October through December.
Pompano	June through November is the best fishing season.
Spanish Mackerel	The best fishing is March through June.

Gulf Breeze, with its sunny weather, warm seas, and white sand beaches, is a true “wish you were here” destination. For many people, that is the end of their holiday. Gulf Breeze fishing is simply out of this world.

We’ll go over every aspect of fishing in Gulf Breeze in this article. Learn about the different fish you can catch and how to do it. Get useful information on fishing areas, seasons, and more. You’ll have a working grasp of Gulf Breeze’s diverse fisheries and how to make the most of them in only a few minutes.

The city is bordered by bays and beaches that are home to a veritable who’s who of inshore game fish. You know you’re in for a treat because it’s also renowned as the “Red Snapper Capital of the World.”

Best Fishing Seasons (Months) for Gulf Breeze

Amberjack: December-February are the best months; November & March are normally good.

Cobia: April & September-October are the best months; March & May-August are good too.

Grouper: November-March are the best months; April-October offers good fishing.

King Mackerel: October-April are the best months; May & September are also good.

Atlantic Sailfish: January-March are the best months; April is good too.

Lane Snapper: September-April are the best months; year-round availability.

Mutton Snapper: June-September are best; October fishing is okay.

Gray Snapper: April-November are the best months; year-round availability.

Tarpon: April-July are the best months; March & August are decent for fishing.

Triggerfish: April-June are excellent; March, July & October-November are decent.

Recommended Fishing Charters near Gulf Breeze

These Gulf Breeze-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
Johnny Wahoo Charters	Reef, Nearshore, Inshore, Offshore & Wreck
Angler Management Fishing Charters	Inshore & Offshore
Southbound Charters	Reef, Nearshore, Offshore & Wreck
Reel Irie Fishing Charters	Reef, Nearshore, Inshore, Offshore & Wreck
Coastal Life Charters & Adventures–Pensacola	Reef, Nearshore, Inshore, Flats & Wreck

Best Times to Fish at Gulf Breeze

Amberjack

Best Months: December-February

As though it were a long crevalle jack. When a Jack is stretched out, it resembles an Amberjack. Put a redfish on it, and you’ll see what it’s actually like. Almost. Fish with a long body that can easily reach 5 feet in length. Offshore, near offshore rigs, and over reefs and wrecks – boat wrecks, plane wrecks, and so forth.

They can be found (using sonar) in water depths of 50 to 300 feet. In South Florida, huge fish can be found occasionally off piers. Younger species, like mahi-maha (dorado), congregate near floating things, so you may be fishing for dolphins and finish up with a very strong pulling a jack instead. Crabs, various crustaceans, and fish such as Goggle Eyes (mackerels) and Blue Runners.

Cobia

Best Months: April-September

The most popular artificial are jigs and huge streamer flies. Spoons and swimming plugs are frequently effective, and a surface plug, popper, or tube lure may be used to rouse them. Pinfish, mullet, cigar minnows, grunts, and jacks are the greatest live baitfish, although live shrimp, crabs, dead fish, and squid also perform well.

This high-protein diet contributes to Cobia’s rapid growth. In just two years, some fish can grow to be over 40 inches long. Following that, you’ll need to think about bait and lures. Cobia, as previously stated, prefers to eat Blue Crabs and baitfish such as eel. As a result, you’ll have the best results utilizing them as live bait.

Grouper

Best Months: November-March

Groupers are quite popular in Florida for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, they’re delicious! If you’ve ever visited Florida, you’ve probably had one of those Grouper sandwiches at a beach restaurant. Second, groupers are fierce fighters who will exhaust even the most seasoned angler.

Adults are capable of weighing up to 800 pounds! Crabs, squid, octopus, and baitfish including pinfish, threadfins, and sardines make up a grouper’s diet. These can all be employed to catch these tasty fish. If you’re having difficulties catching grouper, try frozen squid, octopus, or crab because they can’t fight back, and dead stink bait is sometimes a better alternative for ambush predators like groupers.

Mackerel

Best Months: October-March

Spanish Mackerels are a type of coastal pelagic finfish that congregate in large, fast-moving groups across the Atlantic Ocean, from New York to the Gulf of Mexico. This species migrates south in the late summer and early fall to spend the winter and early spring along Florida’s southern coast. Spanish mackerels do not appear to be able to freely travel around the Florida Keys, resulting in two distinct populations in the Gulf and Atlantic.

Spanish mackerel are pelagic fish that live at depths of 33 to 115 feet. They are frequently encountered in big groups at the water’s surface. They like barrier islands and the passes that connect them, and they are rarely found in areas with low salinity. Spanish mackerel larvae are mostly found off the coast, but juvenile mackerels can be found both on and off the coast.

Atlantic Sailfish

Best Months: November–March

Sailfish are huge predatory fish found in tropical and warm environments. Billfish, which also includes marlins and swordfish, are members of the billfish family. They are strong swimmers who can easily break the surface of the water (jump out of the water).

Crews troll ballyhoo with circular hooks and dredges in locations where the fish are dispersed. The majority choose a natural-bait dredge, such as this one with split-tail mullet or ballyhoo, but others prefer artificial baits. Live sardines, cigar minnows, and pilchards are favorites of sailfish. Artificial lures, such as trolling skirts in various colors and sizes, are also popular.

Gray Snappers

Best Months: April-November

Mangrove snapper fishing is popular among Florida anglers. On light tackle, they’re a tenacious little game fish. Inshore, mangrove snappers are around a foot long, but offshore, they can grow to be over 10 pounds.

Anglers can catch mangrove snapper using artificial lures, but the vast majority of fish are caught using natural bait, which can be live, fresh-cut, or frozen. There are a long number of baits that can be used to catch snapper. One of the keys to mangrove snappers’ success and abundance is their diversified diet. They will eat almost any crab or baitfish that they come across.

Lane Snapper

Best Months: October-April

The lane snapper is listed in some references as a fish that can be mistaken for red snapper, albeit one would have to be virtually blind to do so. While their background body coloration is pink or orangey-pink, they have dramatic, bright-yellow stripes running lengthwise; their anal and pelvic fins are brilliant yellows, and their dorsal fins are conspicuously bordered in yellow.

Lane snappers are a bonus fish for red snapper anglers, which is why they’re known as the dessert meal after the main course. They are included in the aggregate quota and do not count against the red snapper limit.

Mutton Snapper

Best Months: June-September

The mutton snapper heartland of South Florida and the Keys have a vast range of these attractive, good-eating fish. They are frequently caught offshore in waters ranging from 50 to 300 feet deep, and they can be found anywhere along the main reef line.

They also visit Hawk Channel, on the Atlantic side of the Keys island chain, where there is an extensive patch of reefs and rock piles. They’ve even been taken on the flats, right in the middle of bonefish and permit territory. Muttons, on the other hand, are frequently taken off the coast. Offshore tactics are a terrific place to start when seeking for strategies to catch these fantastic fish.

Tarpon

Best Months: April-July

Tarpon is among Florida’s most popular fish. This fish is well-known across Florida, and it can leap up to 10 feet from the water and rattle its gills, making a rattlesnake-like sound. They have the potential to grow to enormous proportions. silversides, sabalo, and silver Kings are other names for them.

Despite the fact that they’re edible, they’re not eaten very often because they’re filled with little, difficult-to-clean bones. They prefer water that is between 74 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Many anglers will judge a day’s success by the number of Tarpon they jumped rather than landed. Because of the Tarpon’s bony jaws, it will be difficult to lay hooks properly. Don’t

Triggerfish

Best Months: April-July

One triggerfish fishing technique is to put your baited hook all the way to the bottom and then immediately begin reeling. At this point, you don’t need to reel fast, but you do need to keep the reel spinning. This will keep your line tensioned and allow you to feel even the tiniest bites.

Trigger Fish can be found in depths of 50 to 300 feet offshore on artificial reefs, rock outcroppings, and natural bottoms. It doesn’t become very big, usually growing to be around 12 inches long and weighing a couple of pounds. Females of the species grow larger and live longer than males, with females reaching lengths of over 22 inches.

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 if you want to create your combo.

Best Fishing Spots Near Gulf Breeze (Best Times)

Pensacola Beach Gulf Pier

From Pensacola Beach Pier, which is about 1,500 feet long, you can catch a wide variety of fish. Sheepshead, flounder, and drum can all be found along the beach. In the conclusion, fight cobia, kingfish, and even mahi mahi. Even sailfish have been captured here in the past!

Navarre Beach Park Fishing Pier

Navarre Beach Pier is the longest fishing pier in Florida, measuring 1545 feet long and rising 30 feet above the water. Tourists and anglers alike are drawn to the white sand, emerald-colored sea, and calm beach. The pier is ideal for a pleasant walk as well as fishing. Every year, the beach is voted one of the greatest in Florida. The most popular activities here include fishing, relaxation, picnic sites, wonderful sunbathing, and swimming.

Best Seasons to Fish Gulf Breeze

Our Gulf Breeze fish calendar has a thorough month-by-month analysis of local fishing seasons if you’re looking for more information. For the time being, here’s a table to give you the rundown of how the fishing changes throughout the year.

Types of Fishing in Gulf Breeze (Best Times & Seasons)

So you’ve decided what you want to capture, but how are you going to get there? Chartering a boat or trying your luck from shore are the two major ways to fish in Gulf Breeze. Both can get you a good lunch and a ton of entertainment. Here’s a rundown of the benefits and drawbacks of each option.

Charter Fishing

This is the method to use if you want to capture a lot of fish. Fishing from a boat gives you a lot more maneuverability and allows you to use strategies that aren’t available from the land. It also allows you to access Gulf Breeze’s well-known bottom and large game fishing. That’s only for the boat. A charter will also provide you with a knowledgeable guide and high-quality equipment, giving you the upper hand.

You can either lease a small, private yacht or join other anglers on a huge “party boat.” Party boats might be an inexpensive way to get to the Snapper grounds if you know your way around a rod. Complete beginners and serious sport fishermen, on the other hand, might be better suited to private boats. They allow you a lot more flexibility, and the personnel can devote their complete attention to you.

Surf Fishing & Pier Fishing

“Just because I don’t like boats doesn’t mean I can’t go fishing?” Not in the least. Gulf Breeze boasts a number of piers and miles of beaches to explore on your own two feet. Obviously, you have fewer options in terms of what you can catch. Your primary targets will be inshore species such as pompano and redfish. Pier fishing, on the other hand, can provide kingfish, cobia, and even small mahi if you’re lucky.

It’s not simply the species that distinguishes surf and pier fishing. The beautiful thing about surf fishing is that if you bring your own gear, you may fish whenever and however you want. Pier fishing is a one-stop-shop for a couple of hours of entertainment. You can show up, rent a pole, and go fishing. 

But it isn’t simply the fish that makes Gulf Breeze unique. The city has a sizeable charter fleet and several ports from which to cast a line. All year long, you can take part in angling events and competitions. In a nutshell, everything about this part of Florida has been planned with you in mind. 

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Dauphin Island, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Fort Walton Beach, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Pensacola, please check out this helpful article I wrote.