Best Tuna Fishing in Florida

Whether you are a local trying to broaden your options on the best places to fish for blackfin tuna, Skipjack tuna, and yellowfin tuna in the state or a tourist hoping to have a swell time on your next fishing trip, here are the best tuna fishing spots in Florida.

Best Tuna Fishing Spots in Florida

To prevent you from having a futile trial-and-error catching tuna experience, I have gathered the very best places within the state of Florida from which you could fish. They are:

• The Florida Keys
• Destin
• Stuart
• West Palm Beach
• Cocoa Beach
• Miami
• Panama City Beach
• Fort Myers
• Tampa Bay
• Jacksonville

The Florida Keys

The Florida Keys is widely referred to as the fishing capital of the state, and if you visited it just once, you would understand why it has its reputation. The Florida Keys consist of small islands that stretch on for as long as a hundred miles and are surrounded by clear blue water and lots of fish like blackfin tuna.

Destin

Known as ‘The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village, Destin also ranks as one of the best fishing spots in Florida. It is a perfect spot for inshore and offshore saltwater fishing between the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay. Due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, this city has a lot of tuna, especially Skipjack tuna and yellowfin tuna.

Stuart

Although known as the Sailfish Capital of the World, Stuart is also an excellent place to fish for huge tuna such as Yellowfin tuna, Blackfin tuna, and even Skipjack tuna. As a result of the numerous water bodies that it houses, Stuart is also known as The Panama Canal of Florida.

Some of the best places to fish in Stuart include North Fort River, Rio, and Fort Piers.

West Palm Beach

Located in Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach is another attraction for anglers worldwide. Its popularity amongst the fishing community is mostly due to the city’s proximity to the Gulf Stream. Also, it is home to the largest tuna fishing charter boats in Florida that are available to provide you with a peak fishing experience.

Some of the best spots within West Palm Beach to go fishing are Okeeheelee Park, Currier Park Fishing Pier, the Gulf Stream, the Intercoastal Waterway, and Bridge Reef.

Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach has seventy-two miles of shoreline that open right onto the Atlantic. There is also the nearby Banana River and the Thousands of Islands, giving anglers several bodies of water to catch saltwater fish. 

Yellowfin tuna and blackfin tuna fishing are abundant here, especially about forty miles out on the sea, where the Gulf Stream begins. The Gulf Stream can easily be accessed through Cape Canaveral, which is north of Cocoa Beach.

Miami

The City of Miami is home to several beaches that directly open out to the Gulf Stream, giving offshore anglers a chance to fish for blackfin tuna and yellowfin tuna in Florida.

The best places for fishing blackfin tuna and yellowfin tuna in Miami are the Biscayne Bay, the O.L Bodenhamer Wreck, the Gulf Stream, and the Blue Lagoon.

Panama City Beach

This town is popularly known for the miles and miles of white-sand beach that open up directly to the Gulf of Mexico, offering eager anglers a chance to fish deep for their favorite blackfin tuna in Florida.

The best spots within Panama City Beach where anglers could go fishing are the Russell-Fields Pier, – stretching over 1,500 feet into the water- St. Andrews Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and West Beach Drive.

Fort Myers

Fort Myers, also known as the City of Palms, is one of the best fishing spots in Southwest Florida. Sharing borders with a tropical savanna climate and a subtropical climate, this little town has splendid weather all year round, making it a great spot for recreational blackfin tuna fishing.

Tampa Bay

Covering a distance of 400 miles and holding about 200 species of fish, including blackfin tuna and yellowfin tuna fish. Tampa Bay ranks as Florida’s largest open-water estuary. Fishing here is as good as it gets. Not only does it have a great climate, but it is also directly fed by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

If you are looking to visit Tampa Bay for an ultimate fishing experience, here are some nice spots to go -Tampa, St. Petersburg, Hillsborough Bay, Fort De Soto Par,  and Clearwater.

Jacksonville

Jacksonville is the most populous city in the state of Florida, and also the largest city. Aside from being home to many people, thanks to its location right next to St. Johns River and the Atlantic, it is also home to several some of the best tuna charter choices and tuna species.

The best places to fish for blackfin and yellowfin tuna in and around Jacksonville are Stinton Park, the Gulf Stream, -about 60 miles offshore- Bills Barge Wreck, Mill Cove, Amelia Island State Park, and Nassau Sound.

Conclusion

To make the most of your fishing trip and catch tuna, you have to know the right locations to go and the best fishing charters, and the amazing tuna fishing spots listed in this article are likely to exceed all of your Florida tuna fishing expectations.