Thousands of people move to Fort Lauderdale every year just to take advantage of the city’s wonderful fishing opportunities. Fort Lauderdale has been called the Venice of Florida because it has so many canals. Many of those canals connect directly to the Intracoastal Waterway, which leads to the Atlantic Ocean. From a canal in Fort Lauderdale, you can be fishing in the Gulf Stream less than an hour after your departure.
You don’t have to go offshore to fish in Fort Lauderdale if you’re moving to cities in south Florida. Beach fishing is the easiest way to cast a hook in town. You’re only allowed to fish from the beach in Broward County between 6pm and 8am. That’s ok, the fish bite better at night in south Florida. Typical beach catches include sea robbins, croakers, blue runners and jack crevalle. During the season, you’ll get a shot at bluefish and pompano. Other prime locales in Broward County where fishermen gather and pursue their craft include:
Marinas – commercial harbors for mooring your boat or hiring a charter-fishing outfit
Inlets – places to fish for saltwater fish or head into the ocean on a boat
Piers – locations to fish that extend out into the Atlantic Ocean
Canals – chances to fish in freshwater, brackish water or salt water canals
Lakes – opportunities to fish freshwater either from the bank or the boat
Whether it’s drift fishing for snapper and grouper on a party boat in the Atlantic Ocean or trolling for snook and tarpon from a skiff on the New River, there are plenty of opportunities to fish in Fort Lauderdale. The biggest difficulty for most fanatical fishermen is figuring out if you want to visit Fort Lauderdale to fish or move here permanently.
Some of the Top Marinas in South Florida are Located in Fort Lauderdale
One reason to move to Fort Lauderdale is to fish the Gulf Stream from your own boat whenever you want. Fort Lauderdale is home to one of the most famous boat slips in the literary world. Bahia Mar Yachting Center was made famous by author John McDonald. His fictional character, salvage specialist Travis McGee, lived on his houseboat the Busted Flush at Slip F-18 in the Bahia Mar Marina in more than 20 novels penned by McDonald.
There are plenty of other quality boat marinas where you can either dock your fishing boat or find a competent charter. If you’re moving to marinas in south Florida, more than 200 fishing charters are available in Fort Lauderdale every day. With the warm waters of the Gulf Stream just five or ten miles away, you can fish for wahoo, tuna and mahi mahi in the current. If you’re lucky, you might run into sailfish, marlin or swordfish. There are nearly 100 reefs off the coast of Fort Lauderdale that harbor yellowtail, mutton snapper, mackerel and cobia. Some of the most popular fishing marinas in Fort Lauderdale include:
Las Olas Marina – a partnership with the city, this marina opens in Spring 2024
Pier 66 Marina – featuring 164 slips, this marina docks boats from 40 to 400 feet long
Lauderdale Marine Center – the largest yacht-building and repair facility in the country
Hall of Fame Marina – ninety percent of the slips at this public dock are first-come
Where there are lots of marinas, there’s usually lots of fishing tournaments in south Florida. People who have moved to Fort Lauderdale to fish can either enter their own boat or hire a charter company for a tournament. The most prestigious fishing tournament in Fort Lauderdale, the Sailfish Challenge, occurs each February. The Saltwater Summer Series out of fort Lauderdale is a three-tournament challenge where specific species of game fish are targeted each round. Nearby, the Silver Sailfish Derby operates out of West Palm Beach, Operation Sailfish launches from Singer Island, the Gold Cup Invitational operates out of Palm Beach and the IGFA Light Tackle Open happens in Palm Beach Shores.
Inlets in South Florida that are Great Spots for Saltwater Fishing
Inlets are perfect locations for salt-water fishing from the berms. If you’ve ever fished for bait fish outside an inlet using just a single gold hook, you know how the ocean just outside an inlet teams with life. The exaggerated currents created by narrow inlets cause bait fish to be dispersed widely around an inlet. Big fish look to feed when the tide changes and bait fish are disgorged from the Intracoastal. Time your inlet fishing to coincide with the shifting tides and there’s no telling what you’ll catch.
Inlets in south Florida also provide boaters with access to the Atlantic Ocean from the Intracoastal Waterway. There are four ocean inlets in Palm Beach County that are less than a ninety-minute drive from Fort Lauderdale. The Boca Raton inlet is about 15 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale, while the Boynton Beach inlet is about a half hour away. West Palm Beach and Jupiter also support ocean inlets that lead to the sea. The two inlets in Broward County include:
Hillsboro Inlet – at the northern edge of Broward County, this inlet can be tough in a stiff easterly. The lighthouse at the inlet can be seen from as far as 28 miles out to sea.
Port Everglades Inlet – used by heavy container ships, this inlet is dredged to 40 feet deep. North and south jetties are marked with flashing red and green lights.
Haulover Inlet, a man-made waterway north of Miami Beach, is the only ocean inlet in Miami-Dade County except for the Port of Miami. The inlet cuts a path to the ocean between the cities of Bal Harbor and Sunny Isles. It’s only about 20 minutes south of Fort Lauderdale. People move to Fort Lauderdale all the time so they can fish and utilize the great inlets of south Florida.
Throw a Hook Off an Ocean Piers in South Florida 1,000-feet from Shore
Ocean pier fishing is big for people moving to ocean piers in south Florida who can’t afford a boat. You get a comparable fishing experience without the expense and hassles of maintaining an ocean-going vessel. Most ocean-fishing piers will rent you a fishing rig and sell you some bait. You can bring your own fishing gear if you want. If you aren’t interested in fishing, you’re welcome to pay a few bucks to stroll the pier and enjoy the atmosphere.
The fish caught most frequently off Broward County piers include mutton snapper, bonito, blue runner, mangrove snapper and pompano. You might run into a barracuda. And sharks. Sharks always lurk in the waters off piers, so be prepared to cut your bait and use a new rig. Sharks you might encounter if you fish from an ocean pier in south Florida include blacktips, spinners and hammerheads. The five piers in Broward County that afford fishermen with access to the Atlantic Ocean include:
Dania Beach Pier – extending 900-feet into the ocean, this pier enforces a four-rod limit for people who fish. It’s $3 to fish and $2 to stroll the pier. Check out their webcam.
Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier – as well as renting rods and selling bait, this fishing pier goes out 967-feet into the ocean. Pay $4 to fish, $2 to stroll.
Pompano Beach Fisher Family Pier – constructed in the shape of a fish, this pier charges $6 to fish but sightseeing is free. They rent rods and sell bait too.
Anglins Fishing Pier – active for more than 60 years, this fishing pier was damaged by a storm in 2017. Only the front half of the pier remains open. It’s $7 to fish, $2 to stroll.
Hillsboro Inlet Park – the pier in this free fishing spot is a jetty that runs parallel to land rather than sticking out into the ocean. Fish the south jetty or underneath the bridge.
Anglin’s Pier and Hillsboro Inlet Park are open 24 hours a day. You can fish Dania Beach Pier from 6am until midnight, seven days a week. Deerfield Beach Pier is open from 8am until 5pm Pompano Beach Pier opens at 7am and closes at 10pm. Since fishing from the beach is banned until 6 pm, the piers in Broward County offer Fort Lauderdale fishermen the chance to fish the sea during the day without using a boat.
South Florida Canals Are Teeming with Saltwater Fish Begging for a Bait
Fort Lauderdale has more than 150 miles of waterways within the city limits. Heck, you can hang a line off a bridge into a canal from most places in Fort Lauderdale. The largest canal in the city is the Intracoastal Waterway. People moving to canals in south Florida fish the Intracoastal from the shore, from kayaks, from canoes and from boats. Typical catches in the Intracoastal include tarpon, snook, redfish and sea trout.
The closer the canal you’re fishing is to the Atlantic Ocean, the higher the salinity of the water. Saltwater game fish can be hooked in the salty and brackish Intracoastal. Moving further west, the water in the canals becomes fresh or nearly freshwater. You’ll find familiar fish such as largemouth bass and peacock bass. You might even run into snook or tarpon if it’s brackish water. Some of the top locations for canal fishing in Fort Lauderdale include:
Cypress Creek Canal – also known as C-14 Canal, this canal is big for charter fishing
Pompano Canal – north of Fort Lauderdale, this big canal offers reefs and flats to fish
Markham Park – interlaced with canals, this public park has plenty of boat launches
Canals offer an opportunity to hook fighting fish that you can’t eat. The snakehead and the clown knife populated Florida canals after being released there by pet owners. They’re non-native, invasive species that have few predators in the canals. These fish put up a whale of a fight when hooked, and you’re doing the environment a favor when you remove these invasive species from the general fish population.
Fish the Freshwater Lakes in South Florida from Boat or Shore
People moving to freshwater lakes in south Florida discover there’s plenty of fresh-water fishing in the region. One of the premier freshwater fishing spots in America is just 90 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale. Lake Okeechobee is one of the top spots for bass fishing in the world. With few predators, largemouth bass can reach 15 pounds. Other bass species prevalent in Lake Okeechobee include peacock, white, sunshine, spotted, black, shoal and striped.
Every freshwater fishing fanatic in Florida has their favorite local, man-made pond. Holes that are dug for sand next to highway bridges are stocked by people who want their own secret fishing spot. Lake Ida, about 45 minutes north of Fort Lauderdale in Delray Beach, offers a chance to fish for bass, carp, bluegill, pickering and tilapia. The lake is fed by a series of canals. You can fish Lake Ida by boat or from the shore. Other lakes that offer freshwater fishing in Fort Lauderdale include:
East Coral Lake – this 16-acre lake with a boat ramp is located north of Oakland Park
Lake Syliva – west of the Shanahan River, this lake is home to the Surf Club Marina
Cliff Lake – this local park east of Stranahan River features a boat ramp, no parking lot
Lake Melva – about the size of a football field, this local lake is north of Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale: One of the Best Fishing Cities in South Florida
People who are thinking about moving to fishing cities in south Florida should consider what Fort Lauderdale has to offer. The onshore fishing in Fort Lauderdale is almost as amazing as the offshore fishing. People who live in Fort Lauderdale can fish for saltwater fish and for freshwater fish. There are fishing tournaments galore in Fort Lauderdale during the winter. In the summer, you can find a local fishing hole where the fish are biting and the atmosphere is serene. If you’re looking for a moving company in Fort Lauderdale who knows how to handle your fishing gear properly when you move, call American Van Lines today. We’re the Fort Lauderdale fisherman’s best friend.
