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Top Fishing Locations to Escape Winter

2/10/2017 5 minutes

Maybe you can’t stand the cold anymore. Maybe you just can’t wait for fishing season to kick in. Maybe you're looking for someplace to go to escape wintery conditions and find some fish on the end of your line. Whatever your dilemma, we’ve got you covered.

Fishing in the winter can be a cold endeavor! You don’t have to put up with the chill to get your fix of fishing in. Here’s a few destinations where you can experience some great fishing, even in the winter.

North Carolina - Speckled Sea Trout and More


Many great opportunities exist for fishing in North Carolina, and fish can be active in the winter months, with a variety of options for every angler. Pamlico Sound offers excellent fishing for speckled sea trout and other saltwater fish species. Even though conditions can fluctuate, water temperatures at or just below 50 degrees can bring out hungry fish.

Read More Winter Speckled Seatrout Fishing in North Carolina

In additional to its coastal waters, North Carolina also has many well-known rivers that present opportunities for inland fishing. If you’re looking to plan an adventure, you’ll find a variety of guides offering all-inclusive fishing trips on the Davidson River. Fly fishermen, particularly, are drawn to angling adventures and hooking blue gill on the Tuckasegee River.

Whatever your preference, North Carolina’s temperate climate has many options for anglers looking to escape harsh winter conditions.

Florida - Paddle Fishing Near Orlando


For an amazing float trip fishing adventure, Spotted Tail Fishing Charters offers year-round paddle fishing in Mosquito Lagoon, a short drive from Orlando, Florida. Florida’s coastal lagoons are rife with opportunities for gamefish including Seatrout, Redfish, and many more.


Winter time no-motor restrictions can facilitate the likelihood of landing a monster Black Drum. Just grab a canoe or kayak and head out on the water to fulfill your need during the winter.

Kauai, Hawaii - Hike Through a Tropical Rainforest


When freezing weather is bearing down on your hometown, there’s always someplace else where the weather is just perfect. That place might just be the Hawaiian Islands, and even though tourism and fancy hotels dominate the most popular parts, there remain pockets of serene beauty that are nearly as rugged as before the islands were settled.

If you know where to look, you can hire a guide to take you on a backcountry excursion that might involve getting wet, climbing and bounding across rocks and gorgeous pools, and romping through some mud to get to your own fishing hole in paradise. That’s exactly the kind of adventure you’ll be in for if you contact Nigel Warrack at Fly Fish Kauai. The depth of his local knowledge works in your favor as you traverse across lush rainforests on the Garden Island to catch small stream trout.

If nothing excites you under 10 lbs, try your hand at saltwater fishing for decent-sized bonefish that lie just off-shore. Whatever you choose, you can count on a secluded fishing experience when you book your trip to paradise.  

Northern California - Where Winter Weather is Less Harsh


Fly fishing the American River in Northern California is about as exciting as any fishery that can be imagined. Steelhead are present year-round, which means even in the winter months you’ll find an exciting challenge. Don’t be surprised if you catch fish as large as five to fifteen pounds in weight.


Other rivers, such as Putah Creek offer year-round fishing and feature species such as Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, and many more. When you explore fishing in California’s temperate climate, you'll notice there are a variety of rivers and fishing trips to choose from that will keep any angler satisfied when the winter blues hit.

Destinations
A small village located in Eastern North Carolina on the banks f the Neuse River
Fishing Waters:
 (1)
Culturally inclined and well preserved, Asheville is surrounded by majestic mountains, lush national forest lands and scores of fresh water rivers and streams. Long recognized for ... moreits art-deco architecture, performing arts and numerous music festivals, this mid-size city of about 84,000 has also become well known for its abundant trout fishing and is frequently referred to as the Trout Capital of the South.

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And, you don’t have to go far to fish! The Davidson River, named after an early settler to the area and voted one of the top 100 trout streams in America by Trout Unlimited members, runs right alongside town. Less than an hour’s drive easily gets you to the Tuckasegee River. The South Fork Holston River (SoHo) considered one of the finest tailwater trout fisheries east of the Mississippi, and the Watuga River, also highly regarded, can be reached in 2 hours or less. By some estimates, there are over 4000 miles of public waters within driving distance of Asheville.

Rivers like the Davidson are most popular during the spring and fall months although year round fishing is permitted in tailwaters. During the hot summer months you may find yourself competing with tubers, kayakers, canoeists, swimmers and people just enjoying a waterside picnic.

Steeped in history and surrounded by natural wonders, Asheville offers a wide variety of options to those not choosing to fish. These include:

The Biltmore Estate, the largest single family home in the US

Asheville Art Museum

Black Mountain Golf Course

Beer City Bicycles

Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians

Great Smokey Mountains National Park

Appalachian Trail

There are several options for traveling to Asheville, including:

Fly into Charlotte’s Douglas International Airport and drive for about 2 hours

Fly into Piedmont Triad International Airport (serving Winston Salem, Greensboro and High Point) and drive for approximately 2 hours

Fly into Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport and drive for approximately 2 hours
Red Bluff is a city in and the county seat of Tehama County, California, United States. The population was 14,076 at the 2010 census, up from 13,147 at the 2000 census. Red Bluff is ... moreon the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley, and is the third largest city in the Shasta Cascade region. It is about 30 mi south of Redding, 40 mi northwest of Chico, and 125 mi north of Sacramento.
Fishing Waters
Part of Florida's Indian River Lagoon system, Mosquito Lagoon lies between the sand dunes of Canaveral National Seashore and the marshes, hardwood hammocks, and scrub of the Merritt ... moreIsland National Wildlife Refuge. Its protected shallow waters are the permanent home to some of the largest redfish and seatrout in Florida. Other fish species of interest to anglers here include black drum, jack crevalle, bluefish, snook, tarpon, flounder, and more. It's an awesome place to fish!

Fly fish or use light tackle for redfish, seatrout, snook, tarpon, black drum, and more on the waters of the Mosquito Lagoon. Everybody should be able to enjoy fishing here!

In addition to the various species of fishes, the Merritt Island NWR contains over 1000 species of plants, 68 amphibians and reptiles, 330 birds, and 31 mammal species. During a day's fishing you can expect to see bottle-nosed dolphins, the West Indian manatee, a wide variety of birds, and quite possibly an American alligator. Even the inevitable slow fishing days exhibit a fascinating display of wildlife.
The Pamlico Sound, is known as the fishing gem of North Carolina. It is the largest lagoon along the North American East Coast, extending 80 mi long and 15 to 20 miles wide. It is ... morepart of a large, interconnected network of lagoon estuaries. Together, these sounds, known as the Albemarle-Pamlico sound system, comprise the second largest estuary in the United States, covering over 3,000 sq. mi. of open water. A sound is a term used for a saltwater lagoon. The Pamlico Sound is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a row of low, sandy barrier islands that include Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. The Albemarle-Pamlico Sound is one of nineteen great waters recognized by the America's Great Waters Coalition.
The Sacramento River is the principal river of Northern California in the United States, and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, near Mount Shasta ... more(in Siskiyou county), the river flows south for 445 miles, through the northern section (Sacramento Valley) of the Central Valley, before reaching the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and San Francisco Bay. It forms a common delta with the San Joaquin River before entering Suisun Bay, the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. The river drains about 27,500 square miles, with an average annual runoff of 22 million acre-feet, in 19 California counties, mostly within a region bounded by the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada known as the Sacramento Valley, but also extending as far as the volcanic plateaus of Northeastern California.
Trips
$
225
-
$
450
/ Boat
Capacity:
1 - 3 anglers
Days:
Daily
Duration:
4 hours - 1 day
The Davidson River is one of the most famous rivers in North Carolina. It has the biggest fish in the state, and the most experienced. This is a crowded river that routinely yields ... moreopportunities at fish of a lifetime. It can be very tough, but all it takes is one chance at a 25″ brown trout to make you want to come back the next day. When the Davidson is good, it is as good as anything out there
$
400
-
$
450
/ Boat
Capacity:
1 - 2 anglers
Days:
Daily
Duration:
4 hours - 1 day
Saltwater Fishing Trip By Skiff In Lagoons We fish Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River Lagoon, and Banana River Lagoon near Orlando, Florida.... more

This is our most popular trip, available year-round and appropriate for all ages. We'll accomodate both fly fishers and conventional tackle anglers. We mostly sight fish in shallow water for redfish and seatrout. We may also encounter black drum, baby tarpon, crevalle jacks, ladyfish, bluefish, and others. The reds average about five pounds, but could be over 20. The trout average about is 15 inches, but could hit 30.
Outfitters
Look no further than Capt. John Kumiski’s Spotted Tail Fly Fishing Charters for thrilling guided fishing trips in both salt- and freshwater. We’re only one hour’s drive from Orlando, ... moreFlorida! We fish on the Mosquito Lagoon, the Indian River Lagoon, the Banana River Lagoon, the near-coastal Atlantic waters, and the St. Johns River system. John’s anglers have been catching fish on central Florida waters for over 25 years.

Fly fish or use light tackle for redfish, seatrout, snook, tarpon, black drum, and more on the waters of the Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River Lagoon, and Banana River Lagoon.

Or you may prefer to fish the near coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean for tarpon, snook, cobia, king mackerel, sharks, and many other species. Or maybe a day of fishing for bass and bream is more your style.

Spotted Tail Fishing Charters supplies all fishing tackle for both fly and light tackle. We also supply the flies, lures, or bait, and all necessary licenses* and permits.

Fish from our skiff, or by kayak or canoe.

We love experienced fly anglers, but are equally happy taking beginners or children. Everyone should be able to enjoy a day on the water!

Do what thousands of other happy fishermen have done and make your next Orlando fishing trip one to remember with Spotted Tail Orlando Fishing Charters, the most enjoyable and educational fishing trips in Orlando.
Type:
Fishing

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