Top ‘Cast-&-Blast’ Destinations
If you dig duck hunting, bass fishing and/or inshore action for estaurine species including snook, speckled trout and redfish, Florida is the place to hunt and fish in the same day or at least on the same visit. You've got about two weeks left of a banner duck season left to get on waterfowl until November, but it's never too soon to plan a hunting trip with a fishing aside or vice versa for the 2012-2013 season. Here are some of the state's top duck hunting marshes that also offer great fishing.
There are few more accessible places to bag a limit of diverse ducks and no better place to catch a lunker largemouth than the Big O. The hunting remains good late in the season, and the bass fishing is mind-blowing at present.
Fellsmere is surrounded by marshes that are part of the St. Johns River watershed. Most famous in terms of duck hunting is the T.M. Goodwin/Broadmore marsh complex, which comprise thousands of acres of man-made duck habitat. Getting a permit requires entering a lottery system, but the surrounding marshes including Mary A. Sartori and the Stickmarsh also hold birds. Stickmarsh and Farm 13 bass and speck fisheries are strongly on the road to recovery after the hurricanes of 2004-2005 ripped out so much of their productive vegetation.
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Though it tends to fish better after duck season, when the water is lower, you can still expect to bag a few ducks and catch quite a few bass, especially if you're willing to flip heavy cover in the marsh and extensive canal system surrounding it.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
You can either apply for a quota hunting permit or hire a guide to hunt one of the most spectacular marsh systems in the country. You don't need more than a state saltwater fishing license to catch hefty reds and trout, but hiring a guide is a good idea until you're familiar with the shallow waters of the Indian River and Mosquito lagoons.