I am making a bucket list for salt water and fresh water fishing trips. i have the same question under freshwater. Please suggest your most reliable and fun saltwater fishing destination and species. who would you go with and where. I do enjoy keeping fish for the table but it is not required. I can travel.. Thanks in advance

Matagorda-Colorado river has always been fun for trout and redfish.

I would head south on the Excel for a fifteen day trip.

I've fished a lot of places, NOTHING matches Venice LA. I love South Texas, and perfectly happy fishing here, but you said bucket list.

Venice is great for big reds and trout.

Florida Keys for variety, inshore and offshore.

Jupiter Florida- big snook, think saltwater bass on steroids. Topwater action for jack crevalle. Deep water fishing only one to five miles offshore in the blue water of the Gulf Stream, Mahi and sailfish especially fun

We went on a tuna trip out of Venice also, it was pretty epic.

Stay in Homestead or Florida City, Fl.. about 45 minutes from Miami International Airport. You'll have three great places to visit, my favorite, Flamingo Everglades National Park, the furthest south you can travel on mainland of Florida, most exciting to me with chances to see manatee, dolphin, alligators, crocs, python, and more birds than you can imagine. Biscayne National Park for some of the biggest bonefish in the world, and Key Largo or Islamorada to go offshore for sailfish. Never did the sail fish thing in the keys as it was too far to paddle 10 miles to the sailfish waters from ramp but have done the other two for many years when I lived down that way.

Tarpon, trout, snook, and redfish in Flamingo. Snook, tarpon, bonefish, and permit in Biscayne National Park, and all of the above in Key Largo or Islamorada with great wintertime sailfishing.

I haven't seen Uly in many years, met him on the water when he fished from a kayak but he is best friends with another kayak fishing buddy of mine, Steve. And anyone that can make Steve look good fishing has to be a hell of a guide. He is a true and thankful gentleman.

Here is a fairly recent video that was done in Biscayne Bay as he guided another guide! If you've never caught a good bonefish, this is the place!

https://waypointtv.com/captains-log/2021/10/9/captains-log-season-3?episode=2

You can catch tarpon all over south florida pretty much all year round except on the coldest days... one of the best videos I've ever seen showing what its like in the different areas. click on link to youtube to view.



Flamingo where the freshwater meets the salt... 300 speicies of fish in the everglades, 350 species of birds.

I agree with south Florida and the Mississippi Delta, I might add the area off New London , Ct for striped bass fishing.




MO

Florida and Venice are great. A bucket list for offshore and inshore may also include:

Alaska-offshore salmon, halibut, rockfish and ling cod
-inshore for salmon, greyling, rainbow trout and much more

Panama -offshore blue and black marlin, monster dorado, big tuna and large pacific sailfish
-inshore for rooster fish, cubera snapper and many other species

Strictly for sport, a Jack Crevalle hitting a Top Water on med tackle is a hell of a fight, and they're really common to catch on lures.

^^^ What Pat said. Monster redfish inshore ... large yellowfin tuna sometimes within 1-3 miles of the South Pass.