Spring Break Fun in Destin, FL

Spring break fishing in Destin Florida

A nice Spanish Mackerel caught in April on a live shrimp!

March marks our spring break rush here in Destin, Florida and depending on the weather it is either hit or miss for warm sunny beach days or cold and windy days! One thing is for sure, fishing is always an option when looking for something fun to do while visiting the area.

Our most popular trip in March and April is the inshore trip. Right now, we primarily target Spanish Mackerel and Sheepshead, two completely different fish but both a blast to catch and delicious table fare. Spanish mackerel are the smaller cousin to king mackerel, and we catch them from 12’’ – 36’’ and everywhere in between. We target them two different ways, anchored and casting live baits is our favorite way but sometimes they only want to bite when trolling. We also slow troll lures for them which can produce great bites as well.

One of our favorite fish to target in the winter and spring months is Sheepshead, these hard fighting toothy critters will give everyone a run for their money! They are spawning in March in our area, and it is hands down the best month of the year to target them. We fish jetties, docks, and bridges using live bait for these, sometimes they can be tricky to catch so we will give you all our secrets for getting the job done!

Table fare! Both fish are delicious but keep in mind Spanish Mackerel don’t particularly freeze very well, their meat tends to get much when frozen, so they are best eaten within a few days of catching them. Sheepshead do freeze well, so any extra fillets can be frozen and taken home without a problem.

Recipes: My favorite recipes are simple!

Spanish mackerel- Keep the skin on, put a little olive oil or melted butter on the flesh side, followed by some blackening seasoning (not too much), slice a few lemons to place on tops and broil for 8-10 minutes. As soon as it comes out, drizzle more lemon juice on it and enjoy as the meat falls right off the skin!

Sheepshead- I personally like to cut the blood line out of the Sheepshead although a lot of people don’t mind it. Once it has no bones or blood lines, I dip the fillets in flour, egg, and a mixture of panko crumbs and blackening seasoning, I brown each side in a good amount of olive oil and enjoy with some sides! Something about the consistence of a Sheepshead makes it the perfect fish for a little breading and browning, comes out perfect every time!

What is better than one sheepshead?? Two sheepshead!