The trolling bite in Destin during December is subpar as most king and Spanish mackerel have migrated south for the winter.
The main fish you will see this time of year trolling is bonita.
Bonita will school up on whatever bait may be around, cigar minnows, herring, or squid, and you’ll see them all over the surface. It can be very fun to grab a spinning reel and toss out a jig into the middle of the school, and work a bite. This will bring you a really fun fight, and its very hands on.
Another option is trolling lures, or live bait around them, which is more hands off, but can produce some nice fish. These techniques will also occasionally bring you a nice blackfin bite!
The bottom fishing in Destin during December is till pretty good. We do a lot of two hook rig fishing. This consists of dropping two hooks baited up to the bottom, and almost instantly gets you on a fish. Most days you can catch over a hundred fish this way, not all being keepers of course, but this fishing is very fun and keeps you busy!
The main target for bottom fishing is vermilion snapper. Vermillion snapper are one of the best eating fish in the Gulf of Mexico, although they are not the hardest fighting fish, they are still a good little fight. Most of the fishing for vermilions is done over a natural bottom, on two hook rigs. The bait used for these fish is usually squid, bonito chunks, or salted mackerel. White snapper are usually caught while fishing for vermillion snapper as well.
This is also the last month before triggerfish close. Triggerfish are one of the best eating fish in the gulf to eat, and they can put up an awesome fight! They are caught in a similar manner to vermilion snapper, except they are excellent bait snatchers. When triggerfishing its important to check that bait often because sometimes they’ll snatch your bait on the way to the bottom and you’ll never even feel it! All in all bottom fishing in December is well worth it!
If you are looking to go fishing during the month of December then jump over to the Book Now page to see the details including our prices.
Don’t forget to check out our boats that we have for you to go fishing in Destin! Be sure to have a look at the Destin, Florida November Fishing Report if you are planning an October fishing trip to Destin, Florida anytime soon.
