Dog Island Reef is located in northwest Florida, about 9.6 miles from Carrabelle, in Franklin County. It is about 4 miles from the Dog Island itself. Dog Island Reef boasts white sandy beaches, which serve as a great attraction for many tourists and anglers every year.
The reef offers loads of fishing opportunities. You can find a wide variety of fish, including cobia, king mackerel, spotted sea trout, gulf flounder, bluefish, red grouper, snapper, and dolphinfish in the Dog Island Reef. You also have a great chance of finding tarpon and pompano in the shallow waters.
Whether you are trolling, fly fishing, chumming, or bait-casting, you stand a great chance of success fishing these waters. It is advisable to use live shrimp bait or a pompano jig to increase your chances of getting a decent catch in the Dog Island Reef. If you opt for artificial bait, consider using Gulp Shrimp in a variety of colors. Use a fish finder to locate the large dropoffs and edges of the reef for better chances of finding fish.
Green, pink, and white Gulp Shrimps have been proven to deliver impressive results. You can also use Bass Assassins of the same colors, either with straight jigging or popping cork. If you are looking for Spanish mackerel, you would be more successful with an olive green XRap suspending plug.
If you are looking for sharks, Dog Island Reef is also the best destination. Sharks are commonly found around the edges of the reef. It is advisable to use cut-bait to catch these fighting, toothy predators. Large populations of Spanish Mackeral and Pompano can also be found in these areas.
To have a great fishing experience in the Dog Island Reef, bring your best fishing line and reel (whether it’s a baitcasting reel or a spinning reel). You may also need a fishing license issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It is also important to check the local Fish and Wildlife department to ensure you are fishing areas that are open to the public.
If you are non-resident of Florida and 16 years or older, you must have a Florida freshwater fishing license to be able to fish in Dog Island Reef. You will also need a license if you plan to take any marine organism, including crabs, clams, lobsters, and plants.
You will also need a snook and spiny lobster permit as well as a tarpon tag if you are looking to fish these species. You can find more information on the licensing and permits for fishing at Dog Island Reef and throughout Florida at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Website (FFWCC). You can purchase your fishing license online from the FFWC website or local agents.
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It is ideal to understand the fishing times of a destination, so you know when the fish will be most active, and you stand the best chance of success. For the Dog Island Reef, early spring through to the end of summer usually deliver the best results. That period seems to produce the most fish.
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