Upcoming Northeast Florida Fishing Tournaments
If you’re a lifelong Floridian or a snowbird returning to Northeast Florida for your winter escape, you understand that nothing can hold us back from hosting exciting events throughout the seasons. Whether it’s pouring rain or blazing sunshine, the fish will be biting, and if you think you have what it takes to outshine the competition or simply want to test your skills, then the local fishing tournaments this December 2024 are not to be missed. We provide all the essential details you need to register and compete, along with expert recommendations to help you reel in a victory and claim your spot among the champions.
Common Tournament Target Fish
Photo from Florida Sportsman – Featuring Blair Wickstrom – Wahoo In The Bahamas
Many offshore tournaments are oriented around catching a specific weight limit or amount of a seasonal species that is a spectacle to watch due to the nature of these specific species. It is common to focus on species that are powerful, aggressive, colorful, or dramatic as to put on a show for the spectators on the shore.
Wahoo, known for their speed and agility, are a very common target fish species for offshore anglers, as well as Mahi Mahi, known for their colorful scales and fins. King Mackerel and Blue Marlin are also common target fish for offshore tournaments. All of these species provide a true test of the competing anglers’ skill, strength, endurance, and perserverance to secure their prize catch.
Inshore and surf competitions often focus on Redfish for their flashy, copper coloration, but anglers in these divisions often also compete for the largest sized Sea Bass, Flounder and Trout catches as well.
Participating anglers must observe local and state regulations to participate, including bag limits, release criteria, and licensure to compete.
Northeast Florida Wahoo Shootout 2025 - Early Entry Ends December 21 2024
Click Here For Registration Info
The largest Wahoo fishing tournament in the world is returning in February of 2025 so mark your calendars for this offshore event! The grand prize includes a new 21′ Yellowfin Bay Boat fully equipped with the newest Yamaha 4-stroke outboard engine and Ameritrail trailer PLUS $10,000 in cash, making the total value of this prize pool well over $100,000.
Early registration for the Northeast Florida Wahoo Shootout event ends December 21st 2024, which still leaves you plenty of time to register if you are interested. The general entry deadline is January 25th, 2025 and the late entry deadline is February 7th 2025 with the event taking place February 8th – March 23rd 2025.
- Dates: February 8th 2025 – March 23rd 2025
- Entry Fees – $550 – $750
- Tournament Type: Offshore
- Registration: Open
- Target Fish: Wahoo
- Sponsors: Dreamfinders Homes and Yellowfin
With several of our patrons competing in this tournament, we highly recommend stopping by our Offshore Room where you will find everything you need to reel in that grand prize, from deep sea lures and heavy weight rods and reels to mount on our recommended handcrafted fishing poles. You can find our seasonal recommendations in our fishing department.
Fishing Tournament Types
Fishing tournaments are typically categorized into various types, although some may focus on a specific fish species, freshwater, saltwater, or seasonal factors. It is important to note that certain tournaments have qualifiers and may not be open to the public for registration and competition. We have provided links to all the information you need for each upcoming tournament in the Northeast Florida area this season so that you can plan your itinerary as a competitor or a spectator.
Fishing tournaments are a great way for adults and children alike to enjoy the ocean, local food and entertainment, as well as wholesome, family oriented fun and competition with both youth and adult tournament options.
- Offshore tournaments revolve around deep-sea fishing and cater to those who enjoy taking their boats out beyond the sight of the shore. These events generally span multiple days, weeks, or even months.
- Inshore tournaments focus on the calmer, more predictable intercoastal and coastal waters that surround the area. These tournaments are typically more accessible as they have multiple categories for both adults and children to compete.
- Surf tournaments have anglers casting into the surf from the beach or shoreline. Similar to inshore tournaments, these tournaments do not require a boat or special equipment, making them more accessible to amateurs and youth anglers.
- Open and Closed Tournaments– Open tournaments allow for registration during the open registration period designated and this typically includes a small sign up fee that contributes to the event cost, donation, or prize pool. Open tournaments allow for anglers to pick specific days to compete and have a more flexible schedule where closed tournaments typically take place during a set timeframe and may not allow for the public to register, instead only allowing anglers to participate by qualifications or invitation. If a tournament is open, you will be able to find a registration page on the official website or on their social media pages.
- Youth & Adult tournaments- Many inshore and surf tournaments may allow for both youth and adult competitors, holding separate events and age brackets for more accessible and fair competitions.
Shoreline Showdown Surf Series @ Fishbites Trading Post 12/07/2024
Click Here View More Information About The Shoreline Showdown Surf Series
If you enjoy fishing on-shore or watching the pros land bite after bite beachside and local entertainment, Fishbites Trading Post is the place to be.
The line up of fisherman contains pros from various surf fishing tournaments across the state, all competing in this invitation only shoreline event on December 7th 2024.
Registration is currently closed and is not typically open to the public, however, you can still drop by and participate in the fun, cheer on your favorite anglers, and see what they’re able to dredge up from the surf beachside this season. Just remember to bring a coat if you intend to watch!
This tournament has been an annual event taking place in the winter season since 1999, sponsored by Fishbites, a local family owned business founded and still operated in St. Augustine, Florida, specializing in craft lures, baits, and miscellaneous products catering to anglers from all areas and backgrounds. All winners compete for a share of the current cash prize pool of $15,000.
Tournament Type: Surf Fishing
Registration: Closed
Tournament Date: December 7 2024
Location: Fishbites Trading Post, 170 Nix Boat Yard Rd, St. Augustine, FL 32084
If you’re looking to catch Red Drum, Flounder, and Trout in the surf this season, we recommend reaching for live shrimp or frozen shrimp and grouper, but artificial jigs and lures of the softer variety can work just as well. We recommend JYG or Slayer, going for looks that mimic bait fish of the area.
The most important thing is coming prepared with a strong leader line which can easily be threaded in our store along with sunglasses and other accessories most of us typically forget.
