New Smyrna Beach Fishing Charters

New Smyrna Beach sits between the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic, giving anglers two distinct fisheries within minutes of the ramp. Inshore charters typically launch from Edgewater Public Boat Ramp, North Causeway Boat Ramp, or River Deck Marina. These trips work the mangrove shorelines, grass flats, and channel edges for redfish, spotted seatrout, and snook. Ponce Inlet provides a mix of structure fishing—jetties, rock piles, and tide rips—where you can hook sheepshead, flounder, and even tarpon during the warm months.

Nearshore runs usually stay within 10 miles, targeting kingfish, cobia, and bonito around bait pods or wrecks. Offshore charters, often departing from nearby ports like Daytona or Port Canaveral, run 20–50 miles for mahi, sailfish, and snapper. Half-day inshore trips are common for sight-casting redfish on the flats or drifting live shrimp under popping corks. Full-day trips can combine inshore and nearshore, especially in summer when bait is thick along the beach.

The fishery shifts with the seasons—winter brings clear water and slower presentations, spring fires up the flats, summer sees big bait pushes and pelagics close to shore, and fall often means aggressive inshore bites before the first cold fronts. Light tackle spin gear is standard, with fly fishing offered for tailing reds or laid-up tarpon. Techniques range from live bait drifting and freelining mullet, to jigging soft plastics, trolling spoons offshore, or bottom fishing reefs.

The Indian River Lagoon here is part of one of the most biologically diverse estuaries in North America, and Ponce Inlet connects it to the Gulf Stream influence offshore. If weather’s up, nearby Mosquito Lagoon offers a protected alternative with world-class sight fishing.