Saltwater Fishing Tips

The Best Saltwater Fishing Tips

Welcome to Apex Fishing Tips, this section of our website is about saltwater fishing and how to catch fish in saltwater. You can access the ocean to go saltwater fishing in North America along the coast and via some inlets. We're going to show you how to catch bigger fish, more often in saltwater.

Below you'll find 6 saltwater fishing tips that will improve your chances of catching fish in saltwater. Saltwater is home to the largest game fish on our planet. You can fish in saltwater via a boat, on the beach or off a pier. Some of the largest fish ever caught has been in saltwater. Continue down below to learn how to catch fish in saltwater.

Along with 6 saltwater fishing tips we give you a detailed checklist of all the fishing tackle you'll need when you go saltwater fishing. We've also provided you with some amazing pictures of anglers fishing in saltwater. If you need more information on saltwater fishing, you can use the additional resources we've provided at the bottom of this page.



6 Saltwater Fishing Tips

  1. You can catch saltwater fish along the coast of an ocean or via a boat. Oceans, gulfs, etc. are the main source for saltwater fish. If you don't live near the coast, you'll need to travel to one to catch saltwater fish. Google is a great tool to locate coastal cities with great saltwater fishing. For an amazing experience, consider a charter fishing guide who can take you out into the ocean and help you catch some monster saltwater fish.
  2. There are many different species of saltwater fish targeted by recreational anglers. Some of these you can catch near the coast, while others can be only be caught using a boat and going out to sea. Many species are regional and can only be found in a certain area or region. Popular coastal game fish that can be caught on or near shore are the stripped bass, bonefish, tarpon, redfish, snook and king salmon. Popular game fish caught off a boat when out at sea are bluefin and yellowfin tuna, sailfish and swordfish.
  3. You can enjoy saltwater fishing without a boat by fishing from the shore, a pier or a break wall. However, many of the most popular saltwater game fish can only be caught by using a boat. If you're an experienced at freshwater boating but have never been out on the ocean in a boat be prepared. Oceans can be much harder to navigate and can be vastly more violent. Your current boat might not even be able to go into saltwater without damage. Make sure your boat or kayak hull and motor are rated for saltwater.
  4. Live bait is very successful in saltwater; however, you'll want to use different live bait than you would in freshwater. Popular live bait for saltwater fishing includes but isn't limited to crabs, mullets, shrimp, clams, squid, sardines, pinfish and large bait fish. You can buy most of these saltwater live bait options at a local bait shop. Use Google Maps to find a bait shop near the area where you'll be fishing.
  5. Water temperatures, tides and the moon play a big role in saltwater fish. Many species of saltwater fish migrate based on water temperatures. Tides rise and fall each day, changing the underwater landscape and structures with each cycle. The moon, especially when it's a full moon, greatly increases the feed habits of some saltwater fish species at night. Do some research on the lunar cycle, water temperatures and tide schedules for the area where you're going saltwater fishing.
  6. If you're an avid freshwater angler and this is your first time saltwater fishing, you'll want to do some extensive research. Fishing in the ocean is vastly different than fishing in a large lake. The fish species are also completely different, so you'll need to decide what fish you want to target and learn as much as you can about them. Once you've learned about your target fish, you'll need to know where and when you can find them.


About Saltwater Fishing

About Saltwater Fishing

Saltwater fishing is a broad term that includes fishing for species of fish that live in bodies of water that contain saltwater instead of freshwater. Anglers can saltwater fish in the ocean and inlets or outlets to the ocean. About 96% of the water on our planet is saltwater, so it's not hard to find a place to go saltwater fishing, especially if you live on or near a costal area. Saltwater fish species are some of the largest on our planet.

There are a lot of popular game fish that live in freshwater, such as flounder, salmon, snook, swordfish and tuna. Some game fish like tuna and swordfish can reach massive sizes and can take up to and over an hour to land. Sadly, commercial overfishing and pollution are greatly affecting populations of saltwater game fish. You can help protect saltwater fish species by recycling plastics and not throwing garbage into the ocean.



Saltwater Fishing Checklist

The below saltwater fishing checklist has the fishing gear and tackle you might need when fishing in the ocean.



Saltwater Fishing Pictures

A fish caught in the Gulf of Mexico

A picture of a fish caught while saltwater fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
(Credit: JIMBO waldrop / Flickr)

A fish caught in the Pacific Ocean

A picture of a fish caught while saltwater fishing in the Pacific Ocean.
(Credit: Greg Hopping / Flickr)

A fish caught in the Atlantic Ocean

A picture of a fish caught while saltwater fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.
(Credit: Brian Kirk / Flickr)



Saltwater Fishing Resources