Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, & Edgewater
New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater are cities located in Southeast Volusia County, only a couple minutes away from world famous Daytona Beach. The Indian River flows through these cities, from Ponce Inlet extending 150 miles to the south before ending at Jupiter Inlet. The backcountry fishing in New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater and Ponce Inlet is oustanding. Completely different from the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon, this area has a regular tidal flow and is filled with deep mangrove covered islands, oyster bars, causeways, bridges and an inlet.
Edgewater, Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna Beach fishing offers a wide range of species to catch. Redfish, trout, snook, and tarpon are the glamour species of the area. Whether trolling along the islands and creeks, poling the small flats, or working dock and bridge structure, on most days of the summer you have a legitimate shot at an inshore slam or super slam.
Numerous Redfish in the 5-10lb range are year round residents of the oyster and mangrove backcountry around. While some areas are too deep and dirty to effectively sightfish, there are many shallow and clear flats that yield the same sight fishing experience as found in the Mosquito Lagoon. During the late summer and fall, GIANT bull redfish migrate towards Ponce Inlet for their annual spawn. During this time of the year, some of the biggest redfish are caught with fish in the 30, 40 and 50+lb range being common.
Ponce Inlet, Edgewater, and New Smyrna Beach Tarpon fishing becomes consistent during the spring and extends into the fall. While smaller juvenile fish in the 5-40lb range are generally in the area year round, migrating adult tarpon from 60-200lbs move onto the nearshore beaches and in through Ponce Inlet during the summer months. While areas like the Keys, Homosassa, and Boca Grande are well known for their tarpon fishing, coastal Volusia County has a little gem of it's own.
New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater and Ponce Inlet Snook are living on the northern fringe of their known habitat range. While we don't have the snook numbers like you would find in South Florida or the Everglades, our snook fishing is a year round opportunity. With each passing winter where we don't experience freezing temperatures for extended periods of time, snook populations continue to increase. Average snook in the area range from 2-10lbs, with occassional 15-30lbs linesiders a distinct possibility.
Spotted Sea Trout are another staple of the Edgewater, Oak Hill and New Smyrna Beach fishing scene. The trout in this area are long, fat and healthy. An average trout is anywhere from 2-5lbs, with lots in the "gator" range of 5-15lbs. Spotted Sea Trout fishing in this area keys on oyster bars, dock structure, mangrove islands, and those out of the way hidden grass flats.
While those 4 are the main targets of fishing Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater and Oak Hill sharks, flounder, mangrove snapper, grouper and sheepshead are some of the other fish routinely caught. With that in mind, it's quite possible to catch 8-10 different kinds of fish in the area. While this is a year round fishery, tide and moon phases may dictate better fishing times.
Find out what's biting in and around Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, and Edgewater by visiting the Report page! Also be sure to visit the Gallery to see everyone's trophy catches!
