A wide variety of fish await anglers at Dog Island Reef. The fishing opportunities here are very promising. Here you’ll find cobia, king mackerel, spotted sea trout, gulf flounder, bluefish, red grouper, snapper, and dolphin fish. In Dog Island Reef’s shallower waters, anglers often catch tarpon and pompano. You can use various fishing methods here, including bait-casting, trolling, chumming, and fly-fishing. Try pompano jigs and live shrimp for your best chances of snagging a good catch. Colored lures also achieve impressive results. The best colors to use are green, pink, or white. A fish finder will give you the added advantage of being able to detect significant drop-offs or reef edges where fish are more prone to hide.

driving directions

Ride a ferry from Carabelle to Dog Island to access the grassy, flat reef. Here you can surf cast, troll, fly fish, or bait cast. Both the deep and the shallows offer excellent inshore and offshore fishing spots. Try trolling for wahoo, dolphinfish, king mackerel, sailfish, and cobia near the artificial reefs nearby. You’ll usually find gag grouper, amberjack, snapper, and triggerfish hiding near the bottom of the structure. In July, you may find migrating tarpon near Dog Island Reef.

Live shrimp and pompano jigs are the best bait for fishing the reef. Artificial Gulp Shrimp may also work well in green, pink, and white. Bass Assassins in green, pink, and white with straight jigging or popping cork attract sea trout, while olive green XRap suspending plugs can help you catch Spanish mackerel. You can also find sharks around the edges of the reef. Cut bait is best for catching sharks.

Check with the Florida Fish and Wildlife department for fishing license requirements and access restrictions before visiting the reef.

Dog Island Reef boat ramps:

The following boat ramps provide access to Dog Island Reef.