Catching Fish Near Mangroves

Orlando Florida has Awesome redfish and other gamefish near it's Mangrove Shorelines and Islands

"I struggled to put an angling couple on fish one windy December day until I tried the Lagoon's mangrove shorelines east of Orlando, Florida. Every attempt to settle into a sandbar, trough or open grassflat had not produced any results and I became frustrated and it was showing as I worked dilegently to locate a gamefish that would bite." explained Captain Richard Bradley of Lagooner Fishing Charters.

Mangrove shorelines are an important part of the the saltwater habitat as everything from snapper, grouper, redfish, snook and many other Florida gamefish are often hatched or grow up in the shallow water lagoons adjacent to the open water oceans from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. There are basically three varieties of mangroves in Florida and their all named after a color. Red Mangroves, Black Mangroves and White Mangroves all live in the shallow coastal waterways and shorelines in Florida. Anglers will often find gamefish lumbering around the root system of all three but the Red Mangrove is often the most productive as it's hanging roots offer more shelter than the other varieties.

Red Mangroves (Rhizophora Mangle)

Red Mangroves are one of the three prominent mangrove species found in Florida the scientific name or family name of the tree is Rhizophora Mangle for those whom are interested. They serve as one of the primary habitats for feeding, breeding and nursery grounds for a large variety of fish, shellfish, birds and other wildlife. Over 75 percent of the gamefish and commercial fishing in Florida depend on the these mangroves and their cousins the white and black mangroves. The tall arching prop roots identify the red mangroves which provide essential gases and stability to the mangrove.

Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans)

Black mangroves grow in coastal tidal areas throughout much of Florida. These mangroves live on the shoreline, close to or in the water. Their roots protrude upwards and out of the water supplying much needed oxygen and air to the root system. The roots on the black mangrove unique in that they bunch together tightly and are almost impenetrable to walk through or on.

White mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa)

The white mangrove is different from other mangroves by it's upward growing roots and and leaf shape. It grows further from the waterfront than the black mangrove and it's bark is not dark. White Mangroves are plentiful in the eastern side of Florida near Orlando. It is found on the gulf coast of Florida from Cedar Key to Key West and back up to St. Augustine on the Atlantic side but cold and often freezing temperatures prevent the range from extending northward.