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4 Florida Saltwater Winter Fishing Tips for the Hard-Core Angler

For the Sunshine State’s committed anglers, the winter months bring migratory schools of gamefish, new fishing opportunities, and milder days to enjoy them. Winter can also present challenges that the wise angler responds to with a bit of strategic preparation. Stock up on high-performance fishing apparel, consider some new angling possibilities and make the most of Florida’s winter fishing season.

Fishing Apparel

Gear Up in Preparation

Winter is often thought to be the best time of year to fish in Florida. That makes gearing up ASAP a top priority. Beyond topping up on the essentials, consider it an opportunity to branch out into new gear. If you’ve dreamed of fly-fishing the flats, now’s the time to get the gear. The same goes for the kite fishing gear, heavy deep-sea rigs, baitfish cast nets, and whatever else you’ve been hankering to try. Add high-performance fishing clothes to your list of must-have gear as well.

Dress for Winter

You want to purchase professional-grade, high-performance fishing apparel that is built for keeping anglers cool, dry, comfortable, and protected in extreme conditions. You’ll need performance fishing gear that provides enough coverage to protect your skin from direct UV rays and also features cooling technology in the fabric and design. Florida’s weather is unpredictable, so moisture-wicking, quick-drying coverage is also nice to have if a cold front or storm blows in.

Add a Fishing Mask

Performance fishing masks do for your face and neck what professional-grade fishing shirts do for the upper body. A high-quality fishing mask should protect you from the sun, stinging spray, biting insects, and whatever else an outing in Florida can deliver. For an option that doesn’t fog your sunglasses with every breath, look for the GillzMask™ line from performance apparel company Gillz®. It features a mesh mouth-panel to reduce fog and the famous GillzVents™ feature on either side of the neck to channel cooling air down your back.

Switch It Up

Once you’re thoroughly geared up and raring to tackle Florida’s winter bounty of gamefish head-on, consider switching it up and hunting some new species in some new places. Hit up the Keys backcountry with your new flyrod and take advantage of winter’s clearer water to sight-fish for some sea trout. Bag a winter billfish from the swarms of sailfish and marlin swimming south and be the envy of anglers nationwide.

About Gillz®

Since Kent Hickman can remember, he’s loved fishing. Being a Florida native, there was certainly no shortage of access to world-class fishing for him growing up, and Kent took full advantage of those opportunities from the start. In adulthood, his love of angling inspired Kent to fish the tournament circuit professionally. However, he ran into a problem: the conditions professional anglers faced on the water could be unforgiving, and Kent had not found any fishing apparel capable of standing up to the challenge. Hard-core anglers, professionals or not, need gear that keeps them cool, dry, and always comfortable. They need gear that provides protection from both the elements and the unrelenting heat and UV rays of the Florida sun. In response to this shortage of options, Kent met the challenge himself. In 2009, Kent Hickman founded Gillz® to provide devoted anglers with high-tech, high-performance, professional-grade, and always stylish fishing apparel. That apparel includes shirts for fishing, fishing masks, hats, accessories, and more.

Stay on the water longer, fish more, and play harder with Gillz® gear at Gillz-gear.com


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