Apalachicola Bay (Franklin)
From shallow sea grass beds to deeper waters, a large variety of fish make their home the bay. King mackerel, cobia and grouper prefer the deep end, while sheepshead and flounder stick to the shallow grass beds. "Early birds" who use live minnows and shrimp will be the luckiest.
Apalachicola River (Jackson, Gadsden, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty & Franklin)
Running from the Georgia border (at Lake Seminole) down to the Gulf of Mexico, the Apalachicola River has the most water flow of any river in Florida. Fishing opportunities are best at the extreme ends of the river&mash;its origin at Lake Seminole and its stopping point in the Gulf. The lower river is regularly stocked with bass, while the upper river receives an influx of bass from Lake Seminole.
Within 10 miles of Blountstown in Calhoun County, boaters will find ramps at Ocheesee Landing and Red's Landing. Gulf County offers Iola Landing and Wayside Park, both are within minutes of Wewahitchka.
Bear Lake (Santa Rosa)
The 107-acre Bear Lake is home to bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish. Bass are best baited with plastic worms and lizards, while the crappie respond well to crappie minnows and curly-tailed jigs. As always, catfish love chicken livers and earthworms. A boat ramp is located within the lake's campground, and parking is available.
Blackwater River (Santa Rosa & Okaloosa)
The Blackwater River, especially the lower section, is a great place to catch bluegill and sunfish. Try beetle spins, earthworms and crickets as bait. Adequate amounts of bass can be found in the spring; try crankbaits and artificial worms. Milton's Carpenters Park offers plenty of boat ramps, as does Highway 191 in Bagdad.
Chipola River (Calhoun & Jackson)
The scenic, 95-mile-long Chipola River is home to redear, bluegill and the rare shoal bass. Beetle spins, worms and crickets work well as attractors, but for shoal bass, try crankbaits that look like shiners or crayfish. Boaters should be careful during low water, as the shoals can get quite shallow.
Boat ramps can be found at Chipola Estates Landing and John Boy Landing, both west of Altha in Calhoun County. Jackson County offers Magnolia Landing, Peacock Bridge and Yancey Bridge, near Marianna.
Choctawhatchee Bay (Okaloosa & Walton)
Almost 20 different species of fish call Choctawhatchee Bay home. Red fish, Spanish mackerel, spotted sea trout, sheepshead and sea trout are common catches. The Destin area yields a lot of amberjack, triggerfish, dolphin, wahoo and marlin in its open waters.
Choctawhatchee River (Walton, Washington & Holmes)
Florida's third largest river system, the Choctawhatchee River originates in Alabama, flowing into the Gulf at Choctawhatchee Bay. Bluegill and redear can be lured with crickets and wigglers. Largemouth bass respond well to crank baits and artificial worms. The out-going tide offers the largest catches.
Boat ramps can be found off C.R. 179 in Holmes County—Curry Ferry, Old Warehouse Landing and Ward Landing provide single-lane ramps with plenty of parking. Bank fishing is allowed at all locations. Another boat ramp can be found off C.R. 181A in Walton County. More boat ramps are found at Boynton Cutoff and Hinson Crossroads,
near Caryville.
Dead Lake (Calhoun & Gulf)
The dark waters of Dead Lake, 6,700-acre lake in the middle of the Chipola River, have an eerie beauty. Spring offers excellent catches of bluegill and redear; wigglers work best as bait. Catching bass is possible with artificial worms, lizards, spinnerbaits or live shiners.
Boaters should be extra careful around the cypress stumps and snags.
Deerpoint Lake (Bay)
Deerpoint Lake is home to a wide variety of fish, including bass, bluegill, shellcracker and crappie. Bluegill are especially partial to crickets and earthworms, while bass are best caught with plastic worms and crankbaits.
A double-lane ramp with 30 parking spaces is available. Bank fishing is permitted. Boaters should be careful of the vegetation around the ramps.
East Pass (Franklin)
Located between St. George Island and Dog Island, the east pass is thick with Spanish mackerel, whiting, flounder, redfish and sea trout. Pompano pass through during migration.
St. George Island State Park offers two boat ramps.
Econfina River (Taylor)
The shallow waters of the Econfina River yield plenty of cobia, sea trout and redfish. The Econfina River State Park's boat ramp is always open for saltwater angling in the Gulf. Overnight accommodations are small, but clean.
Escambia River (Escambia)
With 85 native freshwater fish, the Escambia River is home to the biggest variety of native North American freshwater fish in the state. Bass, bluegill, sunfish, crappie and catfish are popular sport fish. Neither blue catfish or flathead catfish are native to Florida, but they have become quite comfortable here, contributing to record-sized catches.
The McDavid Ramp is located 7.5 miles south of Century on U.S. 29; another boat ramp is located on the northeast side of Escambia Bay.
Hurricane Lake (Okaloosa)
The man-made Hurricane Lake is a 318-acre haven for bass, bluegill, shellcracker and catfish. Shellcrackers will like earthworms or crickets, while bass anglers should try plastic worms.
Concrete boat ramps and docks are located in the campgrounds of the Blackwater State Forest. Restroom and picnic areas and campsites are available.
Juniper Lake (Walton)
Juniper Lake is regularly stocked with catfish and bream, and fish attractors have been added to increase the harvest. Bass fishers should try shiners, but dark-colored plastic worms work well. Bream prefer crickets and worms.
Juniper Lake has two boat ramps, and bank fishing is offered as well. Restroom and picnic areas are available.
Karick Lake (Okaloosa)
The 65-acre Karick Lake is filled with flooded timber, providing habitat for bass, bluegill, catfish and shellcracker. Plastic worms and topwater lures work best for bass fishing. Try earthworms or crickets for bluegill, concentrating on the oyster shell and gravel beds, both popular spawning sites for bluegill and shellcracker.
Concrete boat ramps are available at the north and south sides of the lake, including restroom, shower and picnic areas. Bank fishing is permitted at both locations.
Lake Jackson (Leon)
The shallow, 4,000-acre Lake Jackson offers the best bass fishing during the spring and early summer months, and a large variety of vegetation provides excellent habitats. Recent droughts have reduced the water level, but this should also ensure great fishing. Try minnows, worms and small artificial baits. Five public boat ramps exist around the lake's shore.
Lake Talquin (Gadsden & Leon)
Lake Talquin offers 8,000 acres, where crappie fishing is quite favorable. The best crappie are caught during the winter and early spring. Live minnows and jigs work best as bait. Also popular are largemouth bass, bluegill and redear. Plenty of tree stumps and logs are excellent fish habitats, and plastic worms work well to catch the bass.
Gadsden County offers three public boat ramps and two public piers. Leon County has seven public ramps and five public piers. Several fish camps are open to visitors around the lake, as well.
Lake Seminole (Jackson & Gadsden)
Nestled next to the Georgia border, Lake Seminole is a 37,500-acre haven for freshwater fishing. Catfish, bream and black crappie are all popular catches, and the lake is annually stocked with bass. Try earthworms, crickets, plastic worms and top-water lures as bait.
A boat ramp is available off C.R. 271 with unpaved parking for about 10 cars.
Lake Stone (Escambia)
The 130-acre, man-made Lake Stone is great for catching crappie, largemouth bass, redear sunfish and catfish. Bass are best baited with plastic worms or top-water lures, while chicken livers and earthworms are effective for
catching catfish.
A single-lane ramp with 30 spaces of parking is available. Boaters should be aware, while electric trolling motors are allowed, gasoline motors are prohibited.
Lake Victor (Holmes)
With a fair amount of flooded timber in its depths, Lake Victor is a great place to find bass, bluegill and redear sunfish. A rotating population of black crappie seems to peak every five years, and catfish will be abundant during the summer months.
Two boat ramps with parking are available on the east and west sides of the lake, but be aware the west ramp is only accessible by small boats, as the water is very shallow.
Merritt's Mill Pond (Jackson)
Crystal-clear and 202-acres-large, Merritt's Mill Pond is famous for trophy redears. A 4.86-lb. redear from the pond holds the state record and—until recently—the world record. Try plastic worms or crickets as bait, and concentrate on the eelgrass beds. A single-lane boat ramp is available off Hunter Fish Camp Road.
Ocheesee Pond (Jackson)
Covered with cypress trees, 2,225-acre Ocheesee Pond is a great spot for bluegill; crickets and grass shrimp work well as bait. Redear sunfish and largemouth bass are best found with worms or live shiners. The Shady Grove Ramp off of C.R. 69A will provide boat access to the pond.
Ochlockonee River (Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla, Franklin & Liberty)
Flowing from Georgia into the Gulf of Mexico, the Ochlockonee River is known for its snags and deep water holes. Catfish, crappie and sunfish are popular catches. Worms or crickets will lure sunfish, while crappie prefer minnows and jigs.
The river is a great spot for canoeing, about a dozen boat ramps are available along the river's shores.
Panama City Beach (Bay)
With an abundance of black drum, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, pompano and whiting, Panama City Beach is a great place for a full day of fishing. The bays usually harbor grouper and flounder, while the open waters typically yield red snapper, black sea bass, sailfish and king mackerel.
Pensacola Bay (Escambia)
Pensacola, Navarre Beach, Gulf Breeze and Perdido Key are all great places for saltwater fishing. Red snapper and grouper can be found in the off-shore reef, but large game fish, such as tuna, sailfish, wahoo and marlin are the trophy catches.
Perdido River (Escambia)
Marking Florida's northwest border, the Perdido River Wildlife Management Area includes 15 miles along the river and plenty of fishing opportunities.
The public is welcome all year for fishing and frogging.
St. Josephs Bay (Gulf)
Conveniently located near Port St. Joe, the bay's shallow waters and seagrass beds harbor plenty of catches. Spanish mackerel, bluefish, sheepshead, redfish and sea trout are popular catches; stick to live bait and jigs to land them. Skin divers will find sweet scallops with a little work.
Yellow River (Santa Rosa & Okaloosa)
Bass and bream are popular catches (the river is regularly stocked with bass). Plastic worms and floater-diver minnows work best to catch bass, while the bream can be hauled in with live worms and crickets. Brown's Fish Camp and Lindsey's Fish Camp near the mouth of the river offer access to the water, and a plethora of landings can be found along the river's shores.
