Fishing and Boating
Our Fishing and Boating expert, Capt. Tommy Thompson, will tell you where the best fishing spots are, what’s biting, and tips on making your fishing and boating trips an exciting adventure!
Snook Becoming A More Popular Fish Species Near Cedar Key, Florida
“Common Snook” are a sub-species of the general snook population and are found all over the state of Florida–except where it’s too cold! And, historically, on Florida’s Gulf Coast they’ve not ranged much farther north than Tarpon Springs, in Pinellas County. However, since 2007, waters and winters have warmed, and both the snook and the …
Don’t Miss Fishing Florida’s Big Bend “Halloween High Tide”!
Expect to see water flooded well into Big Bend creek during the “Halloween Tides” Fishing mid-day high tides, like the ones we’ll have the weekend of October 29 and 30 (Halloween weekend!), can be a good thing—fish move closer to shore and can’t get any farther, making it easy to catch both big reds and …
Fishing October’s Lower Tides on the Gulf Coast
One thing I can’t predict is the weather or wind, and it turned out that we had a fair amount of the latter this past weekend when Hurricane Matthew chewed up Florida’s east coast. Big storms like Matthew produce winds on both coasts. However, it looked like our fish didn’t really care. Trout and reds …
Florida’s 2016/2017 Stone Crab Season Opens October 15th–Great Eating Ahead
The result of stone crabbers’ hard work–a plate of mighty fine eatin’ There’s nothing more tasty than a Florida stone crab. And some of the best come from the ports of Natural North Florida. Florida’s stone crab population is highly regulated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Not only do regulations apply …
5 Florida Autumn Activities That Will Make You Forget All About Colorful Leaves
Here in #NaturalNorthFlorida, we may not have the colorful foliage or crisp autumn air like our Northern friends do this time of year. But warmer weather means more outdoor adventures to be had without the need for hand warmers or woolly layers. Many of our favorite summer activities and destinations are just as fun in …
Fishing The Big Bend Marsh–The Closer You Get, The More Reds You’ll Catch!
In the fall, high tides flood, pushing water well into the creeks and marshes all along Levy, Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson and Wakulla Counties, on Florida’s Big Bend. We don’t have many mangroves, but we do have lots of spartina grass which offers comfort to redfish, or red drum. When the reds get back in the …
Smelly Baits–An Answer for Dark, Post-Rainy Day Big Bend Waters
When our fishing trips follow rainy days, waters drain from swamps and creeks into the Gulf, often producing dark water. Much of that coffee-like stain is due to tannic acid from the swamps, but if there’s wind, the water can also be cloudy. And, for the most part, you’ll find that fish have a more …
The Importance of Noise On Your Big Bend Fishing Adventure
Making noise while fishing can be good–or bad! With the arrival of fall and cooler temperatures, the waters along our Big Bend Natural North Florida Gulf coast have cleared. That clarity also makes big seatrout and redfish extremely spooky–wary of anglers and the loud noises they often make. But there are good noises, too. …
Fishing in October? Cooling Waters Heat Up The Big Bend Inshore Bite
I was pleasantly surprised last Sunday when Steinhatchee Capt. Rick Davidson told me he’d been reading water temperatures in the 70s all day. The day was cool and there were pods of bait everywhere, but I didn’t think that the temps had dropped that much in the past few weeks. That’s a good sign, and …
Warmer Water and Air Temperatures Drive Snook North Into Florida’s Nature Coast
Snook are one of Florida’s most popular gamefish Traditionally, in years past, West Florida’s snook population remained south of our Natural North Florida waters. That was largely due to cold winters, which either run snook into warm residential canals on the upper suncoast, or kill them outright. However, winters over the last ten or twelve …