Ochlockonee State Park, Panacea

This short video gives you a look at Ochlockonee River State Park, where camping, boating, swimming, fishing and hiking make for a full day outdoors. Bring exact change when you visit: The ranger station may not be staffed, and you’ll need $4 per carload (up to eight people) to drop in the honor box. Pedestrians …

Learn How to Take Better Fishing (and Outdoor) Photographs–A Program by Capt. Tommy Thompson, May 24, 2011

Don’t miss my program at the May 2011 meeting of the Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club on the 24th.  I’ll cover digital file types, file sizes for publication, good posing techniques, photo editing software, keeping your gear dry, underwater cameras– and how to win photo contests.  There will also be  a brief discussion of digital video …

“Good Vibrations”–All About Making a Racket While Fishing Florida’s Big Bend Shallows

Someone asked me the other day about my favorite lure color. Of course, my standard answer is, “light colors for clear water and dark colors for stained waters.” That’s probably a good general summary, but I remarked that while color (and smell) is important, noise might be a bigger factor in getting fish to bite …

Big Bend Bound For Some Great Fishing?–Fly Into Gainesville Regional Airport

Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) is an excellent choice for visiting anglers heading to the Big Bend.  With service from Atlanta (Delta), Charlotte (USAir) and Miami (American) and a good supply of rental cars, the airport is convenient to some great fishing spots.  It’s only about an hour from Yankeetown and about an hour-and-a-half from Cedar …

The “Hart” of Gilchrist County: Hart Springs

Open year round, Hart Springs in Gilchrist County is located just off of the Suwannee River.  Hart springs is a beautiful place, and is tends to be less crowded than other springs in the summer time, because it is a bit off the beaten path.  There are many activities available at Hart Springs, like fishing, …

O’Leno State Park: Hiking, Camping, Biking and more!

O’Leno State Park is located on the Santa Fe river, and was one of Florida’s first state parks.  O’Leno was constructed in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and much of their work can still be seen around the park, including a recreation hall, and a suspension bridge that crosses the Santa Fe river. O’Leno offers many activities …

Winter Trout Tips from Keaton Beach Inshore Guide, Capt. Pat McGriff

Capt. Pat McGriff spoke at the January 2011 meeting of the Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club. Pat is a very successful inshore fishing guide, based out of Keaton Beach, on Florida’s Big Bend, in Taylor County. Here are a few of Pat’s suggestions for successful wintertime trout fishing: If you’re targeting big trout in water that’s …

Alfred B. Maclay State Park: Swimming, Canoeing, Fishing and more!

While it is most famous for its gardens, Alfred B. Maclay state park has many other activities to offer.  When the weather warms up in a few months, the recreation area on the shore of Lake Hall will be a great place for residents of the Tallahassee area to visit.  The recreation area offers several …

Wintertime Means Clear Inshore Waters on Florida’s Big Bend — Learn to Fish Them!

Take a look at my latest Florida Sportsman Big Bend Fishing4Cast.  There are some good tips on fishing the super-clear Gulf coast waters that we experience during the wintertime along Florida’s Big Bend. Also, if you’d like to read a few of my archived Big Bend Fishing4Casts, some of the 2008 columns are on my …