Head to Natural North Florida For Great Paddling Adventures!

Here’s a quick look at some of the great paddling in Natural North Florida!                

Trolling For Trout–A Favorite Big Bend Wintertime Fishing Technique

Many of the Gulf-facing creeks along our Big Bend coastline are as wide and deep as our smaller rivers.  Three good examples are Barnett and Dan May creeks, in Levy County near Suwannee, and Dallus Creek, in Taylor County.  And slow-trolling lures, especially MirrOlures, is a time-tested method used by local anglers to catch fat …

Warmer Winter Afternoons Make For Great Fishing in Dixie County’s Horseshoe Cove

Sometimes the best fishing is where it’s hard to go.  That’s especially true of Horseshoe Cove, south of the Horseshoe Beach community in Dixie County.  And when the day starts out cold and warms through the early afternoon, it’s worth a trip to Horseshoe Cove! Whether you’re launching your boat at Horseshoe Beach (there are …

A Natural North Florida Winter Traditon– Trout in Suwannee’s Coastal Creeks

There are probably no two wintertime trout spots on Florida’s Big Bend more famous than Dan May and Barnett creeks, south of the Suwannee River.   These are not piddling little ditches draining small patches of coastline, but big creeks that rival some of Florida rivers in overall size and tidal flow. January‘s deepening winter usually …

“Seenie Otey” Is Just A Short Paddle From Cedar Key

On the charts and maps of Cedar Key and Dixie County, Florida it’s named “Atsena Otie Key”.  But to locals, it’s simply “Seenie Otey”.  In any case, this island is just a short paddle from the beach and harbor at the south end of the town of Cedar Key.  There, you can launch your own …

The “411” on Fishing Steinhatchee’s North Shore in Winter Months

The close-in coastline south of Steinhatchee often gets more than its fair share of attention by anglers, especially during the cool early-winter months. There are, of course, a couple of good reasons. First, the bottom is rockier there, providing shelter and warmth for the bait fish and crustaceans that are of interest to inshore species …

“Christmas Trout” on Natural North Florida’s Big Bend

On our Big Bend, in warmer months, slot-sized spotted seatrout tend to roam the grass-covered bottom from Yankeetown to St. Marks, feeding on pinfish, shrimp and just about anything that gets within range. That includes a myriad of artificial lures and baits, ranging from soft plastics rigged under popping corks to hard-bodied lures, retrieved with …

Fish Natural North Florida’s “Dog Head” in Taylor County Gulf Waters

  Each fall, anglers departing Steinhatchee or Keaton Beach ask me about the best place to drift and catch spotted seatrout. My standard answer is “Dog Head”. A staple of our Big Bend fishery, seatrout hang out over lush grass beds, hunting for the pinfish, white bait and crustaceans that swim there. And successful anglers, …

The Best Fishing at Suwannee—and Maybe At Cedar Key—Suwannee Sound

October’s cooling waters seem to have a positive effect on the fishing in Suwannee Sound, the stretch of rugged coastline between the mouth of the Suwannee River and Cedar Key. Keeper seatrout have moved off the deep flats. While not yet holed up in the rivers and creeks, they’re moving closer to shore, especially around …

Kayak to Atsena Otie Key—An Easy and Informative Trip at Florida’s Cedar Keys

The locals call it “Seenie Otie” but it’s official name is Atsena Otie Key,  It lies just about a quarter mile south of the boat basin at Cedar Key.  And it offers some interesting sights to see if you paddle across the sound. Cedar Key was once a railroad terminus and western shipping point for …