BigBendFishing.Net

I am new to the area having grown up fishing the Pensacola area. I have had my 23 ft. Seahunt at Rock Landing for a couple of years now but I mostly use it to bring my 3 little girls out to the beaches/islands or to snorkel for sand dollars. I want to get into some fishing but have some questions. First, any tips for fishing the inshore areas directly east or west of Dickerson Bayou? Keep in mind, I do not have a flats boat. It doesn't draw a ton of water but I don't think I can get up in the creeks, etc. Mostly, I would like to catch the standard inshore slam- trout, redfish, flounder, etc.

Any advice would be appreciated! I can go float across the grass flats just west or east of the St. Mark's river mouth but so far, that is all I can come up with.


Thanks,

Welcome. Spent many years in Pensacola working for Uncle Sam and Marlin magazine. Countless hours on the water there from the bays to the beach to nearshore. Fishy spot.

Challenging conditions right now for your boat. Much greater tidal fluctuations than your former haunts. The cold has pushed most of the fish off the flats and either into the rivers/creeks or near the mouths where they can access deeper/warmer water quickly. That said, it's supposed to be back up into the mid-70s by the weekend, so the fish will probably be moving around more.

Dickerson, Levy and Skipper Bays can be good at times, but there are lots of shallow areas and oyster bars scattered throughout. The first half of Skipper (near Bottoms Road) is very deep in spots. You may be able to find some fish soaking live shrimp or finger mullet on the bottom. There have been some good reports between the oyster bars in the lower half of the St. Marks River recently, too. An extended cold snap will push trout, reds, flounder, sheepshead and mangrove snapper way up the coastal rivers. The upper Ochlockonee can be good in the winter if we don't get a lot of rain/run-off.

Study the charts, go slow and pay attention to the tides. Predominate north winds can keep the water from rising to expected levels and negative winter low tides can leave flats and normal navigable waters bone dry. The next couple months are also prime for really learning the area using your GPS to mark deeper channels, rocks, bars, etc. That knowledge will help your success rate once the flats do produce consistently in the spring.

Good luck and post up your results.

Thanks!

I caught a lot of fish off the pier in Wooley Park(Dickerson's Bay) before the last hurricane took it out. The water is deeper in the center of the bay, used to be good fishing.

I moved my boat to rock landing marina a few months ago. I’m still learning the area myself, but I’ve been fishing the surrounding area for about 15 years or so. There is plenty of fishable water between the ochlockonee bay and st marks. Do you have an I pilot or power pole on your boat? That will definitely dictate the type of inshore fishing you can do. And if you see me, say hi. 22’ blue pathfinder w tower.