Apalachee Bay and Big Bend Rivers
The first cool front of the year is paying dividends for local anglers. Redfish are schooling around oyster bars and inside the creeks. Wakulla Beach and Stony Bayou also are holding untold numbers of redfish. Live shrimp and Berkley Gulp baits have been effective. Trout are congregating around the mouth of the Aucilla and East rivers and around Black Rock and Grey Mare Rock. Trout also are gathering on the shallow flats on each side of the river. Set up a drift on either side of the St. Marks River Channel and toss a live shrimp under a Cajun Thunder float. Dropping a chum block will bring in more fish. Anglers also are finding a few pompano and Spanish mackerel mixed in with the trout. Offshore fishing continues to pick up. Try trolling Mann's Stretch 25s in nearshore areas like the St. Marks Artificial Reef.
- Scott Paterna, Jerry's Bait and Tackle
Lanark Village/St. George Sound
Grouper have started biting in shallower water, 40 to 45 feet in some cases. Live pinfish as well as frozen Spanish sardines and alewives have been equally as effective. Most of the fish have been caught over live bottom as opposed to the artificial reefs. The same areas also have been holding big triggerfish. Inshore trout fishing has slowed some, but anglers still are finding Spanish mackerel at both ends of Dog Island and in Umbrella Cove near the east end of the island. There also have been a few pompano caught along the beach at the west end of Dog Island and the east end of St. George Island. Redfish remain plentiful along the docks of Lanark Village and along the grass line inside Lanark Reef. Reds also are roaming around Dog Island in places like Ballast Cove, Umbrella Cove and Tyson Harbor.
- Mike Hopkins, Lanark Village Mart
Apalachicola Bay and River
Because of the windy weather, the river systems have been the best bet. Plenty of stripers have been caught along with some trout, redfish and flounder. Live shrimp has been effective along with dark-colored grubs such as watermelon red flake and root beer. The darker colors may be working better because the water coming in with the tide is a little muddy because of the winds. Flounder are being caught off the piers along with some large sheepshead. Use shrimp for the sheepshead and bounce a white grub slowly along the bottom for the flounder. It's best to fish the piers when the tide is moving well. Whiting have picked up in the surf, and although it's late in the season, there are still a few bluefish and pompano being caught. White trout have gathered in the deep hole east of the St. George Island Bridge just past where the Intracoastal turns.
- Rex Pennycuff, Fisherman's Choice
St. Joe Bay
Flounder, black drum, seatrout and redfish are being caught on live shrimp underneath the Highway 98 bridge over the St. Joe Canal. Larger trout, running 18 to 20 inches, are showing up on the Fire Tower flats and the Middle Grounds. Use topwater plugs first thing in the morning. Pompano are hitting pink pompano jigs on the flats in front of Blacks Island. Flounder can be caught in the potholes and sandy patches in the bay on live bull minnows, alewives or shrimp. For artificials, try a white grub[b with a pink tail. King mackerel and large Spanish are still running in the bay and can be caught off the seawall at the Oil Docks. Offshore, jigging in 140 to 150 feet of water has produced black snapper, red grouper and amberjacks.
- Bill Mansey, Half Hitch Tackle
Lake Talquin
Anglers continue to catch crappie in 12 to 15 feet of water in the mouths of the creeks. Most of the action has been on golden minnows. Bream are biting on worms around the edge of the lake and off the docks. Bass have moved off the ledges and have begun feeding in the shallow water in the backs of the various creeks. There also have been some reports of schooling bass in the creeks.
- Sarah Johnson, Ingram's Marina
