The Gulf Oil Spill, Its Effects on Florida’s Big Bend Fishing, One Year Later

As the one-year anniversary of the ‘Gulf Oil Spill’ and tragedy approaches on April 20, 2011, lots of folks, including potential visitors to Florida, are asking about the oil, fishing and the present quality of Gulf of Mexico waters.

Yes, there were reports last year of oil ‘globs’ on a few beaches along Florida’s Panhandle, but NO oil ever reached our Big Bend area (from Wakulla County to Levy County).   Now, Florida’s Panhandle Gulf shoreline is clean, and the beaches there are as pretty as ever.  In our area, more rugged and less-populated, the pristine Gulf-front marshes are as clean (and fishy) as ever.  This spring, bait fish and shrimp are plentiful, and they’re doing their usual job of attracting inshore species like seatrout and redfish, our most popular game fish species.  And our fish, crabs and shrimp are safe to eat (as they are from anywhere on the Gulf of Mexico).

Don’t worry about oil or the spill’s effect on any of Florida’s Gulf coast–just come on down and wet a line!