Natural North Florida’s Bay Scallop Season Opens 6/25/16…

…and it promises to be a banner year for scallopers at Horseshoe Beach, Steinhatchee, Keaton Beach and St. Marks! The official abundance survey for bay scallops was released on June 24, and the numbers for Dixie and Taylor counties (Horseshoe Beach, Steinhatchee, Keaton Beach) showed a near 300% increase since last year.  Wakulla County’s numbers …

Pit Stop: Burger & Fries at Grave’s Drive-In, Perry

In my travels through Taylor County and Perry, I’d often seen roadside benches advertising Grave’s Drive-In, claiming they served the best hamburgers in the area.  But, almost always, as I headed north on Jefferson Street from US27, I was detoured by my craving for Johnson’s Bakery donuts, and then, sated, I’d head either west on …

Experience Year-Round Fun at Suwannee River Rendezvous RV Resort and Camping Park in Mayo

If you’re interested in a first-class RV resort with easy access to the cooling waters of Florida’s Suwannee River, you can’t do much better than Frank and Susie Page’s Suwannee River Rendezvous, near Mayo in Lafayette County.  Lafayette County is located in North Central Florida, just east of Taylor County and Perry.  The main route …

Meet the Spring Hunters at Rum 138 in Columbia County, FL , July 8, 2016

Come and meet the wildly exciting Spring Hunters, Joe Cruz and Travis Marques: On July 8th, Friday. Rum 138, 6 – 9 pm. will be hosting Joe and Travis for a fine art show (runs through in the main gallery at Rum 138, in Columbia County.  In light of the last comment. I feel compelled …

Natural North Florida’s Weather is Perfect–But Summertime Can Be Tricky!

If you’re a visitor to our part of Florida, especially in Spring and Summer, it’s important to pay attention to the weather.  While we don’t have big cold fronts colliding with warm air and producing gale force winds or tornadoes, we do have in interesting climate.  Obviously, we’re close to both the Gulf of Mexico …

Fishing Feature: 2016 Bay Scallop Outlook on the Big Bend

On our Natural North Florida coast, in Levy, Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson and Wakulla counties, we always seem to have a healthy “crop” bay scallops during the annual summertime harvest, which lasts from June 25 to September 25.  This is no doubt due to the fact that we have crystal clear salty water under which lies …

Pit Stop: Kathi’s Krab Shack, Steinhatchee

It started with a successful commercial fishing venture in Jena, then morphed into a great retail seafood market (Kathi’s Krabs) in Steinhatchee, and now is succeeding as a wonderful seafood restaurant, Kathi’s Krab Shack!  The Willets family is going full-steam with their recent rehab and takeover of the venerable Lynn-Rich Restaurant, and they’re making every …

It’s June 2016—Things To Know About Catching Grouper on Florida’s Gulf Coast

At its Feb. 10 meeting at the Florida Public Safety Institute near Tallahassee, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved changes to the gag and black grouper minimum size limit and the gag grouper recreational season in Gulf state waters. The approvals include: Read more: http://www.floridasportsman.com/2016/02/12/fwc-approves-grouper-bag-limit-season-changes/#ixzz4AROF8k6Z Setting a 24-inch total length minimum size …

Visit Gainesville’s Sweetwater Wetlands Park For a Close-up Look at Natural North Florida

It’s June, and it’s the perfect time to visit and hike (no bikes or horses allowed!) Gainesville’s newest  park, Sweetwater Wetlands Park. Here’s a blurb from the park’s website that does a pretty good job of describing the awesome place: “Sweetwater Wetlands Park is not only a place to connect with nature, it’s a way …

Mark Your Calendars–2016 Hidden Coast Paddling Adventure, Suwannee Florida, 9/29-10/2

Now’s the time to mark your calendar for the 2016 Hidden Coast Paddling Adventure.  This year’s event will be at Suwannee, Florida on the Suwannee River, and promises to be more fun than ever before.  And, with the event falling on the last week of September, the air should be cooler–but not so cool to …