Paddle Steinhatchee, on Florida’s Big Bend Coast
We’ve come full circle. Now, modern interpretations of eons-old paddle craft are the latest rage when it comes to fishing. Many are as simple as rafts and others, like Hobie’s Master Angler 12, are fitted with modern conveniences like cozy seats, pedal or electric drives, depth sounders, and even live wells. But no matter your …
New Artificial Reefs Deployed in Taylor County, Florida’s Gulf Waters, October 2015
During this past summer and fall, Taylor County deployed 2 new artificial reefs on the permitted Buckeye Reef site. This site is approximately 26 nautical miles off Keaton Beach. The first reef deployment consisted of 120 constructed concrete cubes. The cubes were placed in patches of 4 cubes per patch, for a total of …
Don’t Miss The 41st Annual Micanopy Fall Festival, October 31 and November 1, 2015
If you’re looking for something to do over Halloween weekend in the Gainesville/Alachua County area, you can go wrong at the annual Micaonopy Fall Festival. For the past 40 years, thousands have gathered under the old oak trees for the Micanopy Fall Festival. The festival is sponsored by a committee comprised of fifteen local …
Hushpuppies, Natural North Florida Style–With Guava Jelly!
Visitors to our Natural North Florida Big Bend often eye quizzically the hushpuppies served alongside their fish or shellfish dinners at local eateries. Places famous for their local seafood (Poseys or Shell Point in Panacea, Deal’s or Pouncey’s in Perry, Roy‘s and Fiddler’s in Steinhatchee, The Lighthouse in Fanning Springs, Bett’s in Chiefland and any …
Southbound To Yankeetown (Florida, That Is!)
I remember my first encounter with the waters near the mouth of the Withlacoochee River. It was the mid-1980s and my Mom and Dad had just moved from St. Pete to Yankeetown. Our boat, a Boston Whaler Montauk, was well suited to drifting the flats off Pinellas Point or for trolling for Spanish mackerel near …
Slow Down (Paddle!) Levy County’s Backwaters at Shell Mound
Whenever anyone asks me to recommend some Gulf fishing waters that are protected from early winter winds, the Shell Mound backwaters north of Cedar Key always seem to top my list. Located about 10 miles north of the town of Cedar Key and halfway to the town of Suwannee, Shell Mound offers visitors not only …
Natural North Florida’s Three “F’s” (Fall Flats Fishing)
The term, ‘flats’, means lots of things to lots of different anglers. Bonefishers love to sight fish over stretches of shin-deep, pure white sand or marl. Tarpon enthusiasts often find their prey on ‘flats’ that are six to eight feet deep, and everyone knows that redfish prefer shallows where the rough, rocky bottom holds crustaceans …
Visit Gainesville’s Kanapaha Botanical Gardens–You’ll Be Surprised!
While the names Bellingrath, Callaway and Selby bring to mind some of the south’s great botanical gardens, Gainesville’s Kanapaha Botanical Gardens is often overlooked by even the most enthusiastic garden lovers. Florida’s climate is generally tropical, and Gainesville can be hot, but being north of Tampa Bay, where the “tropics” start and it really …
Don’t Miss Octoberfest 2015 at Alachua County’s Rogers’ Farm!
Rogers’ Farms is a culinary landmark in the Gainesville, Florida area. Known far and wide for its strawberries (in the spring) and its late summer crop of peas, Rogers also maintains a healthy stock of healthy fruits and vegetables throughout the year. But October is special! The 2015 Rogers’ Farm Fall Festival, AKA Octoberfest, is …
Gainesville Area’s “Big City” Farmers’ Markets Bustle in Fall
While mostly rural, the 11-county region we call “Natural North Florida” has one large urban area. Gainesville and Alachua County are large, that is, if you count the 75,000-plus college students at the University of Florida and Santa Fe College. Without those venerable institutions, you’d see fewer Publix Supermarkets and more roadside farmers’ markets! Not …