Heading to Cedar Key, FL With Your Boat? Don’t Forget The Backwaters Near The #4 Channel

Anglers and boaters headed to Cedar Key are sometimes put off by the crowds at the downtown boat basin.  Yes, they’re closer to the Gulf of Mexico, and there’s an inside and an outside ramp.  If you use the inside ramp, you’ll be in the shallow boat basin and if your boat has a T-top you might have trouble clearing the bridge over the entrance.  The outside ramp puts you right into the Gulf, opposite Atsena Otie Key and not far from the main channel.  While there’s no charge to launch here, there is a parking fee (and season passes are availble)

But if you’re interested in fishing the shallow backwaters of Waccasassa Bay or Suwannee Sound, the public ramp at the #4 Channel is perfect for you.  However, know that this ramp will put you into some very shallow and oyster-infested water, so it may only be of use to airboaters, jon boaters or paddleboaters.  But while the waters near the #4 Channel are shallow, you can be assured that they hold lots of inshore fish species, like redfish, seatrout and sheepshead.