steinhatchee
Sunsets, Seafood and Six Other Reasons to Visit Steinhatchee
It takes a little effort to reach Steinhatchee, a coastal village in Northwest Florida’s Taylor County. You’ll find it’s worth every minute of the drive along sparsely developed Highway 51 to visit this town alongside a river of the same name. As you might guess, “Steinhatchee” was derived from the Native American language: “esteen-hatchee” means …
2019 Steinhatchee NautiGirls Fishing Tournament, June 8—NO BOYS ALLOWED!
What began ten years ago as backlash to some friendly kidding among anglers at Steinhatchee, the NautiGirls Tournament has become one of the largest of the local tournaments. It’s fun, and yes, BOYS are only allowed to captain boats, and are NOT allowed to enter. In fact, some of the best anglers in the area …
2019 Florida Big Bend Bay Scallop Harvest Season Announced and Scallopers Are Optimistic!
Florida has one of the few recreational scallop harvests in the US, and it’s all centered around Natural North Florida’s Big Bend. While the scallop region extends from Gulf County (in the panhandle) to the Anclote Key lighthouse (off Tarpon Springs), the epicenter of the harvest is in Dixie and Taylor counties, west of Gainesville. …
“It’s All About Da Crab” at the 11th Annual Steinhatchee Fiddler Crab Festival, February 15-17, 2019
I remember the very first Steinhatchee Fiddler Crab Festival. The community stuck it’s neck out, en masse, with a fishing tournament, a few food trucks, a chili cook-off, music and of course, fiddler crab races. And it poured rain! But in spite of the bad weather, the crowds magically appeared. I …
Sheepshead–A Favorite Cool Weather Nearshore Fish Species on Natural North Florida’s Gulf Coast
Inshore and nearshore fishing along Florida’s Gulf Coast has as much to do with economics as it does with species. Of course, many inshore anglers long to be aboard a big sport fishing boat trolling the depths of the Gulf for fish of mammoth proportions. The reality, however, of a round trip that has fuel …
Winter Fishing’s Best Bet–Spotted Seatrout on Florida’s Natural North Florida’s Gulf Coast
I’m no expert on spotted seatrout biology or mortality, but for some reason the Big Bend saw a decided decline in that fishery this past year. At first, trout were scarce from Tampa Bay to Apalachicola, and then they started to bite. However, anglers catching a hundred a day only caught three or four keepers. …
Steinhatchee Fishing Forecast For September and October, 2018
If you’re interested in fishing Natural North Florida’s Big Bend Gulf coast, there’s no better place to go than Steinhatchee. Located south of Perry in Taylor County, just off US19/98 (via CR361 or CR358), Steinhatchee has great facilities, including three excellent marinas, two first-rate boat ramps, and plenty of lodging and dining opportunities. There’s …
Natural North Florida’s Bay Scallop Harvest Underway! Good 2018 Mid-Season Catches in Taylor, Jefferson, Dixie and Wakulla Counties
The 2018 bay scallop abundance survey results are in, and the epicenter of this year’s short harvest season is along Natural North Florida’s Big Bend coast. Each summer, biologists assess bay scallop populations along the Gulf coast of Florida, located in open and closed recreational harvest areas. Surveys are usually initiated in June and …
Sportfish Alert! Snook Continue Northward Migration Into Big Bend Waters As Winters Warm
Common snook, AKA Robalo or Linesiders, are native to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, provided there’s a place for them to avoid wintertime water temperatures less than about 60-degrees F. Big Deal? You say! Actually, it’s a really big deal, as snook are the top of the food chain when it comes to …
Steinhatchee Springs WMA—Explorers and Photographers Welcome
Florida’s Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are a varied collection of public and private lands, managed and overseen by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Many include tracts of private homes and leased hunting lands, but all allow some access by the public. The Steinhatchee Springs WMA is a narrow, 20,000+ acre parcel stretching …