yankeetown
Spring is Cobia Time on Florida’s Big Bend!
Our Big Bend channel markers provide good cover for predators. Proof comes in the springtime when visitors to our coastline question the appearance of boats circling almost every marker alongside the Barge Canal south of Yankeetown and either of the major channels at Cedar Key. Spring is “cobia time” and lots of anglers are on …
Small Town Escape: Follow That Dream Down Highway 40 to Yankeetown, Florida
If you’re driving north or south on US19/98 and find yourself in the village of Inglis, near the highway’s intersection with the Withlacoochee River, be sure to turn west on SR40, locally known as “Follow That Dream Parkway”. Yes, Elvis was there in 1961 filming Follow That Dream, one of his most successful movies, putting …
Paddle Natural North Florida’s Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is proud to announce the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail was awarded designation as a National Recreation Trail during National Trails Day June 4th, 2005. The Big Bend Paddling Trail was one of 37 trails in 23 states to receive this award. National Recreation Trail designation is an honor …
Can You Catch Fish In Natural North Florida? You Betcha!
Our spring fed rivers, coastal creeks and rivers, as well as the inshore and offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico provide some of the best fishing in the world. Here are a few photos to prove our point. Explore our many coastal communities–Yankeetown, Cedar Key, Suwannee, Horseshoe Beach, Steinhatchee, Keaton Beach, St. Marks and …
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 …
Florida’s 2015 Recreational Scallop Season to Close 9/24, But Don’t Despair!
In early June, the “buzz” along Florida’s Nature Coast is all about recreational scalloping. The season usually opens the last Saturday in June, and folks at our Big Bend ports gear up for a busy season. This year’s season was no exception, and limits of bay scallops just kept coming in, almost to the end …
Snook On The Big Bend? You Bet–Provided We Have a Warm Winter!
Snook are probably the most fun and abundant gamefish in Florida. They run, they jump, and if you want to keep one for dinner during open season, they’re delicious to eat. However, they’re also highly susceptible to cold water temperatures and are some of the first fish to be found floating dead after a hard …
Don’t Overlook This Species: Ladyfish Are “Elops” of Fun! May 2015
Elops saurus, the ladyfish, is one of the great species of Gulf game fish. They offer lots of fun but not much table value. Many consider them junk fish, but serious anglers and guides find them game with light tackle or fly rods. Bait pods are now showing up in near shore big Bend waters, …
“Customer Fish”: Catch Fish–And Let Someone Else Cook Them!
Yes, you’ll still have to clean your catch, but in many coastal settlements and towns along our Natural North Florida coast, there are restaurants with “customer fish” on the menu. There’s nothing quite like fish, fresh from the Gulf, served in the comfort of a restaurant, and usually accompanied by side dishes like grits, butter …
Water Temperatures Cross The 70-Degree Threshold on Florida’s Big Bend–And The March Fishing Is Great!
This past week (the first week of March 2015), Gulf of Mexico water temperatures finally crossed over the 70-degree mark. And the BITE IS ON! All the ports in our regiion (Yankeetown, Waccasassa, Cedar Key, Suwannee, Horseshoe Beach, Steinhatchee, Keaton Beach, Econfina, Aucilla, St. Marks and Panacea) report great catches of spotted seatrout and redfish, …