Blackwater and Yellow Rivers

Focus Florida Bass fishing on the lower marsh section of the river near shallow eelgrass flats and areas with dense patches of milfoil. A spinner bait, bladed jig, or a shallow diving square-bill crank bait can all be effective. Bream fishing will be excellent this time of year, especially when targeting the emergent vegetation located on the inside bends of the lower river. Try using live crickets, worms, or small spinner baits like a 1/32 oz beetle-spin.

With water temperatures falling, Striped Bass will begin moving into the lower river in search of bait fish. Anglers will have the best luck fishing a live menhaden or mullet under a large cork or free-lined. Striped Bass are normally found around deep holes in the main river channel or near schools of bait fish this time of year. Anglers should target the stretch of river from the Navy MWR Boat ramp to the I-10 interstate bridge over the Blackwater River. Mullet, Redfish, and Speckled Trout are also popular species to target this time of year. When the water temperatures cool, anglers can find large numbers of white and Speckled Trout congregated in deep holes in the main river. Try targeting these trout under the Hwy.90 bridge or at the mouth of pond creek using a gulp shrimp on a jig head. Slowly bouncing the jig off the bottom of these holes or trolling a jig or jerk bait along the perimeter of these areas can be effective. Access to the lower river include boat ramps in Milton, at Carpenters Park, Russell Harbor Park, Navy MWR Recreation Area, and in Bagdad.

Florida Bass will be leaving the main river channels and seeking thermal refuge on shallow water banks and in creeks or backwater basins. Anglers can capitalize on this trend by using white or chartreuse bladed jigs, spinner, or buzz baits to cover large amounts of water in search for foraging bass. If this does not pan out, anglers should try fishing soft plastics, like a 4” zoom lizard or a more traditional curly-tailed worm, fished Texas rigged targeting woody cover like cypress knees and down trees. Anglers should focus on the stretch of river from Guess Lake downstream with some of the best fishing being along the Yellow Rivers lower mouths near the Blackwater Bay.

Anglers targeting bream (Bluegill and Redear Sunfish) should use a small presentation like a 1/32oz beetle spin, underspin, or a skirted tube on a jig head to fish around patches of vegetation as well as stumps or downed trees visible just under the surface. Once the fish are located anglers can slow down and fish a live cricket or worm under a cork to maximize their catch. When the bite is slow some anglers do well by making the switch to fly tackle using poppers and wooly buggers.

For Flathead Catfish, anglers should fish a live bait on a large (6/0-10/0) khale or circle hook with enough wait to hold it securely to bottom. Common live baits include blacktail redhorse, and spotted suckers, with the best choice being a live bream, but anglers are reminded to check their local regulations. The best locations to target these flatheads are in deep holes in the river, near a current break or adjacent basins, deep outside bends in the river, or near structure such as hard bottom areas or logjams.

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission reminds anglers that it is illegal to possess Alligator gar, or even target them. That means you are breaking the law even if you intend to release the fish. Alligator gar are a native fish to Panhandle Rivers and can grow to more than 150 pounds. Their gator like snout is distinctly different than spotted and longnose gar, the two other species of gar found it the panhandle. Researchers are in the process of estimating the population size and will possibly remove the harvest restriction of this prehistoric fish. However, until then harvest is restricted.