Choctawhatchee River
Holmes, Walton and Washington counties
The Choctawhatchee River is Florida's third largest river system in terms of water volume discharged. Originating in the southern portion of Alabama, the Choctawhatchee River flows approximately 96 miles from the Alabama state line into Choctawhatchee Bay.
In general, anglers will enjoy the greatest success fishing when water levels are low and the river is within its banks. Nice stringers of bluegill and redear Sunfish (shellcracker) are caught off the spawning beds in the spring and along river banks lined with deadfalls and snags the rest of the year. Crickets and wigglers are good baits for panfishing. Many local anglers swear by the catalpa worm, which can be frozen in clear corn syrup and used throughout the year. Try fishing the mid to upper reaches of the river system for your bigger bream. When the weather becomes hot, avoid backwater slough areas that may become low in dissolved oxygen, as the fish will move out of these areas. Try fishing at confluences where there is some exchange of water from the main stem. Largemouth bass are commonly caught on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and artificial worms throughout the river system. Big bass can usually be found around treetops and snags in the mid and upper reaches of the river and along the sawgrass flats down by the mouth.
Sunshine bass (hybrid striped bass) and striped bass fishing is excellent in the spring and fall throughout the lower end of the river. Preferred baits include finger Mullet, live shad and shad-like lures. The best fishing is on the out-going tide at dusk or dawn. Areas to target include sandbars and points in the river. Bag and size limits for striped bass follow those for Northwest Florida: The bag limit for stripers, hybrids, and white bass is 20 fish per day, aggregate, but only three may be striped bass and striped bass must be a minimum of 18 inches total length. There is no minimum length limit for hybrids or white bass.
Boating access points along the Choctawhatchee River include US 90 (Caryville) and SR 20 (Ebro). There are several boat landings and a bait shop along River Road off SR 20 (east of Bruce). For access to the lower river take US 331 south of Freeport and go left on SR 394 about a mile and look for the signs.
Holmes Creek, a major spring-fed tributary of the Choctawhatchee, offers some excellent fishing. Several bream species can be found in abundance including longear sunfish, spotted sunfish (stumpknockers), redbreast sunfish and warmouth. Big redear sunfish (shellcrackers) can be caught along the channel side of water lily beds. The newly described Choctaw Bass (a relative of the Largemouth Bass, previously described as a Spotted Bass) can be caught in Holmes Creek and the upper Choctawhatchee River above Hwy. 20 using baits similar to those used for largemouth bass. There is a 12 inch minimum length limit for Choctaw Bass. Catch and release is recommended for Choctaw Bass since it is a unique bass restricted to streams in lower Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Please visit MyFWC.com for more information regarding the Choctaw bass.
There are several boating access point along SR 277 (Vernon) and SR 79. There are a few canoe, kayak, and stand up paddleboard rental and shuttle options for Holmes Creek:
Snaggy Bend Outfitters (850-535-2004)
Holmes Creek Canoe Livery (850-210-7001)
Old Cypress Canoe (850-388-2072)
Local information on these rivers and their fishes may be obtained from the Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management, Northwest Regional Office (850-265-3676).
Spring Largemouth Bass fishing is expected to pick up as water temperatures increase and the bass prepare to spawn. Recommended baits are live shad/shiners or loud crank baits. Choctaw Bass can be found in the upper Choctawhatchee River as well as Holmes Creek. These black bass are usually found in faster moving water and are often associated with log jams, so fishing these areas with lures that imitate crayfish can be successful. One way to distinguish a Choctaw Bass or Spotted Bass from a Largemouth Bass is the presence of a rectangular tooth patch on the tongue. Spotted Bass and Choctaw Bass less than 12 inches must be released immediately. Bream should begin spawning in April. Use wigglers or earthworms on a #6 or #8 hook with a split shot sinker 8-12 inches up on six-pound test line and fish the upper sections of the river, Miller’s Ferry Bridge, and Live Oak Landing. Crappie anglers should target deep holes below the Highway 20 bridge west of Ebro as well as backwater lake areas around woody debris with small crappie minnows.
Striped Bass and Sunshine Bass anglers should fish the river delta in the early morning or evenings on an outgoing tide during the spring. Look for stripers feeding on schools of shad and cast into the activity with a lure mimicking the stripers’ prey. The mouth of East River and the junction of Pine Log Creek offer good striper fishing. Large Striped Bass will be moving upstream to spawn as water temperatures approach 65-68 degrees, so look for swift current and deeps holes near sand bars. The bag limit for Striped Bass, Sunshines, and White Bass is 20 fish per day, aggregate, but only three may be Striped Bass, all of which must be at least 18 inches in length. There is no size limit for Sunshines or White Bass.
Popular Species
Fish graphics by Duane Raver, Jr.
More species information is available for:
Largemouth bass, Spotted bass, Bluegill, Redear sunfish, Sunshine bass, Striped bass, Black crappie
TrophyCatch Tracker
TrophyCatch is FWC's citizen-science program that rewards anglers for documenting and releasing trophy bass 8 pounds or larger.
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