Scallop country, shallow flats, and the wild heart of Florida's Big Bend. Steinhatchee is the scalloping capital of Florida (July–September). St Marks is a historic fishing village at the confluence of the St Marks and Wakulla Rivers. The entire area is shallow flats heaven for wading and kayak fishing.
Sciaenops ocellatus
Year-round sight-fishing on shallow flats. Tailing reds on exposed flats at low tide. Spring brings aggressive feeding. Steinhatchee River is shallow flats heaven — one of Florida's best.
Slot limit 18"–27". One fish per day. Verify current FWC rules.
Medium spinning. 15–20lb braid. 20–25lb fluorocarbon leader. Wading the shallow Steinhatchee flats requires stealth and accuracy.
The most iconic sight-fish lure. Weedless design works through Steinhatchee River shallow flats without snagging.
Gold spoon on Steinhatchee flats — one lure, endless redfish.
Noisy popping cork for St Marks River mouth. Suspend live shrimp below.
Popping cork in the pristine backcountry is devastatingly effective.
Paralichthys lethostigma
Fall through spring. Winter holds big flounder in deeper holes. Flounder stage at river mouths in fall. Low light (dawn, dusk) is prime.
Slot limit 13"–20". Closed May 1–June 30. One fish per day in season. Verify current FWC rules.
Medium spinning. 15–20lb braid. 20lb fluorocarbon. Bounce soft plastics and live baits on sand and channel edges.
Texas rig soft plastics on Steinhatchee River sand. Eye-up design keeps baits visible.
Texas rig and bounce for epic Steinhatchee winter flounder.
Medium-action rod with backbone for Steinhatchee River current. Sensitive tip detects bottom strikes.
Flounder fishing demands feel — Penn Prevail delivers.
Cynoscion nebulosus
Year-round. Trophy trout in winter on deeper flats. Spring brings feeding activity. First light incoming tides are prime.
Slot limit 15"–19" (keep 1 over 19"). Five fish per day. Verify current FWC rules.
Light to medium spinning. 10–15lb braid. 20lb fluorocarbon leader. Seatrout have soft mouths — smooth drag and patience win.
Slow-sinking twitch bait for trophy seatrout. Work it twitch-twitch-pause over pristine Big Bend flats.
MirrOdine legend for trophy trout throughout the Panhandle.
Lightweight and sensitive for detecting subtle seatrout bites on Big Bend flats.
Trophy trout demand a sensitive rod. The Triumph delivers.
Ultra-light reel with silky smooth drag for all-day wading pristine backcountry.
Light gear makes finesse fishing more fun — and catches more fish.
Lobotes surinamensis
June–September peak. Tripletail hang around crab buoys looking for food. Morning bite is excellent. Calm days are best for spotting them.
Minimum 12" fork length. No closed season. Three fish per day. Verify current FWC rules.
Light to medium spinning. 12–17lb braid. 20lb fluorocarbon. Tripletail are acrobatic — smooth drag and patient retrieves win.
Walk-the-dog topwater for tripletail near floating structure. Erratic action triggers explosive strikes.
Tripletail absolutely crush topwater at crab buoys on calm mornings.
Big Bend is shallow water paradise. The entire region is flats — tidal movements are critical. Incoming tides push baitfish onto shallow flats. Outgoing tides create current channels where fish concentrate. Low tide sight-fishing for tailing redfish is world-class.
Baitfish onto shallow flats. Redfish and trout feed aggressively. Best early light.
Fish spread throughout flooded flats. Sight-fishing windows excellent on clear mornings.
River mouths concentrate fish. Strong current focuses aggressive redfish and flounder.
Sight-fish tailing redfish on exposed flats. Steinhatchee is sight-fishing perfection.
Redfish feed aggressively. Seatrout active on all flats. Sight-fishing is excellent.
Scalloping season (July–Sept) draws many. Tripletail at crab buoys. Fish move deeper in heat.
Flounder begin staging. Trophy trout appear on deeper flats. Redfish school on passes.
Trophy seatrout on deep flats. Flounder in holes. Cold snaps concentrate big fish.
Check live tides, weather, and solunar forecasts for specific Big Bend fishing spots.
Fishing regulations change. Always verify current rules with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) before harvest. FishSonar.com is not responsible for regulatory changes after publication.