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Fishing news, tournaments and tips from local experts in Freeport and Niceville, Florida, including the Hammock Bay and Bluewater Bay areas surrounding the Choctawhatchee Bay.

Fishing News

Flounder Recreational Harvest Reopens The recreational harvest of flounder in all Florida state and federal waters reopened Dec. 1. The minimum size limit for flounder is 14 inches total length and the daily recreational bag limit is five fish per person. Learn more about flounder regulations at MyFWC.com/Marine by clicking...
Thanks to a sizable grant from The St. Joe Community Foundation, a Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation program designed to assist local teachers will soon be expanding into Walton County. The St. Joe Community Foundation will be presenting a check for $96,175 at the Walton County School District meeting on...
Go Slow, Look Out Below This time of year, it’s important for boaters to go slow and lookout below to watch for manatees as they travel to warmer water sites around the state. Manatees depend on water generally warmer than 68 degrees Fahrenheit to survive the winter. So, in the fall...
A new “Aqua Alert” system has been developed after a kayaker disappeared last year in the Gulf. It will notify Emergency Responders and Okaloosa County residents of missing or endangered boaters or kayakers and aid in the search. It was launched as the result of a collaborative effort between the...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announces the opening of a fall red snapper season for private recreational anglers and state for-hire operations in the Gulf of Mexico on the following weekends: Nov. 11-13 Nov. 25-27 During this season, private recreational anglers may harvest red snapper in Gulf state and federal...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently named the winners of the summer-long, statewide, lionfish tournament which ended Sept. 6 and two Okaloosa County residents placed first and second in the 7th Annual Lionfish Challenge. Alex Fogg Congratulations to Isaac Jones who won first place in the recreational division...
By Cali Hlavac For us locals, it’s time to begin getting ready for this year’s Fishing Rodeo season—a Destin tradition since 1948! And each year it gets better and better with several new events in the upcoming lineup. New for 2022: The Extended Voyage Division will get an expansion, adding five...

Learn to Be Alligator Aware

With summer in full swing, many people are working and recreating near Florida’s lakes, rivers and wetland areas. Warm temperatures also mean alligators are more active and visible. While serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recommends taking the following...
By Frank Berte Destin Fishing Rodeo’s Weighmaster extraordinaire. A seemingly simple man with a complex, tangled past. A man who, to some, has become synonymous with the very Rodeo itself has lived a far more tangled past. His fascination with fish has been lifelong, as has his chronic sea sickness....

Fishing News

The 2022 recreational and commercial spiny lobster season started Aug. 6 and runs through March 31, 2023. Learn more about bag limits, size limits, where to harvest and other regulations at MyFWC.com/Marine by clicking on “Recreational Regulations” and “Lobster,” which is under the “Crabs, Lobster and other Shellfish” tab....
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