The
Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC) recently announced the state's top
catfishing spots. Florida plays host for a variety of these "deep
fat fryers" including blue catfish, flatheads, channel cats, and its close
cousin the white catfish, and even brown and yellow bullheads. If
you are a freshwater angler, you might want to check out these locations.Escambia River:
Species: Blue, channel and flathead
catfish.
When: Big channels mid-April through June and early October
into November if the water stays warm.
Small catfish year-round, but expect them to bite slow when it is
cold.
Where: Alabama line to the I-10 Bridge.
Apalachicola River:
Species: Channel and flathead
catfish.
When: Big channels late May into early July. Flatheads pick up in April and run into
summer months. Small catfish pretty much
year-round, but spring through summer months are
best.
Where: River from Jim Woodruff Dam south, old
creek channels, Lake Seminole backwaters, and around mouths of
tributaries.
Choctawhatchee River:
Species: Channel catfish and
bullheads and an occasional sea catfish.
Rumor is the blue catfish has become established in the
river.
When: Big channels late May through early
July and October into November if the water stays warm. Small cats year-round, but expect them to
bite slow when it is cold.
Where: Alabama line south to West Bay, and
around the mouth of Holmes Creek and other tributaries.
St. Johns River and Dunn's Creek:
Species: Bullhead,
channel and white catfish.
When: Big channels early
May through June. Small catfish year-round, but best in spring and fall
months.
Where: Dunn's Creek to Lake Crescent, Murphy's Creek from the
St. Johns to Dunn's Creek, and the river from Palatka to Little Lake
George. Try the hole on the north side
of Buffalo Bluff Bridge, but bring plenty of hooks and weights (lots of
snags).
Oklawaha River:
Species: Bullhead, channel and white
catfish.
When: Big channels May through June and in
October until mid-November. Small
catfish year-round.
Where: Rodman Dam to the St. Johns River and the
west end of Rodman Reservoir to Moss Bluff lock and dam.
Ochlockonee River:
Species: Bullhead, channel, flathead
and white catfish.
When: Beginning April for flatheads, and mid-May
into early summer for channels. Both channels and flatheads bite until the water
turns cold in October or November. Small
catfish bite year-round but slow down in cold
months.
Where: River-wide, especially in the Lake
Talquin tail race area.
Suwannee/Santa Fe rivers:
Species: Bullhead, channel,
white and blue catfish
When: Big channels late April through
June. Small catfish year-round. Not sure about the blue catfish patterns yet,
but the biggest ones so far were caught in January and
February.
Where: Georgia line south to near the Gulf.
Lake Rousseau:
Species: Bullhead, channel and white
catfish.
When: Big channels starting mid-April through June. Fall months as the water temperature starts
to drop are good too. Small catfish year-round.
Where: Old river and
creek channels in the lake proper.
Haines Creek:
Species: Bullheads, channel and white
catfish.
When: Big channels mid-April through June and October and
November as water temperatures begin to drop.
Small cats year-round, especially where there is water
flow.
Where: The creek between lakes Eustis and Griffin,
especially below the lock and dam.
West Lake Tohopekaliga:
Species: Bullhead, channel and
white catfish.
When: Big channels April through June and early October
into November as water temperatures drop. Small catfish year-round.
Where:
C-31 Canal, below the Kissimmee River structure, around mouth of and in
Shingle Creek, and in the lake proper around fish attractors.
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