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Home › Waters › Florida › Peace River
River · Southwest Florida from the Bone Valley to Charlotte Harbor · Florida

Peace River Fishing Guides and Conditions, Florida

A blackwater southwest Florida river running from the phosphate country to Charlotte Harbor, known for easy paddling, fossil hunting and a bass fishery that turns brackish at the bottom.

Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Peace River

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About the Peace River

The Peace River runs about a hundred and six miles from the lakes and wetlands of Polk County southwest to Charlotte Harbor at Punta Gorda. The gauge at the State Road 70 crossing in Arcadia watches roughly thirteen hundred and sixty-seven square miles and reports discharge and stage, with no live water temperature series. Flow is the number that governs everything here, because the Peace is a low-gradient blackwater river whose character changes completely between the wet and dry seasons.

In the summer wet season the river runs high, dark and fast enough to make some sections unpleasant for paddling. In the winter and spring dry season it drops into a slow, tannin-stained channel with exposed sandbars, and that low water is when the river is at its most popular. Paddling outfitters at Arcadia and Zolfo Springs run day trips and overnight camping floats, and the sandbars become the campsites.

The Peace is unusual among fishing rivers in that a large share of its visitors are looking at the bottom rather than the water. The riverbed cuts through the Bone Valley formation and is one of the best-known fossil-collecting rivers in North America, producing megalodon teeth, mammoth material and fossil bone under a state permit system.

Fishing is largemouth bass and panfish through the freshwater reaches, with bowfin and gar adding weight to the mix, and the fishery shifts entirely at the bottom of the river where the Peace meets tidewater. In the lower estuary near Punta Gorda the target species become snook and tarpon, and the guided trips there are saltwater trips in every practical sense. Anyone booking a day on the Peace should therefore be clear about which river they mean, because the freshwater float out of Arcadia and the tidal fishery at Punta Gorda share a name and almost nothing else.

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Access

Arcadia at the State Road 70 bridge - the main access, outfitters and the gauge reach.
Brownville Park - upstream launch and camping.
Zolfo Springs and Pioneer Park - upper river access and a common put-in for overnight floats.
Gardner boat ramp - a quiet mid-river access point.
Nocatee Wayside Park - the standard takeout for the Arcadia day float.
Peace River Campground - private access with shuttle service.
Punta Gorda and the Charlotte Harbor mouth - tidewater, snook and tarpon fishing.

Seasons

Spring: falling water, exposed sandbars and the best combination of paddling, fishing and fossil hunting.
Summer: the wet season lifts and darkens the river; fast water and limited visibility.
Fall: flows recede again as the rainy season ends and conditions steadily improve.
Winter: the driest and clearest period, low and slow, and the peak season for overnight float trips.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Peace River?

As of Sep 7, 5:30 am, the USGS gauge PEACE RIVER AT SR 70 AT ARCADIA, FL reads 714 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Peace River?

Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Common Snook, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Redear Sunfish, Tarpon on the Peace River in Florida.

Where can you access the Peace River?

Arcadia at the State Road 70 bridge - the main access, outfitters and the gauge reach. Brownville Park - upstream launch and camping. Zolfo Springs and Pioneer Park - upper river access and a common put-in for overnight floats. Gardner boat ramp - a quiet mid-river access point. Nocatee Wayside Park - the standard takeout for the Arcadia day float. Peace River Campground - private access with shuttle service. Punta Gorda and the Charlotte Harbor mouth - tidewater, snook and tarpon fishing.

When is the best time to fish the Peace River?

Spring: falling water, exposed sandbars and the best combination of paddling, fishing and fossil hunting. Summer: the wet season lifts and darkens the river; fast water and limited visibility. Fall: flows recede again as the rainy season ends and conditions steadily improve. Winter: the driest and clearest period, low and slow, and the peak season for overnight float trips.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Peace River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Florida agency site: https://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/regulations/