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Home › Waters › Florida › Wakulla River
Spring creek · Wakulla County in the Florida panhandle south of Tallahassee, from Wakulla Springs to St. Marks · Florida

Wakulla River Fishing Guides and Conditions, Florida

A short, gin-clear spring run below one of the largest freshwater springs on earth, holding a constant seventy degrees and fishing well every month of the year.

Gauge location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Guides on the Wakulla River

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About the Wakulla River

The Wakulla River is barely nine miles long and it begins in spectacular fashion, boiling out of Wakulla Spring south of Tallahassee. The spring is among the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world and it discharges hundreds of millions of gallons a day at a nearly constant temperature in the low seventies. What that produces downstream is a short, wide, startlingly clear river with dense eelgrass beds, a steady flow that barely changes with the seasons, and a thermal stability that almost nothing else in the region has. In a January cold snap it is the warmest water for miles, and in August it is the coolest.

That constancy is the whole angling story. The upper river inside Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park is closed to fishing and reserved for the spring itself, its glass-bottom boats and its extraordinary manatee and wading-bird population. Below the park boundary the river is open, and it fishes for largemouth bass, bluegill and redear sunfish over the grass beds, with black crappie in the deeper edges. Further down toward St. Marks the water turns brackish and striped bass, red drum and spotted seatrout enter the mix on a moving tide.

Almost all fishing here is done from a kayak, canoe or small skiff, and the clarity means fish see everything. Long leaders, light presentations and quiet approaches matter more than they would on a stained river. Manatees are common and there are speed and approach rules that are enforced. Because the flow is spring-driven it holds steady when every blackwater river nearby is either flooded or dry, which makes the Wakulla the dependable fallback in the panhandle. That reliability is why local guides treat the Wakulla as a year-round river rather than a seasonal one, and why it is often the only fishable clear water in the area after a week of heavy panhandle rain.

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Access

Highway 98 bridge landing near Crawfordville - the main public launch and the gauge site.
TF Upchurch Landing - county ramp on the middle river with parking and easy kayak access.
Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park - the spring headwater, open for viewing and swimming, closed to fishing.
Shadeville Road access - small launch used mostly by paddlers on the upper open reach.
St. Marks River confluence - where the Wakulla joins the St. Marks and the water turns brackish.
San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park in St. Marks - bank access at the confluence.
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge - lower estuary access for redfish and seatrout trips.

Seasons

Spring: grass beds green up, bass move shallow, and the clear water fishes as well as it ever does.
Summer: constant spring temperature keeps the river cool while everything nearby overheats badly.
Fall: the strongest brackish fishing of the year, with redfish and trout pushing up from St. Marks.
Winter: the warmest water in the region, holding fish that leave the surrounding rivers entirely.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Wakulla River?

As of Sep 7, 4:30 am, the USGS gauge WAKULLA RIVER NEAR CRAWFORDVILLE, FL reads 530 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Wakulla River?

Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Red Drum, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Seatrout, Striped Bass on the Wakulla River in Florida.

Where can you access the Wakulla River?

Highway 98 bridge landing near Crawfordville - the main public launch and the gauge site. TF Upchurch Landing - county ramp on the middle river with parking and easy kayak access. Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park - the spring headwater, open for viewing and swimming, closed to fishing. Shadeville Road access - small launch used mostly by paddlers on the upper open reach. St. Marks River confluence - where the Wakulla joins the St. Marks and the water turns brackish. San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park in St. Marks - bank access at the confluence. St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge...

When is the best time to fish the Wakulla River?

Spring: grass beds green up, bass move shallow, and the clear water fishes as well as it ever does. Summer: constant spring temperature keeps the river cool while everything nearby overheats badly. Fall: the strongest brackish fishing of the year, with redfish and trout pushing up from St. Marks. Winter: the warmest water in the region, holding fish that leave the surrounding rivers entirely.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Wakulla River?

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