Seafood Landing Park Fishing

Seafood Landing Park is a county park on a sheltered channel off Apalachicola Bay with a fishing dock, a boat ramp and the county's maritime museum in a renovated oyster plant.

• A county fishing dock, boat ramp, kayak launch and boardwalks over the marsh to the water
• Restrooms, covered picnic tables and grills
• Redfish, speckled trout, black drum, sheepshead and flounder most of the year
• The Franklin County Maritime Heritage Museum on site

The park is on US 98 on the bay side just west of Apalachicola, on the way toward Port St. Joe.

• Getting there: from downtown Apalachicola follow US 98 west; the park is on the water side of the highway
• Entry: no fee is listed, and the FWC's ramp inventory lists no launch fee
• Parking: a lot shared with boat trailers using the ramp
• The walk: short and level from the parking area to the dock and boardwalk
• Hours are not published; check the posted signs

The county's bays hold the same core inshore fish all year, with summer visitors from March to November.

• Spring (Mar-May): sheepshead on any structure, trout and reds moving onto the shallows, black drum
• Summer (Jun-Aug): trout at dawn, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish on bait, croaker and catfish on the bottom
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best months for redfish and flounder as the water cools
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum and sheepshead; trout on warm, calm afternoons

Light to medium spinning tackle with 10 to 20 lb braid and a fluorocarbon leader suits the dock and shoreline.

• Redfish and trout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/8 oz jighead worked along the edges
• Black drum and sheepshead: shrimp or fiddler crabs on the bottom beside the dock posts
• Flounder: a mud minnow on a Carolina rig, dragged slowly along the bottom
• Croaker and white trout: shrimp pieces on a small two-hook rig
• Bring a landing net; the dock sits above the water

Tides here are small, with two uneven highs and lows on most days and only one on some, and the river's flow decides how clear the bay is.

• Fish the moving water; slack tide is slow
• After heavy rain upriver the bay near Apalachicola runs fresh and muddy, and fish move toward saltier water
• Early morning and evening fish best in summer
• Wind makes the shallow bay choppy and cloudy; calm, clear days are best
• In winter, fish the warmest part of the afternoon

The park is flat and easy to get around, but it is a working boat ramp.

• Watch for boats and trailers at the ramp, and never cast across the launch lane
• Leave the dock when thunderstorms build over the bay
• Shuffle your feet if you wade; stingrays and oyster shell are common
• The FWC lists an accessible flush-toilet restroom; the lot and boardwalks are level
• Bring water and sun protection; shade is limited to the picnic shelters

Franklin County lists restrooms, a picnic pavilion, grills, a public boat ramp and a fishing dock, and the tourism office adds a kayak launch and boardwalk.

• Restrooms and covered picnic tables
• Park grills
• A public boat ramp and kayak launch
• The Franklin County Maritime Heritage Museum in the renovated oyster plant
• No bait shop in the park; buy bait and ice in Apalachicola

• Launch a kayak here to reach the oyster bars and marsh edges out of reach from the dock
• Fish the ramp side early, before boat traffic picks up
• Visit the maritime museum to learn how the bay's oyster industry worked
• If the bay is muddy after rain, try St. George Island's piers, where the water is saltier
• Clean fish at home and take scraps with you

Franklin County lists Seafood Landing Park among its parks; posted rules apply at the ramp and dock.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Keep the ramp and its approach clear for launching boats
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit
• Take all line and trash home
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything