WindMark Beach North Access Fishing

WindMark Beach North Access opens a quiet stretch of the area often called The Beaches, where the mainland shore faces the entrance to St. Joseph Bay.

• A lot, restrooms and outdoor showers for rinsing off before the drive home
• A little more secluded, in the tourism office's words
• Surf fish, pompano and whiting, alongside bay visitors such as trout and flounder
• A paved waterfront trail through WindMark for a walk or a ride between tides

The access is at 5901 W. U.S. Highway 98 in the WindMark Beach area, about ten minutes from Port St. Joe by the county's reckoning.

• Getting there: take U.S. 98 northwest from Port St. Joe toward St. Joe Beach and turn in at the access lot
• Parking: an on-site lot; no fee is listed
• The walk: a path leaves the lot, crosses the paved trail on the old highway, then winds through the dunes on sand, roughly 250 yards in all
• Beach driving is not allowed on this stretch
• The paved BeachWalk Trail runs about 2.5 miles along the water through WindMark

Two kinds of fish use this shore: Gulf surf fish and bay fish moving in and out of St. Joseph Bay.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting in the trough; trout and reds along the bar; Spanish mackerel from late spring
• Summer (Jun-Aug): mackerel, ladyfish and jacks early in the day, whiting all day, trout at first light
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish run the beach, flounder drop out of the bay, and pompano return to the trough
• Winter (Dec-Feb): whiting and a few trout on calm, clear days

Carry a 9 to 10 foot rod for bait and a 7 foot spinning rod for working lures along the bar.

• Whiting and pompano: size 1 to 1/0 hooks on a dropper rig with a 2 to 3 oz pyramid, baited with sand fleas or fresh shrimp
• Trout and reds: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic swum along the edge of the bar
• Fall flounder: a finger mullet or mud minnow on a Carolina rig, crawled over the bottom
• Mackerel and bluefish: a spoon retrieved quickly through breaking fish
• A sand spike keeps bait rods upright while you cast lures

St. Joseph Bay's tides are small and mostly come once a day, but water and bait still move in and out of the bay while the tide runs.

• Fish while the tide is running rather than at the slack at the top or bottom
• Pompano and whiting want clear water and only a light surf
• In summer, the first and last hours of daylight fish best
• A west wind throws surf straight onto this beach; the trough often fishes well once it drops
• Fall cold fronts bring the best runs of redfish and pompano

No one watches this beach for you: there are no lifeguards, and the county's daily flag service does not cover it.

• Gulf County has no lifeguards on any public beach, and its volunteer flag service covers Cape San Blas and Indian Pass, not the St. Joe Beach area
• Rip currents can form along the bars; keep out of deep water in rough surf
• Shuffle your feet for stingrays
• Get off the beach when lightning is near, and carry water in summer
• White posts on the dune line carry a name and number for 911 callers
• The walk from the lot is a fair distance, with soft sand at the end, so pack light

The county's tourism office lists these facilities at the WindMark accesses.

• A parking lot at the access
• Restrooms with outdoor showers
• The paved BeachWalk Trail along the water, good for walking or biking
• No lifeguards and no flag service, so check the forecast and the surf before you go
• No bait, tackle or food at the access: bring bait, ice, water and shade

• Time the session for a running tide rather than the slack
• Walk the beach to find a trough away from other people
• The beach faces west, so evening sessions come with the sunset, and evenings are good for redfish
• WindMark Beach South Access, about 2.5 miles down the shore, has its own lot, restrooms and outdoor showers
• Leashed dogs are welcome on Gulf County beaches, this one included
• No glass on the beach or at the access

This shore south of U.S. 98 is a Gulf County public beach, covered by the county's Leave No Trace ordinance.

• The county may remove anything left unattended on the beach from an hour after sunset until sunrise
• Glass bottles and containers are banned on the beach and at beach accesses
• Dead fish and bait go in the trash, never on the sand, and holes must be filled before you leave
• Pets must stay on a leash
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless an exemption applies
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything