Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve Fishing

Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve is a peaceful, free preserve on the Nature Coast where you can fish a tidal creek from a dock, walk a boardwalk around salt ponds and paddle out toward the Gulf.

• A dock on Helverson Creek for fishing and launching kayaks
• Redfish, trout and sheepshead in the creeks and ponds
• Salt Pond Trail boardwalk, a 30-foot observation tower and an education center
• Open daily from dawn to dusk, with no entry fee

The preserve is at the end of Old Rock Road off State Road 40 West in Yankeetown, near where the Withlacoochee River meets the Gulf.

• Getting there: follow SR 40 west from US 19 at Inglis toward the Gulf and turn onto Old Rock Road
• Hours: dawn to dusk every day
• Fees: none; donations are welcome
• Parking: at the Salt Pond Trail trailhead and at the education center
• The dock is on the Oak Hammock Trail, a half-mile loop, and the kayak launch is about a third of a mile from the car with no vehicle access, so bring a cart

The creeks and ponds hold the usual Nature Coast backwater fish.

• Spring (Mar-May): redfish and spotted seatrout moving up the creeks, sheepshead around any hard structure
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook and crevalle jack near the river mouth, mangrove snapper, ladyfish, mullet everywhere
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best redfish and trout as the water cools, flounder in the creek mouths
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum and sheepshead; trout hold in the deepest creek bends on cold days

Keep it light: a 7-foot spinning rod, 10 lb braid and a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader.

• Live shrimp on a 1/8 oz jighead worked slowly along the creek bottom
• A popping cork with shrimp drifted with the current past the dock
• Fiddler crabs or shrimp next to pilings and oyster for sheepshead and drum
• Weedless soft plastics and small gold spoons for redfish along the grass edges from a kayak
• Cut mullet on the bottom at the creek mouth for redfish and black drum
• A small landing net helps at the dock

This coast has two uneven highs and lows a day, roughly 2 to 4 feet apart at NOAA's Withlacoochee River entrance station, and the shallow creeks change dramatically between them.

• Fish the moving tide; the outgoing pulls bait out of the ponds and marsh past the dock
• At low water the creeks and ponds drain to mud, and paddling can become impossible
• Paddlers should check tides before heading out and plan to return on a rising tide
• Calm, cloudy mornings are best in summer; winter afternoons after a warm day
• Heavy rain upriver stains the water around the Withlacoochee mouth

This is a gentle, sheltered spot with no surf.

• The Salt Pond Trail is a half-mile elevated boardwalk
• The dock trail and the launch path are natural surfaces and can be muddy after rain
• Wetlands mean mosquitoes and no-see-ums; bring bug spray
• Venomous snakes live in the pine woods; stay on the trails
• Summer lightning is the main danger on open water
• Paddlers must watch the tide so they are not stranded on the mud

Facilities are simple and fit the preserve.

• Portable toilets at the Salt Pond Trail trailhead, outside the education center and near the kayak launch dock
• Picnic tables, a 30-foot observation tower and the Salt Pond boardwalk
• A 4,500 square foot education center used for talks and school groups
• A Gulf-accessible canoe and kayak dock
• No bait, food or water for sale; Yankeetown and Inglis have supplies

• Watch for mullet jumping in Helverson Creek; redfish and trout are often close behind
• The salt pond bridge has a bench and fish holding in its shade; drop a shrimp quietly
• A kayak opens up the creeks toward the Gulf; plan the trip around the tide
• The preserve is part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail; bald eagles nest nearby
• Bring a kayak cart; the launch is a long carry from the car
• Scalloping boats crowd the Gulf here in summer, but the preserve stays quiet

Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve is owned and managed by the Town of Yankeetown; posted preserve rules apply.

• Open dawn to dusk; no entry fee
• No vehicles on the path to the kayak launch
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt.
• Follow posted wildlife rules; this is a protected coastal preserve
• Snook and redfish have their own FWC rules; check them before keeping one
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.