Mattie Kelly Park and Nature Walk Fishing

Mattie Kelly Park and Nature Walk is a natural bayou park where a long pier carries you out over the water, away from Destin's busier waterfront.

• A long pier with a T at the end, reaching out over Joe's Bayou
• Speckled trout, redfish and flounder over grass and sand
• Sheepshead on the pilings in late winter and spring
• More than 10 acres of protected wetland with a nature walk
• Free, and open daily from dawn to dusk

The park is at 825 Beach Drive in Destin, on Joe's Bayou on the north side of town, next to the city's Joe's Bayou Boat Launch.

• Getting there: the park is on Beach Drive beside the Joe's Bayou Boat Launch at 800 Beach Drive
• Hours: daily, dawn to dusk
• Entry: free
• Surface: a level pier deck that runs along the shore before turning out over the bayou, so it is a longer walk than at most small piers
• Most of the land is wetland that the city keeps natural, so stay on the walkways

The pier sits over the shallow, grassy water of the bayou, which holds inshore fish all year.

• Spring (Mar–May): speckled trout, redfish, and sheepshead on the pilings
• Summer (Jun–Aug): trout at dawn, flounder on the sand, ladyfish and the odd Spanish mackerel
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish and flounder at their best, trout feeding hard
• Winter (Dec–Feb): white trout and sheepshead, with trout on warm afternoons

Light spinning tackle with 10 to 15 lb braid and a fluorocarbon leader is right for this calm water.

• Speckled trout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/8 oz jighead
• Redfish: cut mullet or shrimp on a Carolina rig along the grass edges, or a gold spoon
• Flounder: finger mullet or a jig dragged slowly across the sand
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp dropped tight to the pilings
• White trout: small jigs tipped with shrimp near the bottom
• A landing net helps, since the deck sits above the water

Tides here are small and often only one high and one low a day, so moving water and light matter most.

• Fish the first hours of a rising tide as water pushes in from the bay
• Dawn and the last hour before dusk are best, especially in summer
• A strong wind chops up the bayou and muddies the shallows
• Heavy rain can stain the bayou for a day or two
• In winter, fish the warmest part of the afternoon

The park is calm and uncrowded, but it is a natural area with limited facilities.

• Leave the pier when thunderstorms build; summer lightning is frequent
• Boats use the neighboring boat launch, so keep casts clear of the channel
• Stay on the boardwalk and pier; the wetland is soft and protected
• Bring water, sun protection and insect repellent for calm evenings
• The deck is level, but the walk out is longer than at most small parks

The city lists a picnic area, a beach area and the pier here; the park is kept mostly natural.

• A long fishing pier with a T at the end
• A beach area and a picnic area
• A nature walk through the wetland
• No restroom is listed at the park; the Joe's Bayou Boat Launch next door lists public restrooms
• No bait shop or food, so bring bait, ice and drinks

• Sunset from the end of the pier is the park's signature view; stay until dusk
• Work the edges of the grass beds with a popping cork for trout
• Sheepshead gather on the pilings from late winter into spring
• Weekday mornings are the quietest time to fish
• Pack out line and bait; this is a protected wetland

The City of Destin manages the park; posted park rules apply.

• Open daily from dawn to dusk
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit
• Stay on the walkways and leave the wetland undisturbed
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything