Mashes Sands Park Fishing

Mashes Sands Park is one of Wakulla County's most secluded beaches, a sand spit at the mouth of Ochlockonee Bay where bay water and Gulf water meet over grass flats and oyster bars.

• Surf and bay fishing from the same beach
• Trout, redfish and flounder in the bay mouth; pompano and Spanish mackerel on the Gulf side
• The fishing pier is closed and being rebuilt; you fish from the beach until it reopens
• Quiet, undeveloped and good for sunsets

Mashes Sands Beach is at the end of Mashes Sands Road, off US 98 between Panacea and the Ochlockonee Bay bridge.

• Getting there: from US 98 south of Panacea, turn onto Mashes Sands Road and follow it to the beach
• Park hours are 6 a.m. to midnight, as posted by Wakulla County
• Parking: a lot at the end of the road by the beach; the county boat ramp and the closed pier are a short way back along the same road, on the bay side
• Fees: the county lists none for the beach; launching at the county ramp needs a Wakulla County daily or annual launch permit
• The walk is on soft sand; the bay side is firmer and shelly

The meeting of bay and Gulf gives this spot more variety than most Big Bend beaches.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and Gulf whiting along the Gulf beach, trout and redfish in the bay mouth, Spanish mackerel and bluefish chasing bait, the odd cobia cruising the bars
• Summer (Jun-Aug): trout on the grass at dawn, ladyfish, bonnethead sharks and flounder
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best season, with bull redfish on the point, flounder moving out of the bay and a second pompano run
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum on the oyster bars, trout in the deeper bay channel

Bring two rods: a light spinning rod for the flats and a medium surf rod for the Gulf side.

• Pompano and whiting: a double-drop rig with sand fleas or shrimp, or a small pompano jig bounced in the first trough
• Trout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft-plastic jerkbait on a 1/8 oz jighead over the grass
• Redfish: cut mullet or blue crab on a fish-finder rig at the point, or a gold spoon to tailing fish
• Flounder: a finger mullet or paddle-tail dragged slowly across the sandy holes
• Spanish mackerel: small silver spoons on a short 30 lb leader
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs on a short leader next to the oyster bars

Tides here are larger than on the western Panhandle, with two uneven highs and lows on most days and roughly 2 to 4 feet from low to high at NOAA's nearby Bald Point station, and the flats are very shallow, so the tide sets the day.

• The mouth of Ochlockonee Bay runs hard on both tides; the start of the outgoing and the start of the incoming are prime
• At low water wide flats and oyster bars are exposed and fish drop into the channels
• A light south or southwest wind cleans the Gulf side for pompano; a north wind blows the water out
• Heavy rain upriver stains the bay water for days
• Dawn and dusk fish best in summer; midday in winter

This is a wild beach with limited facilities, so come prepared.

• Strong current sweeps around the point on the tide; do not wade out past your knees near the channel
• Oyster bars cut; wear wading boots, not bare feet
• Shuffle your feet for stingrays on the sand flats
• No shade and summer lightning; leave the beach when storms build
• Biting flies and no-see-ums at dawn and dusk
• Soft sand makes it hard going with a cart or wheelchair; the parking area is near the beach

Mashes Sands has limited amenities by design.

• A mobile restroom facility on site (per Wakulla County)
• A county boat ramp giving access to Ochlockonee Bay and the Gulf; launching needs a county permit
• The fishing pier has been closed since Hurricane Michael; the county awarded a contract to replace it in June 2026 and estimates completion by March 31, 2027
• No bait shop at the beach; bring bait with you
• No lights, drinking water or food at the beach as far as could be confirmed

• The new pier is due to be finished around the end of March 2027; until then the point and the bay side are the best fishing
• Walk the bay shoreline at low tide to find the channels and oyster bars you will fish on the rising tide
• Sand fleas can be dug on the Gulf side for pompano bait
• Bull redfish stack on the point in October; bring heavier tackle then
• Bring bug spray, water and a hat; there is no store at the beach
• Scalloping season draws boats to the area in summer; the beach is still quiet

Mashes Sands Park is a Wakulla County park, with posted hours of 6 a.m. to midnight.

• The pier is closed during reconstruction; stay out of the construction area
• Launching at the county ramp needs a Wakulla County launch permit
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt.
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit
• Much of the surrounding coast is part of protected marsh; follow posted wildlife rules
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.