Alaqua Creek Park, Freeport Fishing

Alaqua Creek Park gives bank anglers a wood dock on the deep, slow lower reach of Alaqua Creek, within a few miles of Choctawhatchee Bay. It is a quiet, free local spot rather than a destination pier.

• Wood fishing dock along the creek beside the SR 20 bridge
• Brackish water that holds redfish, trout and flounder
• Picnic area, pavilion and a portable toilet
• No parking fee, room for a dozen or so vehicles

The park is on the north side of State Road 20, about two miles west of Freeport, at the northwest corner of the creek bridge. Walton County runs it.

• Parking: a small lot listed at ten to fifteen vehicles, no fee
• The dock sits along the creek next to the boat ramp, so keep lines clear of launching boats
• The park closes at sunset

Alaqua Creek is a freshwater-to-bay transition, so the catch depends on rain and season.

• Spring (Mar-May): flounder along the bridge, trout and the first redfish of the warm months
• Summer (Jun-Aug): redfish, small trout and catfish; bream and bass higher up when rain freshens the water
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish and flounder as bait moves out of the creek
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum around pilings and docks, plus slower trout

Light spinning gear with 8 to 12 lb line is plenty for this creek.

• Redfish: cut mullet or live shrimp on a light bottom rig near the bridge shadow
• Trout: a live shrimp under a popping cork, or a small soft plastic on a jig head
• Flounder: a bucktail or soft plastic crawled slowly along the bottom close to the bridge pilings
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp dropped straight down beside the pilings
• Bring a long-handled net; the creek is deep and the fish are lifted from the water

Walton County has one small high and low on most days, so current in the creek is gentle and the stage matters more than the clock.

• Fish the last of the rising tide into the first of the falling tide
• Check the NOAA predictions for Choctawhatchee Bay; the creek follows them with a delay
• After heavy rain the creek turns tannic and fresher, and saltwater fish slide down toward the bay
• Dawn and dusk are best in summer
• A southerly wind pushes more bay water up the creek

The dock is an easy walk from the lot, but the setting is a roadside park.

• Fast highway traffic on SR 20; stay in the park
• Keep children back from the edge; the creek is deep
• Leave the dock at the first thunder
• Swimmers use the park too, so keep clear of them when you cast
• Mosquitoes and biting flies are heavy in warm months

Facilities are simple and mostly unstaffed.

• Picnic area and a covered pavilion
• A portable toilet
• A single-lane boat ramp with courtesy docks
• A swimming area on the creek
• No bait shop at the park; bring bait or buy it in Freeport before you go

• Fish a falling tide in fall for flounder along the bridge pilings
• Portland Park, about a mile downstream on the opposite bank, is the alternative when this lot is full
• Look at the creek's color before you commit; clearer, greener water beats brown after rain
• Fiddler crabs and live shrimp beat frozen bait for sheepshead
• Pack out line and hooks; the dock is shared with swimmers and boaters

Alaqua Creek Park is managed by Walton County. We could not find a county rule on fishing at this dock, so read the signs posted at the park.

• Hours: expect to leave by sunset
• Stay in the park; do not fish from the roadway
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Redfish and tarpon have FWC rules of their own; check FWC before keeping a redfish
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything