Eden Gardens State Park Fishing

Eden Gardens State Park pairs a historic homestead and formal gardens with a calm place to fish Tucker Bayou, a shallow arm of Choctawhatchee Bay.

• Saltwater fishing is allowed on the dock or off the seawall, the park says
• Speckled trout, redfish, flounder, sheepshead and black drum
• A canoe and kayak launch for paddling the bayou
• Shaded picnic pavilions, restrooms and an honor-box entrance fee

The park is at 181 Eden Gardens Road in Point Washington, Santa Rosa Beach, reached from US 98 by County Road 395 north.

• Hours: 8 a.m. until sunset, 365 days a year
• Fee: $4 per vehicle, paid at the honor box with correct change
• Fish from the dock or the seawall on Tucker Bayou
• The canoe and kayak launch is in the day-use area; the bayou is shallow and connects to the Intracoastal Waterway and the bay
• The grounds are shaded by moss-draped live oaks around the historic house and gardens

Tucker Bayou is shallow, sheltered and often brackish, so expect bay and bayou fish rather than Gulf species.

• Spring (Mar-May): sheepshead around the dock pilings, speckled trout and redfish as the water warms
• Summer (Jun-Aug): trout early and late in the day, redfish, ladyfish and jacks chasing bait, flounder along the seawall
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best season, with trout, redfish and flounder feeding hard before winter
• Winter (Dec-Feb): trout in the deeper water off the dock, sheepshead and black drum on the pilings, croaker and white trout on the bottom

Light tackle suits the bayou: a 7 foot spinning rod with 10 to 15 lb braid and a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader.

• Speckled trout and redfish: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic shrimp or paddle tail on a 1/8 to 1/4 oz jig head
• Topwater walking baits early in the day in the warm months
• Flounder: a live mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, worked slowly along the seawall
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or a piece of shrimp on a short leader, straight down beside the pilings
• Croaker and white trout: small hooks and cut shrimp on the bottom in winter
• Bring your own bait; the park lists no bait shop

Tides inside Choctawhatchee Bay are very small, usually one high and one low a day, and wind moves more water in the bayou than the tide does.

• Any moving water helps; fish the hours around the tide change
• A strong, steady wind can raise or drop the water in the bayou by more than the tide; when the edges run shallow, fish the deeper water off the dock
• Heavy rain freshens and colors the bayou; fish the deeper water off the dock after a storm
• The first hours after the 8 a.m. opening and the last light before the park closes at sunset are the prime times in summer
• Cooler, clearer water in fall and winter is when the bigger trout feed

This is a calm, family-friendly place to fish, with a few things to watch.

• The dock and the seawall edge can be slick when wet; keep children back from the edge
• Summer thunderstorms build fast over the bay; leave the dock at the first thunder
• Bring insect repellent for still evenings on the bayou
• As in any Florida bayou, keep an eye out for alligators and never feed wildlife
• The park lists accessible amenities, including two ADA-accessible picnic pavilions near a restroom; ask staff about the easiest route to the dock

Facilities are aimed at picnickers and garden visitors and suit a relaxed fishing trip.

• Restrooms, with a refillable water bottle station
• Four picnic pavilions with tables and a grill, two of them ADA accessible, plus picnic tables around the gardens
• A canoe and kayak launch in the day-use area
• About a mile of hiking trails and the ornamental gardens
• Guided tours of the Wesley House, Thursday through Monday
• No bait or tackle sales are listed, so bring everything you need

• The camellias and azaleas bloom from October to May, peaking around March, so a spring trip pairs sheepshead on the pilings with the gardens
• The public Point Washington landing at the end of County Road 395, just past the park, has a small ramp and docks and is another quiet place to fish the bayou
• Fish early: the dock is quietest before the garden visitors arrive
• Work soft plastics slowly and quietly; fish in shallow water spook easily
• Carry correct change for the honor box

Eden Gardens State Park is run by Florida State Parks, and posted park rules apply.

• Saltwater fishing is allowed on the dock and off the seawall
• Park rules require all fishing to follow state rules on size, number, method of capture and season
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless an exemption applies
• Walton County's Waterways and Beach Activities Ordinance, which covers the bay and its bayous as well as the Gulf, makes it unlawful to intentionally fish for sharks, or to chum or bloodbait, from the beach or within 2,500 feet of shore
• The park is open 8 a.m. to sunset, so there is no night fishing from the dock
• Pay the entrance fee at the honor box
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything