Fishing

By Nick Tomecek, Okaloosa County PIO Divers participating in the 5th Annual Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Tournament set a new record with the successful removal of 24,699 lionfish! Last year’s total was 13,835. Divers from throughout the country competed for prize money totaling more than $100,000 in an effort to...

By Cali Hlavac It’s Cobia Season on the Emerald Coast, a short window of time each year where the cobia migration rolls through our waters and fishermen ride high in their towers trying to spot them. However, things are looking a bit different around here this year, with very minimal cobia being...

By Kenneth Books Surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay, it’s natural for local residents to take to the water and try to land that trophy fish. But there’s more to fishing than baiting a hook and casting a line. No one is born with fishing skills. And,...

Okaloosa County Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourism and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is celebrating the 5th Annual Lionfish Removal & Awareness Festival on May 20-21 at the Destin Harbor. Lionfish are an invasive species that prey on native fish with no known predators due to their venomous...

Signs of spring – balmy weather, blooming flowers and nesting birds – are occurring. Warmer temperatures also mean alligators are more active and visible. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recommends taking precautions when in and around the water: While serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in...

By Cali Hlavac Crystal LaFosse had a vision of starting a fishing club through all her work in the fishing industry, and 2022 was the year she brought that dream to life: The Emerald Coast Big Game Fishing Club was born. As the Founder and Director of the Emerald Coast Big...

Okaloosa County’s Coastal Resource Team with Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourism recently initiated and assisted a team of researchers in identifying and tagging devil rays in the Gulf of Mexico. While installing three miles of sand fencing on Okaloosa Island in 2021, members of the Coastal Resource team noticed a number...

By Cali Hlavac, Silver Shade Studios Each year at this time, we offer options for fishing in this season that don’t necessarily require a boat. In our lucky little fishing village, it may seem that a boat is necessary to catch certain kinds of fish, or a multitude of fish....

The Gulfarium’s C.A.R.E. Center successfully released three rehabilitated sea turtles Jan. 11 at Topsail Hill State Park. Grace, an adult female Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, weighs 70 pounds. She was found entangled in a buoy line on July 23. Stranding coordinator Tabitha Siegfried paired up with Fort Walton Beach Parasailing...

Flounder Recreational Harvest Reopened The recreational harvest of flounder in all Florida state and federal waters reopened Dec. 1. The minimum size limit for flounder is 14 inches total length and the daily recreational bag limit is five fish per person. Learn more about flounder regulations at MyFWC.com/Marine by clicking...