Fishing

By Cali Hlavac, To Do In Destin Many people have never heard of a Lionfish, nor do they know why this species is so disliked, and what an impact these tiny little creatures make to the Gulf and its ecosystem. Their colorful design is noticed by predators and helps them...

Recreational fishing is important, both culturally and economically, to our coastal communities around the Gulf. NOAA’s latest Gulf of Mexico Saltwater Recreational Fisheries report shows 2.6 million Gulf anglers took 58.6 million fishing trips in the Gulf, spending $13.5 billion on trips and durable goods in 2017 alone. As such,...

By Will Estell If you are a full-time or part-time resident of any of the beach towns and coastal communities that dot Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast you’ve likely heard a thing or two about the Artificial Reef Program initiated and managed by Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourism. As much as the program has...

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announces the opening of a fall red snapper season for private recreational anglers and state for-hire operations in the Gulf of Mexico on the following weekends: Nov. 11-13 Nov. 25-27 During this season, private recreational anglers may harvest red snapper in Gulf state and federal...

It’s almost spring and that means it’s peak mating season for horseshoe crabs. Help biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) gather valuable information about these ancient creatures by reporting sightings on the online survey at https://survey123.arcgis.com. Horseshoe crabs have blue blood which is very expensive, but...

By Cali Hlavac, To Do in Destin As one of the few female captains to run our waters here in Destin, Captain Gabrielle Barnes broke into a male dominated industry and followed her dreams to pursue a career in fishing. As a Fort Walton Beach local, her father introduced her to...

By Frank Berte Destin Fishing Rodeo’s Weighmaster extraordinaire. A seemingly simple man with a complex, tangled past. A man who, to some, has become synonymous with the very Rodeo itself has lived a far more tangled past. His fascination with fish has been lifelong, as has his chronic sea sickness....

By Cali Hlavac, To Do In Destin As we talked about all the species that made for good winter fishing last month, Spring has officially arrived and so has Spring fishing season! While many fish bite year-round in our lucky fishing village, two of the most prominent this time of...

For some of us, it is inevitable. It happens every year around this time. It’s a cumulative effect. The sun sets later. Temperatures creeping up to feeling very Spring-like. And even though we don’t want to let our thoughts wander from our current task, we can’t help ourselves. We...

SEPTEMBER Rodeo Judges Meeting (Monday, September 9th) Volunteer Rodeo Judges will meet at 5 p.m. at the Destin Community Center for an informative meeting regarding the record-keeping of the Rodeo. If you are interested in participating as a Rodeo Judge, Contact the Rodeo office at 850.837.6734. Meet Miss Destin (Thursday, September...