Tallahassee Community College

College Ambassador: Brett Rogers

Species

Bass: Probably the most targeted species around Tallahassee, until you reach the coast. These fish can be caught in most, if not all, freshwater bodies of water around the school and the city with artificial tackle.

Snook: Heading about 30 minutes South of Tallahassee towards the coast, snook can be found in the many estuaries, saltwater marshes, and tidal bays along the coast.
Redfish

Redfish: can be found in most, if not all, of the same areas as snook. By land, the fishery is ok, but if you have access to a boat, the redfish fishery is one of the best in the state of Florida.

Tarpon: Although there are not as many tarpon here as in South Florida, this species can still be targeted. They can be caught on the shoreline but there is definitely more opportunity, if you have access to a boat.

Spotted Sea Trout: These fish can be found in almost all of the same areas as redfish and snook. The fishery is very healthy for these fish and, with boat access, there are many opportunities to catch a lot of quality trout.

Offshore Species: There are a variety of species that can be caught offshore. This includes many reef species like snapper, grouper, and cobia. Going far enough offshore can even get you into pelagic species, such as tuna.

Accessibility

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge: This refuge is a great place for non-boat owners to go and be able to fish a large area of saltwater marshes and tidal pools. It is about a 25-minute ride from the TCC campus and entry into the refuge is $5 for a day pass. In this fishery all the species listed in this post can be caught besides any offshore species. There are brackish pools where largemouth bass and smaller pan fish can be found. Trout, Snook, and redfish are abundant here as well.

Ochlockonee Bay: Being about 40 minutes from campus, Ochlockonee Bay is a great access point for anglers with boats. With two boat ramps in the bay, this location offers great access to beach and inshore fishing for a variety of species. One of the ramps is free but the other has a $5 launching fee. Launching here, you can reach Ochlockonee River. Outside the bay to the north gets you to St. Marks, going south you can reach Saint George Sound. Both locations offer different fishing opportunities.

Local lakes: Lake Talquin is about 15 minutes from campus, which offers exceptional panfish and bass fishing opportunities mainly for those with boat access. This is a very open lake with cypress trees along the shore. Lake Miccosukee is a very grass-dense lake that holds high-quality largemouth bass. Lake Seminole is a fairly well-known lake with great-quality bass fishing. Lake Seminole is on the Florida-Georgia line but is still a very Florida-style lake with generally shallow water with depths only reaching about 30ft and with an abundance of grass.

Community

Tallahassee Community College has many reasons to be a great fishing community, but in my experience, there are few anglers. I have a few friends that enjoy fishing and I go with them every now and then, but I don’t believe there is a fishing club, and there are not many students that I have encountered who really enjoy fishing. I assume, like most other schools, people will ask to be invited, but if you tell them the time you want to go and how long you want to go for they usually end up giving you an excuse or just make other plans anyway. I also highly doubt many students have boating access, unless they are from Tallahassee, have access to a family boat, or are in a similar situation.

Hangouts and Shops

I am not very aware of many local shops around town or the campus, only because I brought a lot of tackle from home, and have never needed live bait, but I’m sure there are some great shops around. There are Sunshine Aces and a Bass Pro Shop that I have been to, but that is the scope of my knowledge. I believe there are some shops and hangouts along the coast that I’m sure would be helpful for many anglers to go to.