Looking for a good place around Pensacola area? Ideas?

OutdoorPhotographer wrote:
October is the best month to fish at Ft Pickens so you are in luck! I recommend walking to the tip of the island right at Pensacola Pass and fish the moving tide. The Spanish mackerel come through in schools. You may pick up a King as well. Speckled trout and reds are in the area as well. You will need a license. I don't know the cost.

I'm an avid fisherman and used to fish this area regularly. I absolutely despise fishing off a high pier. Lots of people to tangle lines and hard to land a fish. I'm not sure how high the pier is at Ft. Pickens but just my opinion. If you are interested in the Spanish mackerel, let me know and I'll give more tips on catching them.

Sure, that sounds great. I'm used to fishing in lakes for small mouth bass and lake trout....I have zero experience when it comes to salt water fishing. Any tips would be great!!

October is the best month to fish at Ft Pickens so you are in luck! I recommend walking to the tip of the island right at Pensacola Pass and fish the moving tide. The Spanish mackerel come through in schools. You may pick up a King as well. Speckled trout and reds are in the area as well. You will need a license. I don't know the cost.

I'm an avid fisherman and used to fish this area regularly. I absolutely despise fishing off a high pier. Lots of people to tangle lines and hard to land a fish. I'm not sure how high the pier is at Ft. Pickens but just my opinion. If you are interested in the Spanish mackerel, let me know and I'll give more tips on catching them.

another vote for Ft Pickens. We stay there each time we pass through. A loop is right across the road from some of the whitest and clean beaches around. We have driven across the sand on the road but have not had to evacuate yet. If you are a late arrival, you will need to call to receive the gate code.

Fort Pickens is one of our favorite spots, Loop A as others have noted. But be aware of the risk of having to evacuate the campground if a storm comes by. Last fall we had to evacuate twice. The road is essentially at sea level and both water and sand can cover the road. And they're super-cautious these days after some folks got stuck at the campground in an earlier storm.

And when NPS calls for an evacuation, they cancel the remainder of your reservation time. So if the park re-opens before your reservation would have been over, you're out of luck.

I believe to fish off the pier at fort Pickens you have to have a license but back down the road the fishing pier at Pensacola beach is licensed and you don't have to have a license. The museum at naval air station is very nice and free to go in and look around. There are a lot of military aircraft in there and this is the home of the blue Angels. Joe patties is the best seafood market as others have said and the zoo is just right down the road. Enjoy your time here and remember to pay attention to the beach flag system.

Check out Joe Pattys seafood shop for any fresh seafood you want.
Just to clarify for some here. Top Sail hill is NOT a private park. It is a state park and very nice.

imq707s wrote:

2. If I can't manage to catch any fish, are there any good fresh seafood stores close by?

Thanks again for all of the information!!

Joe Patti back across the bay. Bring your ice chest! Take a number and when called, give the attendant your chest. The counter is about 100ft long.

We always stop there on our return trip and bring lots of seafood home.

HTH;
John

The zoo near Pensacola Beach, Gulf Breeze Zoo, is nice. It is small but fun. The Naval Aviation Museum on NAS Pensacola is great.

Well, after going through all of the suggestions from you guys, I think my wife and I have decided to go and check out Fort Pickens for a week. We're going to shoot for early October. I really like the fact that it's pretty secluded with just a short walk to the beach.

I had a few more questions for some of you guys who have been there before.

1. How's the fishing off of the pier/dock at Fort Pickens? I read somewhere that you don't need a fishing license to fish there because the pier itself it licensed??

2. If I can't manage to catch any fish, are there any good fresh seafood stores close by?

3. What kind of activities would you recommend for a family with a 1 year old? If we are going to be there for a week, I don't want to get bored, I want to make sure we have plenty of options for fun things to do.

Thanks again for all of the information!!

Loop A Fort Pickens!!! If you are retired military NAS Pensacola has 2 RV parks.