About Carrabelle
Carrabelle sits on the tidal Carrabelle River, which flows into St. George Sound behind Dog Island on Florida’s Gulf coast. Boats reach the Gulf through East Pass, and offshore trips run to artificial reefs and towers southeast of Dog Island. Reef and offshore fishing runs year-round. The usual targets are gag grouper, red snapper, king mackerel, cobia, amberjack and mahi-mahi, and which ones you find depends on the season.
Access and navigation
Carrabelle has 3 public ramps and 2 marinas with fuel:
- Marine Street Boat Ramp – City of Carrabelle ramp, 2 lanes, courtesy docks, fish cleaning station, trailer parking, $10 launch.
- 4th Street Public Boat Ramp – city ramp, $10 launch.
- Timber Island Boat Ramp – Franklin County ramp.
- The Moorings of Carrabelle – marina with fuel.
- C-Quarters Marina – marina with fuel.
A fixed highway bridge with 40 ft of clearance crosses the Carrabelle River about 0.5 mile above the turning basin. Overhead power cables with 50 ft of clearance sit at the bridge and about 2 miles above it, per the NOAA Coast Pilot 5, Chapter 6. The river current can run strong on the ebb and will push the boat on the ramp approach and at the dock.
A channel marked by lighted and unlighted buoys leads from the river through St. George Sound and around the west end of Dog Island to East Pass.
Tidal current at East Pass is ordinarily at least 1 knot and sometimes reaches 3 to 4 knots. It tends to set across the shoals at an angle to the channel, and that cross-set can push you off the channel line. Wind against tide matters here: an ebb running out against a south or southwest wind can stand the pass up and make it steep. A few wrecks of unknown depth lie on the east side of the channel, so stay in the marked channel.
The alternative approach is Duer Channel, at the east end of St. George Sound between South Shoal and Dog Island Reef. It is unmarked and can change frequently, with several wrecks in its approach. South Shoal extends about 6 miles south, and the sea can break on parts of it even in good weather. Dog Island Reef has 2 to 6 ft over a considerable part of it. Because Duer shifts, a line on the chart may not match where the water is, which makes it a poor bailout in weather. Switching approaches can just as well mean running back up the marked channel or holding inside St. George Sound.
On arrival, look at the water in the pass and read the NWS Tallahassee marine forecast for wind, wave height and period. If conditions look bigger than you want, switch approaches or stay inside.
Fishing conditions
Carrabelle’s offshore grounds are one corner of a much larger fishery, covered in our Gulf of Mexico fishing guide. The named grounds, near to far:
- Carrabelle 3 Mile Reef
- Carrabelle Reef Culverts
- Carl Ennis reef site near Dog Island
- Robby’s Reef
- Mickler Reef
- CCA Dr. Bart Carey Reef (Carrabelle 10 Mile Reef System), in 50 ft
- Carrabelle Reef Barge (O-Tower Barge)
- K Tower and S Tower
Dog Island Reef is a navigation hazard and not a place to fish. Florida state waters run to 9 nautical miles off the Gulf coast, and federal rules apply beyond that line. The Madison and Swanson site (29°06′ to 29°17′ N, 85°38′ to 85°50′ W) is closed to all fishing year-round.
The reef and tower positions plus the Chart Contours layer in the Breakpoint app help you plan the drift before you leave the dock. Chart layers are not for navigation.
Winter
Grouper, mangrove snapper, lane snapper, black sea bass and sheepshead can hold on the reefs. King mackerel might also be around on the better days.
Spring
King mackerel tend to arrive on the Gulf side, as covered in our guide to kings arriving in the Gulf. The cobia run can pass close to the beaches and reefs. Gag grouper, Spanish mackerel and lane and mangrove snapper are also on the list.
Summer
Red snapper, vermilion snapper and grouper work the reefs. Amberjack tend to stack on reefs, barges and towers. Mahi-mahi can show offshore, and mahi-mahi in the Gulf covers where they tend to run. For rigging and finding weedlines, see mahi-mahi tactics. Wahoo can show alongside mahi in deeper trolling water.
Autumn
Gag grouper tend to peak. Red snapper, king mackerel, cobia and black sea bass are also on the reefs.
Florida’s rules, licensing and the State Reef Fish Angler designation are on our Florida page. Check FWC’s State Reef Fish Angler rules before you fish, because reef-fish seasons change by quota.
