Lake Talquin fishing: Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill
Target species: Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear, Spotted Sunfish, Striped Bass, White Bass
Best months: Jan, Feb for Black Crappie
Second window: Mar, Apr, May for Largemouth Bass
Boat: 14 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Coe Landing, 2 lanes, concrete.
The lake
Lake Talquin covers 8,113 acres in Florida, across 2 counties: Leon and Gadsden. It is a lake: 91.6% of it is 22 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 34 feet (10.4 m). Our records hold 24 species for this water.
7 target fish, led by Black Crappie
- Black Crappie (speck, specks) — Best months: Jan, Feb. Spawns Feb, Mar, Apr. Holds in open water and weed beds. What works here: minnow, grass shrimp, jig, bobber and drifting.
- Largemouth Bass (Florida bass, black bass) — Best months: Mar, Apr, May. Spawns Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May. A trophy starts at 8 lb. Holds in weed beds, open water and drop-offs. What works here: golden shiner, plastic worm, soft plastic, crankbait and topwater.
- Bluegill (bream) — Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug. Holds in shallow flats and spillways. What works here: worm and cricket.
- Redear (shellcracker, bream) — Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul. Spawns Mar, Apr. What works here: worm and cricket.
- Spotted Sunfish (stumpknocker) — Best months: May, Jun, Sep. Usually 0.25–0.5 lb. Holds in timber and stumps. What works here: grass shrimp, worm, cricket, fly and beetle-spin.
- Striped Bass (striper, Gulf striped bass) — Best months: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr. Usually 4–12 lb. Holds in current, spillways, deep holes and drop-offs. What works here: lipless crankbait, crankbait, jig, trolling and live bait.
- White Bass (whites) — Best months: Feb, Mar. Spawns Feb, Mar. A trophy starts at 2.5 lb. Holds in current, rock and shallow flats. What works here: fly, spinnerbait and minnow.
Also recorded here: Channel Catfish, Spotted Gar, Chain Pickerel, White Catfish, Warmouth, Flier, Redbreast, Sunshine Bass, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 34 ft (10.4 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 91.6% of the water is 22 feet or shallower. We hold 227 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–2 ft: 11% of the water
- 2–4 ft: 7.8% of the water
- 4–6 ft: 11.4% of the water
- 6–8 ft: 12.3% of the water
- 8–10 ft: 11.1% of the water
- 10–12 ft: 8.1% of the water
- 12–14 ft: 6.9% of the water
- 14–16 ft: 5.7% of the water
- 16–18 ft: 7.3% of the water
- 18–20 ft: 6.3% of the water
- 20–22 ft: 3.7% of the water
- 22–24 ft: 3.3% of the water
- 24–26 ft: 2.4% of the water
- 26–28 ft: 1.9% of the water
- 28–30 ft: 0.7% of the water
- 30–32 ft: 0.2% of the water
14 ramps and launches on this water
On this water we hold 13 trailer ramps, 1 hand launch and 4 fishing piers.
- Lake Talquin State Forest - High Bluff Recreation Area — 2 lanes, concrete, parking for 8 trailers (firm unpaved), no fee, open around the clock, dock. On Ochlockonee River, Quincy, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consermer Services. High Bluff Landing Road Road, Quincy 32351 · phone (850) 681-5953 · website fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Our-Forests/State-Forests/Lake-Talquin-State-Forest
- Pat Thomas Park (aka. Hopkins Landing) — 2 lanes, concrete, parking for 8 trailers (soft unpaved), paid, flush restrooms, wheelchair access. Quincy, Gadsden County. 949 Hopkins Landing Road, Quincy 32351 · phone (850) 510-7784 · website gadsdencountyfl.gov/departments/parks_and_recreation/index.php
- Coe Landing — 2 lanes, concrete, parking for 39 trailers (paved), open around the clock, flush restrooms. On Ochlockonee River, Tallahassee, Leon County. 1208 Coe Landing Road, Tallahassee 32310 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
- Williams Landing — 2 lanes, concrete, parking for 11 trailers (paved), open around the clock, portable restrooms. Tallahassee, Leon County. 1045 Williams Landing Road, Tallahassee 32310 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
- Blount Landing — 1 lane, concrete, parking for 14 trailers (firm unpaved), no fee, open around the clock, dock. Tallahassee, Leon County. 24371 Lanier Street, Tallahassee 32310 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
- Luther Hall Landing — 1 lane, concrete, parking for 13 trailers (paved), open around the clock, flush restrooms. Tallahassee, Leon County. 2997 Luther Hall Road, Tallahassee 32310 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
- Ben Stoutamire Landing — 1 lane, concrete, parking for 3 trailers (paved), no fee, open around the clock, flush restrooms. Tallahassee, Leon County. 2552 Ben Stoutamire Road, Tallahassee 32310 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
- Jack Vause Landing — 1 lane, concrete, parking for 6 trailers (soft unpaved), open around the clock. Tallahassee, Leon County. 14876 Jack Vause Landing Road, Tallahassee 32310 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
- Wainwright Landing — 1 lane, concrete, parking for 5 trailers (soft unpaved), no fee, open around the clock. Tallahassee, Leon County. 4135 Wainwright Road, Tallahassee 32310 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
- Ingram's Marina — 1 lane, concrete, paid, portable restrooms. Quincy. 354 Lois Lane, Quincy 32351 · website ingramsmarina.com
Car-top and kayak launches — no trailer
- Elk Horn Landing Canoe Access — hand launch, natural bank, parking for 4 cars, no fee, open around the clock. Tallahassee, Leon County. 3997 Elkhorn Rd, Tallahassee 32310 · website cms.leoncountyfl.gov/Home/Departments/Office-of-Resource-Stewardship/Parks-and-Recreation/Boat-Landings?page23314=1&size23314=50
Fishing piers
- Coes Landing — no fee, daylight hours, fish-cleaning table, restrooms, drinking water, boat dock. Tallahassee, Leon County. Coes Landing Rd., Tallahassee 32310
- High Bluff Landing — no fee, open around the clock, restrooms, drinking water, wheelchair access. Midway, FL Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. High Bluff Landing Rd., Midway 32310
- Lake Talquin State Park — park entry fee, open 8am–6pm, restrooms, drinking water. Tallahassee, FL Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks. 14850 Jack Vause Landing Road, Tallahassee 32310
- Pat Thomas Park — no fee, open 6am–10pm, lit for night fishing, restrooms, drinking water, boat dock, wheelchair access. Quincy, Gadsden County. 949 Hopkins Landing Rd., Quincy 32351
7 of the 15 places listed have both a fee and opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
Water and conditions
Water clarity runs 1.8–3.6 feet on our readings, averaging 2.7 feet, from 357 readings. Our water temperature readings average 76°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 45°F and the warmest is 93°F; the warmest monthly average is 87°F. pH averages 7.2. These readings span 2016–2025.
Stocking: 284,529 fish, 2010–2021
FWC records list 284,529 fish released into this water from 2010 to 2021. The latest stocking on record is from 2021, more than three years ago.
- Largemouth Bass: 94,364 fingerlings, sub adults in 2015–2017
- White Bass: 73,500 in 2021
- Striped Bass: 50,643 phase I fish in 2010
2 more species on the stocking list.
What is hard here
Wind is the limit, not the fish: 8,113 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. Winter water drops to 60°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do. Alligators live in Florida fresh water. Keep clear of the bank edge at dawn and dusk, and keep pets away from it. Summer water sits at 87°F: heat and afternoon lightning are the real risks, not the fishing.
Where this data comes from
- Florida FWC — FWC Florida lake bathymetry: class A, a survey of the bottom.
