This is really two fisheries split by one dam. Above Deer Point Lake Dam, you're fishing fresh water for largemouth bass, crappie, and bream. Below it, you're in brackish North Bay proper, fishing redfish and speckled trout. Figure out which side you're fishing before you buy a license — the two sides need different ones. Start at Leslie Porter Wayside Park for the bay side, or McCall-Everitt Park if you want a shot at both from one parking lot.
North Bay sits in Bay County, part of the St. Andrew Bay estuary system, split by Deer Point Lake Dam into a freshwater reservoir on one side and a brackish bay on the other.
Target Species
On the freshwater side, above the dam: largemouth bass, bluegill, and black crappie are the standard targets, with channel, blue, and flathead catfish rounding things out. Redear, redbreast, warmouth, and spotted sunfish are all present too. Spotted bass and striped bass show up on the range list for this water; treat them as a possible bonus rather than something to plan a trip around.
On the brackish side, below the dam: redfish are a year-round target, holding around oyster bars, grass flats, and other structure. Speckled trout are the other headline fish, most active in spring and summer, dropping into deeper water in late fall and winter. Flounder round out the inshore three, holding on sandy bottom and around structure, with a fall closure to work around.
Sunshine bass, a hatchery cross of striped and white bass, is the stocked, non-reproducing species on the freshwater side. It's a legitimate bonus catch, not a reason to plan around.
Fishing Spots
For the bay side, start at Leslie Porter Wayside Park. The ramp is free with four lanes, and it puts you right on North Bay proper, close to the grass flats redfish and trout work.
McCall-Everitt Park is worth knowing because it has boat ramps on both sides of the dam — one into Deer Point Lake, one into North Bay — so it's the single best stop if you're not sure yet which side you want to fish, or want to try both in one trip.
On the bay side, work grass flats early and late for redfish and trout, then drop into deeper water near the middle of the bay once the sun's high or the water cools. On the lake side, fish standard reservoir structure for bass and panfish — points, timber, and grass edges.
Day one, no local knowledge: launch at Leslie Porter Wayside Park and work the nearest grass flat at first light for redfish and trout.
Structure and Depth
The deepest mapped point on this water runs 41 feet. Below the dam, North Bay follows the pattern of the rest of St. Andrew Bay: shallow grass flats grading into deeper channels and muddy bottom, which is what lets you find fish shallow at dawn and dusk and deeper through the middle of the day. Above the dam, Deer Point Lake fishes like a standard Florida reservoir, with bass and panfish holding on points, timber, and grass.
When to Go
Redfish are a year-round target on the bay side — no closed season, no single month to plan around. Speckled trout peak in late spring through summer; the Western Panhandle management zone that covers Bay County closes to trout harvest every February, so skip that month if trout are the goal. Flounder fishing is best outside the fall spawning closure, October 15 through November 30, when harvest is closed statewide.
On the freshwater side, bass and panfish fish year-round with no comparable seasonal closure to plan around.
Tactics
For redfish and trout on the flats: topwater plugs and suspending twitchbaits at dawn, dropping to 3 to 6 feet once the sun's up. In late fall through winter, slow-worked soft plastics on light jig heads or live shrimp fished tight to bottom in the deeper channels and muddy areas that hold warmer water.
For bass and panfish above the dam: standard reservoir presentations around points, timber, and grass edges — nothing about this water calls for anything unusual.
Regulations
Below the dam, in North Bay proper, you need a Florida saltwater fishing license — a resident annual costs $17, a nonresident annual costs $47, and Florida residents fishing from shore can get a saltwater shoreline license at no cost. Redfish run 1 a day, 18 to 27 inches. Speckled trout, under the Western Panhandle zone that covers Bay County, run 3 a day, 15 to 19 inches, with one over-slot fish allowed per vessel or per shore angler, and the season closes every February. Flounder closes statewide October 15 through November 30 — check the current bag and size limit before you fish.
Above the dam, in Deer Point Lake, you need a Florida freshwater license instead — same $17 resident and $47 nonresident annual pricing, bought separately from the saltwater license. Black bass run 5 a day, only one 16 inches or longer, no minimum size. Black crappie run 25 a day, no minimum size. Panfish — bluegill, redear, warmouth, spotted sunfish, redbreast — run 50 a day combined. Channel catfish carry no daily limit.
Both sides: anyone 16 or older needs the appropriate license, with no grace period for visitors, and short-term nonresident options exist at a county tax collector's office. Regulations can change, so anglers should verify the current rules with the state wildlife agency before fishing.
Access
By boat, brackish side: Leslie Porter Wayside Park has a free, four-lane concrete ramp directly on North Bay. McCall-Everitt Park's North Bay ramp offers a second option, two lanes, also free. Shoreline Circle, on Pretty Bayou, is another free single-lane option nearby.
By boat, freshwater side: McCall-Everitt Park's Deer Point Lake ramp, two lanes and free, sits on the opposite side of the same park from its bay-side ramp. Deer Point Lake Public Access Area adds a pier if you want bank access to the lake instead.
From shore: Leslie Porter Wayside Park has bank access alongside its ramp. Deer Point Lake Dam Pier and Deer Point Lake Public Access Area both offer real shore fishing on the freshwater side.
Safety
Afternoon thunderstorms build fast on the Florida Panhandle in summer, and Florida leads the country in lightning deaths — get off the water at the first rumble. Stingrays are common on the bay-side flats — shuffle your feet when wading rather than stepping down hard. Watch boat traffic near any ramp on summer weekends.
Ecology and Advisories
Specific, dated consumption advisories for this water weren't confirmed for either side. Check the state's current fish consumption advisory tool before you plan to keep and eat what you catch, on either side of the dam.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Two real fisheries, fresh and brackish, a short drive apart
- Free, multi-lane ramps on both sides of the dam
- Year-round redfish and bass, no season to plan around for either
Cons:
- Different license required depending which side you fish
- No confirmed consumption advisory data for this water
- Nearest major airports on file both run well over 200 miles
Final Verdict
Decide which side of the dam you're fishing before you leave home — it changes your license and your whole game plan. The bay side, starting at Leslie Porter Wayside Park, is the stronger pick for redfish and trout, best in spring and summer for trout and open year-round for redfish. The lake side above the dam is a standard bass-and-panfish reservoir with no real seasonal wrinkle. McCall-Everitt Park is the one stop that puts both within reach if you want to fish both in the same trip.
