St. Marks Mullet Run

About St. Marks River Mouth

St. Marks marks the start of the Big Bend's marsh coast. Mullet gather in the lower rivers and the marsh creeks through the summer, then leave for Apalachee Bay and the Gulf when fall fronts and cooling water arrive.

The town is part of the story of Florida's mullet fishery — commercial netting families here were among those most affected by the 1994 net limitation amendment.

Why fish here during the run

• River-mouth staging: fish hold upriver, then exit together.
• The score includes St. Marks River flow as a freshwater-flush signal.
• The refuge shoreline is wild, shallow, and full of feeding birds in the fall.

Angler tips

• Watch the river mouth and the lighthouse flats on falling tides after a front.
• Birds working the shallows are the fastest way to find a moving school.
• Shallow water: check the tide before you launch or wade.

Access & conditions notes

• The lighthouse area is inside St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (entrance fee).
• Wind, pressure, and water temperature come from the NOAA Apalachicola station — distant, so local wind can differ.
• River flow is read from the St. Marks River gauge near Newport.

Map pin: 30.0780°N, 84.1780°W · St. Marks River entrance on Apalachee Bay; met via Apalachicola