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St. Johns River, Florida -- River and Coastal Fishing Maps

St. Johns River is a huge watershed rising from broad marshlands about 25 miles from south Florida's Lake Okeechobee. It travels 300 miles northward where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport, near Jacksonville. It nearly splits the state. The total drop in elevation is only around 30 feet making the St. Johns River a very lazy river. St. Johns River is a favorite of Florida anglers.

From an angler's standpoint, the large St. Johns River watershed can be divided into three broad categories - freshwater, brackish and salt. The St. Johns River is very well known as a largemouth hot-spot. The wide and lazy flow, the abundance of small lakes, and the many streams and canals feeding the St. Johns River combine to virtually guarantee excellent largemouth. These same characteristics also guarantee bluegill, striped bass, shellcrackers, warmouth, crappie, chain pickerel and other freshwater fish in very productive numbers.

The mouth of St. Johns River is nearly four-miles wide mouth. The freshwater-saltwater mix produces good habitat for tarpon, redfish, specks, cobia, bluefish, black drum, jack crevalle, flounder, little tunny (bonito), shad, striped bass and just about every other species you would expect in brackish waters. January through March brings a very productive American shad run up the river caught for fun and shad roe. Note that the very gradual elevation change causes the brackish waters to extend well upstream from the mouth.

Offshore from the river mouth (the Atlantic) you will catch kingfish, Spanish mackerel, sailfish, blue and white marlin, barracuda, tuna, dolphin, wahoo, grouper, snapper, amberjack, sea bass and various sharks in abundance. By any measure, the St. Johns River should be included on the world's short list of great rivers. The maps below will help you enjoy fishing the St. Johns River, Florida.