About Horse Creek, FL

Horse Creek is a 59-mile river that is located from Desoto County in Florida. It starts from the Peace River and flows to the Peace River State Forest and throughout Desoto County. You can even find it crossing through Hardee County until it reaches the Horse Creek Prairie Conservation Area. From there, it continues to flow throughout Hardee County and ends in Duette. 

The creek is a major tributary of the Peace River, that is why when the Rural Desoto County is targeted as the next phosphate mine in Florida, various movements to protect it rose. The Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC and the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority carried out a settlement agreement to ensure that mining won’t have any negative impact on the Horse Creek. 

There are many recreational sites nearby Horse Creek that you can visit if ever you would visit the place to fish. The best kayaking and canoeing site, which is the Horse Creek Majestic Kayak Getaway Preserve is just around the corner. 

All About Fishing in Horse Creek, FL

Horse Creek is a freshwater river that has the right levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. These minerals are necessary for the survival of the aquatic life in the river.

The river is a famous fishing spot in Desoto County, Florida. It houses several fish species such as largemouth bass, spotted gar, longnose gar, common snook, sword spine nook, black crappie, and Nile tilapia. Moreover, on the point near the Peace River, you may be able to spot some red drum, goliath grouper, bonnethead shark, and mangrove snapper. 

Varieties of gar, such as the spotted gar and longnose gar can be caught using baitcasting and topwater plugs. Both the spotted and longnose gar love live baits such as minnows, small bream, and perch. 

The common snook is an inshore gamefish that usually lives in mangroves and under docks. Live baits also work well in catching this fish species. It likes live baits too, such as shrimp, pilchards, mullets, and sardines. Lures are also helpful. You may try using a spook topwater fishing lure or darter jigheads. 

On the other hand, the goliath grouper can be very challenging to catch. You will need a very resistant rod and hook since it can put up a fight. You can use both live and dead baits to catch this fish. However, based on anglers’ observations, it seems to enjoy live baits more. 

Fishing in Horse Creek is surely fun. There are lots of interesting and challenging fish species to catch. However, you should make sure to observe the Florida Fishing Rules and Regulations. 

Fishing Seasonality

The largemouth bass can be enjoyed throughout the year. Just take note that the best time of the day to fish for it is by night because they feed more actively during this time. 

On the other hand, the peak season or gar varieties is during Summer, which is from June to September. The reason for this is that gar breathes oxygen. Since hot warmer tends to have low levels of oxygen, they rise up to gulp some air. 

Snook is more abundant during spring and fall and the peak months are April, May, September, and October. If you are after the goliath grouper instead, then the best time to target it is from April to July. 

Fishing Seasonality

The largemouth bass can be enjoyed throughout the year. Just take note that the best time of the day to fish for it is by night because they feed more actively during this time. 

On the other hand, the peak season or gar varieties is during Summer, which is from June to September. The reason for this is that gar breathes oxygen. Since hot warmer tends to have low levels of oxygen, they rise up to gulp some air. 

Snook is more abundant during spring and fall and the peak months are April, May, September, and October. If you are after the goliath grouper instead, then the best time to target it is from April to July. 

All About Fishing in Horse Creek, FL

Horse Creek is a freshwater river that has the right levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. These minerals are necessary for the survival of the aquatic life in the river.

The river is a famous fishing spot in Desoto County, Florida. It houses several fish species such as largemouth bass, spotted gar, longnose gar, common snook, sword spine nook, black crappie, and Nile tilapia. Moreover, on the point near the Peace River, you may be able to spot some red drum, goliath grouper, bonnethead shark, and mangrove snapper. 

Varieties of gar, such as the spotted gar and longnose gar can be caught using baitcasting and topwater plugs. Both the spotted and longnose gar love live baits such as minnows, small bream, and perch. 

The common snook is an inshore gamefish that usually lives in mangroves and under docks. Live baits also work well in catching this fish species. It likes live baits too, such as shrimp, pilchards, mullets, and sardines. Lures are also helpful. You may try using a spook topwater fishing lure or darter jigheads. 

On the other hand, the goliath grouper can be very challenging to catch. You will need a very resistant rod and hook since it can put up a fight. You can use both live and dead baits to catch this fish. However, based on anglers’ observations, it seems to enjoy live baits more. 

Fishing in Horse Creek is surely fun. There are lots of interesting and challenging fish species to catch. However, you should make sure to observe the Florida Fishing Rules and Regulations.