The Escambia River: The Conecuh's Last 54 Miles to Pensacola Bay

Called the Conecuh in Alabama, it changes names at the Florida line. The state counts 85 native freshwater fish here, more than any other Florida river.

Written by Atlas Editorial · Last updated November 12, 2026

The Escambia River is the Florida end of Alabama's Conecuh River: 54 of its 92 miles run through Santa Rosa and Escambia counties to Pensacola Bay. It holds 85 native freshwater fish species.

Conecuh River (Alabama) / Escambia River (Florida) — drains to Pensacola Bay

Before you go

High water and flooding can make the upper river hard to fish, and in low water some concrete ramps sit out of the water; the state names Bluff Springs, Oil Plant, Sandy Landing and Mystic Springs as problem ramps. For advice it lists the Blackwater Fisheries Research and Development Center near Holt, 850-957-6175, and Becks Lake Fish Camp, 850-375-0383. Fish camps on Highway 90: Jim's Fish Camp, 850-994-7500, and Swamp House Marina and Landing, 850-478-9906.

Segment 1

Lower river and delta: Highway 90 to Escambia Bay

The tidal delta. Three fish camps along Highway 90 between Pensacola and Pace put you straight into the lower river and the delta marshes, and a public landing at Floridatown sits just below the river mouth on the northeast shore of Escambia Bay.

Species on this reach

Redfish, flounder, speckled trout and striped bass

Follow the baitfish into the lower river. A MirrOdine twitch bait, jerkbait or soft plastic shrimp on a light jig head around deep holes, docks, seawalls and bridges. For stripers, dusk, dawn or night with large live mullet or menhaden.

Bream

The marsh fingers and basins of the lower river and around the power plant, on a 1/32 ounce beetle spin or a skirted tube.

Largemouth bass

Move into shallow backwater creeks and basins in fall; fast spinnerbaits, buzzbaits or bladed jigs.

Access points

Archie Glover Park Boat Ramp — Milton, Santa Rosa County. 4-lane ramp. GPS 30.53469, -87.12286.
Archie Glover Park Paddlecraft Launch — Milton, Santa Rosa County. Hand launch. GPS 30.53510, -87.12265.
Avalon Public Boat Ramp #1 - Mulat Boat Ramp — Milton, Santa Rosa County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.54871, -87.10502.
Avalon Public Boat Ramp #2 CLOSED (No Parking - Not Recommended) — Milton, Santa Rosa County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.54543, -87.09280.
Floridatown Park and Boat Ramp — Milton, Santa Rosa County. 2-lane ramp. GPS 30.58106, -87.16154.
Garcon Point Public Boat Ramp — Milton, Santa Rosa County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.44471, -87.10167.
Indian Bayou Public Boat Ramp — Milton, Santa Rosa County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.52403, -87.09290.
Jim's Fish Camp — Milton, Santa Rosa County. 2-lane ramp. Launch fee. GPS 30.57518, -87.18395.
Simpson River Fishing Pier and Canoe Launch — Milton, Santa Rosa County. Hand launch. GPS 30.57899, -87.18207.

Seasonal notes

The state's forecast is for fall, when baitfish move into the lower river and gamefish follow. No dated catch report is published that we can cite.

Regulations

Saltwater species in the lower river follow Florida's saltwater rules. Striped bass, sunshine bass and white bass: 20 a day in total, of which only 3 may be striped bass, and each striped bass must be 18 inches or longer. No size limit on sunshine or white bass.

Always verify current statewide and lake-specific rules at /regulations/ before fishing.

Segment 2

Upper river: Quintette to the Alabama line

Quintette Landing, off Highway 184 north of Pace, reaches both the upper and lower river and its backwaters. Becks Lake, off Highway 29, gives still water plus a way into the river. Upriver landings the state names: Molino, Sandy Landing (closed January 1 to February 15), Webb Lake, McDavid (Mystic Springs), Cotton Lake, Bluff Springs, Kyser Landing, Fisher Landing at Century and Oil Plant north of Jay.

Species on this reach

Largemouth bass

Fast spinnerbaits, buzzbaits or bladed jigs in Williams Ditch and Becks Lake as bass move into backwater creeks and basins.

Bream

Williams Ditch and Cotton Lake, on small beetle spins or skirted tubes.

Black crappie

Good numbers reported late in fall on the upper river: live minnows or jigs on logjams, weed beds and cover near deep water at Cotton Lake, Big Escambia Creek and around the Chumuckla Springs ramp.

Flathead catfish

Live bait on a 6/0 to 10/0 kahle or circle hook, held on the bottom in deep holes, backwater basins, current breaks and logjams.

Access points

Beck's Lake Fish Camp - Harvester's Landing (annual pass required) — Cantonment, Escambia County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.62614, -87.26558.
Becks Lake Fish Camp Pay Ramp — Cantonment, Escambia County. 1-lane ramp. Launch fee. GPS 30.62322, -87.26791.
Bluff Springs Landing — Century, Escambia County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.92698, -87.28660.
Bluff Springs Recreation Area - Escambia River Canoe Access — Century, Escambia County. Hand launch. GPS 30.93425, -87.26954.
Bogia Public Boat Ramp — Mc David, Escambia County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.84043, -87.31252.
Cotton Lake Recreation Area Boat Ramp — Mc David, Escambia County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.78467, -87.31413.
Little Williams Landing (Small Boats Only) — Mc David, Escambia County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.87728, -87.31306.
Molino Public Boat Ramp — Molino, Escambia County. 2-lane ramp. GPS 30.72374, -87.30603.
Mystic Springs Recreation Area — Mc David, Escambia County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.85521, -87.31166.
Smith's Fish Camp Pay Ramp — Pensacola, Escambia County. 2-lane ramp. Launch fee. GPS 30.54694, -87.19478.
Swamphouse Marina and Landing — Pensacola, Escambia County. 3-lane ramp. Launch fee. GPS 30.54700, -87.19636.
Chumuckla Springs Public Boat Ramp — Jay, Santa Rosa County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.82947, -87.29768.
Keyser Landing Boat Ramp — Jay, Santa Rosa County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.75990, -87.29063.
Terrell Landing - McDavid Public Boat Ramp — Jay, Santa Rosa County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.97576, -87.18898.
Webb Landing Public Boat Ramp — Milton, Santa Rosa County. 1-lane ramp. GPS 30.73246, -87.28498.

Seasonal notes

Late fall brings the crappie reports on the upper river, and bass shift into the backwaters. Check the river stage first: high water makes the upper river hard to fish. No dated catch report is published that we can cite.

Regulations

Bream may be used as bait only if caught and fished on hook and line. Bass follow Florida's statewide rule of 5 a day.

Always verify current statewide and lake-specific rules at /regulations/ before fishing.

Fishing regulations, generation schedules, and water conditions change. Alabama Fishing Atlas provides informational content only. Verify all regulations with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before fishing, keeping any fish, or launching watercraft. We are not liable for decisions made based on information published here. Full disclaimer →

Data sources

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Escambia River — https://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/sites-forecasts/nw/escambia-river/ (description, access, limits and forecast; checked 2026-11-12)
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Boat Ramp Inventory — https://gis.myfwc.com (ramp names, positions, lanes; retrieved 2026-11-12)

Data last reviewed: 2026-11-12