Low tide access to creeks is limited by a buffer of skinny water running for a mile or more offshore.

It’s easier if we just call them the Ws. If you’re like most Florida residents, you probably have no clue where the Withlacoochee and Waccasassa bays are—let alone how to pronounce their Indian names. But for the anglers who regularly fish these rich, uncrowded waters, that’s just fine.

Misunderstandings, in fact, have kept outsiders guessing for years.

“The fishing’s great here in Yankeetown,” laughs Capt. Matt Fleming, “but that image of Elvis catching a tarpon with a canepole from the Bird Creek Bridge in his 1961 movie Follow That Dream is a bit misleading.”

Tucked between the more popular ports of Crystal River and Cedar Key, the Ws offer terrific fishing for seatrout, redfish and other inshore species. The never-finished Cross Florida Barge Canal leads to artificial reefs and natural limerock formations offshore, holding grouper, kingfish and cobia. Boat ramps are seldom crowded. “And yes,” says Fleming, “like in many other places on Florida’s west coast, tarpon are caught here, too!”

The Withlacoochee River, the more southern of the Ws, begins in the center of the state and empties into the Gulf of Mexico at Yankeetown. Access to the river mouth is from U.S. 19 at Inglis, about 10 miles north of Crystal River. Traveling through Inglis into Yankeetown on S.R. 40, you’ll pass several bait and tackle shops before reaching the Levy County public ramp at the end of the road. Yankeetown Marina, with the only marine fuel on the river and a good freshwater ramp, is just a short distance off S.R. 40 about midway between U.S. 19 and the Gulf.

To reach the Waccasassa, equally beautiful and virtually uninhabited, turn west at the village of Gulf Hammock, about 20 miles north of Inglis. Unlike the long, meandering Withlacoochee, the Waccasassa is navigable only a few miles from the Gulf to its only launching ramp, some four miles from U.S. 19. There are no fuel or food facilities on the Waccasassa, so plan your trip accordingly.

The two ramps put you within striking range of a lot of water, from the spoil banks and canal at Crystal River all the way to Tripod Point in northernmost Waccasassa Bay.

There’s something magical about the water temperature reaching 68 degrees in this part of the state. Insulated waders go back in the closet. Small mullet and mud minnows get frisky near creekmouths and light-colored shell bars. Reds and trout leave their deep creek hideyholes in search of free-ranging prey. Deepwater fish begin moving around, getting hungrier by the day. Sheepshead begin their spawning rituals on the close-in reefs.

For many anglers, the mouth of a creek—and there are many hereabouts—is the place to be on a sunny spring day. Rising tides seem to be the trick, and if you can get to areas north of the Waccasassa River mouth, you’ll do well using grubs or live shrimp under popping corks. Local guide Capt. Kenny Rees regularly fishes these areas using an airboat and also hangs around after the tide begins to fall, hoping to catch some of the many large fish holding back in the potholes in the creeks.

Getting to those creeks, however, takes some doing. Both rivers are rocky in places. The Waccasassa is the more hazardous, as it’s not well-marked, and has several shallow subsurface rockpiles in the middle of the river channel. Motoring seaward from the county ramp, be careful as you pass around the south side of the large island downriver. There are some huge, outboard-eating rocks here. I don’t recommend anyone run this river on plane, unless you’re a veteran of a few trips. Take it slow and enjoy the scenery and wildlife. Pristeen palm hammocks push up from the river marsh in every direction, and there’s always a chance of seeing bald eagles, which seem to have increased in numbers in recent years. Also, the excitement of spotting ospreys, turtles, alligator gar and an occasional manatee can make the trip from the ramp to the bay a treat for even the most seasoned outdoorsman. On a flood tide, it’s possible to move toward some of the creeks north and south of the Waccasassa mouth by running slowly, using your trolling motor or poling. But, as the tide falls, beware. Anything other than an airboat can get stuck for the duration of the tide cycle.