St. Marks Outfitters

St. Marks Outfitters operates out of Port Leon Drive in the small Gulf coast town of St. Marks, where the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers come together before opening into Apalachee Bay. It is a short drive south of Tallahassee, close enough for a day trip but positioned right where the Big Bend’s inshore fishing and paddling opportunities actually happen, rather than trying to run trips from an office in the city.

The outfitter is run by Capt. Mike McNamara, and the business is built around two related activities: coastal inshore fishing charters and guided kayak trips through some of the most protected water in the region. The charters focus heavily on redfish working the grass flats, a specialty that reflects the Big Bend’s reputation among anglers who chase reds in skinny water rather than offshore species. For families or beginners, the outfitter also runs a Little Anglers program designed specifically to introduce kids to fishing in a low pressure setting, a detail that separates a shop focused on serious guiding from one that only caters to experienced anglers.

On the paddling side, guided kayak trips move through the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, one of the oldest refuges in the country and a place where alligators, wading birds, and migratory waterfowl are part of the regular scenery depending on the season. Calling these trips eco adventures is not just marketing language here, the refuge genuinely functions as a wildlife viewing destination as much as a paddling route, and having a guide along means visitors are more likely to actually spot what is out there instead of paddling past it.

Because the business is run directly by its owner rather than through a call center or franchise structure, communication tends to go straight to the person running the boat. The outfitter keeps an active Facebook page for updates, and reservations and questions about pricing are handled by phone or through the business’s own email address rather than an online booking system, which is typical for a small operation built around one captain and a limited number of trips per day.

For Tallahassee residents who want to fish the flats or paddle the refuge without owning a boat or spending years learning the water themselves, St. Marks Outfitters offers a direct route in, guided by someone who works these specific waters regularly rather than a generalist tour company covering multiple counties.