Florida's legendary fossil river. Ice-age megafauna mixed with Miocene sharks: mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth, megalodon - all in one screen.
Prime conditions today. Moderate W winds (7 mph).
Next 3 days: Next few days look steady — all prime-range. Pick whatever fits your schedule.
This site does not depend on a tidal low. Hunt during the coolest, brightest part of the day and use the wind and conditions notes below.
Impact on visibility and stir-up over the next 5 days.
River sites score on water level vs. recent rain. Low + clear = best; storms muddy the gauge and drop the score.
Exceptional. Don't sit on this one.
We are deliberate about which factors to include. These are not currently in the model:
If you think we should add one of these, log a hunt with notes — every rated outcome helps us decide which signals actually predict tooth count.
SWFWMD declared a Modified Phase III 'Extreme' Water Shortage in March 2026 (Polk, Hardee, DeSoto counties). The Lake Hancock water-control structure was closed to protect lake levels — cutting off discharge to the Upper Peace River. Sections from Lake Hancock to Fort Meade are expected to run dry. The Arcadia USGS gauge is in the 5th historical percentile. This is a once-in-a-decade collecting window: gravel bars normally underwater are walkable.
NOAA predicting strong drought conditions across Florida and Georgia through summer 2026.
Wade the gravel bars in DRY SEASON (Dec-April) when river is low. Screen the gravel into a sifter, swirl, look for black.
Multiple public ramps: Brownville Park, Gardner Boat Ramp, Pioneer Park (Zolfo Springs).
Florida Fossil Permit (~$5/yr) required for ALL river fossil collecting. Vertebrate finds get reported on the annual form. Easy & fair.
Trophy = headline find · Rare = real score · Uncommon = some trips · Common = most trips.
The beachcomber's bonus round — what else the geology gives up.
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