Merritts Millpond

Merritts Millpond

Merritt’s Millpond, a nationally recognized redear sunfish fishery, is fed by Jackson County’s Blue Springs, a collection of springs popular with cave divers, swimmers and families seeking cool salvation from Florida’s hot summer sun. The springs stay at a constant 70 degrees year-round. Jackson County leases the springs from the state, and is dedicated to making the springs one of the county’s great attractions.

The 202-acre millpond has produced seven state record and two world record redear sunfish. Merritt’s Millpond is unique, having incredibly clear and hard water, which supports a large population of snails, a favorite treat for redear sunfish, among numerous other fish. Sport fishing is a lucrative business in Jackson County.

In the late 1800s, the Blue Springs were impounded in order to build and operate a grist mill. The mill created a reservoir—the seven-kilometer-long Merrit’s Millpond. At one time, Florida Public Utilities powered a small electric generated plant by harvested the energy of the water in the area, where the millpond dam is now located.

Hardwood swamps and hammocks, freshwater marshes and lush aquatic plants and cypresses dominate the shores of Merritt’s Millpond. This vital ecology supports an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, loggerhead musk turtles, Suwannee cooter and snakes, not to mention a variety of fish such as largemouth bass, bluegill, spotted sunfish, a large population of applesnail and the aforementioned redear sunfish.