Lake Talquin

Lake Talquin is a reservoir on the Ochlockonee River between Leon and Gadsden counties in north Florida. It lies about 10 miles west of Tallahassee, and its name joins the names of Tallahassee and Quincy. The lake formed in 1927, when the Jackson Bluff Dam was built on the Ochlockonee to generate hydroelectric power. Florida Power Corporation built the 60-foot earthen dam, and the plant there is one of only two hydroelectric plants in Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) gives the lake's size as 8,800 acres, with an average depth of 15 feet and a maximum depth of 40 feet. Other sources give figures from about 7,800 to 12,000 acres. The lake is almost 20 miles long and mostly about 1 mile wide. In 1971 Florida Power Corp. gave about 20,000 acres of uplands and 10,000 acres of lake bottom to the state.

FWC counts 7 public boat ramps on the Leon County side, along State Road 20, and 3 on the Gadsden County side. Leon County maintains Ben Stoutamire, Blount, Coe, Elkhorn, Hall, Vause, Wainwright and Williams landings, with county campgrounds at Coe, Luther Hall and Williams landings. Gadsden County operates Pat Thomas Park at Hopkins Landing. The Florida Forest Service's Lake Talquin State Forest has a boat ramp at High Bluff on the north shore and another at Bloxham. Canoes, kayaks and power boats are all allowed on the lake. Most of the lake is shallow except along the old river channel, and submerged stumps at the eastern end are a hazard to boats.

The lake is known nationally for black crappie, with the best fishing from January through April. The Florida State University Crew Club rows on the lake.