APALACHICOLA RIVER
(Jackson, Gadsden, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, and Franklin counties):
The Apalachicola River runs from Lake Seminole, on the
Florida-Georgia border at Chattahoochee, 106 miles south through the
Panhandle to the Gulf of Mexico, at the town of Apalachicola. In
terms of volume of water discharged, it is Florida's largest river.
The Apalachicola River has many areas for good fishing, the best
areas are the upper river, which is influenced by discharge from
Lake Seminole, and the lower river, which is influenced by
Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Bag and size limits follow
those for Northwest Florida, which include a 12-inch minimum size
limit for largemouth bass (bag limit of five) and an 18-inch minimum
size limit for striped bass (bag limit of three).
The lower Apalachicola River consists
of the main river channel and the distributaries which form the
delta: the St. Marks River, Little St. Marks River, and East River.
Shoreline access is available only from the public docks on the
waterfront in Apalachicola and at the City Dock (Ten-foot Hole)
under the Hwy. 98 Bridge. Public boating access include the City
Dock, Gardner Landing on East River, Cash Creek off of Hwy. 65, and
Magnolia Bluff on the east end of the Hwy 98 Bridge in East Point.
Private launching facilities can be found at several marinas in
Apalachicola, in East Point, and Howard's Creek off the Brother's
River, and on Searcy Creek (Intracoastal Waterway) in White City.
FWC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service annually stock striped
bass and sunshine bass in the lower river.
Striped bass and sunshine bass fishing in the
lower Apalachicola River and the Intracoastal Waterway should
improve during the fall. Many of these fish should have
remained in the lower river through the past summer and should
provide excellent light-tackle or fly rod action through the fall.
Larger fish that have been aestivating in cool water refuges in
other parts of the system during summer months will begin foraging
throughout the lower river as water temperatures decline in late
October and early November. Best bets will be bottom fishing with
shrimp, live or fresh, near the mouths of the Apalachicola, St.
Marks, Little St. Marks, and East rivers, and along the Gulf County
Canal and Intracoastal Waterway near Port St. Joe and White City.
Larger striped bass may be more readily caught with bucktail jigs or
crankbaits near bridge pilings and along deep channels and
drop-offs. For best results, fish the outgoing tides at the river
mouths or the slack tides near bridge pilings. The bag limit for
stripers, hybrids, and white bass is 20 fish per day, aggregate, but
only three may be striped bass and must be a minimum of 18 inches
total length. Fall is normally a time for good largemouth bass
fishing in the lower river. Dipping live shrimp along the steeper,
grass-lined banks of the St. Marks and East rivers and the smaller
sloughs, such as Montgomery Slough and Saltwater Creek, is one of
the more popular methods. Spinner baits fished along the banks and
weed lines of the larger channels and in Lake Wimico are also
productive. As water temperatures drop, speckled trout and redfish
will also move into the lower reaches of the Apalachicola and the
distributaries. Bucktails, spoons, crankbaits, and live or dead
shrimp should all be productive. Flathead catfish fishing is
excellent, use live bream or shad in deep water structure during
daylight hours and adjacent shallow sand bars at night. Channel
catfish should also be biting use stink bait or anything smelly and
you should do well.
The upper Apalachicola River has good
shore access from Jim Woodruff Dam to Race Shoal (0.9 miles) on the
east bank, and from the dam to Hwy. 90 (0.6 miles) on the west bank.
Access above Hwy 90 is on Corps of Engineers (COE) property and
includes a fishing catwalk adjacent to the powerhouse at the dam.
Boat landings are also located at Chattahoochee, Sneads, Aspalaga
(Navigation Mile 98.9), and Ocheesee (NM93.9).
Expect water levels to remain low through
October and November. Striped bass and sunshine bass fishing in the
tailrace of Jim Woodruff Dam and the upper Apalachicola River will
improve as water temperatures decline around the end of October or
beginning of November. During early morning and evening hours,
stripers and hybrids will school near the surface and should be
readily taken on topwater plugs and crankbaits. During the day,
fishing on the bottom with live shad, shiners, or small eels will
likely be more productive. The bag limit for stripers, hybrids, and
white bass is 20 fish per day, aggregate, but only three may be
striped bass that must be 18 inches in length. There is no size
limit for hybrids or white bass.
For more information contact Riverview Bait & Tackle (850-663-2462)
in Chattahoochee, Bay City Marina (850-653-9294) or Scipio Creek
Marina (850-653-8030) in Apalachicola, and Fisherman’s Choice
(850-670-8808) in Eastpoint.
