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The Aucilla also offers
excellent fishing during the winter months. Starting in
November and lasting until February seatrout and redfish
move into the river in large numbers. Anywhere in the bottom
mile of the river you will find fish in great abundance.
Find a spot near the channel or any other submerged
structure, set anchor and start throwing your favorite trout
lure. The odds of missing the fish are almost nil. People
come from as far away as Alabama to experience the quality
fishing offered during the cooler months of the year. Some
of the finest holes are within a hundred yards of the lower
boat launch. Many anglers will never even start their motors
except to load their boats back on to their trailers. There
are some lures that work better than others. The best lure
for redfish is a gold spoon and the best for trout is a hot
pink shallow diving crankbait. The big decision is which
fish is your primary target. You will find that you will
catch both species regardless of the lure you choose. Any
shallow running crankbait will catch its share of fish and
of course all the usual natural baits are a sure success.
There are several reasons why
the Aucilla river remains a quality angling area. First is
the fact that it's located in the heart of Florida's largest
publicly owned coastline. Being far from major towns and
cities helps keep the Aucilla from feeling the same heavy
fishing pressure that other areas along the coast are
subject to. If you're planning an extended or overnight trip
to the Aucilla river there are a few things to keep in mind.
The nearest campground is twelve miles away. It's located on
another quality river, the Econfina. If you stay there it
will be easier to launch there, run out a mile and head west
down the coast until you see the Aucilla River entrance
marker. That will be just about four miles down the coast.
Other than camping there are motels thirty miles to the east
in Perry. If you are coming from the west your best
selection for places to stay will be in Tallahassee proper
but this will leave you with about a fifty mile drive to the
river.
Access to the river is
provided by two launch sites. The upper site is located one
mile east of Aucilla River bridge on route 98. This will be
the first left after the bridge if you are traveling east.
The lower launch is located on the right side one and half
miles beyond the bridge if you are traveling in the same
easterly direction. The lower launch is the by far the
launch of choice for saltwater anglers. By launching at the
lower ramp you will avoid about three miles of very tricky
running in the river. If you are coming from the east don't
worry if you pass the road to the lower launch. You will be
able to turn around just up the road at J.R.'s Aucilla River
store. J.R. is a topnotch fisherman and knows the river as
well as anyone alive. He is also the closest thing to a
guide the Aucilla has. He will be happy to bring you up to
date on the best patterns and locations as well as provide
you with any of the lures, bait or fuel you may need for the
trip. Take his advice about fishing or navigational hazards
seriously. As the local saying goes "nobody knows the
Aucilla like J.R.."
The Aucilla River is one of
those places that takes a little more work to get to and a
little more caution once you're there, but these are the
very things that make any wilderness exciting. If you would
like to see what Florida looks like without the tourist
trappings and enjoy some great fishing while you're at it
visit the Aucilla. This is one of the last wild Florida
rivers.
View Larger Map
Helpful additional links:
http://gulffishing.com/aucilla.html
http://www.bigbendfishing.net/about.htm
http://www.co.jefferson.fl.us/rectour/index.html
http://myfwc.com/recreation/aucilla/recreation.asp
http://www.floridasportsman.com/regions/bb/S_0210/index1.html
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/designated_paddle/Aucilla_guide.pdf |
river rises for bream and catfish. The Wacissa River offers
many angling opportunities for various species of bream.
Early mornings out of Goose Pasture campground can be
productive for largemouth bass. The Wacissa is one of only a
handful of rivers in north Florida with Suwannee bass, a
smaller cousin to the largemouth bass. This small bass can
be distinguished from the largemouth by its tan coloration
with dark brown markings, red eye, and absence of a notch
separating the two sections of the dorsal fin. Reference the
