Apalachicola River - Dam to Coast Trip

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This trip is a mix of fishing and sightseeing. We start at the Jim Woodruff Dam, travel 110 miles down the river and end the trip camping on a salt water barrier island. You will start the trek seeing Florida’s limestone bluffs and some of the rarest forests, including the Torreya tree, in the Southeast. We will see the highest bluffs in the state and have a chance to see otters, bear, hogs, and deer. We will run about 60 miles and set up a river side campsite on one of the many sandbars. This first day you will be freshwater fishing with the possibly to catch panfish, bass, crappie, striped bass, and catfish. However, we normally target large Flathead Catfish. 

The following day we will continue down the river to the gulf and knock off the remaining 50 or so miles of the trip. On the way down we will take a short stop at the Dead Lakes to see this unique landscape of Cypress trees sitting in the quiet waters. There will be a half day of saltwater fishing where you will target Redfish, Speckled Trout, Tripletail, and maybe even the occasional Tarpon. The day will end at one of the many undeveloped barrier islands with options for games like cornhole and bocce ball. Shore fishing is available within walking distance of the campsite for any fishing addicts in the group. 

This trip is contingent upon the water level of the Apalachicola River. If the river is too high, then there is nowhere to camp. I If it’s too low, we might lose our engine to a rock or two. As a backup plan, we can run the Apalachicola Coastal trip for the cost of the Coastal trip.

Day 1: 10:00 am EST: Meet at the Apalachicola Boat Ramp and shuttle the 2 hours to the put-in at Jim Woodruff dam where the boat will be waiting. We will officially push off from the dock around 12:00pm EST. There will be a 50 to 60 mile run by boat with intermittent fishing along the way. 

Day 2: Leave in the morning with a 50 to 60 mile run by boat to the coast. We will stop at the Dead Lakes for about 30 minutes. The goal is to get to the coast around 12:00 pm EST for a half day of saltwater fishing.  

Day 3: We will be back to the boat ramp by 12:00 pm EST, so you can also expect one last round of fishing that morning. 

1. You are allowed up to two 65 Quart or smaller coolers per group. 

2. Each person gets a 40 litter dry bag for personal items. We recommend the following items:

       a. Light pair of long paints (not cotton)

       b. Light long sleeve shirt (not cotton)

       c. Hat

       d. Sunscreen

       e. Bug spray

       f. Sunglasses

       g. Shoes that can get wet

3. Alcoholic beverages or anything other beverages besides water.