FISHING TRADITIONS ON THE AUCILLA

George M. Cole and
John E. Ladson III
Aucilla Research Institute

Today, the Aucilla and its tributaries are known for excellent fishing. But, this is not a modern development. Since prehistoric times, the river has been widely used by humans for fishing.
Prehistoric Fishing - As the glaciers around the world melted at the end of the last glacial maximum, sea level rose and wetter conditions appeared. This resulted in greater amounts of fish and shellfish becoming part of the diet of early humans. As evidence of this, in all of the numerous Native American mounds along the lower Wacissa and the Slave Canal, oyster and other seafood shells appear to be the major content.
In addition to shellfish, the early inhabitants of this area were also dependent upon other types of seafood. As an illustration of this, fishhooks made from animal bone and dating from as far back as the Paleoindian era (14,500 – 11,500 BP) have been found in the Aucilla. Probably the most commonly-used fiber for making lines for such fishhooks was India Hemp or Dogbane (so named due to it being highly poisonous to dogs). This material was also used to weave nets for catching fish.
As a supplement to fishhooks and nets, weirs and traps were also used by early humans in the rivers and estuaries. Generally, wooden fish weirs were used in the Southeastern United States. Unfortunately, most of those in the Aucilla have long since deteriorated. Yet, remnants of a wooden weir were found in the near-by Wakulla River at the U.S. 98 bridge. That weir was dated between 300 BC and 300 AD and consisted of numerous wooden stakes driven into the river bottom sediment. The bottom of the stakes had survived because they were located in an underwater environment still mostly buried in sediment. Despite the rarity of stone fish weirs in this area, remnants of one have been found recently near the mouth of the Pin Hook River, a pre-historic a tributary of the Aucilla.
In addition to fish hooks, nets and weirs, poisons to stun or kill were also used to catch or gather fish. As an example, the red buckeye tree, which is found on the banks of the Aucilla and its tributaries, was used by Native Americans to concoct a fish-stunning substance. That tree, sometimes called the Firecracker tree due to its bright red flowers, is a shrub or small tree that has been found growing on prehistoric sites such as the Coonbottom Mound on the Wacissa Slave Canal.

Fishing During Early U.S. Period - For many of the new settlers in the area after Florida became a territory, fish was an essential part of their diet as with the Native Americans. One important species consumed was mullet. Although its desirability had been long recognized by the local Native American population, it also became an important food source for new residents in the region. The great mullet runs along the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast attracted much interest in the Fall of each year. “Seine yards” existed in select locations along the coast, and there would be annual pilgrimages with people camping and pulling seines for days in their quest for mullet. These fish also made large runs up the Aucilla River and through the Slave Canal to the Wacissa River.
As another example in the early U.S. period, local residents recognized that the clear shallow water and sandy bottom segments of the Wacissa Slave Canal offered a unique and efficient condition for arranging mullet traps. As described by lifelong resident Draden Padgett, Jr., a gill net assembly roughly sixty yards in length was laced along its sides with telephone wire and laid out across the sandy bottom. This was then rigged with ropes to a pulley mechanism suspended between trees. The control rope was taken to an elevated platform and connected to a pole for leverage. Someone on the platform could clearly view the Canal and the passage of fish. At an opportune moment, one end of the net could be raised to block the Canal, and the fish would begin to stack over the net. The entire net assembly could next be activated such that it would rise from the bottom enveloping everything over it and literally, suspend a large catch of fish in mid-air. The operator’s body weight coming off the platform combined with leverage from the pole and pulley supplied the required energy. The fishermen would then bring their wooden skiffs nearby and use a dip net to transfer the catch for transport to Nutall Rise for processing and salting down in wooden barrels for sale or barter. An interesting point regarding this ingenuous trap was its ability to also act as a holding pen for consideration in the era before refrigeration.
After the LOP&G railroad was extended across the Aucilla at Mandalay during the great timber boom, that location became an attraction for sports fishermen who would arrive by railroad. Around this time, a fish house also appeared near the railroad bridge as a place where local fishermen could sell their catch. In those days, fishermen from the lower Aucilla were also known to pole their boatloads of fish (primarily mullet) from the Aucilla through the Slave Canal and all the way to the head of the Wacissa River where they sold or bartered their catch.
Among the commercial fisherman and guides on the Aucilla circa 1940 – 1965 were Aaron Brown, Cephas Lewis, Draden Padgett, Sr., Lem Hartsfield and Eph Williams, Jr. Also guiding and fishing with them were sons like Bud and Billy Hartsfield, Bill and Lawton Williams and Draden Padgett, Jr. These men were highly skilled, resilient and independent by nature. Their experience and intimate knowledge of the local woods and rivers enabled them to literally “live off the land” as needed. Anyone familiar with the Aucilla is well aware of its difficult navigation from Nutall Rise to the outer Gulf Flats. The aforementioned men could, and often did run that dangerous cannel in a mullet skiff or other watercraft full throttle at night, moon or no moon. Probably apocryphal but illustrative of the efficient self sufficiency within the ranks of this group is the following anecdote:

A man from Georgia desired to fish on the Aucilla grass flats and hired a local guide. The appointed day came and they embarked from the landing near the mouth of the river. As they headed out the client noted the paucity of gear and provisions in the boat, not much more than a couple of long, stout cane poles and one of light construction, a jug of water, a croaker sack and a box of saltine crackers, but no bait in sight. Becoming somewhat apprehensive as they moved out of the river and on to the flats, the client inquired as to absence of bait which elicited little response from the guide as he slowed the boat to a stop within sight of land and began drifting. Without a word said, the guide retrieved from his overalls a very sharp pocket knife and sliced off just the tiniest bit of flesh from his thumb without even drawing blood. He then grabbed the slight cane pole with the smallest of hooks and baited it with the modicum of flesh. Flipping it into water he almost immediately pulled out a little pinfish better known as a “shiner.” Fashioning the shiner into a “cut bait” he rigged up his client’s pole and handed it to him and the proverbial “game was on.” Using pieces from the original shiner the guide kept catching more of them, keeping his client in bait and coaching him on how to fish which included occasionally thrashing his long pole onto the surface of the water to attract attention from hungry speckled trout and other game fish. Soon the client was busy pulling trout, red fish, black sea bass and an occasional bluefish into the boat, and before long that croaker sack was getting heavy. Such were the ways of an old Aucilla guide.

Fishing in the Aucilla Today – Today, the tradition of fishing on the Aucilla continues. The river is known for great red fish and sea trout fishing, especially in the Winter when the fish migrate from the offshore grass flats to the deeper and warmer holes in the river. Then, in the Spring, areas upriver near Nutall Rise provide outstanding bream fishing. During the Summer, the grass flats just off the mouth of the river harbor all manner of fish species.
One aspect of fishing in the Aucilla is the river’s precarious reputation. In addition to providing unusual, beautiful and peaceful scenery, the ubiquitous rocks in the river restrict navigation to smaller, shallow draft boats and deters pesky jet skis and similar distractions. This enhances the ambiance of this unique and wonderful environment which has given both sustenance and enjoyment to fishermen for thousands of years.