Here’s an impressive array of fish from the Alapaha River caught under the Sheboggy Bridge on a cool fall morning.
If you’re looking for an outdoor activity that really immerses you in the fall season, try your hand at wetting a line in the scenic, dark waters of South Georgia’s often overlooked Alapaha River. what do you want to fish They call it. The variety of fish is quite impressive. Pretty much if any river in South Georgia has it, the Alapaha will give it to you. The secluded, timeless beauty is a bonus.
The Alapaha River originates in Dooly County where its tea-colored, tannic waters flow south through Crisp, Wilcox, Turner, Ben Hill, Irwin, Tift, Berrien, Atkinson, Lanier, Lowndes, and Echols counties before joining the Suwannee River in North Florida empties. Of course, the further south you go, the wider it gets. However, there are excellent fishing opportunities almost everywhere.
Few know this river better than my neighbor Danny Tucker. He literally grew up by this amazing river. There he learned to swim, ski and fish. There he learned to rig limbs for big catfish, tighten at the bottom for fat redbreasts, pop corks with jigs for bacon (crappie) and pull big perch around the plentiful cypress knees.
“I didn’t really have a choice,” Danny said. “My parents brought me here when I was still in diapers and I got to know the river. I learned all about it, just like my grandfather. I come from a long line of riverwalkers. I guess you could say it’s just in my blood.”
This river may fluctuate in water level more than any freshwater I know, but I consider this natural property an advantage. As it is constantly changing, an angler should never get bored.
“You fish for what bites when the water is right for it,” Danny said.
Sounds simple, but there is such art in his statement. I recently asked him, “What do you fish at this time of year?” His answer was matter-of-fact, “Depends on the water level.”
So, here it is… a chilly fall Saturday morning on the peaceful Alapaha River. My father-in-law and I pass under the Highway 82 bridge just a mile east of the small town of Alapaha in Berrien County. Locals know this place as Sheboggy Bridge.
One look at the shore with the tangled roots reaching into the dark water, the sturdy cypress trees above and the clean, white sandy slopes and you can forget civilization. Are you stressed out with life right now? Is the workload weighing on you? Need to relax? Well this is the place for you.
We met Danny and he quickly sent my father-in-law and I on a crash course in how to fish the river at low tide in the fall.
“The water’s pretty low right now,” Danny said. “But that’s okay. Here on the shore by the bridge we can catch all the fish we need. You don’t need a boat to catch fish.”
We start unloading my truck of fishing gear and Danny comes up with the first plan.
“Let’s start by throwing some jigs and beetle spins. I want to see if we can catch some spots.”
I tie up a black Beetle Spin; my father-in-law has a white Beetle Spin, and Danny has a black jig with a yellow-green tail hanging 3 feet under a cork. Second throw, my father-in-law hooks a nice crappie. This fish sets the tone. With these baits we catch several crappies, bream, perch and a large mudfish. Danny lands most crappie with his cork and black/chartreuse jig; His method is to pop the cork with firm jerks of his rod to create excitement on the water’s surface while the jig dances erratically a few feet below.
“It helps when others fish with me. We can try different things. You don’t know until you throw,” Danny said.
About 30 minutes into arrival, the sun begins to rise and the bite slows, prompting Danny to switch to his tried-and-true tactics on the river, especially when the water levels are low.
“If the fish doesn’t come up, you have to go down,” he said. “You have to find a deep hole for this technique.”
The rod he selects has a medium action with a 12lb spinning reel. test line.
“Okay, I’ll show you a little trick,” he said. “That’s how you catch fish on the bottom.”
He goes on to show me how it’s done. First, thread a 1/8-oz. Ball weight on the line followed by a red bead. Then crimp a size 5 4 or 5 inch split shot weight up the line, which will keep the ball weight and bead from sliding to the hook. Tie on a size 5 or 6 Aberdeen hook and now it’s time to grab the worms.
I take the lid off the styrofoam bucket that contains the many earthworms that Danny raises himself. As I confidently choose a thick one, I look over and see Danny shaking his head.
“No no no. Don’t skimp on the worms. That’s why I started raising my own… so I’ve got more than enough. Go ahead and put a flower there.”
“A flower?” I ask confused.
“Yeah boy. A bloom. That’s what I call a big bunch of worms. It must look like Medusa’s head,” he said.
Once his hook is loaded with who knows how many worms, he casts his line midstream and lets his bait sink to the bottom. He staggers a few times to take up the slack. In less than a minute, Danny sets the hook powerfully, bringing a fat butter catfish to the surface.
“This is a powerful, good-eating fish,” he said.
It works on the stringer.
On my first cast, I get hung from a log almost instantly while Danny cranks up another catfish, this time a speckled cat.
“What makes you think you’re not hanging up?” I asked.
A basic Texas rig is great for bottom feeding fish in the Alapaha River. This red bead often draws the fish’s attention when the rig gets to the bottom and prompts them to bite once the worm stops.
See, I’m usually a cork guy. Although I grew up with a rod and reel in my hands, I am unfamiliar with bottom fishing on a river.
“First, I use 12-lb. Test line and those soft Aberdeen hooks that flex,” Danny said. “When I get hung, I pull the brake harder and pull slowly. The hooks usually bend and disengage before the line breaks. Then I just bend the hook back with pliers. And never roll it up or bump it along the ground. just let it sit Otherwise you’ll grab every stump out there. If you need to roll up, do it quickly to release the hook from the bottom. Another thing, keep the line pretty tight. That way you can feel the fish hit and be ready to snap. You have to be fast! That is the art of tightline fishing.”
After attaching another rig, I cast straight to Danny’s line.
“I hope you don’t mind if I steal your spot,” I said.
We both feel hard hits, and he hooks in quickly to fight a solid warmaw on the shore. i miss mine
“You have to be faster, boy!”
Gradually I get the hang of it and catch some good bream and two nice channel catfish.
“Why do you need that red bead on the string when it just sits at the bottom?” I ask, staring at the bead as I feed another “flower” of worms to my hook.
“For the lightning when it falls,” Danny said. “Note that many fish bite once the bait hits the bottom. I think the fish see the red sparkle when it goes down. Also, the bead and weight can bang together and make a clicking sound that attracts some fish.”
“By the end of the morning we had caught quite a number of good eating fish. Our stringer included Largemouth Bass, Bacon, Bluegill, Redbreast, Shellcracker, Stumpknocker, Warmouth, Butter Catfish, Speckled Catfish and Channel Catfish. Despite being the largest, the mudfish did not make the cut for a future fry.
So, as you can see, even when the water level is low, you can catch as many fish as you want. In fact, the lower tiers could make fishing somewhat easier for a variety of species as all the fish go to the deep holes. Danny was right when he said we don’t even need a boat.
“I’ve sat here by the bridge more times than I can count and watched all the boats go by,” says Danny. “People in these boats tell me I need to cover more water to catch more fish,” he laughs, continuing, “but I usually have more fish in the cooler I’m sitting on than all the boats combined. Most people are just in too much of a hurry these days. You should be more patient, especially when it comes to fishing. A lot of people ski right past the best spots even though there may be a honey hole right in front of them.”
Now don’t get me wrong. Danny admits that he also enjoys boat fishing but prefers to fish much slower to really get the most fish.
“Don’t be afraid to anchor or tie to a branch when fishing from a boat. These fish love to stick to certain holes,” Danny said. “But you better look good in the branches before you commit to one. You may only get unwanted company. Those big river wasps will set you on fire!”
If you decide to fish from a boat, a kayak would be a wise choice at this time of year to enable navigation through the shallows and around fallen trees. Please do not fish from a bank without the landowner’s permission. When in doubt, do not get off the boat to avoid trespassing issues.
While there are many opportunities to catch fall fish in the Alapaha River, the techniques mentioned here are certainly tried and tested by a man whose life is completely influenced by this body of water. And these tricks don’t only work in the Alapaha River. As Danny says, “Son, you can fish any river in South Georgia like this. I call it the basics of bottom fishing in South Georgia.”
Just like that, on a good morning fishing the Alapaha River, I’m a converted bottom fisherman. It’s a technique anyone can learn. My number one piece of advice is to be quick on the hookset. If you do this and follow Danny’s other tips, you’ll likely leave the river with a string full of well-eating fish
I encourage people to enter any big fish for a potential Alapaha River record. The only two fish on GON’s Lake & River Records for this river are Largemouth Bass and Bowfin (Mudfish). This leaves the door wide open for entries. Good luck with the Bowfin record. One of my outdoor heroes holds this spot at an impressive 9 pounds, 0.32 ounces. Fishes. To be honest I would love to see this one booth!
