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Our two-day trip on the Apalachicola River was remarkable.

The fishing was good. But that wasn't it.

It was remarkable because in two days on Florida's longest river we never saw another boat.

Welcome to Florida's Forgotten Bass Fishery.

A little farther south, this bend in the northwest corner of the state is billed as "Florida's Forgotten Coast." The same is true of the big river farther inland. "That's not unusual," says David Foshee, formerly a Bassmaster tour-level pro and a guide on the Apalachicola. "We've spent the last two days without seeing a bass boat. There's just not that many people fishing for bass on this river."

Sunshine State bass enthusiasts don't know what they are missing.

The Apalachicola River emerges from Lake Seminole and travels 112 miles just west of Tallahassee on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. Although the salty Apalachicola Bay area is world-famous with inshore and offshore anglers, its upstream portion harbors some quality yet largely ignored bass fishing.

"It's probably the least pressured place in the state, especially (among) the big rivers," Foshee notes. "There's no bad time, except for maybe the dead of winter. Year-round, the fishing is good. "And there are some good quality bass, too. There's quite a few 7s and 8s in the river."

The best of the river's bass fishery, which includes both largemouth and spots, is located in its scenic upper portion where some of the state's highest bluffs tower 170 feet. Here, the river serpentines through the Apalachicola National Forest past tiny towns like Blountstown, Bristol and Wewahitchka.

Unlike most Florida bass waters, there isn't much of a tourism industry lining its banks. Few hotels and fewer fishing guides can be found. But tournaments are beginning to awaken to the finny wealth that lives in the Apalachicola (the winning weight in a one-day contest last April was a respectable 26 pounds, 5 ounces for five bass).

Foshee has traveled from his home in Pensacola for the past nine years to fish the river. His favorite stretch is from the bottom of the Chipola River (Apalachicola's largest tributary) to Blountstown.

Apalachicola River Trip Check

Location: The Apalachicola River emerges from Lake Seminole and winds its way south to the Gulf of Mexico.

Lodging: Fishermen will not find a great deal of accommodations along the river. The small towns of Blountstown, Bristol and Wewahitchka have hotels. Lakeside Lodge Fish Camp is in Wewahitchka (telephone 850-639-2681).

Local Info: Guide David Foshee, 850-944-2221; Tony's Bait & Tackle in Wewahitchka, 850-639-2634.

Local Attractions: If you are looking for Theme Park Florida, forget about it. The attractions along the Apalachicola are all natural and include the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, Torreya State Park (located on high bluffs overlooking the river) and the superb saltwater fishing in Apalachicola Bay to the south.

Weighing In

112 - Length (in miles) of the river from Lake Seminole to the Gulf
6700 - Acres comprising the Dead Lakes portion of the river
2600 - Size (in square miles) of the drainage area of the Apalachicola
1800s - Era in which the waterway was a major route for transporting cotton and other goods

BASSMASTER EXTRA

With the Apalachicola River, the farther south you travel, the more the tidal influence comes into play.

In David Foshee's favorite section from the Chipola River to Blountstown, the tide doesn't play a very significant role with his strategy.

"You might not notice it, but it's there," he says. "I don't think it's enough to really position the fish or anything. I don't pay much attention to it, but I do know some old fishermen who say it influences these fish.

"That's one of the reasons I like that part of the upper river. You have a lot of current and an abundance of cover up there, as well as a lot of bait. There's a lot of shad, a lot of crawfish. The fish are real healthy in that section. The moving water is probably why I like that section the best."

In the most bass-rich portion of the Apalachicola, fishing tactics center around four factors: current; shoreline wood (treetops, laydowns and brush); river bends; and backwater ponds and lakes. Throughout the year, the largemouth and spotted bass will utilize each, depending on the season and water level.

Summer.

Foshee spends the hottest months out on the main river.

"Summertime is when you want to be in the current," he advises. "So I look for the swift water. Then you have to figure out where in the swift water they are. They might not be in real swift stuff; they might be in the slack water, and then later in the summer get up in the middle of the bends where there's swifter water. That makes the bends in the river good.

"I pretty much just stay in the main river unless the water level is high enough to where you can get in the lakes. If you've got enough water, you can actually go in a lake and look for a topwater bite early, and then finish out the day in the river. Just look for points, especially the top end of the points. And when it really gets hot later in the summer and the water temperature gets real high, you want to start concentrating on the deep bends. But earlier in the summer the fish will be on the bottom end of the points and the top end where there's not a lot of current.

"On the river, I'll mainly be flipping a worm or jig and throwing a crankbait or spinnerbait."

Fall.

On the river, fall consists of October and November.

"In the fall the shad start showing back up a little bit more," Foshee explains. "They don't necessarily have a run like they do in late spring, but you'll see them getting more active, and the fish will start chasing them more. It's more of a schooling-type bite.

"So I'll throw mainly a spinnerbait, jig and crankbait on the main river."

Winter.

The coldest months of December through February are not the best months to experience the Apalachicola, but there is still good fishing to be had.

"It can be pretty tough, but you can still catch them if you can find enough water off the main river," he notes. "Fish the deep banks, anywhere from 4 to 8 feet of water, with a jig-and-pig and a crankbait. If it hasn't gotten real cold yet you can possibly still catch them on a buzzbait.

"Once the water gets below 55 degrees or so, I avoid the current."

Spring.

Throughout March and April, the bass are going to be spawning on protected shorelines on the river, as well as in backwater ponds and the cypress-lined Dead Lakes (6,700 acres of shallow water that was formed when sandbars blocked off the Chipola River — Apalachicola's biggest tributary).

"There is a good topwater bite once the water gets up above the 60-degree mark," Foshee says. "And jigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits can be real good.

"Near the end of April and into May I start looking for shad runs. Then we mainly fish the shad in the mornings — making sure we're around shad with topwaters and spinnerbaits. This will mainly be in the lakes off the main river where there are stumps, laydowns and cypress trees."

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