Alapaha River At Highway 135

Over the years, I’ve been blessed to work on what now totals to be hundreds of news stories, fishing reports, feature articles, and the like for GON. Sharing the outdoors with others has always been my passion, and I try my best to bring that energy to life through the words that I type.

That’s why I’m excited about a new direction we’re taking at GON.

Now hold on… pump the brakes and don’t spill your coffee. We’re still the same GON we always have been, nothing about that’s going to change—and if it ever does, I’ll be the first one out the door. When I say new direction, I mean taking what we’ve always done, and working to make our content even better.

My new monthly spotlight column is an example of just that… and I’m downright excited about it. Each month you can expect this space to be dedicated to anything and everything that’s going on in the Georgia outdoors. The even better news—you’ll be able to slide over to GON.com and find video action that coincides with the story.

So without further ado, let’s turn the spotlight on this month’s topic—the Highway 135 bridge on the Alapaha River.

If you drive down to the small town of Willacoochee, head south for a few miles on Highway 135, and hang a hard right at the bridge, you’ll then be headed straight for some of the best fishing you’ll find on the Alapaha River. The only downside… you won’t find a boat ramp. The upside to the downside? You’ll likely have the river all to yourself.

If you have a kayak, canoe or jonboat that you can manage to grunt, groan and slide roughly 15 yards to the water, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts with some of the least pressured blackwater fishing you’ll find. Here’s a quick breakdown of where to go and what’s biting, and don’t forget when you’re done reading this story to slide over to GON.com to check out the video footage of my trip that was taken just a few days before we went to press with this issue of GON magazine.

THE WHERE

One thing I like about river fishing as opposed to lake fishing is that there are only two directions to go. Up or down… pretty simple… and simple is a good thing.

Head downriver for the best fishing, and you don’t have to go far to catch fish. I normally start casting right at the bridge, and nine times out of 10, I’ll catch my first redbreast with the bridge still in sight.

The water is key to river fishing. Check the Alapaha gauge at waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/02316000 before making a trip, and make sure the river is running between 3 to 5 feet. Much higher, and you won’t be able to paddle against the current, and much lower than that, and you’ll be dragging more than you’ll be fishing. Trust me. One good thing about this stretch of river is that though Hurricane Helene put down numerous trees, you can still twist, turn and tunnel your way downriver for a few miles without having to do much work.

BREAM

The mighty redbreast is king of these parts, and unlike other nearby rivers that have seen their populations destroyed by the invasive flathead catfish, the population here is booming. Expect to catch plenty of smaller fish, but don’t be surprised when a giant redbreast—relatively speaking—latches on.

Redbreast thrive in the Alapaha River, where they haven’t been impacted by invasive flathead catfish like in other southeast Georgia rivers.

I prefer to fish this stretch of river with topwater bugs. There’s just something special about watching a big rooster redbreast destroy a bug on top. Beetle Spins work great here, as well, and a cricket fished a foot under a cork wouldn’t stand a chance. When it comes to lure color selection, you can get creative here. I’ve managed to catch fish pretty well on just about any color I’ve thrown. If I had to pick a single best lure color, I’d probably lean to white. This stretch of river is super shallow, and all of the fish will stack up in deeper water during the summer months. Look for pockets of deeper water along bluff walls, particularly those that are located on a sharp bend of the river. These areas will usually be several feet deeper than anywhere else and will harbor plenty of fish.

BASS

There are plenty of bass in this stretch, and due to the lack of fishing pressure, they’re not lure shy.

Craig found the bass in this stretch of the Alapaha River plentiful and not lure shy.

Buzzbaits, weightless worms and Texas-rigged Speed Craws all work well, and you can expect to catch plenty of fish in the 2- to 3-lb. range. They will hold in the same deeper water where you’ll find redbreast, but you can also expect bass to hold super shallow in areas where the current is running hard. Look for them to position just outside of the current around laydowns, other structure and in pockets of slack water.

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this first spotlight column, and if you did please take a minute to shoot us an email and let us know you’d like to see more content like this. I hope you’re able to get down to the Hwy 135 Bridge this month and enjoy a stretch of river that few have ever seen. Don’t forget to check out the video content online, as there you’ll get a first hand account of what to expect before you head to the river. Hope you catch them…and have a good time doing it!