The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-08-08
HUNTING AND
F|SH|NGCANNOT
Be EXCELLEO
Woods and Fields of Cal
houn County Filled With
Game Of All Kinds.

Calhoun county is the mecca for
/ thousands of sportsmen every year,
and some of them come hundreds of
mules to enjoy the magnificent fishing
for which Calhoun county is famous.
The celebrated Dead Lakes are in CAL
houn county, stretching for fifteen
miles along the course of the ChipOla
river, the river forming the only chan
mel through the maze of waterways.
The Dead Lakes are from one to four
miles in width and received the name
because Of the labarynth of dead tim
Der, with waterways between, caused
by the overflow of swamp lands III by
gone years. Several theories have been
advanced to account for the Dead
Lakes. One is. in effect that the
building of the lola and St. Joe Rail-
road, seventy or seventy-flve years
ago. necessitated the filling in Of small
watercourses. which resulted in back
ing up the water over the swamps
along the ChipOla river. Another the
DRY is that a sand bar was formed by
nature at the mouth Of the Chipola, re-
stricting the flow of the river toward
the sea. In the main channel of the
ChipOla the water is from 10 to 20 feet
in depth; among the dead cypress trees
of the Dead Lakes it ranges from four
to six or seven feet in depth. and
every little waterway, every little pool,
fairly teens with fish. Fishing Is per
mitted at all seasons of the year, but
on account of the ravages Of sports
men the legislature has seen fit to
limit the catch 10 25 fish per day per
mainland everybody catches the limit.
Bass, PickereI and Dream.
Some Of the largest black bass-the
small mouth Variety-on record have
been caught in the waters OF the Dea d
Lakes and the Chipola river, and 1t is
10 unusual thing for a follower of
Isaac Walton to come in with half a
dozen on his string, each weighing
upwards OF six pounds. Occasionally
bass (fresh water trout they are call
ed in this sectlon) are captured weigh
ing ten and twelve pounds. "JaCkfish,"
the gamy pickerel OF northern waters,
are caught in abundance, some being
exceptionally large 1t is no unusual
thing to capture Jack weighing from
six to ten pounds, and even a six
round pickerel will keep the average
fisherman busy for some time. Bream,
of several varieties, may be caught III
unlimited quantities and shell-crack
ers, pike, blue catfish and several
other varieties of fish are caught in
great numbers throughout the Dead
Lakes and in the Chfpola river and the
many tributary streams
The Smaller Streams.
Cypress creek, which flows into the
Chipola river, crossed by the road to
Wewahitchka a short distance south OF
SCOTS Ferry, is a noted fishing place
and large strings Of all species of fish
may be taken from 1t at any time. The
water Is clear and cold and the over
hanging banks make it ideal for the
work of the fisherman. In the north
ern part of the county there are sew
eral small streams which are literally
filled with fish, Staffords creek, Graves
creek and ThompSonS Mil creek being
among the numb 81. All are easily &C
cessibIe from the towns along the line
Of the NJ. & 3. r. r., and good fishing
is assured along the banks of any OF
them. In the Dead Lakes country
competent guides and boatmen may be
secured anywhere, and at reasonable
prices, and these guides will furnish
boats and bait, if the fisherman pre-
fers bait fishing to casting.
Fine Hunting Grounds.
Every portion of Calhoun county is
filed with quail and, along the low
lands near the rivers and streams
wild turkeys may still be found in
goodly numbers. There are many deer
in the unsettled portions of the county
and, in the southern part, where there
are great tracts of forest, a bear may
be occasionally found. Wild ducks by
the thousand feed along the rivers
and creeks during the shooting season,
coming to the little lakes and pro-
tected lagoons in great f1ocks to spend
the night. There are no better hunt
ing grounds anywhere than in Calhoun
county and sportsmen by the score
visit this section during every season.