Apalachicola’s FRESH APPROACH
Oyster Ban’s Upside: Folks Had
to Pivot, Visiting Best of the Big Bend
Written by: Dave Kelly
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission banned oyster harvesting out of Apalachicola Bay in
Florida’s Big Bend region through 2025. St George Island (pictured) forms the southern barrier of Apalachicola Bay.
For hundreds of years Apalachee Bay has been home to oysters. In fact, 90% of Florida’s oysters have traditionally been harvested from the area, leading to the founding of its namesake town, Apalachicola, in 1831.
The oyster industry blossomed quickly, leading to almost 200 years of growth—fishing boats, packinghouses, restaurants and a tourist industry
dependent on the succulent bivalves that have made the area so famous today. At the end of 2020, however, continuation of that independent lifestyle was put to a fundamental test. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission placed a ban on the harvesting of oysters out of Apalachicola Bay in Florida’s Big Bend region through the end of 2025, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of residents and the oyster-driven businesses throughout the town. Folks had to pivot, asking themselves: Can we discover new ways to produce revenue while preserving our heritage and image?
As our trip to the area showed, “Apalach” folks have used creativity, gumption and resourcefulness to answer this question … and are coming out on top.
AW, SHUCKS!
Despite the temporary oyster harvesting ban, restaurants in the area still serve up these fresh delicious treats, acquiring them from special “oyster aquaculture” operations, or farms, excluded from the ban.
So, when our group hit town, we headed straight to the restaurant that is at the heart of the oyster tradition in the area—Lynn’s Quality Oysters. Lynn’s
has deep roots in Franklin County, opening over 50 years ago in the small city of Eastpoint just over the bridge from Apalachicola.
Operated as a restaurant and packinghouse until the recent ban, the location combines The Raw Bar at Lynn’s with a local seafood market, serving up fresh-caught local delicacies such as shrimp, crab, scallops and more.
But be sure while you are there to slurp up the freshest shucked oysters in town. They are delicious indeed.
Clockwise from top left: Lynn’s Quality Oysters has served its visitors for over 50 years, the Coombs Inn is actually
three separate historic buildings, the Water Street Hotel offers spacious multi-room units just minutes from downtown.
After eating our fill, our large group split up into
two teams and headed to our accommodations. We
chose two unique spots managed by the Edgewater
Group—The Coombs Inn & Suites and the Water
Street Hotel & Marina.
‘MOST ELEGANT HOUSE IN
APALACHICOLA’
At the Coombs we were introduced to a luxurious,
historic Florida inn that consisted of three Victorian
mansions, all within two blocks of each other. When
the original house was built in 1905 by sawmill
magnate James Coombs, it was often referred to as
“the most elegant house in Apalachicola,” showcasing
black cypress wall paneling, nine fireplaces and a
carved oak staircase that still exists today.
In the early 1960s the house fell into ruin and was
boarded up. Ultimately, however, well-known
interior designer Lynn Wilson and husband Bill
Spohrer purchased it, with the final renovation of
the Coombs House being completed in August 1994
as it converted to an inn.
The current Coombs Inn has maintained many
of the original classy elements to this day and
supplemented the experience with modern-day
amenities such as high-speed Wi-Fi and refrigerators.
Additionally, many of the rooms include massage
whirlpools and private verandas with a view of
the lush landscape. They can also host weddings,
meetings, family reunions and holiday parties.
A sister property is the Water Street Hotel & Marina
on Scipio Creek, less than a mile from Apalachicola Bay.
Apalachicola’s newest hotel offers 30 modern suites in a
classic Old Florida setting. GM Leigh Coble showed us
around the property, and we were delighted to see the
quality and care that went into every detail of the design.
The property hosts the newly renovated Water Street
Marina, which boasts 20 transient slips and floating
docks and can accommodate power or sailboats up
to 55 feet. Each room is a spacious suite featuring a
full kitchen, two baths and an expansive living area,
offering space for up to six people.
These two properties are mere steps from the treelined
streets that highlight the city’s 250 homes
and buildings on the National Register of Historic
Places. Staying there made our trip convenient yet
gave us a laid-back, traditional feel.
FOLKS HAD TO PIVOT, ASKING THEMSELVES:
CAN WE DISCOVER NEW WAYS TO PRODUCE REVENUE
WHILE PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE AND IMAGE?
Top photos: Oyster City Brewing Company has 20
brews based on daily recipes. Bottom: Apalachicola
Chocolate & Coffee Co., home for hand-made
goodies, yummy gelato and fresh-roasted coffees.
We decided to explore the downtown area and see how businesses are
doing during the harvesting ban. We knew that many of them would
have to concentrate on other aspects of commerce rather than the oyster
trade, so we checked out a few to get acquainted.
First up was the Apalachicola Coffee and Chocolate Company. Located
in central downtown, owners Kirk and Faith have crafted the perfect location
for morning indulgence. In the kitchen you can find handcrafted
assortments of caramels and chocolate as well as warm baked goods.
They also feature coffee that is roasted onsite and comes from as
far away as South America and Indonesia. The shop itself is full of
artwork collected by the owners, featuring local pieces and others from
around the globe. It is the perfect breakfast or lunch stop and a great
representation of the success of downtown businesses.
Around the corner we found the perfect place to spend our afternoon—
Oyster City Brewing Company. Conceived in 2012, their founders read lots of
books, drank lots of beer and talked to brewers all over the southeast before
eventually transforming an old dive bar in downtown Apalachicola into their
little brewery. We were given a tour by their local brewmaster, who provided
samples for us with tastes as far ranging as beet, sour peach and bitter pale ale.
Each day the brewery taps upward of 20 different varieties of beer,
always offering its patrons a quick taste of each fresh style. Their
local success has provided them with an opportunity to branch out,
and they now operate breweries throughout the south.
But the spirit of Apalachicola resides here in the Oyster City
Brewing Company.
FEEL OF THIS GREAT LOCALE
Over the next two days we were excited to participate in what was to be
the centerpiece of our Apalachicola experience—our time on the water
with Williamson Outfitters. The owner, Capt. Chris Williamson, hooked
us up with two separate excursions: a flounder-gigging night expedition,
then a tripletail fishing experience the day after. They were to be two
unforgettable and successful outings that typify the feel of this great locale.
Williamson Outfitters is based out of Eastpoint and focuses its business
on western Apalachee Bay, or the Forgotten Coast. Chris’s company
offers all things outdoors and Old Florida, including guided duck or
gator hunts, inshore and nearshore fishing, scalloping, and eco-tours.
In fact, the family owned business even offers rooms to hunters and fishermen
in their incredible Eastpoint Lodge, which features private bedrooms with
bathrooms, a full kitchen, big-screen TV, large porch with a bar, even a fire pit.
Our gigging outing began at 9 p.m. as we left from the St. Marks boat
launch on the Wakulla River, where we met expert guide Donny Miley,
Top: Apalachicola’s fishing fleet is famous for its
bountiful harvests from Apalachee Bay. Bottom:
Apalachee Bay awaits a day of tripletail hunting.
owner of Coast Runner Outfitters, and deckhands Bear and Jaden. Donny
often manages Williamson night trips, expanding their offerings to unique
experiences such as gigging and bowfishing.
We were awed by a spectacular sunset as we eased down the river and
into the bay, wondering just exactly how we were going to be able to see
our prey in the darkening waters around us. As the night settled in, Capt.
Donny popped on the downward-facing LED lights that surrounded the
edge of the boat, and the waters all around us became crystal clear—and
full of black drum, mullet, gar and our main prey, the Gulf flounder.
For the next four hours we stalked the back bays and rivers, with captain
and crew participating in our hunt as well. The spots that Donny chose
were chock full of targets. And after learning some of the fine points of
gigging from the guys, we slowly increased our success rate until we filled
up the boat’s cooler with our night’s catch.
We landed many diverse types of fish—the crew did an excellent job
of helping us avoid spearing off-limits species such as redfish. But the
excitement always mounted when we snagged our true targets, that
tasty flounder.
We headed back to the dock to divide up our catch and get ready for the
next day’s adventure.
PURSUIT OF THE ELUSIVE TRIPLETAIL
Day two started with a meet up at the Ten Foot Hole boat ramp in
downtown Apalachicola. Capt. Chris and our new deckhand friends Bear
and Jaden loaded us up and we took the short ride out to the middle of
the bay to begin our pursuit of the elusive tripletail.
While we were on the way, Chris explained that tripletail—a tasty local
whitefish that can weigh up to 30 pounds or more—are found in the warm
Tripletail—a tasty local whitefish that can weigh up to 30 pounds or more—are found in the warm bay and
nearshore waters during the summertime. Pictured is a good day’s haul with Williamson Outfitters.
name suggests, they are identified by the three tailfins
that extend back from their mottled brown bodies.
Interestingly, the fish have a habit of laying on their sides
near the surface, attempting to camouflage themselves by
looking like debris. Additionally, they seek out the minor
shade of buoys, pilings and man-made flotsam attached
to poles in the water. This habit increases the chances of
fishermen finding them in the vastness of the open water
that is their habitat, so we were able to zero in on the
many areas that Chris’s crew had marked for us.
Within a half hour of leaving the boat launch, we were
hauling in keeper tripletail. The method was refreshingly
simple: We would ride out to marked buoys or pilings,
drop our lines nearby, and if the fish were in the vicinity,
they bit. If they were not, we were out and on our way to
another destination in less than five minutes.
All in all, we visited dozens of these “tripletail zones” on
the way to a hugely successful day on the bay.
Williamson Outfitters is an amazing choice for those
who share their passion for the outdoors and are looking
for the trip of a lifetime on local waters.
Their success, and the success of the homegrown
businesses that we visited, showed us that the
Apalachicola lifestyle and spirit are still thriving in this
small Florida town. FCM
