If you’re looking for a quiet fishing bank to yourself, take a drive to Tate’s Hell State Forest in Franklin County. A quiet place awaits you on the Ochlocknee, the Crooked or New River. Primitive camp sites are singularly dispersed throughout the 202,000+ acres of the forest. You can camp over night or find an empty site and fish from the bank for the afternoon. Some folks simply take a lounge chair and a good book, find a place under a tree overlooking one of the rivers and enjoy the fresh air, breeze and sun shine.
Tate’s Hell State Forest also offers an amazing paddling experience. You can paddle down a black water river to the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Natural, protected, public lands surround the rivers providing a view of Florida’s original/natural landscape and wildlife. With paddle in hand, quietly moving down stream, you can see tupelo and cypress trees, or you may encounter the area’s various land and aquatic wildlife. You may even spot the mysterious Carrabelle Cat!