choctawhatchee river

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Walton County teaming with Washington and Holmes in the development of Choctawhatchee River paddle trail

In August 2016, Walton County District 4 Commissioner and Chairman Sara Comander organized a regional paddle trail meeting with representatives from Walton, Washington and Holmes Counties as well as representatives from several Walton County departments, the City of Freeport, the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center, Northwest Florida Water Management District and private business. Walton County began the process of developing a paddle trail initiative on the Choctawhatchee River beginning in 2011. During that time, former Walton County Board Member Scott Brannon...

Remnants of the Captain Fritz steamboat remain in the Choctawhatchee riverbed

Low water levels expose remnants of Walton history Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s much of Walton County’s commerce was transported via water. Sown lumber, turpentine and vegetables were shipped to the mills and markets of Pensacola via steamboat and schooner. One of the major steamboats that made a regular run between Freeport, Point Washington and Pensacola was the Capt. Fritz. A stern wheel steamboat built in 1892 the Capt. Fritz started operations in the Choctawhatchee Bay. She...

Major river flooding on the Choctawhatchee River impacts Walton County

As of 3 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2015, the Choctawhatchee River at Ebro is predicted to crest at 20.7 ft. on Jan. 1, 2016. This is the highest level the river has been in several years. According to the National Weather Service, the following is recorded levels in recent history: Historic Crests (1) 29.19 ft on 03/15/1929 (2) 26.76 ft on 07/11/1994 (3) 22.88 ft on 03/23/1990 (4) 22.61 ft on 03/13/1998 (5) 21.48 ft on 04/15/1975 Show More Historic...

Man catches state-record blue catfish during tournament

It’s official! Bill Stewart, 66, of Weeki Wachee, caught a 69-pound, 8-ounce blue catfish on the Choctawhatchee River, near Ebro, during the Choctawhatchee Catfish Roundup tournament on May 30. He beat the previous state record by 5 pounds. Stewart had landed four flatheads and a nice channel catfish before he put the head from a skipjack herring, which he had caught earlier, on a big circle hook. Fortunately, his reel was loaded with 100-pound line because the blue catfish that...