LIVING LEGENDS OF THE BIG BEND

The following excerpts are taken from local fishing family oral histories that are being conducted through the Big Bend Maritime Center. Full transcripts are available upon request.

“It all started with the mullet. They sold for about 2 ½ cents per pound when I (Joe) started work.  Redfish at that time were 5 cents a pound.  We could live on $7.50 a month and “candy bars were all bigger and better than they are today.” We did it all—

shrimping, oystering, and mullet fishing—but it was the mullet catch that kept us going.  We managed to bank $1,600 in our first year, even with a lot of “rough water” to cope with….When we started fishing there were hundreds of commercial boats on the water. It’s come down today to about 20 families, from Apalachicola to Panacea, who are able to live from what they catch commercially on the water.  We used to say “I’m going to the bank” when we headed out to fish, because the catch kept everything going and made it possible to pay our bills.”

“Fishing boats were rowed by hand rather than powered by motors. Each fisherman had a special song to sing so that they could be located out on the water in case there were troubles or problems with their family.  In addition, they all had a special “holler” to use out on the water…and if other fishermen heard them “holler” three times quickly in succession, they would know that they needed some kind of help. The fishermen developed really great sensitivity to such calls.”

“The fishermen all knew and helped each other then.  They had their special spots where they knew they could catch plenty of fish every year…and they would talk about “getting Christmas for the kids” as they headed out.  There’s still an old Ford hubcap at a secret site near Lanark Reef, which the fishermen use as a marker.  “Meet you at the hubcap” is still a frequent call as boats set out. “

“The “Georgia silt” flowing southward into Apalachee Bay was what kept the oysters and other sea life healthy…and I’m worried about the current attempts by Georgia to divert more water to meet the needs of new developments around Atlanta from the rivers running down to Florida.”  

“My uncle Henry Taylor was a boat builder, and he always said “If you want something good, you got to take the time to build it yourself.”

 “The engines we used were usually old gasoline truck engines, fixed up for forward and reverse transmission only. They were V-8 or V-6, usually Chrysler Crowns with flat carburetors.”

 “The first Tuckers who came here landed in Charleston, South Carolina, and then settled in Georgia, around Moultrie. My grandfather worked in the Okefenokee Swamp as a guide. From there, he got into the turpentine woods and logging. Daddy came from Calhoun County to Franklin County…with “the Crum boys.” The Tucker family has been in Wakulla County for about 115 years, first working and living around McIntyre.”

 “The transition from wooden boats to fiberglass was “huge.” It revolutionized boat-building…the early manufacturers didn’t even know how strong they were. They hoped for 10 years originally, but later learned the fiberglass boats would last 20 or more years.”

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 “I came to this area in 1972 on a dredge boat, developing channels, putting up concrete markers. My father was the captain. …We also fished on big shrimp boats, 70- 75 feet long. We’d do a year’s run…from Thanksgiving to February in Key West, Easter near Tampa and Cedar Key, June in and around Ochlockonee Bay, August to October in Texas, then back around. Most all of us did that…just followed the shrimp the whole season. After we lost our big boat in a fire in 1979, I went to work building and reconditioning wooden boats in Newport, working for Henry Taylor. I did guided charters from 1985 til around 1999, and then opened up my own shop.”

“Reconditioning the wooden boats was a yearly chore. To pull the bigger boats out, we had to use a marine railway, with huge chains and big wedges to keep the boat from tipping. Some of those boats could weigh 100 tons. We’d redo the bottom, then paint, pull out all the cotton and replace it, and do the rudder and wheel work. Nothing was ever square…all the wood was rounded and curved. It was all hand work. It usually took about a week (5-6 working days) to do the reconditioning.”

“The keel would be one solid piece of wood, with a hole burned all the way through the length of it with a hot steel shaft. We’d replace the bearing in the back…and then pour hot paraffin wax into the shaft mould. It usually took two days in all…maybe 10 hours just pour in the wax. That lubricated the shaft, almost like a bearing. The old wax had to be cleaned out and replaced every 2-3 years.”

“For the keel, it was true that they would find two young trees in the woods, usually longleaf yellow pine, and tie them into an arch so they would grow into the proper shape…that took maybe 20-30 years. People said your grandfather would start your boat!

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