bomb holes in the 'spits' off turkey/alligator point

[theplantman]

I have fished these holes as a youngster. The older gentleman I was fishing with told me they were bomb holes. perfect round circles in the middle of the flats off turkey point better known as "the spits." the flats would be around 3-4 feet deep and these holes....about 10 feet across would be 6-7 feet deep. Does anyone else know about these holes? I havent fished that area in awhile (been slaying redfish out of econfina river) but got a up coming trip out of alligator point and was wondering if anyone else knew about where these holes were? thanks guys

[GaryDroze]

There are similar holes on the St Marks Refuge. You can clearly see them on satellite photos. After catch/releasing a redtrout combo of 27"/24" I tracked down a refuge ranger, who confirmed that some landlocked bomb holes pick up fish during big flood tides.

Bad news: somebody found my best ponds (I saw footprints & flagging tape) and must have kept all the gamefish. They are barren now. I wish these holes were treated as catch & release, cuz the fish are all residential, rather than transitory.

Good news: if you like mullet and are willing to hike & net, contact me. I found a bomb hole that is bulging with fat ones. That hole could use some culling!

[Jumptrout51]

Gary,please do the hiking and netting and get me a mess of fat mullet.

[fishinfool]

From what I understand from a resident of Lanark Village, these are bomb holes. During WWII Lanark was an Army Air Corps base and training facility. The old houses there are family Officer and NCO quarters. Occasionally unexploded ordinance are still found in the area. The Turkey Point area was a bomb target area, that is why there are "bomb holes" there.

[theplantman]

Awesome, I knew I wasnt crazy! these holes do exist.....FishinFool do you know the location of these holes? gps numbers by chance?

[fishinfool]

Sorry, the information I was given was word of mouth and no co-ordinates are known.

[sosprey]

The whole coast was littered with landing mats and .50 cal bullets and casings when I was a child, also found dummy mortar rounds. The beaches were used as practice for the Normandy invasion. If I recall correctly Camp Weed was the headquarters for the training facility, and the "parade grounds" across Hwy 98 was a temporary air base and training facility.

[lonesouth]

I remember stopping at an abandoned airstrip on the way to carrabell some 16 years back. Can't remember where it is, but it was odd to see it overgrown. Can't even make it out from the highway. Also heard they practiced amphibious assault in the area as well.

[woopty]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Gordon_Johnston

"The history of Camp Gordon Johnston was the history of the American war machine that rumbled into action after Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, a product of Army planning which began far back in the depression years of the 30s, when the American public little realized the threat of another war."* At Camp Gordon Johnston a pivotal weapon of WWII was produced for the Army — the amphibious soldier!

Camp Gordon Johnston, a WWII amphibious training camp, provided some of the toughest military training in the world. With Florida's sandy beaches, swamps, and jungle-like forests, combat in the Pacific Islands and landings in the European Theater was simulated. Camp Johnston was opened in September 1941. First called Camp Carrabelle, it was later renamed in honor of Col. Gordon Johnston (1874-1934). Col. Johnston served in three wars and earned many decorations including the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery during the Philippine Insurrection in 1906.

If you take the scenic route from the west to South Florida (and you should) you will leave I-10 at Mobile AL and proceed East on US98. It is a beautiful route that is often 2-lane — a quiet pleasant drive around the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico. Near Apalachee Bay, where many believe the best oysters in the world grow, you will pass a place where thousands left for war — some never to return. Very little remains to mark where they prepared to do battle. If you look closely, far off the road, you might see a little asphalt from the old runways. If you know what to look for, you will recognize Lanark Village, now retirement housing, as the old officers quarters'. Camp Gordon Johnston covered 165,000 acres in the "Big Bend" area of Florida, 55 miles south of Tallahassee and extending 36 miles along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Much of the territory was left in its natural state for training purposes. St. George and Dog Islands, uninhabited at that time, were used for invasions and amphibious landings.

During WWII there were about 10,000 soldiers and civilians permanently assigned to Camp Gordon Johnston. They ran the facilities and provided the specialized training. With the rotation of entire reinforced Army Divisions, the camp population would increase from 24,000 to 30,000. As a result, Camp Johnston became much larger than the surrounding towns.

WWII ended on August 14, 1945. The camp was deactivated and closed in 1946. Later, the building facilities and land were sold as war surplus.

*Excerpt from "Camp Johnston is Remembered" by Mays Leroy Gray writing in the Wakulla News, February 27,1997 as were most of the other details on this page. It won't be complete. though, until the details are filled in by the individual brave men and women who served there. Send me your memories and pictures for inclusion here.

[silverking]

Thanks for sharing, Woopty. Interesting part of history. Believe the author meant Apalachicola Bay rather than Apalachee in the reference to oysters, though.

[woopty]

They must have had some terrorized tarpon around there back then.

An old local first told me about Camp Johnson years ago.
Told me a lot of men were lost on those beaches, then he teared up.
I'll never forget that.

[silverking]

Late notice in the Democrat, but the Camp Gordon Johnston Reunion is this weekend, March 8-10 in Carrabelle.

Social, free admittance to the museum, expected landing craft exhibit, parade, lunch, dance, etc.

campgordonjohnston.com for more details and schedule.

[lonesouth]

Dang, going to be out of town, would have really enjoyed going to that.