Lake Manatee SP (Jan 26-Feb 8)

Tuesday - We had a beautiful day to move and we could take our time since it is only about 20-30 minutes to get here. We got in and set up (Site 34) showered, and fed, then went down to the lake to fish. The hybrid strikers don't seem to be in yet, although a guy told John they caught two.

Wednesday - It rained all night and off and on all day. We went to O'Briens Farm for our usual BLTs and strawberry shortcake. 

Thursday - Rain all night and all day. So glad we have plenty of recorded programs. 

Friday - It was great to see the sun again. To chilly and windy to kayak, so we stayed close. John tied eight Clousers, of which we used two down at the dock near dusk, but no success. 

Saturday - There was a good crowd at the campfire coffee. We met a couple from Suchess who ride horses at Trackrock and have a mutual friend who stays there too. We launched the kayaks here and fished the nearby bay, but neither of us got a hit. There have been a few crappie caught here, but we have not found them. 

Sunday - Great worship this morning. 

Monday - We headed out early for EG Simmons County Park in Ruskin. We put the kayaks in at the launch and began fishing in the channel with zero bites. W then headed out on the flats and caught a few undersized trout and many ladyfish. Nothing for the fry pan, but a beautiful day on the water and some action. We also got to visit with our friends Bill and JoAnne, who are camping there. We stopped at Ybor Grill for an excellent dinner. 

Tuesday - We gave EG Simmons another try and got there about the same time.  We put in between the boat launch and the swimming beach and headed south to try the flats there. We had some sea fog roll in, but other than keeping us closer to shore, it wasn't thick enough to bother us. We fished hard, but nothing. We tried several other areas with the same results. John caught one trout just before lunch, then three more just before we quit. We would have kept fishing, but all four were 13 inches, which is two inches to small to keep. Skip & Shirl fished the channel by the kayak launch and managed to catch one keeper trout. It was a beautiful day in the water and we were so tired we decided to stop at Beanies for sandwiches before heading home. John had a Reuben and Joan had a fish sandwich. They were both delicious. 

Thursday - We met our friends Bill and Karen at Linger Lodge for lunch. It was great getting caught up with them while enjoying an excellent meal. This is a fun destination restaurant situated on the Braden River. It rained in the evening. 

Friday - It was very windy and chilly today. In the evening, we went to Sun Cuty UMC to enjoy The Band Anastazja" who were a large family from Upstate New York and do bluegrass music. They were a treat. 

Saturday - After a very nice coffee-campfire put on by the park, it rained and was cold all day. 

Sunday - Great service with an awesome Super Bowl skit. Watched the game, which was better than the commercials. It was a windy, chilly day again. 

Monday - Fished the dock with same results, nothing. Disappointed that the hybrid stripers never showed up this year. Still quite cool and windy.

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Little Manatee River SP (Jan 12-25)

Tuesday - It was a great day to move; dry and cool. It was a short trip here so we drove separately. They wouldn't let us check in for some reason until 1PM, so we stopped in the picnic area and John got out the gas grill and did a Walmart pizza we got on the way here. The site is nice, but smaller than the one we just left.  Joan actually did four loads of laundry while John continued getting things set up.

Wednesday - We went to the Tampa RV Show at the fairgrounds with Dave and Pat. We saw some very nice rv's but decided we would keep what we have. It was a fun day, though. 

Thursday - We took a really nice 2.5 mile hike today on one of the trails here. John fished in the lake and river, but only managed one small bream. We saw a coyote on the trail that was not at all happy to see us and took off way before we could get a picture. 

Friday - It rained most of the night, but cleared off about noon, so we had a chance to go over to Apollo Beach to fish from shore. It was still to windy to kayak. We each hooked up with four very large fish, but sadly Joan's managed to get off.  John landed two Jack Crevalle and two 28" snook, that would have been keepers if they were in season. 

Saturday - We stayed close to camp today and did some clean-up. John tied eight Clousers, four with red eyes and four with chartreuse eyes. These are to replace ones that were lost or beat up. It was a beautiful day with temp in the mid 70's. 

Sunday - We were awakened at 3AM by our phones warning us of a tornado in the area. We made or way to the restrooms, which are not extremely solid, but better than an RV. When it looked like  we were in the clear, we went back and tracked the action on Fox. It looked like one tornado tracked over Lake Manatee SP, but it must not have been on the ground because there was no damage at O'Briens when we went there for lunch after church. 

Monday - Cold and windy. Stayed close to camp. 

Tuesday - We went over to the power plant to see the manatees, but it was way too crowded, so we went to Apollo Beach to see if anything was biting. The answer is no, but we enjoyed being there anyway. It is such a beautiful area. The tide was way down, so we could walk way around to the other side. 

Wednesday - After a good coffee hour, we drove to Apollo Beach, but the results were the same as yesterday, so we went to EG Simmons County Park. Still no fish, but we were able to get caught up with our friends Bill & Joanne who are camping there. We stopped at Beanies Restaurant on the way back and had great burgers. 

Thursday - Trip 5 to Apollo Beach with the same results. There were several fishing from shore and many boats, but we only saw one fish, a nice nook, being caught, or nearly caught, as it was lost near shore. It got very windy, but not uncomfortable as long as we kept our sweatshirts on. 

Friday - Rain and wind kept us close to camp. 

Saturday - Cold and wind kept us close to camp. 

Sunday - Church AM; Football PM. 

Monday - In the morning, we got so e things put up for our move tomorrow. In the afternoon, we made one last trip for this stay to Apollo Beach. John caught a small jack and we saw a few sharks caught, but the action was slow again. On the way back, we stopped at Popi's Restaurant for gyros. They were excellent. Nice place with nice people. We will return.

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