Lake Louisa SP (March 7-13)

The Monday - Well, it was bound to happen sometime. We were only about 20 miles from arriving when we had a blowout on the inside rear dually. Thankfully, we were right on a long right turn lane, so there was plenty of room. We called Giod Sam Emergency Road Service and were back on the road in a couple hours. We had a super nice Christian man come to change the tire. We were planning to get new tires as soon as we got back up to Blairsville, but this will hasten that. We got set up in a nice site (60), which has good shade and is a pull-thru.

Tuesday - We called Tire King and got an appointment for tomorrow, then drove over with the truck to make sure we could navigate it ok. We fished the pier on Dixie Lake in the evening and Jihn caught a bunch of little bream on the Tenkara. 

Wednesday - We got the tires replaced. It only took them four hours. We shopped at Home Depot and had breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Both were within walking distance with no major highways. In the evening, we met our friends Julie and Barry, and their friends Beth and her her son Jeff for pizza at Savros, near Lake Griffin State Park. We had a great visit and awesome food. 

Friday - We met John's pastor from DG, Jeff & Judy for lunch at Sarah's Greek Cuisine. We had a great visit with them and learned details of their health struggle last year and how God got them thru it. 

Saturday - Today, our friends Tom and Jane, with their dogs Mocha and Cupcake. They have the same motorhome we have, but a year newer. It was great catching up with them, but sad we will only have one day with them. 

 Sunday - Finally, the wind took a break, so we launched the yaks on Hammond Lake. Joan took the Kiyose with a dark finesse worm, while John used a Clouser on the 6 wt. Joan caught two barely undersized bass, while John lost his only take, which he said looked like a nice crappie. The wind picked up shortly after we got off the water, but it was a beautiful paddle. The kayak launch could certainly use some work, as it is quite mucky getting in and out.

View Pictures: Click Here 

Rainbow Springs SP (Feb 22-Mar 6)

Monday - It was a three hour drive here using Rt 39 to avoid some of the construction on I-75. We got set up in site 14, which is nice and big. We ran into friends Tony and Linda and talked to them for awhile.

Tuesday - Rain threatened most of the day, but after a Wally run, we fished for awhile at the Ingles Recreation Area from shore. Joan caught a 16" LM Bass, which was going to be dinner, but John was putting it on a stringer when it made an escape move and got away. After dinner at the Front Porch, we went to the dam to fish again from shore. Joan managed to lose another bass about the same size without John's help. John caught a large bowfin, which are not good to eat. 

Friday - Most of our northern kayak group are in this area in the winter. We kayaked the river here. John fished while folks were shuttling vehicles and caught three small bass on the Kiyose and a shell cracker. It was chilly, but a beautiful day on the water. After, we went to the Front Door Restaurant. 

Saturday - Today was the annual Heartland, Vermont Days at Golden Corral in The Villages. We have been going as long as we have been married and Joan longer. It is always great to see everyone and get caught up, and also to meet others for the first time. Afterward we went to Barry and Julie's place to visit and let John fish in their pond. He managed one nice bass. 

Sunday - We really enjoyed the contemporary service at the UMC Church of Dunnellon. The pastor has a great sense of humor and love of the Lord. After a very good lunch of blackened basa sandwiches at Swampy's, we checked out places to launch around Crystal River. We decided on the Archeological Site on the river. John fished a few spots and caught a too small trout, a small ladyfish and a small mangrove snapper. We hope to find some bigger ones tomorrow.  

Monday - We launched at the Archeological Site and headed up a creek, where Joan got a redfish on that quickly ran and broke her off. John only managed a few ladyfish. It was a beautiful day and a nice paddle. There were several boats with folks fishing, but not a lot of catching. We threated ourselves to grouper sandwiches at Charlie's Fish House before heading back. The basa sandwiches at Swampy's was better. 

Tuesday - We put the kayaks in at Blue Run Park across from Swampy's and went upstream a bit to fish a large inlet bay where we have seen action. Joan lost a nice fish and John caught a couple small bream, but it was slow. We used Kiyose and Tenkara rods. Anyway, it was a beautiful day on the water. 

Thursday - We had trouble deciding where to go today since we have it been very successful. We started out at the Ingles Recreation area and decided to pick up three Wally bags of trash fishermen had left there. We then fished, but nothing. Next, we went over to the spillway, but nothing there either. Next we went all the way to the end at Yankeetown and ate our lunch, but did not put in because the no-see-ums drove us away. Finally, we went to the dam and launched the kayaks. After fishing about an hour with no bites, we went to a shallow bay and John landed a 12" crappie. We thought we had found a pattern, but never caught another. It got quite windy. 

Friday - We kayaked the Silver River with the group. Some of us put in at Ray Wayside Park and paddled upstream to meet others who put in at the state park and paddled down. When we met after about three miles we turned around and finished paddling with the current (much easier).  We saw the monkeys that have made a home along the way. There is no fishing on the river.

Saturday - We had dinner at the China Wok with our friends Mike, Christina, Fred, and Holly. This was the best Chinese food we have had for a long time. 

Sunday - Great worship this morning followed by fishing with our new friends Fred and Holly before they left to go back home. We also showed them Tenkara fishing. In the evening we had dinner with Mike and Christina and fished with them down at their dock. Mike caught a lot of bream and shell crackers on the Tenkara while John caught a nice bass on the Kiyose.

View Pictures: Click Here

Little Manatee River SP (Feb 9-22)

Tuesday - It was windy but not too cold for our move. We got here about 11:15, and were able to go directly to our site and set up. We ran into Dave and Pat, who were on their way to Publix. We were able to do a couple loads of laundry. We went to a dinner and talent program at our church this evening, put on by the youth group, and greatly enjoyed both.

Wednesday - It was cool, but the wind didn't pick up until after the campfire coffee. We checked out River Oaks RV Park near Ruskin, but although the people there were very nice, the sites just don't have enough space. We did discover a good place across the stress to launch the kayaks at a county park. No restrooms though. 

Thursday - We knew the boat ramp was closed, but we thought we could still launch the kayaks at Ft. Hamer Park. Sadly, when we got there, we find out the whole park is closed. We decided to stop for lunch at Popies Restaurant and go up to Apollo Beach and fish from shore. It was crowded there with many people fishing, and there were manatees all around. We saw a few fish caught, mostly jacks, but also a few pompano. Sadly, it was only casting practice for us. 

Friday - We launched the kayaks in at Emerson Point to fish. We tried several areas with little results. John finally caught two 13 inch seatrout about 100 yards off the launch. Reports from other fishermen were similar. 

Saturday - We stayed around camp today and hiked down to the nice park we found on the river. John fished with the Tenkara and caught two bream and a talapia. 

Sunday - We enjoyed another great service. Skip and Shirl arrived around noon, and after they got set up we walked to the lake and down to the river. 

They then came over for chicken and rice done in the Dutch oven. 

Monday - The four of us drove over to Medard County Park to visit our friends Bil and Joanne and possibly put the kayaks in there. It was too windy to do that, but we had a great visit, went for strawberry shortcake and fished a little from shore and the fishing piers, but no fish. In the evening, we enjoyed spaghetti with Skip & Shirl. 

Tuesday - We all decided to wheel the kayaks the approximately 1/2 mile to the lake here that nobody fished. After two hours of hard fishing? The only catches were two two bream caught by Joan and John. We have concluded that the lake is not worth the time. 

Wednesday - The four of us went back to Medard County Park and this time launched the kayaks to fish. John led the catching with two large blue tilapia and a large crappie, which we brought home and and enjoyed along with Shirl's beef stew. All were delicious. This area is a bird watchers dream, with many types of herons, pelicans, terms, etc. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. 

Thursday - We said goodbye to S&S this morning. In the PM we drove to O'Brien's Farm for our last BLT and strawberry shortcake for this season and to pick up veggies. They are doing another controlled burn here so we cancelled a hike down to the river. John doesn't do well around too much smoke. 

Friday - We tried Apollo Beach - nothing, then EG Simmons - only saw a few undersized trout caught. It was very windy, so no kayaking. 

Saturday - Big changes may be coming to our park in Zephyrhills, so we drove there to attend a meeting. Details to follow. 

Sunday - Quite sad that this was the last worship service here at UM Church at Sun Cty Center. Wonderful people. A beautiful day today and we visited with several fellow campers.

View Pictures: Click Here

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.

View Pictures: Click Here

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.

View Pictures: Click Here

Lake Manatee SP ( Dec 29-Jan 11)

Tuesday - We had a good trip here, which took a little over an hour. This is a very nice, large site (42). We got mostly set up, then went to O'Briens Farm for our traditional BLT and a strawberry shortcake. Wonderful!

Wednesday - We had to return to Conibear RV to have them put the correct break-away switch on the Canyon. They ordered and installed the wrong one. We visited Skip and Shirl, then had lunch with Sheryl and Hayward. He is looking better. John fished alone in the evening because it was too hot for Joan, but only hooked one shell cracker.

Thursday - We took our coffee down to the fishing pier, but we only managed one small bass. We stopped and talked to our friends Dave and Pat at their site and got caught up. It was another hot one today, but the first one in a long time we didn't have to run the air. 

Saturday - We got rain in the AM and welcome cooling. We had lunch then went down to the piers to fish again. John caught a nice 15" bass on a minnow that a nice young fisherman loaned him. In return John gave him the fish. When we got read to quit a fisherman came in that we got talking to and getting tips from. He was going to let two nice crappie go, so he asked us if we wanted them so we accepted. They were delicious. 

Sunday - We returned to our Sun City Center church and were richly blessed with a great worship service and message about "resolving" to be about our Father's business. Afterwards we had a nice breakfast at Sun City Center Cafe. We had a chilly/rainy afternoon to enjoy football.

Monday - It was sunny and warmer today, but the wind still had a bite. We drove to Bennet Park on the other side of I-75 near Walmart and fished a couple of the several lakes there. The first lake did not produce, but the second one gave us each a small bass plus a few smaller fish. 

Tuesday - We visited our friends Dave and Pat and took a walk with them. We then drove into Parrish to mail RX forms, then went to one of our favorite places, Ft. Hamer Park. We were disappointed to see a new bridge under construction a stones throw from the park, that will sadly increase traffic near the park. We fished from the piers, but no hits. 

Wednesday - Skip had heard about an area where the fishing was supposed to be excellent, called the Kitchen, so we drove to north of Apollo Beach to see if there was a place to launch the kayaks there. We checked every road that looked like it could go to water, but never found any place to launch. We decided to go to Apollo Beach to fish from shore. It was very windy, so only John finished near a few other folks who were fishing from a small peninsula. After several casts, he hooked into a really nice snook and managed to land it. It turned out to be about 23 inches long. Next we went to Circle's Restaurant for dinner and had shrimp and grouper. It was a little pricier than we are used to, but good. 

Thursday - We had some errands to do towards town so we decided to go back to Bennet Park and fish a couple of the other lakes. We only managed a few rather small bream. We also checked out the kayak launch there, which was very nice. You have to call ahead to have them open the gate for you. There is a channel that goes out to the Manatee River. Take it to the right. 

Friday - we fished the dock in the morning and only caught two small bream. Skip & Shirl showed up in the afternoon, and after they got set up, we headed to O'Briens for strawberry short-cake. We shared spaghetti using their spiralizer and zucchini to make the noodles. It was very good. 

Saturday - We launch the kayaks about 7:30 and fished the cove here for a couple of hours, but never got a hit. Skip fished twice as long and managed one crappie. 

Sunday - It rained all evening and into the night. We got up early again and went back to UM Church of Sun City Center and were blessed. Skip & Shirl fished by the fish camp, but never got a bite. We all went back to O'Briens and we had our usual BLT and strawberry shortcake. Yum! In the evening, Dave and Pat joined us at S&S's for a nice campfire and fun.

Monday - No one is catching anything on the lake. John tried one last time at the docks, but never got a hit. The four of us went thrift store shopping. Joan found some nice yarn and a pair of pants and Shirl found a nice three speed fan for their camper. We ended the day with another campfire.   

View Pictures: Click Here

Oscar Scherer SP (Dec 15-28)

Tuesday - We had a good trip here, but the traffic is getting worse every year. The folks on our site evidently wanted to get their money's worth, so they didn't leave until the last minute at 1PM. Skip & Shirl will also be here until Saturday. We met our neighbors Lee and Sharon, and they graciously asked us all over to share there campfire. It is nice to be away from the no-see-ums. They killed us this morning packing up. Even our old standby Skin-so-soft didn't help.

Wednesday - The four of us drove about 85 miles south to Estero to meet Joan's cousin Dave and his wife Marty for lunch at Stir Crazy. We had a nice lunch and an even nicer visit with them. When we got back we checked out a couple of parks here in Osprey, on Blackburn Point, that have been very nicely improved. They will provide very nice places to launch the kayaks. Next we drove to North Jetty Park to watch the sunset and let John fish. A nice young man was catching Jack Crevalle and wanted to see John catch one on a fly rod, so he invited him to use his spot. It didn't take long before John hooked a five pounder, which gave him all the fight he could handle. 

Thursday - After the pancake breakfast, the four of us launched the kayaks at Blackburn Park where the skulling boats are. It was too windy at the new park on the other side of the road. John got some action with a small mangrove snapper and had a nice blue fish on for a little while before it spit the hook. Shirl had better luck with hers landing a 22 incher that gave her a great fight. We ended the day with a campfire including our neighbors, Lee and Sharon. 

Friday - Since it was windy and cool, we went thrift store shopping. We each found treasures we couldn't do without. For lunch we stopped at Wendy's. 

Saturday - It was much cooler today., and windy. We said goodbye to Skip and Shirl and mostly hung around camp. 

Sunday - We hiked over to the observation area for the eagles nest. There was one on the nest and we could see just its head. We watched some football in the afternoon and joined our neighbors in the evening for a campfire. Camp hosts Pat and Tony joined us for a really fun time. 

Monday - Joan did a load of laundry super early, then we went to Wally to pick up groceries. In the afternoon, John tried to figure out why the new lights Conibear put in the rear light housing are so dim. He replaced them with Sylvanias that are supposed to be much brighter. We'll see. 

After dinner we walked over to Lake Osprey and John fished while Joan relaxed. On the way there we saw a bobcat. John caught four fish, all small, a tilapia, a bluegill, and two bass. 

Tuesday - We went to the coffee at the nature center and had a great time meeting other campers. After lunch we wheeled the kayaks to the picnic area launch and fished for awhile. John caught a big ladyfish and Joan caught a Jack Crevalle that gave her a good fight. We enjoyed watching an Osprey in a tree eating a mullet. 

Wednesday - We got up early, had breakfast, and wheeled the kayaks to the picnic area to launch. We caught three mangrove snapper, but only one of John's was big enough to keep. We had it for dinner along with chicken. It was delicious. John used his new (thrift store purchase) electric knife, which worked quite well. Joan lost a nice fish while not paying attention. 

Thursday - We went to the pancake breakfast and met a lady and her two sons from Blairsville. She's a realtor there. In the afternoon we had lunch at Casey Key Fish House. Joan had grouper salad and John had Cod and chips. Both were excellent. After we fished from piers close by, but didn't catch anything. Joan had something big take a couple of swipes at her fly, but couldn't hook up. 

Christmas Day - We hope your day was awesome. We drove the 90 miles to Zephyrhills to be with Skip, Shirl, Bruce, Cheryl, and Hayward. We had some laughs, video called family, and enjoyed steak on the grill. It was a great day. 

Saturday - We drove to Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and fished from shore. We first tried the Kiyose rods for bass, but no success, so we switched to 4wt fly rods and small squirmy flies, but the result was the same. It is a really nice park though. 

Monday - After breakfast, we made a Wally run, then came back to camp and put the outside things away. It was time for us to have pizza, so we drove to our favorite spot here, Frankie's. We then took our very full tummies to the jetty to enjoy it one last time for the year. We opted to not fish due to the large crowd of people enjoying their Christmas break.

View Pictures: Click Here

.