Rainbow Springs SP - Dunnellon (Feb 28-Mar 13)

We had a nice drive thru Ocala NF to get here. Our friends Dick & Pat arrived yesterday. We had a nice chat with them at their site. It is quite warm and balmy here today. It is supposed to cool some this week.

Tuesday - We drove back to The Villages to have lunch with Julie and Barry and two other of Joan's former classmates, Laurel and Judy. We had a fun visit and a great lunch outdoors near a big lake. When we got back to camp, we walked down to the river and fished for a few minutes. John caught a small bass and a shellcracker.

Wednesday - We drove out past Yankeetown and wade-fished in a little park near the boat launch. It was too soft there and we kept getting stuck on the much and there were no fish, so we tried on the Withlacoochee River side but no one was catching there either including us so we headed back. On the way, we stopped at a spillway and fished from shore. We saw one mullet caught but nothing else. The fishing was not good, but we did see two Bald Eagles. One was mature and the other a juvenile and it looked like a fishing lesson was in progress. We also met a group of kayakers who were on the river and also camping at Rainbow Springs.

Thursday - We put the wheels under the kayaks and walked them down to the river to fish the last two hours before dark. John caught two small bass and three bream. We saw some larger bass, but didn't catch any. It was beautiful on the water.

Friday - We got out earlier today on the river and fished until about noon. Joan caught a small bass and John caught about a half dozen bream. The wind came up about 10 AM and made it very difficult to maintain our position in the kayaks. We met a nice man named Roger who gave us some tips on fishing the river and a few flies to try.

Saturday - We had a wonderful day with six friends and relatives shuttled a car down into Dunnellon and kayaked there from the park. It was a perfect day and despite lots of other boaters, quite peaceful. We followed the trip with lunch at the Blue Gator restaurant. The grouper was delicious.

Tuesday - We drove 35 miles to the launch on the Chassahowitzka River and met Skip, Cheryl and Bruce for some kayaking and fishing. Skip and John were the only catchers, with one keeper trout each plus a few other small ones. It was very windy, but warm. We saw many manatees and Joan nearly went surfing when she went over one in shallow water. It made a huge wake trying to get away. Not sure who was more startled.

Wednesday - Our friends, Chris and Sara joined us today to kayak here on the Rainbow River. They have a tandem Sea Eagle inflatable Kayak that performed quite well despite some fairly strong winds
On the river. Afterwards we had lunch at Victorias and enjoyed a good meal and fun chat while watching the boats on the river.

Thursday - We got about an inch of rain last night along with some wind, but nothing violent. We did some cleaning and walking around the campground, had an early dinner and put the kayaks in for a little fishing. It was quite windy, but we were able to find protected areas to use topwater hoppers. We both caught some bream and Joan caught a nearly keeper sized bass.

Friday - Eye doctor appointment for Joan this morning about 61 miles away in Brooksville. Everything looks good.

Saturday - John tied some flies today and instead of fighting the boat traffic at the peak of the day, we waited and put in at 5:30 and just about had the river to ourselves. However, the fish were not as active this evening so we each only managed a few bream. It was beautiful anyway.










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Blue Springs SP - Orange City (Feb 21-28)

It was about an hour and a half to get here with no incident. We got a nice site and it is quite warm.
We walked down to the springs and walked the boardwalk trail. Swimming is closed in the springs and run until March 1 because manatees come up into there to stay warm.

Tuesday - We started our coffee walk and were greeted by a pair of Scrub Jays. These birds are endemic to Florida meaning they are found nowhere else. They are endangered due to loss if habitat. We were not quick enough to get pictures.
We launched the kayaks and fished the far side of the St. Johns River in some really good looking areas, but did not even get a hit. We did see some alligators, red-shouldered hawks, osprey, herons, coots, and cormorants. It was very windy, but what else is new, sunny, and quite warm.

Wednesday - We took our coffee and fly rods down to the fishing pier and fished for awhile, but got no action. After breakfast we got on our bikes and tried out the bike path that goes along the RR tracks that run along state park land. It is a wonderful path that has much more character than most of the Rails-to-Trails paths we have ridden. We biked about four miles to a park and another short trail that went down to Beresford Lake then returned.

Thursday-Bruce & Cheryl joined us today and brought their Hobie kayaks. We paddled past the spring outlet and went for a ways up the Snake River. It was very pretty and typical Florida. We then hiked from our campsite down to the springs and were treated to manatee and a variety of fish. Finally we had Parmesan chicken on the grill, cranberry salad and potato salad for dinner. Yum!

Friday - Another great day on the water viewing Florida wildlife, this time with good friends Chris and Sara who are neighbors at Trackrock. Afterwards we had lunch at Pier 16 down the road and had PoBoy sandwiches.

Saturday - We drive over to The Villages today to attend an annual Vermont reunion with folks Joan knew from her hometown and an adjacent town. We are staying overnight with good friends Julie and Barry who are also Joan's childhood friends. We fished in the evening in a pond near their place and John caught four and lost two while Joan caught one. All were bass and were released.

View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/BlueSpringsSPOrangeCityFeb2128#

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Manatee Hammock - Reprise (Feb 14-20)

We are back here for the week and have the site (38) next to the one we had earlier. We had a good trip back here and were set up by 12:30. We walked down to the dock and were encouraged to see some fish action. We got caught up with folks we met last time, then made a Publix Supermarket run.

Tuesday - We wade fished the area near the campground here for about an hour, but nothing biting.

Wednesday - Despite threats of rain, we drove to Merritt Island NWR and wade fished. Between us, we caught about a dozen trout, but they were all just shy of the necessary 15" to keep. Then Joan managed to land a beauty. It was 21" and really put up a fight. It was also delicious, and provided plenty of meat for dinner. On the way back, we stopped at "Fly Fisherman", an excellent fly shop and picked up needed materials.

Thursday - Since the fishing was so good Wednesday at Eddy Creek, we decided to return. Today, however, was a different story. We managed three trout even though we saw only one other fish caught by all the people there all the time we were there. Joan caught one that was 19". The tides were similar, so we are not sure why the difference today.

Friday - Cracker Barrel for breakfast, Staples to pick up a printer, and Walmart this AM.

Sunday - We were truly blessed at New Life Christian Fellowship this AM with our friends Walt and Darla. We also went out for pizza in the afternoon followed by a nice time with neighbors.


View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/ManateeHammockRepriseFeb1420#

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Longpoint Campground - Melbourne Beach (Feb 7 - 13)

We are about 60 miles farther south. This is a Brevard County Park with most (not ours) sites on the water. We will have easy access to the water with the kayaks or wading as soon as the wind slows a little. There was a major Menhaden (bait fish also called Pogey) fish kill here recently, so it is a little stinky. We are not sure how it will effect the fishing. We also have a major front moving through, so we will have our ears tuned to the weather warnings.

Tuesday - We made a Walmart run and checked out kayak launch sites on the way. This is a beautiful area with ample access to good fishing water. It is cooler today and still a little windy, so we are giving it a chance to warm up some before fishing.

Wednesday - It was a beautiful morning with less wind and warm sunshine. We are back to shorts and short sleeves. Most if the smell is gone from the fish kill and hopefully the fishing will be good.
Launched kayaks and fished for a couple of hours, but no fish. It was beautiful, but windy.

Thursday - Very windy again and rain in the area.
We were outside cleaning fly line when the wind changed and temp dropped ten deg in just a few seconds. We retreated inside and the rain came.

Friday - The rain finally stopped, but the sun was only able to make a couple brief appearances. We decided to check out Sebastian Inlet SP and see if there might be a good place to launch the kayaks or wade fish. After checking out the piers and checking with some local fishermen, we decided that the fishing might not be good enough to bother doing either. The park is beautiful with good places to put in and fish and the camping area is nice as well, but is hard to get spots. We decided to throw in awhile at the boat ramp and each caught pin fish that were small, but fun and a ladyfish each that gave us a fun fight.

Saturday - It got very windy again during the night and was sunny, cool, and windy when we headed out. We wanted to check out St. Sebastian River so we drove over to Sebastian and picked up a couple things we needed at Walmart while we were there. We found a nice park named Dale Wimbrow Park and fished from shore. We each caught ladyfish and Joan caught a small Jack Crevalle. We had lunch at Woody's BBQ, then returned to camp.

Sunday - Another very windy day.

View pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/LongpointParkFeb713#

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Manatee Hammock County Park (Jan 31 - Feb 6)

We made it here in less than an hour and a half. We got set up, then went to Cracker Barrel for dinner and Walmart to pick up supplies for the week. It looks like some rain on the way, so we may check out Kennedy Space Center tomorrow or Wednesday. The sites are much closer together, so having good neighbors is very important. We were greeted by a Red Shouldered Hawk when we arrived.

Tuesday - First on the agenda today was laundry so we got up early and got er done. We heard people were catching trout on Jakes Creek out on Merritt Island NWR so we drove the 21 miles out there to check it out. The reports were correct. We managed five between us plus one small flounder. Even though it was quite windy, it was awesome to get back into fish. We kept two, which will be dinner tomorrow night.

Wednesday - We scouted several areas in the NWR to put in and fish, but none proved to be better and offer us safety for ourselves and our vehicle than Eddy Creek did.

Thursday - We returned to Eddy Creek. The wind was really blowing out there, so we wade fished. Joan caught 2 trout, 1 lady fish and 1 pin fish. John caught 1 trout. 2 trout were keepers but we had already planned on pizza so it was catch and release today. A year ago, we would not have attempted to fly fish with this much wind.

Friday - It was very foggy this morning so we decided to wade fish again instead of kayaking. We returned to Eddy Creek, and this time we were prepared to keep a couple. It took a change to a yellow-headed Clouser before we got a hookup. We ended the day catching a dozen trout and three were keeper size. Joan also caught a couple Pin Fish and John caught a Sea Robin, that has wing shaped fins and legs. It is a very strange looking fish indeed.

View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/ManateeHammockCountyParkJan31Feb6#



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Tomoka SP (Jan 28-30)

We drove about 200 miles to get here. The campground is near Ormond Beach and is very nice. They are not big rig friendly, because of overhanging trees, but we had no problem. We checked out all the sites and hiked down to the boat launch. There is good access to the Tomoka River and hopefully the fishing will be good.

Saturday - We launched the kayaks at the main boat launch and paddled around this beautiful area. We could see fish activity, including a dolphin feeding, but he was catching the only fish. We checked with other fishermen, but no one was catching anything.
In the evening we went down to the park store and enjoyed listening to a lady who played guitar/ukulele and sang and we had coffee and pie.

Sunday - It was a perfect day for kayaking, but still no fish. Packing up in the morning and heading for Manatee Hammock County Park, near Titusville.





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Oscar Scherer SP (Jan 24 - 27)

We got up early this morning and took the MH to RV World to have a few warranty items taken care of. We arrived there at about 8AM and headed to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. The waitress, Robin, remembered us. Are we doing this too often? Naw! We will check into Oscar Scherer SP when we pick up the unit.

Tuesday - We went over to the Nature Center for coffee put on by Friends of O.S. Met some nice fellow campers. It is very windy with a promise of bad weather on the way, so activities will be rather limited today.
There were tornado warnings within two miles, so we headed to the restroom to wait it out.

Wednesday - We got thru the storms last night with no damage and it has cleared off nicely. However, it is very windy, so we will not be getting the kayaks out. We enjoyed the ice cream social and music last night at the nature center. Carl and Betty Ross www.tymespast.com provided excellent and fun entertainment.

Thursday - This morning was pancake breakfast at the nature center. Good breakfast and good friends. We were sad that Ron and Dee couldn't get a campsite here for the night and had to leave. We launched the kayaks here in the park and fished for a couple of hours in South Creek. John caught a couple of small snook and a couple of bigger ladyfish. The snook are out of season and ladyfish are not good eating, so all were released.

View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/OscarSchererSPJan2427#

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