Lake Manatee SP (Jan 10 - 24)

It was a short 34.7 mile trip from Oscar Scherer SP to here. When we arrived, the folks had not cleared from our site, so we took the opportunity to check out the lake and kayak launch. There are storms in the area that are creating a lot of wind and humidity. It is much more open here than OSSP, but a nice change. We have the lake for fishing, plus we are not far from the gulf areas, such as Palma Sola, Palmetto, Anna Maria, Longboat Key, and Ft. Desoto.

Tuesday - We drove west on hwy 64, thru Bradenton and parked along the road. We then put on our waders and fished a bay near the bridge that joins Anna Marie Island. John had the hot hand and landed a ladyfish and two nice trout. One was about 16 inches and the other about 18. We stopped at Walmart on the way back and checked out Rye Preserve Park. It would be a long, tricky hike down with the kayaks to launch them on the Manatee River.

Critters we've seen so far:
Bald Eagle
Dolphin
Pine Warblers
Robins
Armadillos
Red Shouldered Hawk
Coopers Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Spotted Sea Trout
Ladyfish
Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great White Egret

Wednesday - We decided to do an explore today due to the cool temps and strong winds. We checked out a few areas around Terra Ceia Bay where we can launch the kayaks and fish when the weather improves.

Thursday - Today was a good one to visit the Tampa RV Supershow held at the state fair grounds near I-4 and Rt 301. It was fun to see the new models of the Regency and Bighorn and to visit with the folks we bought ours from. We also picked up some flyers for campgrounds to visit. It was a great day and we managed to resist buying anything this year.

Friday - We fished at the pier twice on the lake here and Joan caught three fish, including a nice tilapia.

Saturday - We started the day with a coffee social at the host's campsite. We enjoyed sharing experiences and good campgrounds with the other campers. We also returned to the fishing pier where John caught one bream.

Sunday - Joan's brother Skip, his wife Shirl, and son Chad came down and visited for an afternoon of kayaking and fishing preceded by a cookout lunch. Even with the four experts trying all sorts of
flys and lures, we didn't catch a single fish. It was a great time though. Also the Bears beat Seattle, so it was a great day.

Monday - Today was laundry day, so we stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast, then headed to a laundromat named Bright & Clean on the other side of I-75 that was recommended to us by another camper. It was neither Bright OR Clean and many of the washers and dryers didn't work. Never the less we got the job done. It really poured while we were there and we were under a tornado watch most if the day, but all stayed quite calm.

Tuesday - Skip & Chad drove down to meet us on Palma Sola Bay for some kayaking and fishing. We wanted to launch where we waded last week and where John caught fish. However the wind was blowing the opposite direction making that unwise, so instead, we put in on the other side. We saw a group of kayakers head into a small opening in the mangroves so we decided to see where it went. We discovered that it opened into a beautiful bay. We fished it, but caught nothing. That turned out to be the story of the day. Great kayaking, but disappointing fishing. We consoled ourselves by stopping for pizza on the way back to camp. Bella Mia Pizza & Italian Restaurant was excellent.

Wednesday - We decided to hang out today and get our reservations made for late December this year. We were able to get site 91 at Oscar Scherer SP again. We walked down to the fishing pier here and Joan managed to catch three bream and lost two. John did not even get a hit, even though he used identical flies.

Thursday - Ft Desoto kayaking & fishing. No fish. We are really in a slump. The weather was beautiful & warm and kayaking great. It was also great to see friends Jodie & Andy who are working in the campground and Guy & Nancy whom we met at Oscar Scherer.











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