We had a good trip down and pulled in around noon. Our site had not been vacated and cleaned yet, so we drove down to the picnic area and had lunch. We've got a good site that has plenty of room.
Friday - We took Skip & Shirley and met Joan's cousins, David and his wife Marty, and Pam at Stir Crazy Restaurant. You pick out what you want stir-fried. We had a great time getting caught up with them.
Saturday - Skip, Shirley and we launched the kayaks on the river here and fished for a few hours. Skip trolls with his Hobie, and we stop to fish, so we didn't do well staying together. Skip caught a Jack Crevalle and a small snook, while John caught two small talapia. It looked like rain all morning and radar showed a line coming in, but it never materialized. It was windy on the water, but manageable.
Sunday - It was a very nice service this morning at the Estero United Methodist Church. We went to the contemporary service and instead of a band, we sang carols. It was nice, since usually they stop right after Christmas.
Monday - Today we launched again on the Estero with new friends, Dave and Mary, from near Toronto. They have an inflatable Hobie, which they peddle, and also has a sail. John caught several talapia and a small snook. He also had a nice snook come out of the water twice before breaking off. He also lost a couple others. Fishing under shaded docks proved the most productive. Joan had a fish take a good swipe at her fly, but couldn't hook up.
New Years Day - We met a friend Charlotte, with whom we kayak in Georgia, at the boat ramp, and went nearly three miles out the river. We wanted to find out if it is doable to get out to the flats to fish. It is over four miles so something we would probably not do. On the way back, John stopped to fish some likely spots, and caught two and missed two snook. They were not huge, but fun anyway. When we got back we decided to go out to lunch. The only places in the shopping center near the park were Burger King and Jeff's Chinese. We chose the latter, which was actually quite good, in spite of the strange name. In the evening we went over to Dave and Mary's for wine and nachos. We had a nice time with our new friends.
Wednesday - We went to the airport and picked up Jean-Paul, Joan's son, who will be staying with us for a week.
Thursday - The three of us went to Lovers Key to kayak. Jean-Paul rented a sit-on-top for himself and we headed over to the park. John fished while the others paddled and he managed to catch three jack crevalle and one Ladyfish. One of the Jacks was good sized and gave John a real good fight. It took several minutes to land. There was a lot of boat traffic here.
Friday - We took JP to Barnes&Noble so he could do some work and use their wi-fi. A very intermittent problem we have had with the Envoy has been acting up, so we stopped at a GMC dealer to have it checked out. They said it is a defective instrument panel and the could replace it on Monday. They will need to keep it over night, but would give us a loaner. On the way back, we stopped at Delnore-Wiggens SP to watch the sunset. It was beautiful. John fished, but caught nothing. Some guys were catching Pompano very deep. Not possible with a fly rod loaded with floating line.
Saturday - We have wanted to go over to Sanabel Island for a long time and finally did today. We went to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge and after going to the Visitor's Center, we took a four mile hike on the Indigo Trail. It was pretty, but the views were limited. Next we drove the Nature Loop and made several stops. John fished a few likely looking spots, but produced nothing. This is a really beautiful area, and would be a great place to come to and launch the kayaks. JP took some really nice pictures with his Nikon. Click here to view: Click
Sunday - Another nice service and an awesome band at the Contemporary Service. We had a down day today and stayed in camp and made bread and chicken with rice in the Dutch oven. Awesome!
Tuesday - Envoy appears to be fixed. Only $680.
Wednesday - We got JP back to the airport this morning. It was fun having him here for the week. He seemed to have a good time. In the afternoon, we put the kayaks in on the river and headed upstream. We had a beautiful paddle, but not even a hit.
View Pictures: Click Here
Oscar Scherer SP (Dec 17-26)
We left Zephyrhills about 9:30 and arrived here about 11AM. We got set up, had lunch, and took a walk around the campground. We relaxed in the shade of the First-Up in the afternoon and after dinner we headed to Venice Inlet to catch the sunset and fish from the jetty. Joan caught the sunset while John caught three good sized pinfish. It is great to be back in the parks. It has been quite warm, which is supposed to end by the weekend.
Tuesday - We launched the kayaks by the office and headed towards the channel that goes towards the ICW. We fished around the channel with no results, so we fished likely areas on the way back. John managed three mangrove snappers that were fun, but too small to keep.
Wednesday - We had breakfast and decided to try Turtle Beach with the kayaks. We saw a lot of action, but they were mullet. John talked to a mullet fisherman afterwards, and he said that he has not seen any reds or trout in this area yet.
Thursday - In the morning, we stopped at Family Optical and picked out new glasses for John. We will pick them up after we return in January. Afterwards, we drove over to Shamrock Park to check out the ICW there. John fished there from shore, but again nothing. We talked to an older gentleman who fishes there every day and he said that he hasn't caught any fish there for a couple of weeks. Our friends, Bruce & Cheryl pulled in to their site down a few from us. We enjoyed getting caught up with them.
Friday - The four of us went on a nature with the assistant park manager, Jerry. He was very informative about the history of the park and things that are being done to maintain the habitat for plants and animals. In the evening we went back to the jetty with our friends and watched the sunset and huge waves coming in and breaking on the seawall. Finally we all went to the nature center where they showed "A Christmas Story" and served popcorn and cookies.
Saturday - Today we joined our friends in biking the Legacy Trail to the Venice Train Station and later kayaking South Creek. When we got back from that, we enjoyed a presentation by the naturalist on bald eagles. We biked about 14 miles today and kayaked about 5. Finally we went over to the amphitheater for cookies and hot chocolate and participated in a karaoke style Christmas carol singalong.
Sunday - We said goodbye to our friends this morning, had breakfast and went on an explore. We wanted to see if there was action on the Venice Pier, so we began there. Negative! We next went to Casperson Park and walked around there fore awhile. They continue to make improvements to an already very nice place. We checked with a few folks fishing there, but nothing biting. It is beginning to warm up after a significant cold snap.
Monday - We hung out around the campground and took several walks/hikes. Later in the day, we drove down to the Inlet and watched the sunset. It was a beautiful evening.
Tuesday - Merry Christmas friends. We pray the day finds you well and full of joy at the birth of our Lord and Savior.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/OscarSchererSPDec1726
Tuesday - We launched the kayaks by the office and headed towards the channel that goes towards the ICW. We fished around the channel with no results, so we fished likely areas on the way back. John managed three mangrove snappers that were fun, but too small to keep.
Wednesday - We had breakfast and decided to try Turtle Beach with the kayaks. We saw a lot of action, but they were mullet. John talked to a mullet fisherman afterwards, and he said that he has not seen any reds or trout in this area yet.
Thursday - In the morning, we stopped at Family Optical and picked out new glasses for John. We will pick them up after we return in January. Afterwards, we drove over to Shamrock Park to check out the ICW there. John fished there from shore, but again nothing. We talked to an older gentleman who fishes there every day and he said that he hasn't caught any fish there for a couple of weeks. Our friends, Bruce & Cheryl pulled in to their site down a few from us. We enjoyed getting caught up with them.
Friday - The four of us went on a nature with the assistant park manager, Jerry. He was very informative about the history of the park and things that are being done to maintain the habitat for plants and animals. In the evening we went back to the jetty with our friends and watched the sunset and huge waves coming in and breaking on the seawall. Finally we all went to the nature center where they showed "A Christmas Story" and served popcorn and cookies.
Saturday - Today we joined our friends in biking the Legacy Trail to the Venice Train Station and later kayaking South Creek. When we got back from that, we enjoyed a presentation by the naturalist on bald eagles. We biked about 14 miles today and kayaked about 5. Finally we went over to the amphitheater for cookies and hot chocolate and participated in a karaoke style Christmas carol singalong.
Sunday - We said goodbye to our friends this morning, had breakfast and went on an explore. We wanted to see if there was action on the Venice Pier, so we began there. Negative! We next went to Casperson Park and walked around there fore awhile. They continue to make improvements to an already very nice place. We checked with a few folks fishing there, but nothing biting. It is beginning to warm up after a significant cold snap.
Monday - We hung out around the campground and took several walks/hikes. Later in the day, we drove down to the Inlet and watched the sunset. It was a beautiful evening.
Tuesday - Merry Christmas friends. We pray the day finds you well and full of joy at the birth of our Lord and Savior.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/OscarSchererSPDec1726
Colt Creek SP (Nov 23)
This park is one of Florida's newest, and is only a few miles from us. It was a cool, bright day, with a moderate wind. Instead of waiting in lines today, we chose to cast our lines. We began fishing at the pier, but after 15 minutes of not seeing any action by ourselves or the others, we decided to move on. There is little on this lake where there is access to the water due to heavy weed cover, so we headed to the other lake. Joan used a foam hopper and John used a small plastic worm. Finally, John hooked a nice bass just off the weeds, but it got itself wrapped up in them and broke off. That was the total extent of our action. This was actually more than anyone else we saw.
We were blessed to see many water birds, a buck deer, two alligators, many horses (with riders), and two huge hornets nests.
Click to View Pictures
We were blessed to see many water birds, a buck deer, two alligators, many horses (with riders), and two huge hornets nests.
Click to View Pictures
E. G. Simmons County Park - Reprise (Nov 15)
It was overcast and spitting rain a little, but the tides were predicted to be so good we went anyway. It didn't rain at all after we got here, but the fishing was rather slow. We caught four trout between us, but they were all undersized. John had a nice snook on, but it jumped and spit the hook. It was a pleasant day and nice to see our friend Mike from Trackrock who stopped by to say hi. We stopped at Pizza Hut on the way home. It was quite good.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/EGSimmonsCountyParkRepriseNov15
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/EGSimmonsCountyParkRepriseNov15
Honeymoon Island (Nov 13)
We went with Skip & Shirley today and launched the kayaks on the causeway leading to the island. We paddled quite a distance towards the island and began fishing when we saw fish rolling. The first fish caught was a ladyfish that John got, followed quickly by a Spanish mackerel that Joan brought to the boat. Joan caught another mackerel and John caught a keeper trout and too many ladyfish to count. It was a beautiful day to fish and good action. The traffic getting to this area is heavy, with many traffic lights.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/HoneymoonIslandNov13
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/HoneymoonIslandNov13
E. G. Simmons County Park - Ruskin (Nov 5)
We got to the park about 10:30 and launched the kayaks from shore at the end of the road past the boat ramp and playground. We went out into the flats and fished around the channel. John had the hot hand today with three keeper sized trout, one small and one keeper sizes flounder. John measured the fish according to the small paddle we use to position the kayak while fishing and the trout were about 15". We like them to be about 16" or larger, because they are easier to fillet. taking pictures of trout is quite difficult, because they never stop fighting, and are very hard to hold onto. Both of us caught numerous ladyfish, which are a lot of fun on a fly rod. the first thing they do when hooked is to jump way out of the water. We became interested in a group of manatees that were very active at the far end of a bay we were fishing. There was a lot of churning waters and flailing flippers. We thought it was most likely mating activity and confirmed that by looking it up when we got home. It was a gorgeous day, with temp in the upper 70s, with hazy skies. This is a beautiful park, with many bays and channels to fish. We stopped for Chinese on the way home.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/EGSimmonsParkRuskinNov5
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/EGSimmonsParkRuskinNov5
Jenkins Creek (Nov 2)
We launched our kayaks and headed out to the grass flats. The tide was low and just beginning to come in. We saw some action and John caught a needlefish, followed by a pinfish, and eventually a pufferfish, to complete the "junkfish slam". Later he caught a small (9 inch) sea trout, then just before returning to the launch, an 11 inch mangrove snapper that put up a good fight. It was a perfect day for kayaking, with a nice breeze to keep us cool.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/JenkinsCreekNov2
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/JenkinsCreekNov2
Faver-Dykes SP (Oct 24-Nov 1)
It was a much easier trip this morning with only 90 miles to travel. We have noticed an increase in humidity and temp. We've gotten set up in this new to us campground. It is very typical Florida, with packed sand sites. We will be here for eight nites.
Thursday - We launched the kayaks at the boat ramp here in the park. It was high tide, so we didn't want to go towards the flats and have to paddle back against the current, so we went upstream and started fishing about 1/2 mile up. We could see some schools of bait, which was encouraging. John caught the only fish, which was a fairly nice channel catfish. It put up a good fight. We are watching the storm and have gotten a few bands, but should only be a rain/wind event here.
Friday - We had a great time visiting Trackrock friends, Chris & Sara, over in Walaka, which is on the other side of the St. John's River from Palaka. They stay in a park their in their 5th wheel. They were unable to come to Trackrock this summer because of health issues. It is about 35 miles to their place from Faver-Dykes. It was a little windy and there were a few branches down when we returned, but we were not too concerned about Hurricane Sandy. However, when we were almost ready for bed, the park ranger came to our campsite and told us that we needed to evacuate. We decided to head inland back to Palaka and stay at the Wal-mart there. The weather was quieter there than the people. Camp Wal-mart will not be at the top of our list for a return.
Saturday - We decided to return to Zephyrhills, and drove the 125 miles back.
Thursday - We launched the kayaks at the boat ramp here in the park. It was high tide, so we didn't want to go towards the flats and have to paddle back against the current, so we went upstream and started fishing about 1/2 mile up. We could see some schools of bait, which was encouraging. John caught the only fish, which was a fairly nice channel catfish. It put up a good fight. We are watching the storm and have gotten a few bands, but should only be a rain/wind event here.
Friday - We had a great time visiting Trackrock friends, Chris & Sara, over in Walaka, which is on the other side of the St. John's River from Palaka. They stay in a park their in their 5th wheel. They were unable to come to Trackrock this summer because of health issues. It is about 35 miles to their place from Faver-Dykes. It was a little windy and there were a few branches down when we returned, but we were not too concerned about Hurricane Sandy. However, when we were almost ready for bed, the park ranger came to our campsite and told us that we needed to evacuate. We decided to head inland back to Palaka and stay at the Wal-mart there. The weather was quieter there than the people. Camp Wal-mart will not be at the top of our list for a return.
Saturday - We decided to return to Zephyrhills, and drove the 125 miles back.
Country Oaks RV Park - Kingsland, Ga (Oct 22-23)
Today was the longest part of our return, with 269 miles before we stopped here at 3:30pm. The trip was uneventful and not too tiring. The weather is perfect and promising for our trip to Cumberland Island tomorrow.
Tuesday - Cumberland Island - We took the 9AM shuttle over and were surprised with how warm it was. We joined the park ranger for a tour of the Dungeness Ruins. The estate was created by the Carnagees at the beginning of the last century. We brought our fly-rods and hoped to fish, but opportunities were limited. John did manage to catch an 8 inch butterfish near the boat dock. This is a wonderful area to visit, but way too big to see in one day. We saw some of the horses, turkeys, a huge flock of swallows, pleated woodpecker, and a dolphin one the way out. When we got back to St. Mary's, we enjoyed Gyros at the Riverside Cafe. We are tired.
Tuesday - Cumberland Island - We took the 9AM shuttle over and were surprised with how warm it was. We joined the park ranger for a tour of the Dungeness Ruins. The estate was created by the Carnagees at the beginning of the last century. We brought our fly-rods and hoped to fish, but opportunities were limited. John did manage to catch an 8 inch butterfish near the boat dock. This is a wonderful area to visit, but way too big to see in one day. We saw some of the horses, turkeys, a huge flock of swallows, pleated woodpecker, and a dolphin one the way out. When we got back to St. Mary's, we enjoyed Gyros at the Riverside Cafe. We are tired.
Petersburg COE - Appling, Ga (Oct 17-21)
Wednesday - We arrived here after a nice 95 mile drive. The site (42) has a beautiful view of the lake. It is a perfect day here, with temps in the 70s and clear skies. We were greeted by a bald eagle, soaring over the lake when we arrived.
Thursday - We launched the kayaks and fished for a short time until dearly dark, but nothing.
Friday - We launched again in the morning and fished for about three hours, but the result was the same. It became very windy in the afternoon.
Saturday - We drove over to Marteniz, Ga. to a home of a super lady we met last year at the Walmart near there. After talking for awhile, she gave us a tour of the area around there, which includes the Savannah River. We then had lunch at Cheddars, and returned to her house for yummy cake and cookies. She lives in a beautiful neighborhood. After stopping at Walmart, we returned to our campsite and fished from shore for about 20 minutes until dark, but again nothing.
Thursday - We launched the kayaks and fished for a short time until dearly dark, but nothing.
Friday - We launched again in the morning and fished for about three hours, but the result was the same. It became very windy in the afternoon.
Saturday - We drove over to Marteniz, Ga. to a home of a super lady we met last year at the Walmart near there. After talking for awhile, she gave us a tour of the area around there, which includes the Savannah River. We then had lunch at Cheddars, and returned to her house for yummy cake and cookies. She lives in a beautiful neighborhood. After stopping at Walmart, we returned to our campsite and fished from shore for about 20 minutes until dark, but again nothing.
Twin Lakes COE Campground (Oct 12-16)
Friday - We had a good trip over here, about 90 miles and 2 1/2 hours. We pulled into the same site we had last year, site 26. The weather today, although starting out with light rain, became perfect once we got here.
Sunday - We went to our friends (Tom & Jane) church for a wonderful service, then out for lunch at a great seafood restaurant, Harbor Inn. We then went over to Tom & Jane's home and took a nice walk on their friends land behind them. We enjoyed their new puppy, Mocha, a gorgeous Weimaraner.
Tuesday - Tom took us out on Hartwell Lake on his boat this AM. Joan started things out with two bass to the boat. We got into areas on the lake where bass were crashing baitfish all around us, but Tom was the only one to catch any. He got a nice 4 pounder on a blue/white plastic jerk bait. Joan was using an olive wooly bugger John tied. John tried several different colored Clousers, but none worked.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/TwinLakesCORCampgroundOct1216
Sunday - We went to our friends (Tom & Jane) church for a wonderful service, then out for lunch at a great seafood restaurant, Harbor Inn. We then went over to Tom & Jane's home and took a nice walk on their friends land behind them. We enjoyed their new puppy, Mocha, a gorgeous Weimaraner.
Tuesday - Tom took us out on Hartwell Lake on his boat this AM. Joan started things out with two bass to the boat. We got into areas on the lake where bass were crashing baitfish all around us, but Tom was the only one to catch any. He got a nice 4 pounder on a blue/white plastic jerk bait. Joan was using an olive wooly bugger John tied. John tried several different colored Clousers, but none worked.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/TwinLakesCORCampgroundOct1216
Smokies Fishing (Oct 3)
We wanted to get in a last trip into the park and had intentions on fishing Noland Creek, which is near the end of the "Road to Nowhere" outside Bryson City. We got to the parking lot, which had several vehicles parked, so we decided to hike up the trail along the creek to check it out before trying to fish it. We got nearly a mile up before we found a place to get to the water. We talked to a group of fishermen who were just getting started, and they said that they hike up about 2 1/2 miles up to fish. We decided we would do that another day and go over to Deep Creek instead. It is really a beautiful drive up to this part of the park. When we got to the picnic area, we stopped and had lunch. Afterwards, we put on out wet wading gear and hiked about a mile up Deep Creek, and fished a few areas. Joan was the successful one, with a nice keeper sized rainbow. We stopped at Anthony's for pizza on the way home. A nice day.
Grandfather Mountain (Sept 4-14)
We stopped at Moonshine Creek CG after 97 miles of mountain driving, which is plenty for the old man. It rained off and on the whole way, and forecasts don't show much improvement. The campground is nice, but sites are closer than we are used to. The facilities are clean and seem well maintained. We are only here one nite, but we will return here on the way back next week.
Wednesday - We drive the rest of the way to Boone and set up at Grandfather Mountain CG for a week. The drive was not easy, but not eventful either. It is a nice CG, with a level, well graveled pad, and a great view of the surrounding mountains. We are rather close to our neighbors, but they seem nice.
Thursday - We did our typical first day explore and had an extraordinary time. Our first stop was Linville Falls Wilderness Area. The hike and falls we're much better than we expected.
After pizza at The Italian Restaurant for lunch, we hiked the Linville Cove Viaduct Overlook Trail. It wound around rock formations mostly under and along the famous viaduct on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Finally, we stopped at the Julian Price Lake and found out that it is stocked with trout and we can launch our kayaks there. It is a beautiful lake with great mountain views. We fished for awhile and caught a few bream.
Friday - We had planned to kayak and fish at Julian Price Lake this morning, but when we got up, it was very foggy. We didn't figure a drive up the mountain in the fog was a good idea, so we went to the outfitter to replenish our fly floatant and get an idea on some good spots. One suggestion was to fish the Watauga at the park in Valle Crucis. After checking out xxx Dept. Store, we wet waded there at the park, but caught nothing. John tested the water, and found it was 75 deg., which is too warm for trout. We wondered if the guy at the fly shop had actually fished there recently. Usually, the information we get is good, but this was questionable. It is a beautiful park, and well used by the locals. One other person was putting in to fish when we did, but didn't stick around long. It turned out to be a gorgeous day.
Saturday - It was a rainy day, so we got a walk in and spent the day watching college football. It was a great Florida game. Go Gators!
Sunday - There were signs posted in several places here in the campground that there would be a worship service in the pavilion at 10 AM. However, when we there, no one was there. Disappointed, we did a Walmart run instead. In the afternoon, John fished for awhile in the Wautaga River that runs thru the campground here. We had seen some fish while walking along the bank. It was too cool for Joan to wade, so she took a pass. John ended up catching a nice 8 inch rainbow and losing two. It was a beautiful fall day here.
Monday - We launched the kayaks on Price Lake, and fished both ends. We only managed a few bream. This is a stocked lake, but must not have gotten any trout for awhile. To console ourselves, we stopped at Applebee's for dinner.
Wednesday - We had one of the best days of our trip today with a ride to New River State Park. This river, they say, is the second oldest in the world, with only the Nile being older. The park is beautiful, with only the very best facilities. The river is gorgeous and very popular for canoe/kayak trips and fishing. We decided to wet-wade, armed with wooly buggers on our 4 wt. fly rods. John had the right color today and caught two smallmouth bass. They were small, but put up a nice battle before being released.
Thursday - We are back at Moonshine Creek, between Sylva and Waynesville overnight, and will head back to Trackrock tomorrow.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/GrandfatherMountainSept413
Wednesday - We drive the rest of the way to Boone and set up at Grandfather Mountain CG for a week. The drive was not easy, but not eventful either. It is a nice CG, with a level, well graveled pad, and a great view of the surrounding mountains. We are rather close to our neighbors, but they seem nice.
Thursday - We did our typical first day explore and had an extraordinary time. Our first stop was Linville Falls Wilderness Area. The hike and falls we're much better than we expected.
After pizza at The Italian Restaurant for lunch, we hiked the Linville Cove Viaduct Overlook Trail. It wound around rock formations mostly under and along the famous viaduct on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Finally, we stopped at the Julian Price Lake and found out that it is stocked with trout and we can launch our kayaks there. It is a beautiful lake with great mountain views. We fished for awhile and caught a few bream.
Friday - We had planned to kayak and fish at Julian Price Lake this morning, but when we got up, it was very foggy. We didn't figure a drive up the mountain in the fog was a good idea, so we went to the outfitter to replenish our fly floatant and get an idea on some good spots. One suggestion was to fish the Watauga at the park in Valle Crucis. After checking out xxx Dept. Store, we wet waded there at the park, but caught nothing. John tested the water, and found it was 75 deg., which is too warm for trout. We wondered if the guy at the fly shop had actually fished there recently. Usually, the information we get is good, but this was questionable. It is a beautiful park, and well used by the locals. One other person was putting in to fish when we did, but didn't stick around long. It turned out to be a gorgeous day.
Saturday - It was a rainy day, so we got a walk in and spent the day watching college football. It was a great Florida game. Go Gators!
Sunday - There were signs posted in several places here in the campground that there would be a worship service in the pavilion at 10 AM. However, when we there, no one was there. Disappointed, we did a Walmart run instead. In the afternoon, John fished for awhile in the Wautaga River that runs thru the campground here. We had seen some fish while walking along the bank. It was too cool for Joan to wade, so she took a pass. John ended up catching a nice 8 inch rainbow and losing two. It was a beautiful fall day here.
Monday - We launched the kayaks on Price Lake, and fished both ends. We only managed a few bream. This is a stocked lake, but must not have gotten any trout for awhile. To console ourselves, we stopped at Applebee's for dinner.
Wednesday - We had one of the best days of our trip today with a ride to New River State Park. This river, they say, is the second oldest in the world, with only the Nile being older. The park is beautiful, with only the very best facilities. The river is gorgeous and very popular for canoe/kayak trips and fishing. We decided to wet-wade, armed with wooly buggers on our 4 wt. fly rods. John had the right color today and caught two smallmouth bass. They were small, but put up a nice battle before being released.
Thursday - We are back at Moonshine Creek, between Sylva and Waynesville overnight, and will head back to Trackrock tomorrow.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/GrandfatherMountainSept413
Standing Indian NRA (Aug 12-17)
This is a great area to camp, fish, and hike. It is only about 40 miles from Trackrock and lies at an elevation of about 3500 ft. which makes it cooler. We made a reservation this time and stayed on site 12, which is large and private. The other section is mostly open, with visibility to other sites. There are no hookups here, so running a generator is necessary to keep the batteries charged. We caught some fish, and one rainbow Joan caught was about 9 inches, which for here is a good sized fish. We used mostly a size 12 green dry fly with a yellow foam parachute that John ties, but Joan's bigger fish succumbed to a yellow foam nymph that John also ties. One nite our new friends, Sonny and Shirley, brought over a yummy gumbo and shared it with us, which was followed with a nice chat around the fire.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/StandingIndianNRAAug1217
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/StandingIndianNRAAug1217
Michigan (June 24-July 18)
Fox Inn Campground - We left after chapel service at 11AM and arrived here, south of Knoxville about 3:15PM after driving 148 miles. We have a level pull-thru site and the prices are reasonable. This portion on the drive is the trickiest due to the hills and curves. It is quite warm here. The pool looks inviting.
Monday, June 25 - We got off to an early start this AM after breakfast at Shoney's. We arrived at Whispering Hills RV Campground about noon after 165 miles. There is a nice breeze and full sun. They have improved many sites, but the roads are still quite chopped up. Kentucky law requires that we would need to have fishing licenses to fish the lake here even though it is on private property. It would cost us $20 for one day, so we will wait until we are in Indiana.
Tuesday - We are now near St. Paul, Indiana at Thorntree Lake Campground. There are not many here, despite being quite nice. It is about 15 degrees cooler than yesterday, and there is a nice lake we can fish for $5 each. Joan had a large bass break off and John caught a couple small bream when we fished in the afternoon.
Wednesday - It was about 200 miles this morning to get here. Potawotomie is our favorite stop along the way. This place is huge, with many permanent sites, but they are all very well maintained and spacious with nice gardens. There are three connected lakes and a clean beach. The facilities are older, but very clean. We fished a small creek that flows out of the lake and each caught a few large bluegill on small hoppers. A young fellow was using a small plastic worm and caught two very nice bass. It is going to be 102 tomorrow, so we are not sad to be moving further north. It will only be 95 in Evart tomorrow.
Thursday - Our last stretch was about 171 miles. We took SR 66 which was very pretty. We have a site on the river, which is heavily used by tubers. We don't know yet how the fishing will be here. The river is quite shallow with the lack of rain here. It is also very warm, so fishing will probably be very early or late in the day.
Friday - We went over to John's boys house and visited with the soon to be bride and groom (Brett & Nellie), Brian, and the other friends and relatives. We came back to the campground and Margaret, Jeff, Jake & Josh came over to visit before the rehearsal and dinner. They all got their feet wet at the kayak launch and the boys enjoyed finding crayfish with a new friend they made there. After they left, John had noticed a bass earlier come over to an area where there were minnows, and snatch one. So he took his fly rod which was still rigged with a black wooly bugger and worked the area. The bass came from behind a rock and missed, but a second cast hooked him. The two pound smallmouth put up a great fight, but eventually let himself be landed. We were under a tight schedule, so filleting was not an option. In the evening we enjoyed the pastor take Brett & Nellie through their vows, then had an excellent dinner provided by church friends.
Saturday - It was a very nice wedding. Everyone looked so nice all dressed up. The ceremony went without a hitch, and the reception dinner was excellent. May God richly bless Brett and Nellie Willis. Seeing them so happy was a great birthday present for John.
Sunday - We drove over to the McDonalds in Reed City and said goodbye to the grand-kids. Jacob has a playoff baseball game and 4PM and Joshua starts all-star games on Monday. Kathy, trevor, Allison, and Brian came over and visited. We sat and watched the river and were greeted by a bald eagle that perched in a tree across the river. We also swam/waded in the river to stay cool. We really enjoyed their visit.
Monday - Laundry morning, then relax. After dinner, we put our swim suites and waded the river armed with 6 wt. fly rods and wooly buggers. Joan started things off with a nice small mouth bass. It looked to be keeper sized, but we had no way to measure it. John put it along his fly rod and sized it to the label for later measurement. John followed with a spotted bass of identical length and a smaller small mouth. Later measurement with a ruler showed they were both keepers at 14.25 in. A fun evening anyway with folks in campsites on the shore cheering us on.
Tuesday - T. Storms in the night and showers in the morning. No road dust now. We went on an explore and found a couple places to launch kayaks. We tried to find places to wade Middle Branch River, which has excellent trout water, but places were infested with deer flies. We will stick to the Muskegon for now. We stopped at the Iron Skillet for lunch and both of us had Gyros. They were quite good.
Wednesday, July 4 - God Bless America. Happy Birthday.
Thursday - Stayed close to A/C. Hot!
Friday - Ditto!
Saturday - Cooler this morning. We can actually sit out and enjoy the river without sweating.
Sunday - We started out early this morning to beat the rush to dump our waste and drove the 90 miles to Grayling. The East Branch of the AuSable is very small and not very fishable here in the campground, so we drove to the main river and checked out some spots to try in the morning. On the way back, we stopped in town at Bear's Den and had pizza. The campground has a lot less activity than the one we came from, and so far we like it and the area around here much better.
Monday - We decided to put in at Keystone on the AuSable stretch known as the "Holy Water". This area is flies only and catch & release. There were two others here, and the went upstream, so we headed down. We walked down about 1/4 mile and headed back. There was no noticeable hatch going on, so we used attracted patterns. John caught a creek chub, then Joan caught a small rainbow. The river here is beautiful, and fishing awesome, but catching was not happening. On the way back we stopped at another area and there was a TU group conducting a kids fish camp. Next, we stopped at Gates AuSable Lodge Fly Shop, which is an Orvis Shop and got some advice. The owner thought we might so better on the South Branch. He gave us directions and suggested a few flies, which we bought. That we figure is a reasonable cost for information. We really like this area better than where we were last week, plus the weather so far is much cooler.
Tuesday - We followed the directions we got yesterday and began fishing on the South Branch of the AuSable on the Mason Tract by Chase Bridge. Joan was using a #18 Blue Wing Olive and John a Griffin's Gnat of the same size. We both did about the same, each with three to hand and each having one larger fish. Joan's was a rainbow while John's was a brookie. This area is also fly fish only and catch and release. We also did some more exploring and checked out an area where we are planning on going in the morning.
Wednesday - We first tried the South Branch near the 72 bridge, but after 30 minutes, gave that up. We went back to Chase Bridge on S. Branch and hiked a mile on a foot path and fished our way back. We saw many fish but only managed a couple of small ones. The water is now above 70 deg., and stressful for trout, so we have decided to try some lakes in the area for bass/bream.
Thursday - We needed an explore day and a break from wading. We checked out a couple of local lakes. Lake Wakeley is a 20 acre walk in lake on National Forest land that has primitive camping and catch-and-release fishing for bass, bluegill, and pike. It is a beautiful setting and provides loon sarenades. We also checked out Kneff Lake, which also has primitive camping and a beautiful beach. Unlike Wakeley, there is no kayak access.
Friday - We caught a few trout back at Chase Bridge, by walking downstream about 100 yards and working back. In the evening, we had plans to wheel the kayaks into Wakeley Lake, but at 7pm it was still too hot, so we wet waded by Gates Lodge, but nothing was rising.
Saturday - We met Rachael Moffet's parents Ernie and Par, who live near Gaylord, for breakfast and had a great time visiting. We also needed to restock supplies for the trip back, so we stopped at Walmart. On the way back to the campground, it poured, and it also stormed in the afternoon. The rain is very welcome here, as it has been extremely dry.
Sunday, July 15 - We are on our way back down to Trackrock and have pulled in for the night at Potawotomie. It has not rained here and is much warmer than yesterday, but there is a nice breeze. We drove about 225 miles today, with mostly light traffic.
Monday - We skipped a stop and drove 317 miles to Whispering Hills campground just north of Lexington, Ky. It is hot here, but there are warnings out for tomorrow in this area. We will be hitting the pool after dinner this evening.
Tuesday - Back at Fox Inn Campground after driving 184 miles. We've got some storms rolling thru. We have decided that tomorrow we will take the longer, but easier route.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/MichiganJune24July18
Monday, June 25 - We got off to an early start this AM after breakfast at Shoney's. We arrived at Whispering Hills RV Campground about noon after 165 miles. There is a nice breeze and full sun. They have improved many sites, but the roads are still quite chopped up. Kentucky law requires that we would need to have fishing licenses to fish the lake here even though it is on private property. It would cost us $20 for one day, so we will wait until we are in Indiana.
Tuesday - We are now near St. Paul, Indiana at Thorntree Lake Campground. There are not many here, despite being quite nice. It is about 15 degrees cooler than yesterday, and there is a nice lake we can fish for $5 each. Joan had a large bass break off and John caught a couple small bream when we fished in the afternoon.
Wednesday - It was about 200 miles this morning to get here. Potawotomie is our favorite stop along the way. This place is huge, with many permanent sites, but they are all very well maintained and spacious with nice gardens. There are three connected lakes and a clean beach. The facilities are older, but very clean. We fished a small creek that flows out of the lake and each caught a few large bluegill on small hoppers. A young fellow was using a small plastic worm and caught two very nice bass. It is going to be 102 tomorrow, so we are not sad to be moving further north. It will only be 95 in Evart tomorrow.
Thursday - Our last stretch was about 171 miles. We took SR 66 which was very pretty. We have a site on the river, which is heavily used by tubers. We don't know yet how the fishing will be here. The river is quite shallow with the lack of rain here. It is also very warm, so fishing will probably be very early or late in the day.
Friday - We went over to John's boys house and visited with the soon to be bride and groom (Brett & Nellie), Brian, and the other friends and relatives. We came back to the campground and Margaret, Jeff, Jake & Josh came over to visit before the rehearsal and dinner. They all got their feet wet at the kayak launch and the boys enjoyed finding crayfish with a new friend they made there. After they left, John had noticed a bass earlier come over to an area where there were minnows, and snatch one. So he took his fly rod which was still rigged with a black wooly bugger and worked the area. The bass came from behind a rock and missed, but a second cast hooked him. The two pound smallmouth put up a great fight, but eventually let himself be landed. We were under a tight schedule, so filleting was not an option. In the evening we enjoyed the pastor take Brett & Nellie through their vows, then had an excellent dinner provided by church friends.
Saturday - It was a very nice wedding. Everyone looked so nice all dressed up. The ceremony went without a hitch, and the reception dinner was excellent. May God richly bless Brett and Nellie Willis. Seeing them so happy was a great birthday present for John.
Sunday - We drove over to the McDonalds in Reed City and said goodbye to the grand-kids. Jacob has a playoff baseball game and 4PM and Joshua starts all-star games on Monday. Kathy, trevor, Allison, and Brian came over and visited. We sat and watched the river and were greeted by a bald eagle that perched in a tree across the river. We also swam/waded in the river to stay cool. We really enjoyed their visit.
Monday - Laundry morning, then relax. After dinner, we put our swim suites and waded the river armed with 6 wt. fly rods and wooly buggers. Joan started things off with a nice small mouth bass. It looked to be keeper sized, but we had no way to measure it. John put it along his fly rod and sized it to the label for later measurement. John followed with a spotted bass of identical length and a smaller small mouth. Later measurement with a ruler showed they were both keepers at 14.25 in. A fun evening anyway with folks in campsites on the shore cheering us on.
Tuesday - T. Storms in the night and showers in the morning. No road dust now. We went on an explore and found a couple places to launch kayaks. We tried to find places to wade Middle Branch River, which has excellent trout water, but places were infested with deer flies. We will stick to the Muskegon for now. We stopped at the Iron Skillet for lunch and both of us had Gyros. They were quite good.
Wednesday, July 4 - God Bless America. Happy Birthday.
Thursday - Stayed close to A/C. Hot!
Friday - Ditto!
Saturday - Cooler this morning. We can actually sit out and enjoy the river without sweating.
Sunday - We started out early this morning to beat the rush to dump our waste and drove the 90 miles to Grayling. The East Branch of the AuSable is very small and not very fishable here in the campground, so we drove to the main river and checked out some spots to try in the morning. On the way back, we stopped in town at Bear's Den and had pizza. The campground has a lot less activity than the one we came from, and so far we like it and the area around here much better.
Monday - We decided to put in at Keystone on the AuSable stretch known as the "Holy Water". This area is flies only and catch & release. There were two others here, and the went upstream, so we headed down. We walked down about 1/4 mile and headed back. There was no noticeable hatch going on, so we used attracted patterns. John caught a creek chub, then Joan caught a small rainbow. The river here is beautiful, and fishing awesome, but catching was not happening. On the way back we stopped at another area and there was a TU group conducting a kids fish camp. Next, we stopped at Gates AuSable Lodge Fly Shop, which is an Orvis Shop and got some advice. The owner thought we might so better on the South Branch. He gave us directions and suggested a few flies, which we bought. That we figure is a reasonable cost for information. We really like this area better than where we were last week, plus the weather so far is much cooler.
Tuesday - We followed the directions we got yesterday and began fishing on the South Branch of the AuSable on the Mason Tract by Chase Bridge. Joan was using a #18 Blue Wing Olive and John a Griffin's Gnat of the same size. We both did about the same, each with three to hand and each having one larger fish. Joan's was a rainbow while John's was a brookie. This area is also fly fish only and catch and release. We also did some more exploring and checked out an area where we are planning on going in the morning.
Wednesday - We first tried the South Branch near the 72 bridge, but after 30 minutes, gave that up. We went back to Chase Bridge on S. Branch and hiked a mile on a foot path and fished our way back. We saw many fish but only managed a couple of small ones. The water is now above 70 deg., and stressful for trout, so we have decided to try some lakes in the area for bass/bream.
Thursday - We needed an explore day and a break from wading. We checked out a couple of local lakes. Lake Wakeley is a 20 acre walk in lake on National Forest land that has primitive camping and catch-and-release fishing for bass, bluegill, and pike. It is a beautiful setting and provides loon sarenades. We also checked out Kneff Lake, which also has primitive camping and a beautiful beach. Unlike Wakeley, there is no kayak access.
Friday - We caught a few trout back at Chase Bridge, by walking downstream about 100 yards and working back. In the evening, we had plans to wheel the kayaks into Wakeley Lake, but at 7pm it was still too hot, so we wet waded by Gates Lodge, but nothing was rising.
Saturday - We met Rachael Moffet's parents Ernie and Par, who live near Gaylord, for breakfast and had a great time visiting. We also needed to restock supplies for the trip back, so we stopped at Walmart. On the way back to the campground, it poured, and it also stormed in the afternoon. The rain is very welcome here, as it has been extremely dry.
Sunday, July 15 - We are on our way back down to Trackrock and have pulled in for the night at Potawotomie. It has not rained here and is much warmer than yesterday, but there is a nice breeze. We drove about 225 miles today, with mostly light traffic.
Monday - We skipped a stop and drove 317 miles to Whispering Hills campground just north of Lexington, Ky. It is hot here, but there are warnings out for tomorrow in this area. We will be hitting the pool after dinner this evening.
Tuesday - Back at Fox Inn Campground after driving 184 miles. We've got some storms rolling thru. We have decided that tomorrow we will take the longer, but easier route.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/MichiganJune24July18
Trout Unlimited Creek Restoration (June 15)
Today, four from our TU Chapter joined 31 members from several other chapters on a small brook trout stream in the Cooper Creek WMA to install structures that will provide fish places to hide and reproduce. Workers from the US Forest Service provided equipment and guidance. This is the fifth time we have assisted with this important work. Burgers and dogs for lunch were provided by the Blue Ridge Chapter.
View pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/TroutUnlimitedCreekRestorationJune16
View Videos:
Carrying Tree
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Driving Rebar to Anchor Log to Stream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
View pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/TroutUnlimitedCreekRestorationJune16
View Videos:
Carrying Tree
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Driving Rebar to Anchor Log to Stream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Smoky Mt. Nat. Pk. (May 13-17)
Sunday - The drive was about 135 miles and beautiful. The roads are very curvy, making it difficult to make good time, so it took us nearly four hours to get here. We met three of our Trout Unlimited friends who had just gotten here and were setting up in a site a stones throw from ours. We walked over to the bridge and were able to spot several trout hiding behind a large boulder. It was getting late, so we opted to wait until tomorrow to fish. Instead, our friends, Clay, Ray (brothers), and John started a fire and invited us to join them. We alternated between sitting around the fire and under the awning as the rain dictated. It rained most of the way here and has been raining off and on all evening and into the night.
Monday - We slept great (man it gets dark here), arose early, ate breakfast, and took a coffee walk. Late morning we headed up Little River above the campground and fished the pools and runs we could get to for a few hours. The river was running fast and did not allow any of us to catch anything. Just as we got back to camp, the sky opened again and poured. We had dinner and went down by the bridge where we had seen fish yesterday. The big rock where they had been hiding was barely visible now. We all had some action, but Joan was the only one to actually produce a fish, a nice rainbow. Afterwards, we enjoyed a fire at our friends.
Tuesday - The rain seems to have mostly let up. We met up with the rest of the group, but decided the five of us would continue to fish together and not split up and go with them. We figured we would head up Jakes Creek which is also above the campground. This area is possibly the most beautiful area we have ever fished. Joan caught three, all rainbows and lost two. John caught one and missed two. A #14 yellow foam caddis was the best producer. We had dinner, checked in with the other group and got fishing reports (most were very good), then took a nice walk around the campground before the evening rain began.
Wednesday - Sunny today and no rain. Thank you Lord. We decided today we (Ray) would drive over past Sugarlands, towards Clingman's Dome on Hwy 441 and fish Walker Camp Prong. We pulled off two places past where the road loops. The three walked upstream and we walked back downstream.The bluffs were high for quite a ways, but we finally found a place to enter. This area proved too difficult for us due to the very large boulders and deep, fast water. We were getting frustrated and concerned, so we decided to climb out and try back a little closer to the truck. We found a spot where we could climb down and get in where the going was much more navigable. We each caught one small rainbow, then just before we were ready to get out, John landed a very nice rainbow. There were many visitors to the park who enjoyed watching us fish and taking our pictures. Maybe we will be famous. In the evening, we sat by a fire with the guys in the group area and shared fish stories.
Thursday - We took a final coffee walk, had breakfast, packed, and said so long to our friends. We had a great time despite less than ideal conditions. This is truly a wonderful place. God has richly blessed us to allow us to be able to spend time here in his awesome creation.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/SmokyMtNatPkMay1317
Monday - We slept great (man it gets dark here), arose early, ate breakfast, and took a coffee walk. Late morning we headed up Little River above the campground and fished the pools and runs we could get to for a few hours. The river was running fast and did not allow any of us to catch anything. Just as we got back to camp, the sky opened again and poured. We had dinner and went down by the bridge where we had seen fish yesterday. The big rock where they had been hiding was barely visible now. We all had some action, but Joan was the only one to actually produce a fish, a nice rainbow. Afterwards, we enjoyed a fire at our friends.
Tuesday - The rain seems to have mostly let up. We met up with the rest of the group, but decided the five of us would continue to fish together and not split up and go with them. We figured we would head up Jakes Creek which is also above the campground. This area is possibly the most beautiful area we have ever fished. Joan caught three, all rainbows and lost two. John caught one and missed two. A #14 yellow foam caddis was the best producer. We had dinner, checked in with the other group and got fishing reports (most were very good), then took a nice walk around the campground before the evening rain began.
Wednesday - Sunny today and no rain. Thank you Lord. We decided today we (Ray) would drive over past Sugarlands, towards Clingman's Dome on Hwy 441 and fish Walker Camp Prong. We pulled off two places past where the road loops. The three walked upstream and we walked back downstream.The bluffs were high for quite a ways, but we finally found a place to enter. This area proved too difficult for us due to the very large boulders and deep, fast water. We were getting frustrated and concerned, so we decided to climb out and try back a little closer to the truck. We found a spot where we could climb down and get in where the going was much more navigable. We each caught one small rainbow, then just before we were ready to get out, John landed a very nice rainbow. There were many visitors to the park who enjoyed watching us fish and taking our pictures. Maybe we will be famous. In the evening, we sat by a fire with the guys in the group area and shared fish stories.
Thursday - We took a final coffee walk, had breakfast, packed, and said so long to our friends. We had a great time despite less than ideal conditions. This is truly a wonderful place. God has richly blessed us to allow us to be able to spend time here in his awesome creation.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/SmokyMtNatPkMay1317
Special Need Kid's Day at the Hatchery (May 9)
This is an event that we have done for the last three years that we love. We and our chapter of Trout Unlimited assist at the Chattahoochee National Fish Hatchery with two hundred children with developmental challenges catch trout. Since many are in wheelchairs, they would not be able to negotiate the stream, so the are allowed to fish directly in the hatchery runs. The each can catch and keep eight fish. There challenges vary, but hearing them squeal and laugh when they catch a fish is very heart warming.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/SpecialNeedsKidSDay
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/SpecialNeedsKidSDay
Vet's Day at the Hatchery (May 8)
Today several from our Chapter of Trout Unlimited helped at the Chatahoochee National Fish Hatchery near Sutches, welcome Veterans in the area fish in the stream than runs alongside the Hatchery. The stream is well stocked with good sized trout before the event. We were impressed with how helpful and friendly all the Vets were with each other. After we all had hotdogs for lunch we both fished for awhile and caught plenty of trout for dinner, which was delicious.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/VeteranSDayMay8
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/VeteranSDayMay8
Cotton Hill COE, Ft Gaines (March 25-April 1)
The campground is near Ft. Gaines, Ga. We have no I-phone service, but have Verizon Air Card access. We have a nice site a little ways from the water. This is spring break for Georgia kids, so sites are not easy to get. We got set up and had dinner, then fished awhile until dark. Joan caught a nice bass from shore, but John lost a nice bass. It was a gorgeous evening.
Monday - We had pancakes for breakfast (John cooks these), then worked the shoreline starting over at the Pine Island Loop. The beach is in this area, which attracts a louder crowd, but there are sites we could easily do. We found out that we get AT&T reception over there, so we may try it next time. It is really a pretty loop with a great view. John caught the only fish, a nice bream, but the hike and scenery were great. We had delicious pork chops on the grill for dinner. Our loop was nearly empty after folks left this morning, but got nearly full by sunset.
Tuesday - Walmart run. Gas was $3.63 there in Eufala, Al.
Wednesday - We launched the kayaks a few sites down from us and paddled past Pine Island beach to another couple of islands. We started off slow, but Joan started the action between the islands, by a drop off. She caught a nice bream, then soon another. John caught one, then hooked a keeper sized bass that fought hard, then shook the hook when it jumped. Drat! We each caught a few more bream and were getting ready to quit, when John said he was going to make one last cast. He hooked something really big, that he soon suspected was a large channel catfish, because it never came to the surface like a bass or bream would do. It took several minutes and really pulled on the 4wt fly rod and light tippet, but finally succumbed. We put her in our new mesh bag and brought her home for dinner. She provided two very nice fillets, which John cooked in cast iron over a charcoal fire. We were both using micro-Clouser Minnow flies that John tied. It was another beautiful day on the water.
Thursday - We launched again and headed over to the marina at the state park on the other side of the bay. We fished from here along the shoreline, but came up empty. We saw a very large male alligator who was in full mating mode and doing his vibration in the water which attracts any females in the area. This time of year gators get very territorial, so we gave him a wide berth. We fished the channel near the campground and John managed one nice bream. This was all for the day and checking with other fisherman yielded similar results.
Friday - We drove over to East Bank COE day use area and fished from shore. We were having no success, until we went over to a dock and Joan hooked a very large bass (about 3lbs). She got it to the dock, but we had no way to lift it up onto the dock without breaking her light tippet, so we lost it. We went out to dinner with folks we met here in the campground. We vowed we would not return to Bagby State Park for their seafood buffet, since we got a terrible meal there three years ago, but were assured by our friends that they have been and the food was very good. They were right. Also, John found out that Daniel had actually attended the basic electronics class John taught at Lowry AFB near Denver in the 60s. Small world.
Saturday - Storms came through in the night and all morning. It is very wet here.
Monday - We had pancakes for breakfast (John cooks these), then worked the shoreline starting over at the Pine Island Loop. The beach is in this area, which attracts a louder crowd, but there are sites we could easily do. We found out that we get AT&T reception over there, so we may try it next time. It is really a pretty loop with a great view. John caught the only fish, a nice bream, but the hike and scenery were great. We had delicious pork chops on the grill for dinner. Our loop was nearly empty after folks left this morning, but got nearly full by sunset.
Tuesday - Walmart run. Gas was $3.63 there in Eufala, Al.
Wednesday - We launched the kayaks a few sites down from us and paddled past Pine Island beach to another couple of islands. We started off slow, but Joan started the action between the islands, by a drop off. She caught a nice bream, then soon another. John caught one, then hooked a keeper sized bass that fought hard, then shook the hook when it jumped. Drat! We each caught a few more bream and were getting ready to quit, when John said he was going to make one last cast. He hooked something really big, that he soon suspected was a large channel catfish, because it never came to the surface like a bass or bream would do. It took several minutes and really pulled on the 4wt fly rod and light tippet, but finally succumbed. We put her in our new mesh bag and brought her home for dinner. She provided two very nice fillets, which John cooked in cast iron over a charcoal fire. We were both using micro-Clouser Minnow flies that John tied. It was another beautiful day on the water.
Thursday - We launched again and headed over to the marina at the state park on the other side of the bay. We fished from here along the shoreline, but came up empty. We saw a very large male alligator who was in full mating mode and doing his vibration in the water which attracts any females in the area. This time of year gators get very territorial, so we gave him a wide berth. We fished the channel near the campground and John managed one nice bream. This was all for the day and checking with other fisherman yielded similar results.
Friday - We drove over to East Bank COE day use area and fished from shore. We were having no success, until we went over to a dock and Joan hooked a very large bass (about 3lbs). She got it to the dock, but we had no way to lift it up onto the dock without breaking her light tippet, so we lost it. We went out to dinner with folks we met here in the campground. We vowed we would not return to Bagby State Park for their seafood buffet, since we got a terrible meal there three years ago, but were assured by our friends that they have been and the food was very good. They were right. Also, John found out that Daniel had actually attended the basic electronics class John taught at Lowry AFB near Denver in the 60s. Small world.
Saturday - Storms came through in the night and all morning. It is very wet here.
Torreya SP (Mar 22-24)
We left Rainbow Springs about 9AM and arrived here after driving about 240 uneventful miles. The campground is small and at the end of a quite rough dirt road. The road around the campground is also dirt as are the sites, which are close together without a barrier in between. Our new neighbors said they saw two copperheads on the trail, so we will get a chance to try out our snake gators.
Friday - We slept great last night with absolute quiet in the CG. No road noise. Other campers were also considerate. We hope this continues thru the weekend. We went down to the Gregory House in the park Nd took the tour. It used to be the owners home for a cotton plantation on the other side of the river. The CCC took it apart, moved it, and restored it on this side of the river in the 30s. It is furnished with artifacts from the period of the plantation. After that, we donned our snake waders and hiked down to the river to fish a little. John caught a quite large bowfin, which is a good fight, but not much good to eat.
Saturday - Today we hiked the Weeping Ridge Trail, then took a trail to the primitive camp and the river. We didn't bring our rods, but ran into a scout group fishing. They weren't doing much catching. It was a nice hike and a good warmup for hiking in the mountains. This area sure does not feel like Florida. It is very hilly.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/TorreyaSPMar2224
Friday - We slept great last night with absolute quiet in the CG. No road noise. Other campers were also considerate. We hope this continues thru the weekend. We went down to the Gregory House in the park Nd took the tour. It used to be the owners home for a cotton plantation on the other side of the river. The CCC took it apart, moved it, and restored it on this side of the river in the 30s. It is furnished with artifacts from the period of the plantation. After that, we donned our snake waders and hiked down to the river to fish a little. John caught a quite large bowfin, which is a good fight, but not much good to eat.
Saturday - Today we hiked the Weeping Ridge Trail, then took a trail to the primitive camp and the river. We didn't bring our rods, but ran into a scout group fishing. They weren't doing much catching. It was a nice hike and a good warmup for hiking in the mountains. This area sure does not feel like Florida. It is very hilly.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/TorreyaSPMar2224
Rainbow Springs SP (Mar 19-20)
We closed up the house and are on our way back (slowly) to Trackrock. It is only 80 miles here and was an easy trip. We walked down to the river and met some nice folks.
Wednesday - We got the kayaks out on the water this morning armed with 4wt fly rods. We each caught about a dozen bream, but all were quite small. Fun, anyway, and good practice for trout when we get back to Georgia. It got to the low 80s again, and our site is quite sunny.
Wednesday - We got the kayaks out on the water this morning armed with 4wt fly rods. We each caught about a dozen bream, but all were quite small. Fun, anyway, and good practice for trout when we get back to Georgia. It got to the low 80s again, and our site is quite sunny.
Forest Lake Estates (March 15)
We took a nice walk down by the lake and were greeted by this beautiful sky.
Folks feed the turtles from the fishing pier making fishing impossible, unless you want to catch turtles.
Evening view from the fishing pier.
Rainbow Springs SP (Feb 22-Mar 6)
Wednesday - We got in after 3 hours on the road, got set up, and were greeted with several hours of rain storms.
Thursday - We (mostly Joan) got a couple loads of laundry done despite intermittent showers all morning. We then drove over to Crystal River and checked out a couple of kayak shops looking for bungee cord to replace ours, then to a fly shop so John could buy a few needed items for tying. Next, we drove to Ft. Trail Park and John fished for awhile without success, and finally, we stopped at Applebees for dinner. Very nice! The rain seems to have stopped for awhile.
Friday - Despite high winds, friends came to the park here and we kayaked into town. This is an easy paddle down river, but with the wind, it was a real challenge. Anyway, it is still a beautiful trip and good to see Ray and Faye and their friend Bob. Afterwards we had lunch/dinner at the Blue Gator. They have excellent grouper salad.
Saturday - We drove to The Villages for a luncheon with friends from Joan's hometown area in Vermont. We have gotten together with them for the last several years. Afterwards we went over to our good friends and Joan's former classmates, Julie and Barry's place in The Villages. We sat on their nice screen room and chatted. John was given permission to fish their pond and managed to catch two and lose one bass. (Pictures included) Later, we went out for excellent pizza and salad.
Sunday - Rainy day. Thankfully, we got mail delivery from our mail service, so we could sort it and get our tax forms together. We really enjoyed a streaming video from Bayside Community, where we attended for the last four weeks.
Monday - Rain all night, morning, and late afternoon.
Tuesday - It finally stopped raining, so we launched kayaks here on the river and fished. We each caught small bass and bream. It was beautiful on the river, but overcast.
Wednesday - Back to Crystal River with a group who are friends if our friends Ray and Fay for kayaking on Kings Bay. Most of the folks had never kayaked before. It was a gorgeous day in the low 80s and everyone did super. We saw many manatees and eco tourists. Our friends Julie and Barry are here at the SP camping thru the weekend. We had dinner together at the CG, which is always fun.
Thursday - We took Julie and Barry over to Crystal Bay, this time we put in at Hunter's Run Park. There were many fewer manatees than yesterday, since it looks like with the warmer weather, they may be beginning to go back out to deeper water. We fished, but had no action until nearly back to the put-in John had a big fish on but after a couple minutes of very good fight, it took him into weeds and got off. He figured it was a redfish by the way it fought. After we got the kayaks loaded, we went to Crackers Restaurant for lunch. We decided it is not as good as The Blue Gator or Margarita Grill. Next, we drove to Yankeetown to the end of County 40 and fished a little. Julie had the opportunity to help a fisherman get a pelican free from fishing line. We then drove a little ways back to Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve and hiked around. This is a beautiful area.
Friday - The four of us drove over to the Chassahowitzka River and kayaked out to the fish camps. We fished on the way and out there as well, but only produced one small bream. The highlight of the trip was seeing two dolphins chasing baitfish and a pelican picking off his share. We also saw several large gators, river otters, osprey, shore birds, kingfisher, cormorant, and anhinga.
Saturday - Again, we braved strong winds and paddled the Rainbow River. We paddled to the head springs and shared the water with many other paddlers, scuba divers and snorkelers. For lunch we went to Stumpknockers Seafood Restaurant, but still like The Blue Gator best. Next, we went to an art show at the headwaters. It was ok, but not great. We walked around the gardens there, which are nice, but would be better in the summer. Finally, we cooked hot dogs around Julie's and Barry's fire.
Sunday - We said goodbye to Barry and Julie as they left for home. We made it thru a very windy and stormy night with no damage, but were awakened during the night with our weather radio warning us about heavy thunderstorms in the area. It has become sunny, but cool and very windy. We attended Bayside Community via streaming video and enjoyed a great service.
Monday - We traveled out to the end of County Hwy. 40 at Yankeetown to launch and fish. We crossed the Withlacoochee River and fished the back bays, but not even a hit. When we got back to the river, John had a trout take a swipe at his fly. It was windy and cool, but pleasant. We wanted to beat the rush at the Blue Alligator, so we left fishless.
Tuesday - A day to get things ready to head back to ZH for about two weeks. We will then start our slow return to Trackrock.
Wednesday - Back in ZH and unloaded.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/RainbowSpringsSPFeb22Mar6u
Thursday - We (mostly Joan) got a couple loads of laundry done despite intermittent showers all morning. We then drove over to Crystal River and checked out a couple of kayak shops looking for bungee cord to replace ours, then to a fly shop so John could buy a few needed items for tying. Next, we drove to Ft. Trail Park and John fished for awhile without success, and finally, we stopped at Applebees for dinner. Very nice! The rain seems to have stopped for awhile.
Friday - Despite high winds, friends came to the park here and we kayaked into town. This is an easy paddle down river, but with the wind, it was a real challenge. Anyway, it is still a beautiful trip and good to see Ray and Faye and their friend Bob. Afterwards we had lunch/dinner at the Blue Gator. They have excellent grouper salad.
Saturday - We drove to The Villages for a luncheon with friends from Joan's hometown area in Vermont. We have gotten together with them for the last several years. Afterwards we went over to our good friends and Joan's former classmates, Julie and Barry's place in The Villages. We sat on their nice screen room and chatted. John was given permission to fish their pond and managed to catch two and lose one bass. (Pictures included) Later, we went out for excellent pizza and salad.
Sunday - Rainy day. Thankfully, we got mail delivery from our mail service, so we could sort it and get our tax forms together. We really enjoyed a streaming video from Bayside Community, where we attended for the last four weeks.
Monday - Rain all night, morning, and late afternoon.
Tuesday - It finally stopped raining, so we launched kayaks here on the river and fished. We each caught small bass and bream. It was beautiful on the river, but overcast.
Wednesday - Back to Crystal River with a group who are friends if our friends Ray and Fay for kayaking on Kings Bay. Most of the folks had never kayaked before. It was a gorgeous day in the low 80s and everyone did super. We saw many manatees and eco tourists. Our friends Julie and Barry are here at the SP camping thru the weekend. We had dinner together at the CG, which is always fun.
Thursday - We took Julie and Barry over to Crystal Bay, this time we put in at Hunter's Run Park. There were many fewer manatees than yesterday, since it looks like with the warmer weather, they may be beginning to go back out to deeper water. We fished, but had no action until nearly back to the put-in John had a big fish on but after a couple minutes of very good fight, it took him into weeds and got off. He figured it was a redfish by the way it fought. After we got the kayaks loaded, we went to Crackers Restaurant for lunch. We decided it is not as good as The Blue Gator or Margarita Grill. Next, we drove to Yankeetown to the end of County 40 and fished a little. Julie had the opportunity to help a fisherman get a pelican free from fishing line. We then drove a little ways back to Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve and hiked around. This is a beautiful area.
Friday - The four of us drove over to the Chassahowitzka River and kayaked out to the fish camps. We fished on the way and out there as well, but only produced one small bream. The highlight of the trip was seeing two dolphins chasing baitfish and a pelican picking off his share. We also saw several large gators, river otters, osprey, shore birds, kingfisher, cormorant, and anhinga.
Saturday - Again, we braved strong winds and paddled the Rainbow River. We paddled to the head springs and shared the water with many other paddlers, scuba divers and snorkelers. For lunch we went to Stumpknockers Seafood Restaurant, but still like The Blue Gator best. Next, we went to an art show at the headwaters. It was ok, but not great. We walked around the gardens there, which are nice, but would be better in the summer. Finally, we cooked hot dogs around Julie's and Barry's fire.
Sunday - We said goodbye to Barry and Julie as they left for home. We made it thru a very windy and stormy night with no damage, but were awakened during the night with our weather radio warning us about heavy thunderstorms in the area. It has become sunny, but cool and very windy. We attended Bayside Community via streaming video and enjoyed a great service.
Monday - We traveled out to the end of County Hwy. 40 at Yankeetown to launch and fish. We crossed the Withlacoochee River and fished the back bays, but not even a hit. When we got back to the river, John had a trout take a swipe at his fly. It was windy and cool, but pleasant. We wanted to beat the rush at the Blue Alligator, so we left fishless.
Tuesday - A day to get things ready to head back to ZH for about two weeks. We will then start our slow return to Trackrock.
Wednesday - Back in ZH and unloaded.
View Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/RainbowSpringsSPFeb22Mar6u
Lake Manatee SP (Feb 8-21)
Wednesday - Back again for two more weeks, this time in site 47, across from our last site. We are all set up and really like the site.
Thursday - We drove over to Little Manatee River State Park to see if we wanted to add it to our itinerary next year. There are only about 30 sites there, but it is really nice. The sites are a little smaller than here, but nice. It is very quiet, as the campground is quite far from the road. The Little Manatee River, as you might guess from the name runs through the park. There is a nice canoe/kayak launch and the river is quite small here. It would be a very long paddle to get to areas where there might be saltwater fishing. On the way back to the campground, we ran into friends we met here at Lake Manatee who went over to camp. Even though we were on a 10 minute visitation to the park, we stopped at their campsite and visited for a couple of hours. On the way home, we stopped at Ozzie's Buffet for dinner. It was excellent.
Friday - We drove the approximately 21 miles to Emerson Point Preserve and decided to put on the waders to fish. We talked to a couple of people who were fishing and they were not catching. Undaunted we forged ahead. After about 30 minutes, John caught a very feisty 19 inch sea trout. Joan had to settle on a lizard fish. There are very nice grass flats in the area, which is certain to bring us back here. People were saying that the fishing has been excellent here.
Saturday - A couple asked us if we liked Southern Gospel music, to which we answered that we did. They gave us tickets to the Bill Bailey's Winter Gospel Music Convention at the Manatee Convention Center in Palmetto. We saw several groups, all of which were excellent. We especially liked The Isaacs. It has cooled off here considerably, so the local farmers are covering everything or spraying to prevent freezing. It should warm back up early next week so we can get back to fishing.
Sunday - It was a wonderful service again this morning at Bayside Community. We are feeling very comfortable there and will be sad when we leave. They have many affiliate churches, so we will have to try to find them as we travel. We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast afterwards, and despite the large crowd of people, they did a great job accommodating everyone.
Monday - It got quite cold again in the night, but it warned up quite nicely. We did some cleaning, bicycle maintenance, and cooking for the evening potluck. We enjoy the potlucks mostly because it is a great way to make new friends.
Tuesday - We drove to EG Simmons County Park and due to high winds decided to don the waders and wade fish. Casting a fly in the wind was challenging and also mostly unproductive until John managed to hook and land an 18" flounder. It put up a good fight, but eventually succumbed. This time we had a stringer so he came home with us. He made a tasty addition to our dinner.
Wednesday - Back to Emerson Point Preserve Park, where we met up with Joan's brother Skip and his friend Bob to launch kayaks and fish. Skip quickly caught three trout, with one being a keeper. John started off slower with one non-keeper trout, then a ladyfish and finally a slightly too small to keep redfish that put up a great fight. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water.
Thursday - Hung around camp today.
Friday - Hung around camp today except for a trip to the veggie stand and Walmart.
Saturday - We drove about 45 miles to Alafia State Park to visit friends we met at Trackrock and have dinner with them and a camping group they have been involved with for many years. We enjoyed seeing them and meeting their daughter and her boyfriend.
Sunday - We invited a couple from the campground to come to the service and hopefully it was not too loud for them. For us it was another awesome service. Afterwards, we met a friend at Ruby Tuesday's for lunch.
Monday - It was very windy and cool today so we wade fished on the south side of the causeway near Anna Maria Island. Joan caught a couple ladyfish and hooked another, while John caught a small lizard fish. We then went to Robinson Preserve and walked.
Thursday - We drove over to Little Manatee River State Park to see if we wanted to add it to our itinerary next year. There are only about 30 sites there, but it is really nice. The sites are a little smaller than here, but nice. It is very quiet, as the campground is quite far from the road. The Little Manatee River, as you might guess from the name runs through the park. There is a nice canoe/kayak launch and the river is quite small here. It would be a very long paddle to get to areas where there might be saltwater fishing. On the way back to the campground, we ran into friends we met here at Lake Manatee who went over to camp. Even though we were on a 10 minute visitation to the park, we stopped at their campsite and visited for a couple of hours. On the way home, we stopped at Ozzie's Buffet for dinner. It was excellent.
Friday - We drove the approximately 21 miles to Emerson Point Preserve and decided to put on the waders to fish. We talked to a couple of people who were fishing and they were not catching. Undaunted we forged ahead. After about 30 minutes, John caught a very feisty 19 inch sea trout. Joan had to settle on a lizard fish. There are very nice grass flats in the area, which is certain to bring us back here. People were saying that the fishing has been excellent here.
Saturday - A couple asked us if we liked Southern Gospel music, to which we answered that we did. They gave us tickets to the Bill Bailey's Winter Gospel Music Convention at the Manatee Convention Center in Palmetto. We saw several groups, all of which were excellent. We especially liked The Isaacs. It has cooled off here considerably, so the local farmers are covering everything or spraying to prevent freezing. It should warm back up early next week so we can get back to fishing.
Sunday - It was a wonderful service again this morning at Bayside Community. We are feeling very comfortable there and will be sad when we leave. They have many affiliate churches, so we will have to try to find them as we travel. We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast afterwards, and despite the large crowd of people, they did a great job accommodating everyone.
Monday - It got quite cold again in the night, but it warned up quite nicely. We did some cleaning, bicycle maintenance, and cooking for the evening potluck. We enjoy the potlucks mostly because it is a great way to make new friends.
Tuesday - We drove to EG Simmons County Park and due to high winds decided to don the waders and wade fish. Casting a fly in the wind was challenging and also mostly unproductive until John managed to hook and land an 18" flounder. It put up a good fight, but eventually succumbed. This time we had a stringer so he came home with us. He made a tasty addition to our dinner.
Wednesday - Back to Emerson Point Preserve Park, where we met up with Joan's brother Skip and his friend Bob to launch kayaks and fish. Skip quickly caught three trout, with one being a keeper. John started off slower with one non-keeper trout, then a ladyfish and finally a slightly too small to keep redfish that put up a great fight. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water.
Thursday - Hung around camp today.
Friday - Hung around camp today except for a trip to the veggie stand and Walmart.
Saturday - We drove about 45 miles to Alafia State Park to visit friends we met at Trackrock and have dinner with them and a camping group they have been involved with for many years. We enjoyed seeing them and meeting their daughter and her boyfriend.
Sunday - We invited a couple from the campground to come to the service and hopefully it was not too loud for them. For us it was another awesome service. Afterwards, we met a friend at Ruby Tuesday's for lunch.
Monday - It was very windy and cool today so we wade fished on the south side of the causeway near Anna Maria Island. Joan caught a couple ladyfish and hooked another, while John caught a small lizard fish. We then went to Robinson Preserve and walked.
Oscar Scherer SP (Feb 7)
We needed to go out of Lake Manatee for one day, so we came back here. We got set up, did a Walmart run, and went to Pop's for dinner. We enjoyed fish-n-chips. We went to the jetty and John fished for awhile with no luck.
Lake Manatee SP (Jan 24-Feb 6)
Tuesday - We took our sweet time getting here and didn't get on the road until afternoon. We got in, got set up, and went to a pot-luck dinner here in the park. It was excellent and we ran into people we have met here and at other parks. We have a nice site which, like others, is more open than Oscar Scherer. It is a nice change to be able to see the surroundings from the site.
Wednesday - We checked out a new park (Bennett Park) that we heard might offer a place to launch the kayaks into the Manatee River. The park has some ponds (Joan caught a small bass and a nice bream), a playground, paved walking trails, and the launch. The launch is unimproved and would be rather muddy. Hopefully they will put some sand or gravel there to make it easier. We stopped on the way back at O'Brien's Farm and picked up veggies and enjoyed strawberry shortcakes. It is great to be an age where you can have your dessert first. When we got back to the park, we went down to the boat ramp and dock and fished for awhile. Joan caught a nice bream on a mini-Clouser and lost another one.
Thursday - We returned to Robinson Preserve because we thought there we could escape the wind that came up today. Fishing, even with the anchors we have, proved quite tricky. The only action we saw was a snook that took a swipe at John's fly, but missed.
Friday - Rainy day today. Looks like a down day. John bought a new ebook on Florida saltwater fly fishing. Joan is catching up with friends on the laptop.
Saturday - We went to a nice coffee at the host's campsite on the other loop, then did some motorhome cleanup. In the evening we attended a ranger talk on owls and then went on an owl walk. She played screech owl calls, which caused one to respond, then come check us out.
Sunday - We attended an absolutely wonderful worship service at Bayside Community Church. The service was full, with a good mix of enthusiastic people, and we all appreciated gread music and a meaningful message on anger.
Monday - We launched on the Bradon River about 10 miles west of the campground. It was windy again, but we managed with our anchors to cast near many oyster beds. We saw some action, but never got anything to bite. Fishing new areas each time we go out is not working well for us in catching, but we are seeing some beautiful places. Afterwards, we headed to Cracker Barrel and had trout for dinner.
Tuesday - We returned to Robinson Preserve on the far side of Bradenton and launched the kayaks in this beautiful park. It was windy again, but less so than yesterday. John started things off with a small snook and followed with three flounder. The first two were barley keeper sized, but the last one was 15", so we invited him home for dinner. He accepted, and was extremely good. This is by far one of our favorite spots to kayak in Florida.
Thursday - We launched kayaks on the lake here and fished for bass along the shoreline. We put on foam hoppers and made them gurgle on the retrieve. John had a good strike, and missed him, but managed to hook another. He measured 13" long, which is an inch short of keeper size. He was released unharmed.
In the afternoon, we enjoyed our second potluck here. We brought Charlie Bread that John makes in the cast-iron Dutch Oven. It was yummy.
Friday - We put in again on the lake here early to try to beat the wind that is coming today. We used our lighter rods and small Clouser flies in hope s of catching some bream or small bass. Instead, Joan started things off with a small crappie, then caught another that was 14" long, and year another that measured 13". That is the one in the picture on Picassa. John finally caught one that was 13". We didn't have our fish bag to put them in to bring them back to camp because we had taken them out of the kayaks after our last trip.
Saturday - Another great service at Bayside Community. Afterwards we had a great steak dinner at Applebee's.
Sunday - We returned to the lake here and for the first hour were getting skunked. John had the first action in a small bay, but lost it. He quickly landed one, however, then Joan caught one in the same area. We caught a couple more, released one, and Joan caught a couple big catfish. We had plenty of crappie, so we released the catfish. We came back to camp and John filleted and cooked them. Delicious! Super Bowl this evening.
Monday - We met Joan's brother Skip and launched of Hwy 64 west of Bradenton, before the Causeway. There was good incoming tide action and we saw fish rolling, but catching was not to be. John had a nice redfish on, but it came unhooked. We got heavy rain on the way back to camp.
View More Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/LakeManateeSPJan24Feb6
View Video of Joan fly fishing for crappie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeAyrGs-mb8
View Video of Joan catching a catfish on the fly rod
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHQU__7TGuY&feature=related
Wednesday - We checked out a new park (Bennett Park) that we heard might offer a place to launch the kayaks into the Manatee River. The park has some ponds (Joan caught a small bass and a nice bream), a playground, paved walking trails, and the launch. The launch is unimproved and would be rather muddy. Hopefully they will put some sand or gravel there to make it easier. We stopped on the way back at O'Brien's Farm and picked up veggies and enjoyed strawberry shortcakes. It is great to be an age where you can have your dessert first. When we got back to the park, we went down to the boat ramp and dock and fished for awhile. Joan caught a nice bream on a mini-Clouser and lost another one.
Thursday - We returned to Robinson Preserve because we thought there we could escape the wind that came up today. Fishing, even with the anchors we have, proved quite tricky. The only action we saw was a snook that took a swipe at John's fly, but missed.
Friday - Rainy day today. Looks like a down day. John bought a new ebook on Florida saltwater fly fishing. Joan is catching up with friends on the laptop.
Saturday - We went to a nice coffee at the host's campsite on the other loop, then did some motorhome cleanup. In the evening we attended a ranger talk on owls and then went on an owl walk. She played screech owl calls, which caused one to respond, then come check us out.
Sunday - We attended an absolutely wonderful worship service at Bayside Community Church. The service was full, with a good mix of enthusiastic people, and we all appreciated gread music and a meaningful message on anger.
Monday - We launched on the Bradon River about 10 miles west of the campground. It was windy again, but we managed with our anchors to cast near many oyster beds. We saw some action, but never got anything to bite. Fishing new areas each time we go out is not working well for us in catching, but we are seeing some beautiful places. Afterwards, we headed to Cracker Barrel and had trout for dinner.
Tuesday - We returned to Robinson Preserve on the far side of Bradenton and launched the kayaks in this beautiful park. It was windy again, but less so than yesterday. John started things off with a small snook and followed with three flounder. The first two were barley keeper sized, but the last one was 15", so we invited him home for dinner. He accepted, and was extremely good. This is by far one of our favorite spots to kayak in Florida.
Thursday - We launched kayaks on the lake here and fished for bass along the shoreline. We put on foam hoppers and made them gurgle on the retrieve. John had a good strike, and missed him, but managed to hook another. He measured 13" long, which is an inch short of keeper size. He was released unharmed.
In the afternoon, we enjoyed our second potluck here. We brought Charlie Bread that John makes in the cast-iron Dutch Oven. It was yummy.
Friday - We put in again on the lake here early to try to beat the wind that is coming today. We used our lighter rods and small Clouser flies in hope s of catching some bream or small bass. Instead, Joan started things off with a small crappie, then caught another that was 14" long, and year another that measured 13". That is the one in the picture on Picassa. John finally caught one that was 13". We didn't have our fish bag to put them in to bring them back to camp because we had taken them out of the kayaks after our last trip.
Saturday - Another great service at Bayside Community. Afterwards we had a great steak dinner at Applebee's.
Sunday - We returned to the lake here and for the first hour were getting skunked. John had the first action in a small bay, but lost it. He quickly landed one, however, then Joan caught one in the same area. We caught a couple more, released one, and Joan caught a couple big catfish. We had plenty of crappie, so we released the catfish. We came back to camp and John filleted and cooked them. Delicious! Super Bowl this evening.
Monday - We met Joan's brother Skip and launched of Hwy 64 west of Bradenton, before the Causeway. There was good incoming tide action and we saw fish rolling, but catching was not to be. John had a nice redfish on, but it came unhooked. We got heavy rain on the way back to camp.
View More Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/LakeManateeSPJan24Feb6
View Video of Joan fly fishing for crappie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeAyrGs-mb8
View Video of Joan catching a catfish on the fly rod
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHQU__7TGuY&feature=related
Oscar Scherer SP (Jan 10-23)
Tuesday - We are back here for two weeks. We love this area. After getting set up, we headed to Walmart to get resupplied. We brought our food home, then went to North Point Jetty to fish and enjoy the sunset. John caught a small flounder from the jetty, then we went over to the beach to fish the surf and view the sunset. No fish, beautiful sunset.
Wednesday - Rainy day today. We got some financial stuff taken care of and walked the campground a couple of times between raindrops.
Thursday - We drove the 70 miles south and attended the Tampa RV Supershow. We enjoyed the booths of products and services, and seeing the new RVs on the market. We didn't see anything we liked enough better than what we have to buy anything, but it was still fun to look. We did see a fifth wheel that was beautiful, made by Excel. If anyone is in the market look at them, plus the Bighorn, which is what we have in north Georgia. On the way back, we stopped at Cracker Barrel and had a great dinner with wonderful service.
Sunday - We appreciated an excellent contemporary service at Christ UMC in Venice. After, we had breakfast at Ophelia's Pasta House, which is an odd name for breakfast. However, it is a popular spot for good reason. It has been quite cool, so we have enjoyed watching football instead of kayaking. It is supposed to warm up tomorrow.
Tuesday - We put in at the campground and fished in previously productive spots, but three hours netted us nothing.
Wednesday - Six of us (Skip, Shirley, Tom, Jane, and the two of us) put kayaks in at Blackburn Point to fish. Skip caught a flounder and trout, Tom caught a trout and John caught a flounder. It began to thunder, so we cut the outing short.
Thursday - The six of us went to Robinson Preserve in Bradenton to kayak and fish. This is near the area we will be next month when we are at Lake Manatee SP. The kayaking was great, but Skip caught the only fish, nabbing a flounder and a snook. Afterwards we stopped at Cracker Barrel and had the fish we didn't catch.
Friday - Today was a Walmart and other chore day, so other than this and our two walks, we Stayed close. It was good to have some down time.
Saturday - We drove to the Venice boat launch on the Inter-coastal waterway to watch people launch their boats and enjoy being by the water. John was going to tie some flies, but it was too windy. He attracted some attention from folks who were interested it fly fishing, by casting from the dock. A highlight was a couple who brought an antique steam-powered boat to launch. It took them several minutes to get steam pressure. Afterwards we went to Fratelli's for pizza.
Monday - We drove about ten miles north to Turtle Beach and launched the kayaks. The area is built up near the launch, but as we kayaked back south, we discovered that it enters into a wildlife area. While we we're out, we saw at tri-colored heron, white heron, a bald eagle stealing a fish from an osprey, and a dolphin. We fished hard, but did not catch anything. Reports from other fishermen were negative as well. We were joined by our friends Tom and Jane, who came later.
Click here for more pictures:
https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/OscarSchererSPJan1023
Wednesday - Rainy day today. We got some financial stuff taken care of and walked the campground a couple of times between raindrops.
Thursday - We drove the 70 miles south and attended the Tampa RV Supershow. We enjoyed the booths of products and services, and seeing the new RVs on the market. We didn't see anything we liked enough better than what we have to buy anything, but it was still fun to look. We did see a fifth wheel that was beautiful, made by Excel. If anyone is in the market look at them, plus the Bighorn, which is what we have in north Georgia. On the way back, we stopped at Cracker Barrel and had a great dinner with wonderful service.
Sunday - We appreciated an excellent contemporary service at Christ UMC in Venice. After, we had breakfast at Ophelia's Pasta House, which is an odd name for breakfast. However, it is a popular spot for good reason. It has been quite cool, so we have enjoyed watching football instead of kayaking. It is supposed to warm up tomorrow.
Tuesday - We put in at the campground and fished in previously productive spots, but three hours netted us nothing.
Wednesday - Six of us (Skip, Shirley, Tom, Jane, and the two of us) put kayaks in at Blackburn Point to fish. Skip caught a flounder and trout, Tom caught a trout and John caught a flounder. It began to thunder, so we cut the outing short.
Thursday - The six of us went to Robinson Preserve in Bradenton to kayak and fish. This is near the area we will be next month when we are at Lake Manatee SP. The kayaking was great, but Skip caught the only fish, nabbing a flounder and a snook. Afterwards we stopped at Cracker Barrel and had the fish we didn't catch.
Friday - Today was a Walmart and other chore day, so other than this and our two walks, we Stayed close. It was good to have some down time.
Saturday - We drove to the Venice boat launch on the Inter-coastal waterway to watch people launch their boats and enjoy being by the water. John was going to tie some flies, but it was too windy. He attracted some attention from folks who were interested it fly fishing, by casting from the dock. A highlight was a couple who brought an antique steam-powered boat to launch. It took them several minutes to get steam pressure. Afterwards we went to Fratelli's for pizza.
Monday - We drove about ten miles north to Turtle Beach and launched the kayaks. The area is built up near the launch, but as we kayaked back south, we discovered that it enters into a wildlife area. While we we're out, we saw at tri-colored heron, white heron, a bald eagle stealing a fish from an osprey, and a dolphin. We fished hard, but did not catch anything. Reports from other fishermen were negative as well. We were joined by our friends Tom and Jane, who came later.
Click here for more pictures:
https://picasaweb.google.com/114754015214438395393/OscarSchererSPJan1023
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