Lake Manatee SP (Dec 29-Jan 7)

Monday - We made the short (33 mile) trip in good shape and got set up on site 41. We stopped by our friends Tom & Janes site and visited for awhile. In the evening, Tom joined us down at the boat ramp and fishing pier to fish for awhile. He caught a small crappie and John caught a small bream. It was rather slow.

Tuesday - We were going to head over to Ft. Hamer Park with Tom and put the kayaks in there, but the morning was quite foggy with a band if rain heading in. Instead, the four of us went to O'Brien's Farm and had BLTs followed by strawberry shortcakes. T&J had some errands to run so we went down to the docks here and used the new Clousers John tied today. The white with red eyes won with a 13 1/2" bass a 13" crappie, a small crappie and a small bream. The chartreuse/white with chartreuse eyes only caught a small crappie. 

New Years Eve - It was a cloudy, windy, spitting rain day. 

New Years Day - We fished the pier for awhile, but it was only casting practice. We had a wonderful pork tenderloin and sauerkraut dinner and visit with our friends Tom & Jane. 

Friday - We fished again in the morning, but again, nothing. We then said goodbye to our friends, who are moving on to Myakka today. 

Saturday - We got up early and had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, then headed over to Coquinta Park south of Anna Maria Island to kayak with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. We have done several of these and really enjoy them. We meet great people and always learn something from the guide Brad who works at Mote Marine. We paddled just under four miles, with some of it fighting a strong headwind. Next, we had lunch at the Seafood Shack and enjoyed their grouper sandwiches. We stopped at Jiggs Landing on the Braden River to check out plants we helped put in last year. They didn't look great, but this isn't exactly the growing season. Lastly, we stopped at O'Briens Farm and split a strawberry shortcake. 

Sunday - It was another really nice service at Sun City Center UMC. 

Monday - We got an early start and were on the water at Ft. Hamer Park near Parrish by 8AM. We paddled to a back area, and because the tide was out, we had to get out and pull our kayaks to a hole we have found. Joan started things off with a nice redfish, then a nice snook. We both caught several ladyfish and John also caught a couple of reds. We then came back out in the river and caught some larger ladyfish. John then hooked a 42 1/2 inch Florida gar that gave him quite a ride. Skip and a couple of friends showed up and they caught several jack Crevalle and ladyfish. 

Tuesday - We got on the water early again at Ft. Hamer Park to fish for awhile before meeting our friends (Bill & Karen) from our northern kayaking group to paddle with. John caught a few ladyfish while Joan wrestled with a large catfish. When we went down River with our friends, Bill said he would really like to see John catch a ladyfish on the fly rod. In two casts John obliged with one that came out of the water twice. He also caught a nice snook later. We had a nice 4 mile paddle down River and back. It was great getting to visit with them and then sharing BBQ in Parrish. The weather today was perfect with lower humidity, 75 deg, and a nice breeze. While we were out on the water, we saw dolphin, a roseate spoonbill, bald eagles, and a tri-colored heron.

Wednesday - Today is cleanup and get things ready to leave in the morning. We also stopped at O'Brien Farm to pick up veggies and have their awesome Click HereBLTs and strawberry short cake for dessert. We will have to do without for two weeks. 

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Oscar Scherer SP (Dec 15-28)

Monday - We arrived and were set up on site 5 by noon. We had some Christmas packages and envelopes to get in the mail and needed to do a Walmart run. Hunger hit so we went to Joseph's for pizza. In the evening we tried fishing in the lake here and John caught two small bass, one on the Tenkara using a greenie and one on the cane pole using a plastic worm.

Tuesday - Our day was filled with coffee at the Nature Center, talking with new friends, Don and Allen, and a few maintenance items on the MH. Later, we took a walk on the South Creek Trail to the picnic area. 

Wednesday - We ran a couple errands, then drove down to North Jetty Park where John fished but didn't catch. We had lunch at the little cafe there which was quite good. We then checked out a park along hwy 681. It looks like a promising place to launch the kayaks on the nice lake there. Skip & Shirley arrived and will be here for a few days. In the evening, we enjoyed a fire with Skip & Shirl. 

Thursday - The four of us launched at Blackburn Point. We saw a lot of bait action but the only hookups were Joan with a 3" too small sea trout and John with a lizard (junk) fish. 

Friday - We all put in here at the park by the rangers station and headed out across the Intercostal Waterway. John led the catching with an 18" snook (too small to keep and out if season anyway) and a very nice pompano that took several minutes to land. Skip caught a couple of Jack Crevalle. The ladies let the guys do the catching. The pompano will be dinner tomorrow because John's chicken and rice in the cast iron Dutch oven was on the menu for tonight. 

Saturday - We fished fresh water today at Scherer - Thaxton Preserve, just a few miles from here. The only way to access the lake is with a kayak or canoe. John was the catcher with two bass < 14" and a bream, which was eating size, but not worth the trouble alone. This is a beautiful new park, and a great place to hike. No pets though, and no restrooms. 

Sunday - The four of us drove down to Estero to meet Joan's cousins at Stir Crazy Restaurant. We had a great time visiting with them and catching up. The food was great too. On the way back we stopped at Bass Pro Shop and got a new Tilley hat for John, using a gift card, and new two-way radios to replace one that broke. 

Monday - We said goodbye to Skip and Shirl. Too windy to kayak so we stayed close, hiked and visited. 

Tuesday - Still too windy. We drove to Venice-Myakka River County Park and fished the Myakka from shore. Only caught a couple small bluegills. We then drove to Snook Haven County Park and walked around there. John fished and caught two bream. We had a very nice lunch at the restaurant on their deck overlooking the Myakka River. 

Thursday- Merry Christmas friends. Today we drove over to Deer Prairie Creek Preserve to check it out. This is a beautiful area that offers hiking, biking, fishing, and wildlife viewing. We fished it with various gear and John managed to land a 15" LM Bass on a June Bug Kanami worm. We decided that since we had steak planned for dinner we would let it go. We saw a lot of fish action that looked to be talapia, but were unable to get them to bite. There are plenty of alligators, but enough room to give them a wide berth.
Friday - We launched the kayaks at Blackburn Point and headed north along the ICW to start. There was no tidal flow, which might explain the lack of action. We headed into a back bay and Joan promptly hooked a nice snook, which gave her a good fight, coming out of the water once. It measured 18 inches, which is quite respectable on a fly rod. This was her largest snook. In a few minutes, she landed another that was smaller, but still gave her a good fight. John followed shortly with a 16 inch redfish that gave a good pull. It needed to be 2 inches longer to keep, and snook are out of season, but need to be 27 inches to keep anyway.

Saturday - It was warmer today. We had a great breakfast at Scrambles Cafe. Next we drove down to the Venice Boat Ramp and watched the boats. John fished from shore and caught a few pinfish on the a tenkara. In the afternoon, we put the kayaks in here at the park and paddled over to a spot where we have been successful in the past. Unfortunately, it didn't produce anything except a small mangrove snapper for John. We tried a few other areas, but nothing was producing today. There was a lot of mullet around. 

Sunday - We attended a very nice contemporary worship service at Venice-Nokomis UM Church and met some friendly folks. 

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EG Simmons County Park (Dec 2-14)

Tuesday - It was a nice, one hour trip down and 50 miles. We got in and set up before a quick rain shower hit. We drove to Publix to pick up a couple items, then into Ruskin and had excellent Mexican at Los Amigos. Finally, we came back into the park and fished at the inlet. We first tried cane poles with Gulp, but that didn't work, so we switched to fly rods with white Clousers and caught a few lady fish. Fun to catch, but not good to eat.

Wednesday - We Didn't get started too quickly this morning, so by the time we were ready to put the kayaks in, it had gotten too windy. Instead, we drove over to the place where we finished last evening and tried there. John decided to try the Tenkara rod and was rewarded with an 11 inch flounder. One inch too small to keep but a good sized fish on the light rod. We are having to use Avon skin-so-soft repellant to combat the no-see-ums, which have been pesty. It works. The wind slowed down in the evening, so we launched the kayaks and fished until the sun went down. John had the only action with a ladyfish that delighted some kids who were with their parents onshore. He also caught a spotted sea trout that like the flounder earlier was an inch too short. They need to be 15 inches to keep. It was a beautiful evening. 

Wednesday - We put the kayaks in the same place as yesterday and fished out in the flats, in the channel and didn't get bit until we went into a back bay not far from where we launched. Joan landed a nice, but too small flounder, while John landed a ladyfish. We watched another kayaker land a quite large black drum in a back channel, where we were seeing more action disturbing the water. In the evening, we wore the ladyfish out in our spot from shore and lost count.  

Friday - Skip and Shirl joined us today for a day of kayak fishing. Sadly, we never found the fish. It was a great day to be on the water anyway. They also brought pot roast done in the crock pot to us which was delicious. 

Saturday - We wanted to check out a local flea market, but were disappointed. They really loved their junk. We picked up some veggies, then returned and biked around the park, to check if anyone was catching fish. Not so much. John tied some flies, mostly repairing some the ladyfish tore up. He decided to use mostly flash material instead of hair to see if it would hold up better. After dinner we returned to our channel, and caught a couple of ladyfish. The new flies seemed to hold up better. It was very windy fishing as a front seemed to be coming through. 

Sunday - This morning we attended Sun City Center UMC contemporary service. This has become our favorite when we are in the area. The music was wonderful and the pastor's wife did a narration as Mary, and what she would remember of her early years. It was very moving. In the evening we returned to our channel. Joan had a large fish on that showed itself, but it broke off. Nothing else was biting except the cold wind. We gave it up early.

Monday - Rainy, windy, and chilly, so we stayed close to camp. 

Tuesday -  We made a Walmart run, and after lunch fished with cane poles and Gulp from the closest fishing pier. The cold front has the fishing shut down for awhile it appears. 

Wednesday - We put the kayaks in on the other side of the park and fished for a couple if hours. John caught one ladyfish. We got no other bites. It is still windy and cool. 

Thursday - W kayaked again along the new trail and fished some of the areasalong it. Although the tide seemed to be perfect and until the end, less windy, we got no hits at all. The cold front that persists has shut down the fishing here. We had dinner at Beanies south of Ruskin at the recommendation of friends Bill & Karen. They were right, the food and service was great. 

Friday - We drove over the Skyway into St. Pete to Bill Jackson's and picked out nets and anchors for the kayaks. We have lost fish trying to hand land them and the anchors will help us stay on the good spots. We had larger ones, but they were just too heavy to deal with. These have claws to dig in to the bottom.

Saturday - Today was the laying of wreaths at the national cemeteries, so we got up early and drove the 50 miles down to the one in Sarasota. This is an awesome event that we look forward to every year. There were about 2000 people there to lay 5000 wreaths. On the way back, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for a nice lunch, Walmart, a veggie stand, and Ft. Hamer Park to fish for a few minutes. Joan caught a snook that was only 20 inches too small to keep. The season is closed anyway. 

Sunday - Sun City Center UMC is our home church when we are here, at Lake Manatee SP, or Little Manatee River SP. Instead of the usual contemporary service , they had a Christmas Cantata. It was called Love Came Down and was superb. The church was full and very appreciative. After lunch, got some things ready to leave in the morning. In the evening we fished our spot one last time which allowed John to catch a nice sized ladyfish that fought more like a large trout. Disappointing!

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Lake Jovita (Nov 7)

We drove to San Antonio with plans to launch the kayaks at the little park there near town. When we got there, it was just too windy to enjoy it, so we decided to fish from the pier there. We tried several options, but nothing was working. After a couple hours we were about ready to quit when John had a huge bass hit his blue fleck plastic worm. He had his hands full landing this monster with a 12 foot cane pole, but was able to get it to the Katak launch. It turned out to be 24" long with a 13" girth and weigh 7 lbs on the scale. Afterwards we celebrated by having lunch at Pancho's Mexican Rest. In San Antonio. 

Manatee Springs SP (Oct 30-31)

Thursday - This leg of the trip stretched our limit for distance at 205 miles. The drive was really fun, because we followed Hwy 98, which follows the coast most of the way. We got in and set up, then drove the Envoy to High Springs to meet our friends, the Masts, for dinner at Alice's. We had a great time catching up with everyone. There were eleven of us.

Friday - We took our morning coffee walk down to the springs and boardwalk to the Suwannee River. This is a very pretty, quiet area. We don't get any wi-fi or phone service here, but they have wi-fi down by the consession stand. They also have a good menu, but our meals are planned. We baked bread in the Dutch oven, which came out great. A deer came into our site and didn't mind at all being close to us. They have gotten quite tame here.

St. Joseph Peninsula SP (Oct 23-29)

Wednesday - Joan picked out a great route here, which skirted Panama City. We got here safely after driving 123 miles. After getting set up, walking our loop, and having dinner, we went over to the beach so Joan could take pictures of the sunset and John could fish the surf. Both of us were successful, with Joan capturing a beautiful sky and John catching a quite large ladyfish and having a couple others break off. He finally upped his tippet from 10 to 20 pound to catch the one. We put up the canopy with screening because of Mosquitos and biting flies. 

Thursday - We took an early walk on the beach with a nice cool breeze blowing and gentle waves breaking onto the beach. At intervals, we could see large fish chasing bait onto the shoreline. They are amazingly fast. Later, after lunch, we launched our kayaks over on the bay side. Things started off slow, but picked up after awhile. We each caught a trout, which is a good sign, but they were too small to keep. Legal is 15 inches , but we like them to be at least 17. It was quite windy, but we managed fine. In the evening we went back over to the beach to watch the partial eclipse and sunset and so John could help a new friend, Ed with his fly casting. He has a new 8 wt rod and hasn't used it yet. He actually did quite well. While fishing John had a fish hit and take out line well into the backing. Sadly it got off. It was a gorgeous evening again. We are really liking it here. 

Friday - Again, we walked over to the beach, but this time brought the fly rods. Ed met us there and practiced some casting and received a few pointers. There was little action except for groups of stingrays chasing bait. Ed and Pricilla are leaving, but we are planning on getting together on the Crystal River. After our scrumptious chicken and rice dinner that John does in the Dutch oven, we launched the kayaks in the bay to fish. It got quite windy on us making fishing difficult. We caught fish, but not the reds or trout we were after. 

Saturday - Down day today. We took a walk on the beach, then John tied a dozen flies (streamers and Clousers) and both did some cleanup. It was calm and pleasant over on our side of the campground so we decided to try to fish the surf. We were disappointed to discover that there was about a 20 mph wind on the beach, so casting a flyrod was not going to happen. We walked and enjoyed the sunset instead. 

Sunday - We took a walk on the nature trail that runs along the bay for about a mile. The tide was out, so we could see what the bottom looked like. We saw many areas that should hold fish when the tide comes in. Our friends, Robert, Tammy, Tanner, & Trenton, that we met at Cottonhill COE, came over to visit. We got the boys out in the bay in the kayaks, which they seemed to really enjoy. We then did hotdogs over a campfire. They live nearby in Panama City. 

Monday - The surf calmed down enough this morning to fish, so we gave it a go. We could see large fish traveling slowly north, but they turned out to be mullet, which are vegetarian. Tom & Lisa who live close to us up north came by while we were fishing and bidded us so long. They are the couple that have the sailboat. John caught a whiting, that are not supposed to hit flys, but this one must not have read the book. They are small, and one would not have done us much good, so we let it go.  In the evening, we launched on the bay with the idea of fishing shallow with top water hoppers. This was foiled because of grass floating on the surface. We went deeper and John caught two ladyfish, two too small to keep trout, and two pinfish. Our new friends Terry and Louise caught a flounder and a keeper trout. They were using live bait. Joan saw a bald eagle and osprey having a dispute quite close to her. It was a beautiful evening.  

Tuesday - We hiked the beach this AM and were the only ones on it. Nice! We then drove about 5 miles outside the park and checked out a beach area that is adjacent to an area of heavy rip-rap. This is supposed to be a good fishing area. The wind there prevented us from trying. Across the road is a kayak launch that looked interesting. We will have to try it when the tide is higher. About 5 PM we put the yaks in again and headed to deeper water. It was quite windy, so we nearly decided not to. We both tangled with hefty ladyfish that put up great battles. John caught a 22" spotted sea trout, which was the first keeper, edible fish on this trip. We were using sparse streamers on #1 hooks. 

Wednesday - We did some walking around and decided to take it easy today. We met a neat family down by the launch who were getting their inflatable kayaks ready. We were very interested in their stories of their adventures. John cooked the trout on the grill in foil, which was delicious. We also got some things ready to leave tomorrow. 

Rocky Bayou SP (Oct 17-21)

Friday - It was a hop skip and jump here today. We got set up and took a walk around the campground. Even though we were here back in 2009 it took a while for it to become familiar again. After showers and dinner, we drove down to the boat launch and fished awhile. Nothing! John doesn't think that trout and reds are in the bays yet in their winter locations. We did see a pair of dolphins chasing bait. They are always so cool to watch. We are planning on going over to Henderson Beach State Park next week and try over there closer to the Gulf.
Saturday - We launched the kayaks at the boat ramp and fished for about 3 hours. John had the only action, landing a 23 inch ladyfish that gave him a very good fight.We saw some fish crashing bait, but not a lot. We received some local advice for places to try,so we will give them a try next time.

Sunday - The last time we were here, we attended the Niceville United Methodist Church and really enjoyed it, so we decided to return again this year. On way, we stopped at The Coffee Shoppe and had a nice breakfast, then hiked at The Turkey Walk Park in Niceville. The boardwalk that runs along the river is spectacular and runs about three quarters of a mile. There are a couple of places where people can swim. The worship service was very nice with good music and a great message about anger.
We did a Wally run then just hung out around camp for the rest of the day.

Monday - We got a tip from the ranger here that the fishing is very good over by the Destin Bridge. We had intentions on launching the kayaks there, but when we got there, it looked like there was considerable area to fish from shore. There were several people already fishing, which is a good sign. We saw considerable amount of bait and the tide was moving very well through that area by the bridge. We fished hard for a couple of hours, but the only fish we caught was a small ladyfish. We only saw one other ladyfish caught all the time we were there and noticed that most people had left. It was a beautiful area, and although we had limited success, we enjoyed our time there. We stopped and had lunch under the bridge in the shade.

Tuesday - John had the brite idea to take a Tenkara rod down to the boat ramp and see if we could catch some pin fish using bits of Gulp Nightcrawlers on a bead head nymph. After John caught a couple of nice sized ones, he gave Joan a try. She had a nice sized one on when a school of 10 pound Jack Crevalle came by. One grabbed the pinfish and of course broke off the light tippet and took off. After dinner, we returned to the boat ramp to see if the Jack Crevalle would return. Sadly, they did not, we fished until dark anyway, but caught nothing. A man was fishing when we got there, but left leaving his rods there saying that he would be back soon. In a few minutes one of the rods began shaking, so Joan reeled in a nice freshwater catfish. John put it on a stringer and gave it to the man when he returned. Very strange!

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Blackwater River SP -Milton, Fl (Oct 12-16)

Sunday - After attending the outdoor worship service and saying goodbye to our friends, we made the 181 mile journey here. This is a gorgeous campground with new gravel on every site. There are only 30 sites and is almost full. This is a great place for kids, since there is a nice sandy beach on the river a short walk across a boardwalk away. John got the satellite set up after several tries. The tall pines here provide a challenge in finding open sky. We are too far from the Atlanta feed, so John missed seeing the Bears beat Atlanta.

Monday - We took an early walk, since it is still very warm here, with rain do later. We walked to the beach area and John tried the Tenkara with a all hopper. He got some action catching a small bream. We are hoping there might be som Talapia in the river. Joan took pictures while John fished. Thankfully, we don't have the gnats here. The rain has started about noon.

Tuesday - Heavy rains and lightening during the night, but no damage. More storms coming doing the day today. We are protected some from winds here in a pine woods. We headed into Milton to check out some parks on the water where we could launch the kayaks. We found a couple of beautiful ones, but it doesn't appear that the fish have come up into the rivers yet. We saw no action of fish crashing bait. Also, there were no fishermen anywhere. We also did a Walmart run. 

Wednesday - We tried to hike the trail down by the river, but after about a mile, we ran into water and had to turn back. It was a beautiful day , however. 

Thursday - Today was explore day to the coast. We started at Navarre Beach and paid a whole $2 to walk out on the fishing pier, to observe only. We saw a lot of fish in the water and also a shark cruising around not more than 200 yards away from people in the water. Several ladyfish were caught and a lady was quite excited with her Spanish mackerel. We then drove to the end of Gulf Islands National Sea Shore and checked out Ft. Pickens. Hie fort was quite interesting and was actually a Union stronghold during the Civil War. Again we walked the pier and saw several jellyfish float by. One man netted about a dozen mullet. We ended our outing with dinner on the water. 

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Cottonhill COE (Oct 9-11)

This was a shorter trip today, 135 miles. It was a very pretty drive the way we came. We picked up a lot of Argentine ants at our last stop and brought many of them with us. We had to do some spraying. Here, the problem seems to be gnats. Also the lake is choked with weeds. Hopefully, we can still fish. Our site is nice and shady.

Friday - Ants made their way along about 50 feet of satellite cable to get to the MH and we are out of spray. We found the local dollar store and took care of them. One way folks combat these Argentine ants is with Comet around anything that touches the ground. John had an idea to put cord into a container of Comet and run the cord around the wheels etc. it is important that the cord lays totally flat, so the area must be swept first. The fishing continues to be poor. 

Saturday - The families next to us didn't have a long enough cable to get their satellite working, so John loaned them our spare. They were elated that they could now watch Florida State play, and invited us to watch with them. We spent the afternoon, enjoyed getting to know them and shared burgers on the grill.

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Whitetail Ridge COE (Oct 3-5)

Monday - This was the longest leg on our return to Florida, covering 230 miles. It was cloudy most of the way, but cleared up when we neared LaGrange. We got set up and had Joan's stuffed pepper soup for dinner. This is a beautiful spot on site #47, on the lake. We went down to the boat launch and fished for a few minutes, but John lost the only biter.

Tuesday - We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise. This is something we miss at Trackrock because of all the mountains around us. Not complaining, though. Later in the Morning we took our Tenkara rods back over to the boat launch area and caught a bunch of bream. Most were too small to keep, but there were a few nice ones. John had a very large bass on, but the 4 pound test tippet on the Tenkara was no match for this fish. In the evening we fished there again using the 6wt fly rods, but it was much slower.

Wednesday - In the morning we drove over to the Horace King Recreation Area nearby and fished from shore. The shoreline has more gravel here and is less muddy than by the campground. The bream are larger here, but since we were going to go grocery shopping afterwards, we couldn't keep any. This time it was Joan's turn to hook a large bass, but the result was the same with it breaking off. We had the most success on small yellow hoppers. After doing some needed cleaning of the motorhome and dinner, we took our cane poles and plastic worms over to the boat launch. Together we hooked and lost three nice bass. It was a beautiful, warm evening.

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Smokemont Campground GSMNP (Sept. 8-11)

Monday - It was a pleasant 89 mile trip here and we arrived and got set up around noon. We had lunch and talked to our neighbors Bill & Jean from Westminister, SC. Joan watched John fish the river right behind our MH for about an hour. He caught a small trout and lost another. We were excited to discover there are at least a few fish here in the campground. John used a hopper with a greenie weenie dropper. Joan spotted a huge hornets nest hanging from a tree. We were glad we didn't disturb it, since it was very active. We reported it to the rangers. 
Tuesday - It cooled off nicely in the night, making sleeping pleasant. We made our coffee, then took our walk along the river, checking out places to fish. After breakfast we donned our wading boots and walked down to where Bradley Fork (the river here in the campground) empties into the Oconalooftee. However, there was already someone fishing there, so we moved upstream a few hundred feet. We each caught one and lost 2 (John) and 3 (Joan). As long as we have action, we're happy. It rained in the afternoon. Supper consisted of chicken and rice that Joan mixes up and John cooks on the cast iron Dutch oven. Delicious!!!! In the evening, we were treated by our neighbors, Bill & Jean, to watermelon and a nice chat. We were joined by other neighbors Harry and Barbara. Harry kept us entertained with his many stories.  
Wednesday - We took our coffee and checked out some places to fish upstream. We found the best places to get to promising holes. Later, when we actually fished them, we were disappointed that we struck out. Joan used the 4wt. while John stuck with the Tenkara. We also tried heavier nymphs and John tried a dry fly, but still nothing. 
Thursday - The weather forecast was for rain all afternoon, through the night, and most of the day on Friday, so we decided to pack up while everything is dry and head home a day early. If the fishing was better, we would have stayed. We fished in the morning from the bridge near our campsite up to the group area, but resulted in Joan getting one strike. The water is very low, a little to warm, and very clear. We had a good drive home and got resettled before the rain came at Trackrock.
Added Comment - We got an e-mail Friday from our friends Bill and Jean who were in the neighboring site, and they told us that it was a good thing that we left early, since they said they had a terrific storm Thursday nite and that a large limb came down on our site. It would have hit the motorhome on the back bedroom and done considerable damage. 

Trackrock 2014 (Summer)

We've taken a vacation from the blog, but you can view pictures.

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Special Needs Kids Day at the Hatchery (May 14)

We joined with many other volunteers to help special needs kids and adults catch eight trout each directly out of the runs. We wish we could have recordings of the squeals of joy when they caught fish. 

Veteran's Day at the Hatchery (May 9)

We joined local Trout Unlimited groups honor our vets at the Chatahoochee National Fish Hatchery. Hundreds of trout were released into Rock Creek for their enjoyment. Dozens of our vets had a great time catching them. Lunch was provided, consisting if hotdogs, slaw, beans, and brownies. John fished and quickly caught his limit of eight trout, with Joan bagging them. We brought them back to Trackrock where John cooked them on the smoker. We invited our friend Peg over to help us eat them. They were delicious. 

Trackrock 2014 (Spring)

We arrived April 1 and got set up quickly. We had some cleaning to do before we were able to play. The fifth wheel was in good shape, so that didn't take very long.

April 23 - We took the Tenkara rods down to the Nottely River to a hole we have finished several times before. There was one person there fishing who said he had caught one trout. We moved down a little ways and it didn't take John too long before he had one also. Sadly, he lost it trying to get the stringer out of his fishing pouch. However, Joan soon caught a nice sized one and John caught two others. We brought them back to camp and really enjoyed them for dinner.

April 24 - We had an early supper at Jim's Smokin' Q and enjoyed their awesome ribs. After, we put on waders and fished another spot on the Nottely. This is a stocked area, so it is great when it has been stocked recently, but when the bait fishermen have taken them out, not so much. However, Joan managed to pull one out of a hole. John had to settle for a creek chub and one rainbow that took a swipe at a Prince Nymph.

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Whitetail Ridge COE (Mar 24-31)

Monday - We had a good trip here and are in and settled. It is sunny with a high in the mid 60s. After supper, we walked over to the boat ramp and fished from shore. John caught a nice spotted bass on a chartreuse Clouser, which we brought back and filleted. We will have that tomorrow. We are hoping that we can get some crappie this week like we did last year. The water is down compared to last year.

Tuesday - We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, followed by a Walmart run. It is  very windy and quite cool here, so we are mostly staying inside, except for a long walk around the campground. We really enjoyed the bass with mashed potatoes and coleslaw. 

Wednesday - We set the furnace to 55 deg and slept warm even though the temp got down to 32. Thankfully, nothing froze. We fished around the boat launch, but nothing biting, so we came back over to the bay by our site and caught several small fish including bream, bass, shad, pumpkinseed, and pickerel. 

Thursday - It was not as cold last night, getting down to 41 deg. It is windy, but now out of the south, so without the bite. We met a couple (Barb & Dave) who are in the next loop and had happy hour at their place. They are leaving for Cloudland Canyon in the AM.  

Friday - We woke up to rain this morning. It looks like an all day event.

Saturday - It is still rainy, but is letting up. We are glad we have a lot of recorded programs.

Sunday - We attended Ayers Memorial UMC this AM and were treated to a gospel group called One Achord, who sang. The senior member had an awesome voice and a deep love for The Lord and gave a word of her personal testimony and encouragement. Following the service, we were treated to soup, sandwiches, and desserts. The people there were very welcoming and made us feel loved and right at home. 

Monday - What a beautiful day today. We have been busy getting ready to leave tomorrow. The fishing here should pick up with the weather stabilizing, but sadly we won't be here to take advantage. 

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Cottonhill COE (Mar 19-23)

Wednesday - Having problems with the converter not keeping the house battery charged. We stopped at Camping World, but they didn't have time to replace it. We weren't sure if the RV motor would charge it and were concerned about our food in the fridge. Thankfully, when we got to Cottonhill the battery was fully charged was fine. Anyway, we got in and settled by about 5:30 PM. John fished from shore for about 30 minutes, but nothing. 

Thursday - We got up fairly early and took a nice long walk over to the beach area. We saw several deer on the way plus an immature bald eagle, a great blue heron, a yellow rumped warbler and a flock of downy woodpeckers. It is really spring here with dogwood and redbud in bloom, plus very active birds. What a beautiful day! It got in the 70s with clear skies and a nice breeze. 

Friday - Another bright sunny morning, but too cool to kayak and fish, so we walked again. In the PM we drove over to the visitors center and fished along the shoreline, but caught nothing. 

Saturday - We took our morning coffee walk over to the beach area and met some nice folks who spend the winter together at Salt Springs. Later, we took our Tenkara and pan fish poles over to the boat launch area and managed to catch a couple bream and a small bass. The fishing is not happening here yet. 

Sunday - Two men from Ft. Gaines Baptist Church have conducted a worship service here in the campground for several years. It was good to see them again and here I am very good message. We also met some nice folks from LaGrange and south of Atlanta.

O'Leno SP (Mar 16-18)

Sunday - Heavy rain was forecast for Monday, so we decided to leave a day early and miss driving in the rain. It was quite windy on the way up, but we took back roads instead of I-75, so it was not too bad. Looks like we are in need of a new battery in the Envoy. The Break Buddy drained it on the way up and it would not start when we got here and disconnected from the motorhome. John had noticed that it has not been starting with the same zip it usually does. We have to change sites tomorrow, so after we get that accomplished, we will head to Walmart to pick up the new battery.

Monday - We got a break in the rain mid morning, so we were able to move from site 18 over to site seven.
Tuesday - The rain finally ended so we were able to take a nice walk along the river to the point where it disappears into the ground. We really expected to see a large turbulence, but all we saw was the water moving around in a large circle, like a hugh drain. There were turtles riding along on logs making the trip around every 10 minutes, seemingly enjoying the ride. Our Trackrock friends, the Mast family, life in this area, so we met them for dinner at Alice's Restaurant. It was great to see them and get caught up. 

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Rainbow Springs SP (Feb 20-Mar 6)

Thursday - In and set up. We had a good two hour trip up here and encountered considerable traffic and some wind. Everything went smoothly, however. Our friends Christina and Mike came over from their house nearby and visited for a while. We got hungry for pizza, so we went to Lombardo's and enjoyed some.

Friday - We had plans to kayak the river with our friends we kayak with up north, but the rain that was due to come in made us cancel. Instead we went over to  Swampys restaurant that is on the river and had lunch with Christina and Mike. It poured with lightning and thunder while we were there, so we were glad we were not on the river in our kayaks. Afterwords we went over to the housing development where they live and walked around and down to the river. Their association has a park that is on the river that everyone there has access to.

Saturday - Every year folks from Joan's home area get together in The Villages for a reunion. We have done this for several years, and recently some of Joan's graduating class have been there. We really enjoy catching up with them. It was a beautiful evening down by the river and Joan enjoyed the scenery while John fished. He caught a small bass using the cane pole with a small rubber worm. The mosquitos were. biting better than the fish. On the way back a beautiful barred owl landed in a tree only 20 feet from and perched quietly while we admired him(her).   

Sunday - We really enjoyed the service, especially the message at Dunnellon UMC this morning. Christine and Mike came over for dinner, then we went for a walk around the campground. We were treated to a song by a family group who had just sung at a local church. The group is called the Redhead Express and they were exceptional.

Monday - Despite the threat of rain, we kayaked the Rainbow River here with our friends Debbie and Joe and their friends Ann and Pal. We first went up to the headsprings, then down to Blue Run Park. It was overcast all the time, but no rain or wind. We crossed the street and had a great lunch at Swampy's. Mike and Christine met us there. 

Tuesday - We drove back to The Villages to meet Joan's high school chums at Oakwood Smokehouse. We had a great time with Julie, Barry, Judy, and Laurel and enjoyed excellent BBQ. We had a little time beforehand, so we stopped at Camping World nearby and picked up needed items. 

Wednesday - We were getting a wrench and an airbag warning light on the motorhome, so we packed up and drove it to the local Ford dealer in Inverness. We were told that the airbag module was bad and they would not have the part until tomorrow. He told us to bring it back in the afternoon, so we could return to the campground and sleep in it tonight. The good news is that it is under the extended warranty from Ford because it is part of the safety equipment. It was also comforting to know that if we had to leave it there, we could stay with our friends, Christine and Mike. THANK YOU!!!!!

Thursday - We had brunch at Mike and Christine's this morning. Mike fixed great pork chops and scrambled eggs. Yum!!!! Motorhome fixed!!!! Under warranty!!! Now the weather can get nice so we can get back to fishing, etc!!! Thank you Lord!!!

Friday - The drive over to Crystal Springs took us through beautiful horse country. We enjoyed the many horse farms along US 40. We joined our kayaking friends from north Georgia and others on a trip from Ray's Wayside Park up the Crystal River towards the headsprings and back. A variety of wildlife greeted us including many entertaining monkeys. It is a beautiful river, which makes for a great paddle. Afterwards we had excellent BBQ at Fat Boys. It was great to see all our friends and get caught up.  

Saturday - Our friends Mike & Christina came over for dinner. John cooked chicken & rice that Joan put together in a cast iron Dutch oven. It was a hit. We were going to have our own fire, but M&C knew about a church group that we're getting together for a fire and music. We met some very nice people who were very welcoming and enjoyed the fire and an excellent guitarist/singer. 

Sunday - We picked up Mike & Christine and went to the same church as last week. Again the message was challenging, and was about the transfiguration of Jesus. The pastor used it to as the question whether we are ready to be changed. Later in the afternoon, we put the kayaks in here on the river and used plastic worms to catch bass. We managed a few small ones, the largest being 12 inches. It was a beautiful evening on the water. 

Monday - John spent much of the morning on the phone with DirecTV. That Is always an experience. We were going to go over to Yankeetown and fish from shore, but while getting into the car we noticed that the right front tire was flat. John was able to pump it up with the air compressor in the envoy, and we made it into town and got it fixed. It appeared that a sharp part from somebody's RV fell onto the road here in the campground and landed just right to stick up and puncture the tire. C&M came over in the evening and we enjoyed talking around the fire. 

Tuesday - Since we have decided to leave a day early, we got things together in preparation. Joan kept her appointment to get her hair cut at Missy's Country Girl Salon. We had a light lunch then did some hiking on some nice trails on the campground. We were sitting on a bench by the restrooms and had a chance encounter with a couple who flyfish in North Georgia and North Carolina. Their names just happen to be John & Jo. The promised to call us when they get back up north so we can fish together. For dinner, we picked up M&C and enjoyed wonderful burgers and pie at the Front Porch. 

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Little Manatee River SP (Feb 6-19)

Thursday - We are in and settled. We visited with our friends Tom, Jane, Mocha, and Cupcake. 

Friday - We had plans to put the kayaks in at Ft. Hamer Park with Tom, but rain this morning made us change our plans. Instead, we did an explore and checked out a few launch points and showed Tom Ft. Hamer Park. We came back and had dinner with Tom and Jane and enjoyed Tilapia that he had caught at Myakka State Park. It was really good.

Saturday - We joined the Sarasota Bay Guardians and Satasota Bay Estuary Program with planting native wildflowers and grass at Jiggs Landing Park near Bradenton. This area is part of the regions watershed and the plantings are done to protect it. 

Sunday - The message was titled "Jesus Wants us to Fish". Of course it was about leading others to our savior, but it really got our attention. In the afternoon, we got together with Trackrock friends Bob, Carolyn, Mike and Janice at M&J's place in Lithia. Mike cooked up wonderful chicken and ribs on the grill. We had a great time catching up and joking around and eating way too much. 
Monday - We returned to Ft. Hamer Park and got the same result. Ladyfish! One that John caught was quite large and gave him a really good fight. We would really like to get into some trout, but the cold fronts and rain every few days is keeping that from happening. Anyway, it was a beautiful day today. 
Tuesday - We needed a break from kayaking, so we headed over to E. G. Simmons Park and fished from shore. At least there were several people fishing there, which is much different than what we have been seeing. We didn't see anyone catching any fish, but John managed to catch what appeared to be a keeper sized trout. We didn't have a ruler, but it looked to be about 15 inches. We discovered a back way to get over there, which was about 22 miles. It is a little farther that way (5 miles) but we miss the Sun City traffic. We are getting to like this area more and more.

In the evening we went over to the church and had a very nice Valentine's Day dinner and were entertained by a local high school and their acappella choir. They gave a wonderful performance which made for a very enjoyable evening.

Wednesday - John had bought a high def dish at a yard sale last year, but just put it in the shed, so we drove down to Zephyrhills to pick it up to use with our new receiver when it arrives. We had lunch at our favorite restaurant Mainely New England and enjoyed the fish. Some really nasty weather blue in late last night, but there was no damage in the area. 

Thursday - It was very windy and cool today so we pretty much stuck around I got some things done here, except we ran to the vegetable market to pick up some veggies and go down to Fort Hamer Park just to see how it was there.

Friday - The weather was not so great so we did some biking and hiking in the park here. We also drove over to Balm and had a strawberry shortcake at Goodson Farm. This is the best we have had anywhere.

Saturday - We drove over to Ruskin to try to get our satellite situation resolved, but without success. We stopped at the Ruskin Inlet and fished for a little while, but like everyone else there we caught nothing. The weather is supposed to warm up and be a little more consistent the next couple of weeks, so we are hoping that the fishing will improve.

Sunday - This was our last service in Sun City. We have really liked it here and will return next season. Skip and Shirley joined us here and came over for dinner. We also enjoyed a fire. The temp really dropped after the sun went down. 

Monday - The four of us took advantage of a beautiful day to go over to E.G. Simmons Park to kayak and fish. Once again the kayaking was much better than the fishing. Except for one too small to keep trout, the only fish caught today were ladyfish. Shirley had put stuffed porkchops in the crockpot, so we didn't starve to death. They were scrumty delicious. 

Tuesday - In order to take Advantage of the nice weather, we headed over to Fort Hamer Park to kayak and fish. Joan started things off by tying into a nearly 20 pound Tarpon which began to take her towards Mexico. It took her rod totally down into the water but then took off, rolled and came unhooked. It was very exciting to watch and experience. Joan also caught a keeper sized Spanish mackerel, but they are not really to our taste. John caught two very nice sized ladyfish and one also nice sized Jack Crevalle which gave him a very good fight. Skip got into a few ladyfish as well which were good-sized. All in all it was some fun catching, but nothing for the plate. It was good to see more people on the water fishing, kayaking and enjoying the nice weather.

Wednesday - Skip and Shirley are wearing us out. Today we drove over the Skyway Bridge to Weedon Island and put the kayaks in. This is a great place to kayak and fish, but too much traffic to suit us. John and Joan each caught a ladyfish and missed a few others. Skip had to settle for a catfish, which is not good to eat. On the way home we stopped at the Crab Shack for lunch and Goodson's Farm for strawberry shortcake for dessert. In the evening we had our fourth campfire. 

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Lake Manatee SP (Jan 23-Feb 5)

Thursday - After A nice pancake breakfast at the nature center, and getting the last few things put away, we headed over here and got set up on site 48. We are on the outside loop which makes it more open and sunny. I don't think we will mind having plenty of sunshine to keep us warm. We headed over to O'Brian's Farm and had strawberry shortcake for before dinner dessert. We can do that because we are old. We also picked up some veggies so I guess that makes up for it. Two other couples saw us eating our shortcakes and decided they needed to be naughty as well. We thought maybe we should get ours free since we drummed up so much business for them.

Friday - We checked out a few launch sites today including one where we have been before called Jiggs Landing. We had our lunch and then fished from shore shortly for a while. We came up with a few bream, which were fun using our Tenkara rod (to see what they are, check out www.tenkarausa.com). We talked to a guy there named Doc Lee, who is a well known local figure here. He gave John some flies he ties and a lot of information about fishing this lake. We figure he enjoyed meeting others who love fly fishing. 

Saturday - We attended the coffee this morning that was at the hosts site and enjoyed seeing some old friends and meeting new ones. We also got a chance to talk to two of the rangers here.

Sunday - We attended another very nice contemporary worship service at Sun City UM Church. Skip and Shirley came in this afternoon to camp here until Friday. We enjoyed a fire on Skip's new fireplace this evening. 

Monday - The temperature in the afternoon was supposed to be in the 70s, so we were not going to let intermittent rain in the morning and forecasts of the same in the afternoon keep us from getting out on the water. Our only concern was with all the cold weather we've had, the water would be very cold and the fish would not be too active. S & S  peddled their Hobie kayak one direction and we paddled ours another and said we would meet up in a little while. We did not see very much activity and the fishing was pretty slow, however, J & J managed to catch two ladyfish and one Jack Crevalle, while S & S did about the same catching two ladyfish and one pompano. We drift and cast while they troll.

Tuesday - The four of us went over and launched at Robinson preserve. It is located on the other side of Bradenton. This is a beautiful park with excellent facilities including a way to clean the kayaks when we are done. John started things off today, on his first cast, catching a keeper sized sea trout. He prefers them to be a little larger, so he let this one go figuring there would be larger ones to come. Unfortunately, this was the only fish caught for the day. The water is still very cold, and two more days like today with the sun shining would be needed to warm it up. Unfortunately another cold front is coming in tomorrow so we will be starting over again.

Wednesday - Lousy weather. The four of us went to several thrift stores in Bradenton. We found a bunch of nice beeny babies to put in Operation Christmas Child boxes at good prices. 

Thursday - It rained all day today, so we watch recorded shows and took short walks when the rain let up a little.

Friday - It was supposed to clear today, but we woke up to more rain. 

Sarurday - Today we kayaked with 8 others through the Mangrove Tunnels at Lido Beach; led by Brad from Mote Marine who is with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. A great trip and the weather was just right with cloud  cover and warmer weather. 

Sunday - Great worship again. We will be able to return two more times when we are at Little Manatee River SP. We put the yaks in here on the lake and fished. Still slow with one bream and one small bass. What a gorgeous day. Thankfully the nice weather has returned. 

Monday - Back to Ft. Hamer Park. We went back into our secret spot, but nothing was happening there. Next we hit some areas where we have had some success in the past and hooked into hey bunch of ladyfish. They were fun, but not really what we were looking for. Our friends Dawn and Jeff arrived and are in a site a few down from us.

Tuesday - Today we tried down at a launch site on the Braden River off of Highway 64. There was no one there fishing, which should have been a sign for us. Nothing!
Wednesday - We have been looking forward to going to Palmetto to the Convention Center and attending the Bill Bailey Gospel Festival. They have afternoon free will offering concerts. We listened to a quartet that have been singing for 50 years. They were very good. Afterwards we stopped for Mexican at El Sombrero. We are ready to pull out in the morning and head to our next stay at Little Manatee River SP.


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Oscar Scherer SP (Jan 9-22)

Thursday - All set up. This site (65) is very long and narrow. Our canopy is behind the M.H. We went to Ilias Greek Restaurant and had the best gyros ever. Next, we got gas and made a Walmart run. It is good to be back here.

Friday - We took the bikes on the Green Trail and checked on the eaglets. There are two and they are being well taken care of by both parents. One was on the nest and the other nearby. We did some errands and ended up at Scramblers Cafe for a Reuben and BLT. Excellent!  Our friends Mary and Dave just got in today, so it was good to check in with them. It was warm & humid today.
Saturday - We launched our kayaks here in the park with Mary and Dave to do some fishing. We fished spots where we caught fish two weeks ago, but never found them. John caught the only fish, a decent sized ladyfish. It was breezy, but nice. Later in the day the wind really came up, so we lowered the canopy and awning just to be safe. The four of us went out for very good pizza at Frankie's, then to the Jetty where we enjoyed watching a dolphin and John threw a fly without success. It got quite cool while we were there and really poured during the night. 

Sunday - Down day. 

Monday - We returned with our friends to Lemon Bay Park. It was a little breezy, but otherwise the weather was perfect. Be headed over to the other side of the bay towards Blind Pass and found it extremely nice there. There is a kayak launch there in a park, but no washrooms. We saw lots of fish activity with pelicans crashing into the water, but not much catching. John caught the only fish, a small trout. John has a theory that  the heavier tippet we began using is limiting the action of the flies. We will return to 10 pound tippet the next time we go out and see if that makes a difference.

Tuesday - We Had to get the blower motor replaced in the envoy so we took it to Sunset GMC in Sarasota. They also found a couple of other things like the throttle body and the evaporator that needed work so we had that done as well. All together it cost us $600, but not complaining the car has done very well for us. It is also running much better. 

Wednesday - We went to the Tampa RV super show today just to see what's new. We committed on not buying anything this year. We did see a Big Horn fifth wheel with a front living room that we really liked and also a Southwind class A motorhome that was nice as well. We also picked up a lots of good campground information, especially helpful will be the north east for our trip this summer.

Thursday - We finally got our lazy selves out of bed and went over to the nature center and enjoyed a pancake breakfast that the hosts prepare every week. Later in the day, we returned and enjoyed listening to a weekly music jam of mountain music. It is non-professional, but very good. It has cooled down a little more. 

Friday - Another cool day. Laundry, Walmart, fill the Envoy. John wanted to see if there are any tilapia here in South Creek. We tried the same tactic we used on the Myakka. Negative.
Saturday - Still cool and it has become windy, so no kayaking again. Instead, we decided to explore and find another place to launch. After some study of maps we have collected, we decided to check out the Nokomis County Park kayak launch. First, Joan was able to get her hair cut at a place recommended by our host here, Pat. Looks good. We drove to the park and found out that until some work is completed, we would have to wheel the kayaks about 100 yards to the launch. No problem. The area was quite shallow and covered with oyster beds, so we will have to watch tides. The area is beautiful and looks very fishy. We have decided to try it out on Monday if the weather permits. We also took a walk over at Casperson Park which is a great area with a kayak launch, hiking and biking trails.

Sunday - We attended the early contemporary service at Nokomis-Venice UM Church and had a great experience. The music was good and the people very welcoming. 

Monday - We launched the kayaks at Nokomis Park and dodged oyster beds until we got to Curry Creek. This is a beautiful area and according to a guy who was in his yard, told us that dozens of snook come around his dock every evening. John got a real surprise by catching an 18 inch juvenile tarpon on a chartreuse Clouser. This was a first for us. He also caught a small mangrove snapper. After, we stopped at Frankie's for excellent pizza. 

Tuesday - We checked out a park that is at the end of Laurel Road called Laurel Park. The park is situated on the Myakka River. There are some good areas to fish, but kayak access would be tricky, plus there are some very large alligators. We fished for awhile hoping for tilapia, and managed a few bream, one of which was decent size. Some small boys who were hiking with their parents, enjoyed holding and throwing them back.

The temperature is dropping again, so we went to Walmart and got some things put away around the campsite in preparation for moving tomorrow. In the evening, we went up to the nature center and listened to Carl Ross do a program of mountain music. 

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