Lake Manatee SP (Dec 28-Jan 10)

Wednesday - We said so long to friends and made our way over with some delay on I-75 do to an accident in the other direction. We slowed to a crawl at a few points, but never came to a stop. We got set up in our site (42) and visited with Skip & Shirl who got in a little before we did across the road. Our friends Jim and Suzanne are next door.
Thursday - Skip, Shirl, John and Joan launched kayaks here on the lake to fish. Joan lost a nice fish while John caught a nice crappy. S and S struck out. We enjoyed dinner with them.
Friday - The temp dropped considerably, so the four of us went thrift shopping. We found some nice woven baskets, including a laundry basket that will go nicely in our bedroom. Joan found a nice shirt for John.
Saturday - Following a chilly night, temps rebounded into the 70s wth clear skies. The four of us headed to Robinson Preserve with bikes on the back and inside. We had a great ride in this beautiful park. There were many people there hiking and biking, and fewer kayaking. When we got back, we cooked  hand rubbed chicken with veggies cooked in the cast iron Dutch oven.
Sunday - We said goodbye to Skip and Shirl, and to Jim and Suzanne. We stopped at Bennett Park near Walmart and fished with the "cane poles" and finesse worms. John caught a four inch bass. Beautiful park but not exactly a hot spot for fishing. John fished here in the evening, but nary a hit.
Monday - We got up early and were on the water at the ramp by the fish camp here on Lake Manatee. We started with Clousers, but we noticed two guys fly fishing from a kayak and actually catching fish. John asked them what they were throwing and one said a nymph under an indicator. They were casting right up to the shore. We paddled back to the truck and John tried to set us up as close as possible. The wind picked up making it impossible to stay on a spot so we did not have any success. It was also getting late in the morning. We will try again soon.
Tuesday - It was a rest and work around campsite day.
Wednesday - We drove down Hwy 64 thru Bradenton to check out places to launch. There were too few boats around fishing to convince us that fishing would be productive, so we drove over to Robinson Preserve for a picnic lunch and came back to camp. The traffic was more than we felt was worth driving all this way. Our options therefore are: the Braden River at Hwy 64 Bridge, the Manatee River at Ft. Hamer Park, or here on Lake Manatee.
Thursday - Our friends, Lee and Sharon, who are currently camping at Myakka River SP, met us at Linger Lodge and we kayaked a total of six miles on the Braden River. The weather was perfect and we saw many species of birds. We followed our paddle with lunch at the lodge and strawberry shortcake at O'Briens Farm.
Friday - Heavy fog this morning caused us to alter our plans to launch our kayaks on the Manatee River at Ft. Hamer Park. Instead, we fished from shore at Braden Fever Nature Park in Lakewood Ranch Road. We caught seven bass there, and although they were not very large, they were still fun.
Saturday - It rained hard under a tornado watch during the night, so we turned on the weather. Thankfully, nothing severe developed. When the rain finally stopped in the morning, the wind picked up and the temp dropped all day.
Sunday - Brrrr. 37 deg. this morning, but we bravely got up and went to the 8 AM Contemporary Service at Sun City Center UMC. It was, as usual, a wonderful service. We will be able to go here for the next two months.
Monday - We returned to the area in Lakewood Ranch we fished on Friday. Joan threw a worm and caught five decent sized bass, while John fished for bluegill with a nymph under an indicator and only caught two. He will focus on bass next time. It was a beautiful day with clear skies and temps in the 60s.
Tuesday - Our friends Lee and Sharon met us at Ft. Hamer Park in Parrish to kayak on the Manatee River. John was the only one who fished, picking out a few likely spots, while the others bird watched. He managed to catch one small, around 15" snook. Fun!  The day was gorgeous, but a little windy, especially on the return. After getting back, we had a picnic lunch at the park.

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