Upper Aucilla adventures

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BloodyChamp
Posts: 418
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 8:18 pm

Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by BloodyChamp »

The Sunday before last I went to a place many people don't know about on the upper Aucilla with the boat. I go there often to relax or fish off the bank by myself but rarely with the boat, but not becuase it's not good fishing. It's just quite possibly the roughest place to get anywhere in a boat, which is saying alot considering how rough the upper Aucilla can be. I drug and drug and fought and finally got to the best spot at which point I was ate up with yellowflies and had already clashed with poison ivy which messes me all up. The 3 huge bream on the lure, who didn't seem to mind the noise I was making smashing into logs, kept me motivated. Anyway once I got there I grabbed the plastic worm and got a bass that was a few pounds. I just knew I was about wear them out. It was bass heaven. Hiacynths, logs, and the water was still but not low, and it still had it's trademark black color.

Got the bass back safely and looked up to see 2 gators that weren't giants but definitely big enough to mess me up. It took forever for them to go under as the yellowflies tore me up.Then another gator appeared and that bad boy was a dinosaur. I almost turned around but he went back under and I fished probably 2/3 of the stretch of wide water that I paddled to. I went back to bream fishing just to get enough to eat and get out of there for safety reasons between the gators, yellowflies, poison ivy and paddle back up over logs. I'm glad I didn't turn around. I probably could have wore the bass out like I first thought. I do know I could have caught 100 plate sized bream on the lure, let alone live bait. They were biting so good that I wouldn't doubt that you could have narrowed it down to the species. Crickets on the sides for Redbreasts and worms in the deep water for Bluebream. And either one for Stumpknockers up in the cypress knees.

I went back to another place on the upper Aucilla today and saw that the water had dropped all the way into the banks, and probably 6 whole feet in the wide parts! Log after log, more poison ivy and the worst yellowflies I had ever seen! I had long pants on knowing that they would be at their peak but I didn't know the water level had dropped like it did. Having to drag so much I fooled around and got my fanny with the long pants wet. That plus yellowflies...pfffft...fished as long as I could with the plastic worm which wasn't long, switched to the lure and caught 2 bream to eat and got the you know what out of there lol! It looked even more bassy today with the water clearing up, and these other neat little flowers on the top of the still water, logs, etc.

If I make it back again I'm ditching the long pants for the bathing suit. That way I can get wet and not feel like I sat in sulfuric acid lol! Then rubber boots for the flies on my legs. I had shorts on the time before with no shoes and got out of the flies in the sun. Today was cloudy so they followed me everywhere! But fun times either way. I still plan on a paddle trip and shuttling the whole upper Aucilla this summer.
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Red Beard
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by Red Beard »

Glad you made it back safe from your adventure with some fresh groceries. Any pictures to share?


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Steve Stinson
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by Steve Stinson »

There is some stuff called Tech-Nu that I buy for my land surveying crews. You apply it to any skin exposed to poison ivy after you come out of the woods, let it soak in for a few minutes then wash with soap. It will stop poison ivy breakouts.

Then all you have to worry about is the yellow flies and gators...

- Steve Stinson
BloodyChamp
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by BloodyChamp »

I’ll have to check it out. I’ll also have to sit down on my laptop or something to see about getting some pics posted because I have some good ones going all the way back to the Pinhook thread. For some reason my phone and this board always mess up pics.
silverking
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by silverking »

A thread on another forum on ivy also had several recommendations about Tech-Nu. I'll have to get some as I come within 2 miles I break out. My wife also had a bad bout recently when she was working the fence line in the back yard. Steve, what's your source for buying some?

BC, you and Droze are both gluttons for punishment. Have you considered a mesh bug suit? Are you using any bug repellent at all? I've had good luck with Proven. It's a natural-based spray and does well on skeeters, no-see-ums and flies.

Thanks for the adventure report. Be careful with those big lizards.
"Sun rise and sun sets. Since the beginning, it hasn't changed yet." Little Feat
Steve Stinson
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by Steve Stinson »

There is some very strong bug spray called Premetherin that my crews use also. Do not spray it on your skin, only your clothes. You spray it on and let it dry before you wear the clothing, then it lasts for several washings. I don't know if it works for yellow flies, but it does for ticks and chiggers.

So now we are down to just gators, but I don't have any suggestions for gator repellent. :-D

- Steve Stinson
silverking
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by silverking »

Steve,
Where are you buying the Tech-Nu?
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flatsbroke22
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by flatsbroke22 »

Been using Tech-Nu for years as I too will get poison ivy if I look at it. This stuff also works really well on soothing the itch on any biting insect after the fact. You can get it in a lotion or spray.
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Steve Stinson
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by Steve Stinson »

I found it a Walgreens. I believe Walmart and Kevin's may have it too.
silverking
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by silverking »

Thanks. I'll look at Walgreen's. I don't patronize Wal-Mart.
"Sun rise and sun sets. Since the beginning, it hasn't changed yet." Little Feat
BloodyChamp
Posts: 418
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 8:18 pm

Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by BloodyChamp »

silverking wrote:A thread on another forum on ivy also had several recommendations about Tech-Nu. I'll have to get some as I come within 2 miles I break out. My wife also had a bad bout recently when she was working the fence line in the back yard. Steve, what's your source for buying some?

BC, you and Droze are both gluttons for punishment. Are you using any bug repellent at all?
Thank you for the compliment lol as I've always strived to be known as the most hadrcore freshwater fisherman. I'd say being associated with Droze makes me just that, as he is without question THE hardcore flats fisherman.

I did have Deep Woods Off with Deet the first trip which I forgot to mention. That might have been the difference in hindsight and not the sun but I don't know. Also if anybody has a cat do not let the Permetherin anywhere near it because it can hurth them or kill them.

I went to 1 more unknown spot today just off the bank and thought I had a giant bass but it was a Blackfish. Dang thang thing hit just like a bass. 1 Solid strike, not the lazy bump and chew they usually do. Then he even jumped like a bass lol! The spot I went to today is very special spot because of some childhood memories and because of an infamous winter Speckled Perch fishing trip that I think I posted about a few years ago. It's such a jungle that I've never put the boat in. Today I found an old secondary trail that would be tough but doable for boat dragging. And that's just going to have to be the way. It's upriver from where I was yesterday and down from the 1 the other Sunday.

I'm going to see what I can do about pics now as I'm on the laptop and I just know you want to see the selfie I took with the Blackfish more than any boring pic of the river that has never been photographed.
BloodyChamp
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Joined: January 19th, 2014, 8:18 pm

Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by BloodyChamp »

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From the other Sunday
BloodyChamp
Posts: 418
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 8:18 pm

Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by BloodyChamp »

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Yesterday
BloodyChamp
Posts: 418
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 8:18 pm

Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by BloodyChamp »

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Today
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Srbenda
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Re: Upper Aucilla adventures

Post by Srbenda »

Thats good stuff.
Wayyyy back in the holler!
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