A Neat Day Trip
Yesterday (Tuesday), left the house a little later than I intended. Got to they convenience store at the intersection of 98 and Woodville Hwy for snacks.
Me 1: "Let's see, need ice, and extended periods of exercise call for calorie and fluid replacement, and we're gonna' be pedaling or paddling all day. So, big bag of fried pork rinds and a 12 pack of Mountain Dew aughta do it."
Me 2: "Oh yeah, that's great nutrition. Why not just pick up a can of lard and a bag of sugar while we're here?"
Me 1: "Great, pork rinds and Mountain Dew it is."
Me 1: "How 'bout coffee there, Mr. Nutrition Guru? You want to gripe about that, too?"
Me 2: "Nah, a small black coffee is okay. Just black, none of that liquid candy stuff."
Me 1: "Cool, large black coffee, coming up."
Get out to the trailer.
Me 1: "Now how are we going to carry this coffee without spilling it?"
Me 2: "Hmm, I know. Nestle the cup into the straps of your pack and push that up against the cooler. That should do it."
Got the coffee stowed, walked around the corner of the store for the ice. Got the MD iced in the cooler. Walked over to the garbage to get rid of the MD box and the ice bag. Checked over the trailer. Ready to go. Both girls from the store had walked outside to smoke while I was doing this, but neither asked anything about pulling a canoe with a bicycle, but being being right there at the intersection of Tallahassee/Wooodville and St. Marks River, City of St. Marks and the Wakulla River, they probably see a lot of people stop in on their way fishing.
Got to the ramp just at daybreak. The little white dots, that look like snow? They were very happy to see me.
They were much worse on the wet part of the ramp, down by the river.
The coffee survived the trip, thus far.
Me 2: "Put the camera away, quit foolin' around, and get in. We're burnin' daylight."
Me 1: "Up or down?"
Me 2: "We've got all day, just see which way we drift, for now."
The tide was falling, we went down. A light fog settled in. The sand gnats insisted on coming along to the point of being rude. Got a few strikes on a black/yellow Snagless Sally, no hookups. Got a couple bass on a shallow running Swimmin' Image crankbait. Along about 9 the fog began to lift. I figured out that the fish didn't really want the Swimmin' Image fished as a crankbait, but fished as a topwater. Even the bream, not much bigger than the lure, were hitting it on top. Next time I'm taking a light spinning rod and some small Rapalas, or a flyrod and some bugs.
And right about here is where I take another sip of coffee. Go to set the cup down. It slips out of my fingers and only falls a couple of inches. The cup lands bottom down, and splits the bottom right out of the cheap foam cup.
Note to self: Bring real coffe cup next time. With lid.
About 10 the fog was gone and the breeze began to pick up. Yellowflies relieved the no-see-ums. Saw a pair of grey, UH-60 Blackhawks fly over. No markings. Didn't think to try for a picture until they were gone.
Saw this little guy.
And a bigger one, later.
Got checked by Da' Man.
"Caught anything?"
"Can I see 'em?"
"Got your license?"
"Life jacket?"
"Whistle?"
"What's the bicycle for?"
"My tow vehicle. I put in up at Newport and with it with me, I can take out at the Fort or Lower Bridge."
"Oh, well I'll be."
Fished on down and saw this one repeatedly swooping down to the water, right in the middle of the river. Didn't see anything it was after. Anybody got any idea? Just drinking water?
These two photos are the same pod of seven.
This was right when the FWC officer came back down the river. He said he hadn't seen any in the Wakulla. Last year, about this time, when Wakulla Springs poisoned the hydrilla, the manatees moved out temporarily. I guess the stuff must make their salad taste bad.
Caught another small bass that got one hook right through the bony part of the corner of his jaw.
Me 1: "Hmm, gonna' need the pliers."
Me 2: "They're in the pack."
So I put the fish down on a wet towel to get the pliers. Step over him, and while I'm digging for the pliers so I can release him the ungrateful cuss flops and puts that one hook in the outside of my left ankle.
Me 1: "Well, I guess we're stuck now."
Me 2: "Ha, ha, ha. You so fun-neee."
Fun to release bass by slipping them in the water head up, and tilted backward. It usually takes a couple seconds for them to realize they've been released and right themselves. Sometimes they shoot off, and sometimes they just cruise off slowly. Once in a while one will shoot off as soon as you release his lip. They jump when they do that.
Just as I got to the refinery in St. Marks the wind on the river really picked up, blowing directly upriver. This is when a bicycle in the bow becomes a workout. Started to take out at the Fort, but decided that the wind was favorable so that once I made the Wakulla I could drift pretty quick up to Lower Bridge. Of course once I got above Shell Island, the wind started to slack off.
Picked up five more bass out of the Wakulla to round out a baker's dozen.
The fish in the St. Marks were holding close to the banks and structure. In the Wakulla they were in the middle of the river relating to deep/shallow edges.
The water in the St. Marks was the clearest I remember ever seeing it, but I don't fish it much. The water in the Wakulla was murky and full of algae. Lots of algae, all the way up to Lower Bridge.
Wound up the day with a limit of bass in the cooler. Nothing bigger than 14". About half the released fish were short.
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I have got to meet you, Charles, you are a trip, all right! If you don't write the book, will you let me? 
Please tell me you will be at the meeting the 19th? Good story & I really enjoyed the "photo-journalism". 