A unique website dedicated to fishing information from Florida's Northern Big Bend. This includes the area from the Econfina River west to the Apalachicola River
Just in case anyone was wondering what it looks like out there after all of the rain we got. I was in the area and decided to stop by and snap a couple pics...
i guess i should check out the fresh water posts more often. Didnt see those pics. Pretty crazy the amount of water that was moving back into the lake.
I went down to the Bull Headley landing a few days ago and all of the growth that was there when the lake went dry was all gone. You could look across the lake and it actually looked like a lake, no more boat paths. I am sure that it will change once things start growing off of the lake bed again. I hope to take the ol' Hewes out there and run the cobwebs off of her for a few minutes.
Unless we experience another severe drought, the lake should hold at full pool or close to it. HewesMan, just be aware that most of the vegetation that was there 2 weeks ago is likely still there, it's just underwater now. Some of that stuff was pretty big and thick...that corner near Strickland's arm had some growth that was on the verge of becoming "trees" the last time I was out there.
Also remember that there are other nav hazards out there besides vegetation. There are still some old blind frames out there and with the boat trails gone and the lake looking completely different, it would be a lot easier to run up on one. It's amazing how the loss or gain of just a few inches of water can turn an area you're very familiar with into a puzzle.
HewesMan wrote:I went down to the Bull Headley landing a few days ago and all of the growth that was there when the lake went dry was all gone. You could look across the lake and it actually looked like a lake, no more boat paths. I am sure that it will change once things start growing off of the lake bed again. I hope to take the ol' Hewes out there and run the cobwebs off of her for a few minutes.
All the Dog Fennels were gone?
Didn't the lake drain last time because of the sinkhole or open culvert?
Went down there Sunday, dog fennel is completely under water, its a totally open lake. That water is now to the road, you can't even see the ramp.
Don't think I've ever seen it like that, last time it had water I just remember boat paths through the vegitation in most parts.
Dropped my 2400CC Century with twin 150 Yamahas in on both Saturday and Sunday. Was able to run wide open all over the lake. You might as well forget about following the boat trails as they no longer exist, not yet anyway. The average depth of the lake was around 7 to 8ft. The hole to East of the fish camp was 20-23ft deep. We beached the boat at the camp and enjoyed some live music and cold bev's on Sunday. Sure is nice to drop in right down the road.
I sure wish there was a way to keep it a little more open but I am sure that all of the bottom vegetation will eventually grow back up especially with warmer water. Maybe not have it as open as it is now but I do like it a lot more than just a lake with a few open areas and boat paths.
Drove around the different landings last night. The ramp is nearly visible at bull headly, and the fish camp looked a little dryer.
I couldn't believe what Jackson looked like though. Rhoden cove still blocked off and no water anywhere close to the ramp. Miller landing looked up a little, but nothing like Iamonia.
I understand that Iamonia is fed by the ocklocknee, but I don't see where it connects. Is it the bridge south of 12 about 5 miles?
lonesouth wrote:
I understand that Iamonia is fed by the ocklocknee, but I don't see where it connects. Is it the bridge south of 12 about 5 miles?
Should be about right. You can follow the bottom on Google Earth all the way to the river.
Jackson has so many retention ponds built around it now, it would take a lot of rain to be them full, so the lake could receive the majority of the runoff. Also the sinkhole was dry so there was a lot of water needed to fill it up. Still, I remember years ago when one good rain could fill it up to full pool. Not sure I'll ever see the back of the Cattle Gap again.