Wakulla River 11/6

[Charles]

Took a bike and the utility trailer and went solo bass fishing today on the Wakulla. TnT has gone to their winter hours and don't open until 9. This morning's low tide was one of those negative lows that tries to suck all the water out of the river, so the current was rippin' and muddy. Took me four hours to get from Lower Bridge to Upper Bridge. Turned around to drift back down and fish. Got about a quarter of the way down and the current that I fought so hard against to get up the river just stopped. Now the tide's rising and the wind picks up out of the south, so I had to fight the wind to get back. By three I had three small bass, all released, the winds blowing, it's clouding up and looking like rain and I'm not even half-way back down to the canoe livery, so I just said to heck with this, stowed the rods, picked up a paddle and enjoyed the canoe ride.

Think I need to pay more attention to the tide tables whe I'm going to the river, other than a brief glance. Low water seems to improve fishing on this river. Fast current does not.

I think when the reds and trout pulled out they took the bass with them.

All in all, a nice trip even with no fish to speak of. Saw all the usually wildlife, lots of sliders, squirrels, anhingas, blue herons, hawks, I think two different alligators, since they were in different sections of the river. Even saw a banded water snake. That's the first snake I've seen on the river since I've been back.

Missed the rain on the bike ride home. Saw where it rained ahead of me on the way. The roads were wet. Wasn't enough to do much good, though. We need a good, ground soaking, rain to pack these sand roads down.

And the long, wide-bladed grass that I said in an early report I didn't see? There's a bunch up near Upper Bridge, all is not lost. A friend of mine tells me I'm wrong about the manatees eating all the grass, although they may eat some of it. He tells me the big wipe-out was caused by saltwater intrusion brought on by a hurricane about 4-5 years ago that he couldn't remember the name of. I stand corrected.

[birddog]

We fished a creek backwards all day Sat. Fighting a strong current is no fun. Glad you got out there, Charles.

[tin can]

Sometimes fishing that river is work. Those bass are as affected by the tide as saltwater fish.

It's tough when you have to paddle up river both directions.

[dave7]

I remember the hurricane years ago that wiped out the grass on the Wakulla. It used to be thick - all up and down the river and after the saltwater intrusion, it was almost all gone. We always called it 'eel grass' but from what I understand, it could be either Vallisneria americana (tape grass / eel grass) or Sagittaria kurziana (strap leaf sagittaria). You'd need to look at the leaves closely or get ahold of the the flowers.

There are places on the Wacissa, especially near the entrance to Big Blue where it has taken a good hold and isn't clogged out by the hydrilla.