BigBendFishing.Net

I've done quite a bit of searching (bank and shore are way too general to get anything), haven't really come up with anything that will help me.

I don't have a boat/yak up here, so I want to find a few good little spots relatively close to campus (up to ~25 miles) I can get to a couple times a week. I've tried the Ochlockonee up at the dam when the stripers were supposedly biting, but you'd have to toss out a big ol bucktail jig to get it out to the channel and under the gar, and the couple of fish I had hooked got cut off in the submerged logs. Talquin's landings didn't yield anything when I went out there and tossed a worm out for a while at a bunch of them. I can't seem to find anywhere that's real accessible.

Any recommendations? I'm sure someone's got a decent pond or two in the forest they'd be willing to share

I have a couple of places that I used to fish from shore before I got a boat.

Go South on Spring Hill Rd. make a right on Sam Allen. There are, or used to be two ponds that held good Bass.

Lake Jackson, Crowder Landing. You can walk a good bit of shoreline.
Lake Jackson, Miller Landing Rd. off of North Meridian.

Wakulla Beach Rd. Just past the Wakulla River on 98 headed west. Drive to the end of the rd. Park and walk all the way down the trail on your right. Trout and Reds.

Also, go explore down SPring Hill rd. LL Wallace on your left has a number of ponds on it. You really have to spend some time to find them though.

Hope this helps.

Wow, thanks! I'll check a few of them out. Jackson and those areas down Spring Hill are about 10 miles from me - I live basically right in the middle. That Wakulla beach road area... any tips? Google maps doesn't seem to show me anything real clear, am i going to be within casting distance of bars and all that jazz?

Thanks a bucnh!

npbangler wrote:Wow, thanks! I'll check a few of them out. Jackson and those areas down Spring Hill are about 10 miles from me - I live basically right in the middle. That Wakulla beach road area... any tips? Google maps doesn't seem to show me anything real clear, am i going to be within casting distance of bars and all that jazz?

Thanks a bucnh!

Like Capt Keyser said, go down the path on the right. You can actually get out on some bars out there.

Eerman wrote:

npbangler wrote:Wow, thanks! I'll check a few of them out. Jackson and those areas down Spring Hill are about 10 miles from me - I live basically right in the middle. That Wakulla beach road area... any tips? Google maps doesn't seem to show me anything real clear, am i going to be within casting distance of bars and all that jazz?

Thanks a bucnh!

Like Capt Keyser said, go down the path on the right. You can actually get out on some bars out there.

Thanks a bunch guys! I know what I'm doing this Saturday.

I have had some luck in tate's hell forest, fishing from the bank at many of its primitive landings and campsites. its only a little bit farther than you want to go.

Eerman wrote:

npbangler wrote:Wow, thanks! I'll check a few of them out. Jackson and those areas down Spring Hill are about 10 miles from me - I live basically right in the middle. That Wakulla beach road area... any tips? Google maps doesn't seem to show me anything real clear, am i going to be within casting distance of bars and all that jazz?

Thanks a bucnh!

Like Capt Keyser said, go down the path on the right. You can actually get out on some bars out there.

Sorry to bug you again, but another question. Tackle. I'm assuming live bait would be the best, but what artificials? I've read that one of the goto's for reds around here is the capt mikes spoon (pink). I have a standard gold spoon in the box, good enough? What plastics would work? Never really fished this area before, thanks for the headsup!!

Capt Mike's Spoons in pink are definitely a staple to have in the box. Gold are ok too. Soft plastics...jigs or jerkbaits. Topwater is tops on the fun factor (skitterwalk or spooks). That should get you started.

If your going for bass, then it would be pretty much anything...and the classics never go out of style like a texas worm and spinner baits.

St. Marks has many areas for shore fishing east and west of the lighthouse. If you have an off road bicycle you can gain access via the dikes to the north end of Stoney Bayou for trout and reds. A short walk to the spillway on the north side of the East River can be productive for trout. The road on the right side of the ranger station ( at the pay box) leads to the St Marks river after a long bicycle ride. As always keep and eye out for nasty gators. four and two legged.

Npbangler, caught double digit reds MANY times on just old 1/4 and 1/2 oz. johnson gold minnow spoons. If they're schooled up and in a feeding mood, each cast can produce a bite. Last year had two guys fishing with me and we tripled multiple times (all had reds on at same time), and did this just using plain ol' johnson gold spoons. Now this said, DEFINITELY have found over the years that the more distance you have between you and the reds the better to prevent spooking them. Light lines and long casts equal more fish. Good luck. And honestly, if biting well I would take the spoon over live bait, though I really like to use both live bait and spoons at the same time. Casting the spoon will let you quickly work a wide area and follow schooling reds, while a live shrimp or small pinfish will get the occasional "drive by" hit. If they're feeding hot and heavy, though, I would usually take the spoon over the live bait, as it's been that productive for me.

One last tip, I have had the red bite turn off and found that if I threw out a small handful of little torn shrimp chunks I was able to temporarily turn the bite back on -- do this while fishing Gulp bait, however, and you're going to find that you're in pinfish hell!
BBG

go out on the jetty at the lighthouse dude.

G3stalker wrote:go out on the jetty at the lighthouse dude.

Watch out for strong high tides. Its at the end of the boat basin canal at St Marks Lighthouse. You may want to consider purchasing a year pass as it starts paying for itself after 3 visits.