BigBendFishing.Net

Dear all--
I just got a canoe and was wondering if anybody knew of a nice lake or slow river where it might be possible to try and catch some fish and go exploring? What would be a good place to start? Lake Talquin? St. Marks river? We don't have anyone to pick us up so we have to paddle back to wherever we start. Looking for nice calm paddling water so my daughter can get the feel of canoeing. Thanks for your help. M>

Whatever you do, considering all the recent rain is causing the rivers to be running very fast....

Wacissa

Wacissa river is glorious...
But if you want a good place to canoe and fish try Jackson. No current and the fish are killing it....
Another nice option would be lake Hall at Maclay gardens. No motors so its very safe for a paddler.

In a couple days you can try downtown Woodville.

NOT the Suwannee any time in the next couple of months probably, we've had 2 people drown "wading the sand bars" since the tropical storm. Otherwise it is a nice canoe/kayak trip when the water levels are reasonable. Lots of people put in at White Springs and come down.

Check out the filet and release thread.....

Jumptrout51 wrote:In a couple days you can try downtown Woodville.

Yep

bman wrote:Wacissa river is glorious...
But if you want a good place to canoe and fish try Jackson. No current and the fish are killing it....
Another nice option would be lake Hall at Maclay gardens. No motors so its very safe for a paddler.

X2! Wacissa requires two folks and two vehicles. Love that river though.

Jackson is easy to get into and out of.

X3 for the Wacissa. Safe for beginners but don't know about the fishing. Withlacoochee better than Suwannee for beginning canoeing. Good fishing as well.

Wacissa river, it's shallow and very scenic and the current is not that bad, but did talk to the canoe guy down yesterday and he said this rain has the water pretty cloudy

Check out Econfina Creek over near Panama City. Some of the best canoeing for beginners and there are many springs and other places to stop on the way. If you have your own canoe the http://www.canoeeconfinacreek.net/ has a shuttle service available.

Wacissa can be done on a down and back trip if the current isn't too strong from high water. Take a flyrod / popping bug combo or a small gold Rapala and you can catch a few fish.

Lake Hall at Maclay Gardens Park is great if you want a few more options. They have a swimming area and picnic shelters. It is a very clear lake so you will want small diameter mono line if you go there. The fish there also like a popping bug on a flyrod and there is some really big bream.

Steve Stinson
President
NFGFC

Thanks for all the info. We went out to Lake Hall at Maclay. It was a beautiful day and my daughter caught three little fish. I can't believe how clear that lake is and how clean the water looks. We grilled the fish up whole (after cleaning them) up and they were tasty. I need to practice my fly fishing technique, as I think I scared most of the fish away. See you guys out there!

Back when I was in boy scouts, we did a trip down the slave canal. Very scenic, but is been 20 years since I was there last, so I'm unsure of the current state.