BigBendFishing.Net

Just wanted to see if anybody had fished Piney Z lately. I was planning on maybe doing some fishing soon and was gunna see if i could get some reports before i go.

The eagles were doing pretty well along with the osprey not to mention the wood storks after the algae bloom that sucked all the oxygen out of the lake about three weeks back and caused a massive fish kill.

Tell us more..............no mention of the fish kill on TV or in the Mullet Wrapper newspaper.

Yeah I would definitely like to know more about this fish kill haven't been told by anyone about it. Are there any fish left to be caught anytime soon and would it be a waist of my time going out there?

I'd be interested in learning more about the fish kill as well. I've never fished Piney Z but have been thinking about giving it a shot recently as it's easily the nearest water body to me. I feel like I'd get the yak wet a lot more often if I wasn't constantly telling myself I need to go all the way to the coast.

To anyone that's fished Piney Z in the past, any info to share? I've seen guys with cane poles out on those jetties before, but that's not exactly my cup of tea...

"Fish kill" ... I call B.S.

niceShoot wrote:I'd be interested in learning more about the fish kill as well. I've never fished Piney Z but have been thinking about giving it a shot recently as it's easily the nearest water body to me. I feel like I'd get the yak wet a lot more often if I wasn't constantly telling myself I need to go all the way to the coast.

To anyone that's fished Piney Z in the past, any info to share? I've seen guys with cane poles out on those jetties before, but that's not exactly my cup of tea...

I dont kknow anything about a fish kill..... but i know the bass in piney Z are suckers for t and c rigged lizards. Have at it.
Oh.....and rattletraps work well too.

~~Dave

Thanks Dave, took a 5 mile hike out there on the trails and stopped by the lake for a bit to sort of scope it out. Looks interesting. Seems like it might be better to just fish off those fingers than bother with the kayak even. What about that other large lake just west of Piney Z? Doesn't seem to have a name on my map. Is it accessible? Fishy?

Its Lafayette and I'm sure there's a billion fish in it. Something must be feeding the dinosaurs that live in there! Lol.

I've never seen it have enough open water for me to bother with it. Its always overgrown. Others may have different experiences.

~~Dave

niceShoot wrote:Thanks Dave, took a 5 mile hike out there on the trails and stopped by the lake for a bit to sort of scope it out. Looks interesting. Seems like it might be better to just fish off those fingers than bother with the kayak even. What about that other large lake just west of Piney Z? Doesn't seem to have a name on my map. Is it accessible? Fishy?

Fished it once and scouted it for ducks on another occasion. Lots of gators and ducks, but I didn't catch any fish. Can be accessed from "Road to the Lake." Drive from Chairs along the RxR. Pretty area!

Me thinks that the "Fish Kill" report is similar to the "Sewage Spill at Lanark" report that occurs every year around Scallop season

I contacted FWC in late January, they said there was indeed a fish kill probably caused by algae bloom/oxygen depletion. Biologist said it was a small fish kill, whatever that means?? Area to the west of Piney-Z is Upper Lake Lafayette......it does fill up from time to time but drains into sinkhole in northeast corner. The sinkhole was only water there until we began getting the rains last year. Sinkhole drains directly into the Floridan Aquifer.....who know how long before it drains down again.

Wow, sure enough I looked at some satellite footage and that Lake Lafayette doesn't even seem to exist. Would never have known that it drains from looking at it the other day, appears to be a BEAST of a water body significantly more substantial than Piney Z, to see it right now.

Probably explains why I've never noticed it in all the past years of hiking those trails though. Lol.

Definitely some big bass in here. A buddy and i fished a couple weeks ago and caught 7 together. He's been back a couple times since and has caught a 4 and 7 pounder. Finding them up near the banks on the NW and SE sides.