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
Fished the refuge Sunday - the wind was howling until mid-afternoon. In the morning most of the water was blown out of the coves and shallows by the low tide and string north wind. I gave up fishing and just slogged across the muck. Both Sand Cove and Minnie Cove had no water in them:
Sand Cove:
Minnie Cove:
Boat ramp canal was low:
By 11:00, enough water had come back up to make fishing worthwhile, but the wind was still brutal. It moderated by afternoon and I managed 3 small slot trout off the wash bar. I lost a spanish at my feet and got cut off by another. I saw three other spanish being caught, as well as a trout. The water was tannic from all the rain but things should bust open soon.
Yes - I'm wading the entire time, although I now have a kayak (used Native ultimate 14.5). Most of Sand Cove has a layer of muck over the sand, anywhere from a few inches to a foot or more near the creek mouths. There is firm footing around oyster bars. The wash bar and long bar have good footing, except that you need full coverage - no sandals. The wash bar in particular will chew up shoes and it would be easy to turn an ankle on the rocks at the end. If you wade to the east of the end of the wash bar, there is good footing along the channel.
I am new to the fly but have been fishing the area with spin tackle for a while. I fish by boat, bike and kayak but am really interested in finding places that give me room to fly fish. Just need to find more places that I can wade/walk and not get stuck in knee deep quicksand.
