BigBendFishing.Net

When I was a teenager (mid 70's) we always went to Suwannee in August and hammered the trout. We would usually do pretty well with the reds too. Is it still that way in the Big Bend area - Keaton or Steinhatchee or even Suwannee (I know Suwannee is a little south of the bend but---)

THE LAST TIME I WAS DOWN TO SUWANEE WE CAUGHT SOME HUGE RED FISH AND A FEW TROUT, LIMITED OUT IN ABOUT 3 HOURS, HAD SOME LARGE FISH HIT THE BOAT, THOUGHT IT WAS A MANATEE BUT ON SECOND LOOK WAS MUCH TOO THIN , DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS. THIS WAS BACK IN 2008. FISHED RIGHT OFF THE ISLAND IN THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER.
PA
SEMPER FI

FUTCHCAIRO wrote:THE LAST TIME I WAS DOWN TO SUWANEE WE CAUGHT SOME HUGE RED FISH AND A FEW TROUT, LIMITED OUT IN ABOUT 3 HOURS, HAD SOME LARGE FISH HIT THE BOAT, THOUGHT IT WAS A MANATEE BUT ON SECOND LOOK WAS MUCH TOO THIN , DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT WAS. THIS WAS BACK IN 2008. FISHED RIGHT OFF THE ISLAND IN THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER.
PA
SEMPER FI

Sturgeon maybe?

I grew up fishing the mouth of the Suwanee from about 1960 until 1973. Got over crowded and I rarely go now. We used to catch nice trout and an occasional hook up with a tarpon on the white shell bar this time out the year out the west pass and about 1/2 way to Cedar Key. We would occassionally run into big schools of nice reds and have good catches out there. We would also catch trout and spanish out in Shared basin and off some at the spotty bottom/bombing range area.

I know some guys who fish out there regularly and they are now happy catching 4 or 5 trout, reds and flounder this time of year.

The winter when the temps would drop into freezing is when the best fishing was. Trout and reds would run up the rivers and creeks at Suwanee and Steinhatchee and we would have great catches.

Yea I wasn't sure if it was like it used to be. I mean we really caught a lot of fish back then[/u][/u][/b]. I guess those days are gone for the most part. Thanks for the info guys! Blessings

Me and my Dad mostly fished the Aucilla and Econfina areas back in the 70's and 80's. It was nothing to catch a cooler full, or 2 of them full if you wanted to stay out there all day. In the 90's the fish seemed to be thinning a lot, about the time they dropped the limit to 5 and raised the size limit. I think there was just too much fishing pressure on them back in the day and they just never recovered.

Dixie, I am going to get fussed at, but the real pressure came not from hook and line as it did from netters. When netters started targeting trout instead of just mullet, it changed the game and it has never come back.

fishing south of horseshoe has not been good since the s. river has been at flood stage this spring. reds have picked up this month. trout are still slow, spanish macs are on the sea horse reef in good numbers as we speak

Speaking of the Suwannee, any of you guys remember Granny Oudland?


Dubble

Dubble Trubble wrote:Speaking of the Suwannee, any of you guys remember Granny Oudland?


Dubble

Was her last name Oudland or was it Odolum or something like that. I suspect it is the same person.

MudDucker wrote:

Dubble Trubble wrote:Speaking of the Suwannee, any of you guys remember Granny Oudland?


Dubble

Was her last name Oudland or was it Odolum or something like that. I suspect it is the same person.

We were both wrong! LOL. It is spelled Odulund. I always heard it pronounced ood-land.



I just remember she had the house in the hardwood stand on the island, and had a mess hall and bunkhouse out behind the house. She would make us all breakfast before leaving to fish. I seem to remember she had some daughters helping her....I was just a kid back them.


Dubble

I found these pics on a treasure hunt website. Evidently there's thought to be buried kegs of gold somewhere around that area.

Dubble Trubble wrote:

MudDucker wrote:

Dubble Trubble wrote:Speaking of the Suwannee, any of you guys remember Granny Oudland?


Dubble

Was her last name Oudland or was it Odolum or something like that. I suspect it is the same person.

We were both wrong! LOL. It is spelled Odulund. I always heard it pronounced ood-land.



I just remember she had the house in the hardwood stand on the island, and had a mess hall and bunkhouse out behind the house. She would make us all breakfast before leaving to fish. I seem to remember she had some daughters helping her....I was just a kid back them.


Dubble

Yep. I stayed there at her little fish camp with her when I was a kid. Also, stopped by several times in cold weather to eat lunch with her. The guide we used a lot, Monroe Shave, said she was his grandmother. I think she was everyone's granny down there.

She could cook and you didn't want to ask what it was. She would also lift a jug while cooking. Pain medication?

The old tale they tell about her husband at that camp was that some bankers from Valdosta invited Mills B. Lane (he started C&S Bank) to fish. They would call everyone to supper and Mills had not finished his cigar and drink, so he stayed on the porch. The Old Man hollared for someone to go get the big fat deaf boy off of the porch for supper. They said after that, you could not ask Mills to borrow any money to invest at the mouth of the Suwannee.

reelhandy wrote:I found these pics on a treasure hunt website. Evidently there's thought to be buried kegs of gold somewhere around that area.

Looks like the old bunkhouse is gone. I heard it had burned down, but haven't been there in years and years.