BigBendFishing.Net

Put in at the Mandalay ramp around noon to an outgoing tide and a super intense headwind. It was my first time there so after driving out from Tallahassee, I was going to explore. I planned to paddle out of the river, explore the creeks, and drift the flats. There was a small flotilla of boats in the middle of the river, and I saw a few guys catching fish.

The wind made any casting for me pretty frustrating so I threw a Yozuri minnow out to troll, and soon I was catching fish. They were 14 to 16 inch trout, and was catching them from 100 yards south of the ramp all down towards the gulf, last of the outgoing tide. I was mostly paddling my ass off, with a surprising amount of breaks thrown in to unhook and release a trout.

I managed to make it out of the river and to the flats, it was kind of terrible out in open water. Back up the river, cutting left around that island, more trout on the troll, tide is coming in steady now. I'm drifting up river and casting a cork and DOA, splash of ProCure. I'm popping the cork pretty rapidly, maybe once every 3 seconds. Only had 1 hit on it, but it was an 18.5 inch trout. Never had much faith in ProCure but it seemed to work... I think?

Never been to Aucilla before, lots of boat traffic on river, I may head North next time if I go back, I'm sure there would still be fish upriver.

Good job under tough conditions. I've fished the Aucilla many times in a boat but only tried it once in the kayak. Caught fish, but that current is so strong it was too much work for the effort. Only a few boats on the water the day I went, but the normal winter traffic could be problematic too.

Bummed Hickory Mound is closed this winter. Always enjoyed fishing in the yak over there. Will be targeting points further south and west as a result until the new boat is ready.

Aucilla is great this time of year, glad you caught some fish. Me and Dad fished that river many a day in winter.

DixieReb wrote: Aucilla is great this time of year, glad you caught some fish. Me and Dad fished that river many a day in winter.

Won't argue that it can be on fire, especially when it's cold. It's a whole lot easier to fish when you're using tiller power vs. the armstrong variety, though.