BigBendFishing.Net

Hello,
I have been reading for about a month now and have not posted much but I had a couple of questions I would like to ask the board. I have been trying to hit up all the local spots in the kayak. So far I have only made it to the lighthouse and Wakulla beach road. I want to go out again this week before the cold front moves in. Where is the best place to go that is not too far from Tallahassee. I was at the lighthouse most of the day on Saturday. I did OK with only one keeper trout but lots and lots shorts . I was using a CT with live shrimp for most of the day but I got the keeper on a catch 2000. The CT worked well but it would get taken under and when I went to set the hook I would get nothing. Overall I had a great time but I would like to explorer the other areas before I settle into one spot. Thanks already.

I finally brought my kayak over here this past weekend. Thinking about maybe giving Wakulla Beach a try next Sunday afternoon. May end up heading there sometime this week if I get a chance also.

Nathan

I don't Yak, but I've always thought Bottoms, in Panacea, would be a very good place to yak fish. There's tons of good water around Piney Island.

Wevans could probably give you more info about this area.

Another place, I want to checkout, and you might want to take a look at, is Bald Point State Park. It looks like a good place to put in, since the turn around is pretty close to the water. I see boats on the water in the general area near everytime I'm over there, so fishing must be decent.
My wife is an avid bird watcher, and we go over there from time to time for that purpose. Me, I just tag along to keep her company. I wouldn't know an 'avid', if I saw one.

This site gives a good overview and has a nice gallery-
http://www.floridastateparks.org/baldpoint/default.asp

i have heard lots of good things about bald point. how far is that from tally? i think i may head that way today. need to fish !

Check out the noted link for directions. It's easy to find- 3 bucks for day use- open sunrise to sunset.
Let us know how you do..

Well i just loaded up the SUV and am getting ready to head out. what do you guys think about the weather today. i just looked outside and it seems a little dark. i would hate to get out there and then find out thatits too windy or something. Let me know if anyone has a heads up on the weather i will be leaving within the hour.

This Afternoon
Southeast wind 15 to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet near shore...4 to 6 feet well offshore. Protected waters a moderate chop. Slight chance of showers.

OUCH, paddle with that stuff.

I might have an opinion on this topic...
dstock provided what is always the first and most important info on where (and if) to go. I avoid 15, much less 20. I will go in 20 if the reports are wrong & I'm already there -but I don't go far. The wind is just a hassle. You don't drift too bad but everything is a little more complicated. That's the opposite of why I fish. With the wind SE I'd look for protection but the topography around here limits you. If you can get in the East River it would be ok. You could put in off the impoundment. Ask at the visitor center. That would mean redfish were your prime target. The back side of Piney Island would also be an option. Alligator Harbor could also be ok. You could also battle your way into the creeks east or west at Wakulla Beach. I'd go east. I'll try to post more on this later but hearing you'r outta here soon I'll send it now.

Well, if ya ain't left yet. wx channel online fcst for the general area is as follows:
Tue, November 2

Sunset 5:51 pm

12pm Partly Cloudy 82°F precip 20% dewpoint 71°F hum 69% wind SSE 14 mph

2pm Partly Cloudy 82°F precip 20% dewpoint 69°F hum 64% wind SSE 13 mph

4pm Partly Cloudy 81°F precip 20% dewpoint 68°F hum 67% wind SSE 10 mph

6pm Mostly Sunny 75°F precip 10% dewpoint 69°F hum 81% wind SSE 5 mph


6pm Mostly Sunny 75°F precip 10% dewpoint 69°F hum 81% wind SSE 5 mph

Actually, might be a good afternoon with a rise in the psr and the wind fcst to fall off. I wouldn't get too far downwind of the landing though, account of the paddle back.
Good luck if you decide to go.

misty to lt rain in here at Demorest Ga. 'Had to cancel the staining project for the day- Ahh heck.

As is the answer almost any time someone asks you for "the best" of something, it depends. In this case, it depends on how you like to fish, because each spot is a little different and the yakkin' strategies also vary. In my heavier yakkin' days, I rotated among Shell Point, Wakulla Beach, and the Lighthouse; in the summer time, Lanark Village was fun to play with the sharks and try for poons. The Lighthouse was always my favorite due to the generally clearer water and the lush seagrass, but I get a kick out of sightfishing--I'd rather see reds and stalk them than pound shorelines and oysterbars blindcasting. I usually had better numbers of fish at Wakulla Beach, though. I don't know if you're going to find any single one of the places mentioned by all above is "the best", but you'll likely find one spot that is your favorite.

So all that said, where is the best place to yak fish? St. Joe Bay. (I know Lit will agree with me there...)

I would have went down skipper bay lane and put in back there....You probably don't want to got all the way to end it you like your vehicle....It's basically the back side of Piney Island

ok, so i left at about 11:30 this morning and headed for bald point. I don't own a kayak so i had to rent from a local place in tally. luckly, i know the manager and he hooks me up. My girlfreind and I picked up two yaks and were on our way. we stoped at the BP right before the bridge and picked up a couple snacks and a couple dozen shrimp just in case the artificials were not hitting. we finally got to the park and payed the 3 dollars by about one o'clock. there was one guy out there fishing from the dock but he said he had not caught a single thing all day. we headed out from the right of the dock and started towrds the bidge that we could barley see. the chop was not too bad but it was not great either. we had to fight against the current but it wasnt too bad. my girfrend megan was using the live shrimp rigged with a CT. she had the first hit with a small cat fish. i did not have much luck with my DOA shrimp rigged with a CT. before long i had a monster hit. i knew i had hooked on something big but I wasn't quite sure what it was. my reel was screming so i really thought i had a big red, after ten minutes of fighting this guy i pulled him up to the yak. It was the bigest damm cat fish i had ever seen. he was at least 23" or 24". i let him go and got back to fishing. the rest of the day was slow with a couple small trout and a couple more cats. overall we had a good time and got to see another place. it was a liitle hard to get the yaks down to the water but we made it out ok. it was high tide while we were there but the water was really shallow. there were a lot of oyster beds and you had to be careful not to drift over one where the water was shallow. Other than that, we stoped at poseys on the way home and had dinner and i am now back in tally. i have to say that from the three places i have been so far that the Lighthouse has been the best. i think it's because of where you park and how close it is to the water. ok well i have rambled enough about this trip so keep telling me where the spots are so i can keep explorering.

Sorry, Bald Point didn't work out to be a good place. Like I said, I haven't
fished there, so don't know.
'Hard to say, but from watching other boats there, I think, I would have
gone out a couple hundred yards to the east or southeast, rather than toward the bridge. I'd be shooting in the dark
too, though, since I don't know what's out there, either. I intend to give it a try sometime soon.
From here out, probably do better to listen to Lit. Obviously, he got a
better handle on 'the where' and how to do it in kayaks.
At least you had a good time, and that's what counts.

Sounds like a nice day. Bald Point is hit or miss which makes sense since it's at the mouth of the river and is influenced so much by tidal flow. I've fished it a fair bit but usually timing the shrimp run. It is a haul over the sand to put in there. A long rope helps a lot. What kind of kayak(s) are you using?