BigBendFishing.Net

Happy Birthday, Marines.

Got on the river at 9:30 this morning. Very Clear water. Think I've only seen it this clear one other time since August. Fished the falling tide until about 2:30 this afternoon. Went down this time instead of up from Lower Bridge, but didn't go far with the wind and current against me for the return trip. Picked up a few small bass, most less than 12", on the west side of the river going down. Explored the little slough right by the little island with the duck blind on it. More small bass hitting in the slough than in the river. Came back out of the slough and headed on down the river a little bit then crossed over. Found another little slough and more small bass in that one. Coming out of that slough I stopped just inside the mouth for a baloney sandwich then headed back out and back up the river.

Got just above the Olin Park and decided to drift back down past the dock and the log below it. The wind had me pushed up against the bank as I drifted along past the sawgrass. Something rustled the grass to my immediate left. OH-SIT-IT'S-CHARGING.

Little 20" 'gator sunning on the mud. I got between him and his escape route.

Ran the bow of the canoe up on the mud bank and fished the rocky shoal below Lower Bridge pulling a few more small bass out of the rocks.

Got back to the canoe livery with a little time to kill before the wife picked me up, so went just above the bridge on the west side and picked up a 4 lb. bass on a yellow Snagless Sally w/yellow/white strip. Drifted under the bridge and headed across to the livery. I don't know why, but I don't remember ever catching anything around those bridge pilings. I would think it would would be a good place for a bass to lay up out of the current and ambush anything coming down.

I like to fish the mouth of the slough, then put my boat right in the mouth and work the river bank on either side till I'm tired of doing it the bigguns like to stay just outside of them unless the water is really high still beats workin

There are two small creeks that come in on the south side of the river just above Big Boggy. The channel is just off of the bank where the creeks come in. It's kinda on an outside bend. Start about 150 yards above the upstream creek mouth. Drift out over the channel on a falling tide (right after the fall starts is best). Throw a shallow running crank bait , or your Sally, toward the bank. Have a ball.