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Had Mama drop us off at Upper Bridge at 10:30 ready to fish. Instantly wished I had brought my shotgun. Asked Mama to run back to the house and get it and a box of shells, with predictable results, <sigh>. Bunch of coots on the other side of the river.

Cool and overcast almost the entire way. Clear, low, water with the current rippin' when we first put in, but it soon slowed. Floated down river with the little one calling the shots on whether a caught fish was kept or not. Apparently to her, a bass is not a "cleaner" (worth cleaning) unless it's over 15 inches. We kept two.

She did pretty good for a four year old on a 5 1/2 hour canoe ride, just drifting along, watching the birds, watching Papa catch the occassional fish and laughing at Papa for the ones that came unstuck. Never have to argue with her about wearing her lifejacket. I was wishing I had brought her a change of dry clothes. I should have known better than not too. Although she fell in the bow a couple times, she never went overboard. Oh well, it's my own fault. She saw Papa standing to fish, so she stood. I didn't teach her get up on the seat and jump up and down though. She figured that out on her own. I figure as soon as she does a full gainer off the highdive she'll figure it out by the time I haul her out by the collar of her PFD and get her into dry clothes.

She's real good about sitting down when I tell her to, when if she falls she might land on something dangerous, besides just in the water.

Saw two manatees above Lower Bridge where the river necks down and becomes deeper about three this afternoon.

A little after three the sky started clearing and the mercury started noticably falling.

We also found a couple places where the bass were stacked up on the bottom that might bear further and more thorough investigation.

Mama picked us up at four at Lower Bridge after a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Glad to see your daughter enjoys going with you. That's time well spent. I miss having my little boy along with me.

Good report CP. I sent you a pm before I spotted this so just disregard.

Tin Can wrote:

time well spent. I miss having my little boy along with me.

TC makes up for it though.... he spends time with Chalk and plays blind mans bluff....pin the tail on the creek... and other assorted games requiring blind folds.

Charles sounds like a great time!

Man....I gots ta no.....you eatin' dem coots or just exterminatin'em?

I only thought dem coonasses et'em!

Eatin' 'em. When I clean 'em I skin 'em. The wife cuts them up. Fried there's no noticable difference between coot and bluebill, except that the coots are smaller, but they're about half gizzard.

Redbelly,

I was wanderin the same thing, when duck hunting on lake jackson we always got a good laugh at the boys that would run around the middle of the lake with one at the tiller and one in front shootin at the coots. Never knew they were edible.

Its funny though seems like what is edible and sought after as game changes with time.

Dad says growing up in Fort Walton and fishing out of Destin nobody hardly kept and ate grouper, red snapper was the only thing. In fact eating amberjack was looked down upon and shark was out of the question. If you kept a key west grunt they would laugh you out of the boat, now all those fish are kept and eatin regularly.

So I don't know.

By the way Charles, congrats on the good time and the fish and birds. We have a little 8 month old and I can't wait untill shes jumping around the boat. You've inspired me I'm gonna borrow my dads canoe and try the rivers and creeks all next week. I don't want to fool with getting the boat all ready. I remember canoeing back as a boy scout and it was nice to be out on the water and not hear anything but nature.