BigBendFishing.Net

Great trip, thanks, guys.

Couple of firsts, besides fishing in that big a floatilla.

Saw more manatees than I've ever see on the river before. Don't know the mating habits of mantees, but saw a pod of 4-5. That's what it appeared they were doing.
Saw another pod of four, just cruising along.
Saw a cow and big calf munching grass.

Caught the first mudfish I've caught in the river on a lure. A cypress bass to go with the cypress tree I caught early in the trip. Two actually, the bigger one was about 10 lbs. and hit a red/white Bass Oreno on the edge of the deep hole below Lower Bridge as I was working my way back up. At first I thought it was a huge bass, then thought I had a red, until I got it close enough to see it. This thing had my Bass Oreno all the way in it's mouth and me with no landing net. We went around a little bit beside the boat, him throwing water all over me trying to get away, and me just wanting my plug back. He finally cut the line with his teeth, but was nice enough to leave my lure floating just off the stern.
The smaller one hit a black/yellow Snagless Sally in the rocky area near there.
Think the next one of these I put in the boat is coming home to try in the pan.

I had a great time as well. At this point, most of the trips are more about getting comfortable with my yak and gear than catching fish. Sounds like a good enough excuse for not dragging anything to the boat?!

One little bite within the first 30 minutes of fishing and not much after. I was rounding the bend to take the boat out and head home right as the sun broke through. Did the sun improve fortunes any?

I saw a couple of small fish pulled out. The most important thing was that it appeared that everyone enjoyed themselves!

It was a pleasure meeting you all. Just a reminder that I'm horrible with names so it might take a couple of trips to get everyone's down. Hehehe.

I'm already looking forward to the next trip and an opportunity to learn even more!

Sure was! Great to get out on the water in nice overcast weather with no wind, no rain, and comfortable temps. Lots of good fishing, but not much catching. Highlight for me were all the manatees in the river. Saw at least four pods, and I was able to get right up to a couple of them by slow pedaling/drifting. I sure did not want to startle any of them so I kept my pedal flippers up against the hull when near them. Buddy of mine in South Florida startled an adult one time (probably by contact with the flippers in his Hobie Outback) that launched him about a foot into the air and bent the 1/4 inch SS support rods at about a 90 degree angle! Also saw a pair heavy into a courtship/mating ritual close to shore in about 2 feet of water. Here are pics of some of the guilty. Sorry I missed you, Robert and Charles.

Ron:


Ben


Billy


Littoral


A “sharkâ€

Excellent shots there Apalach! Not too many people get to see Manatees in heat. Maybe the DEP will catch wind of this post and hunt you down for harassing endangered species. Hey, but then you can barter for leniency by selling out the old Doc for eating one.

I might be just kidding.

Yeah Litt, I thought about that until I remembered the morons in the bass boats blasting past me at 25 mph (or more) right thru the middle of the manatee protection zone at the same time I was taking the pics! Makes me think I might need to carry my trusty .357 or .44 magnum to fire a few warning shots across (or mebbe into!) their bows next time. Hmmm, wonder what the recoil from my Ruger .44 would be like in a yak??

Outboard motors should be outlawed between the upper and lower bridges on the Wakulla.

Yeah Weaver, I would have to agree. Except for the fact that where we saw all the manatees was 1-2 miles downstream from Lower Bridge. The other problem with passing more stringent conservation and wildlife protection laws is that no matter what the law says, if there is no way to enforce the present laws, then what good do any of them do?

It occurred to me that if there is not a Wakulla Riverkeepers Association, perhaps there should be. Equip them with cameras and telephoto lenses to record the registration numbers of anyone blasting up the rivers, at least on the weekends. Or perhaps set up some of those remote cameras that you see on traffic lights at dangerous intersections to record license plate numbers. Post some signs that this river is equipped with remote sensing camera equipment to deter speeders. Might do some good--who knows? The State just does not have the resources or bodies to monitor all the important waterways, but at least the Wakulla should be especially deserving of such attention.

I should note that the Wakulla is much more than just your ordinary Florida river--it is one of the most unique such bodies, not only in Florida and the U.S., but in the entire world, simply because of the presence of the manatees, and the river's source in one of the largest springs in the world. I am speaking here from my background as a marine and aquatic biologist who has conducted research, studied, and published on marine organisms throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as on both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S., and in Florida, the Caribbean, and the Galapagos Islands off South America. I also did some "additional" marine studies, courtesy of the U.S. Navy, early on in my career. Sorry for the rant, but my point in all this is to try to convince folks that the Wakulla River (and its organisms) is an extremely important and unique body of water, and all of us who use it should be equally concerned for, and protective of, its future.

Great pics! Names with faces, rigged boats, manatees...its like a newbie candy store. Sorry we missed it. Soon.

Awesome pics
Makes me want to get into a yack and fish the flats ....

As for eating a mud fish. My Grandfather used to he says you have to bleed them out then they are OK. No thanks he used to eat a lot of stuff I wouldnt touch. Possum, raccoon Okra...

Don't eat OKRA?!?! Turn in yer Redneck Card.

Betcha' yer one of them folks that would turn up their nose at coots, too.

How to properly cook a mudfish: Imediately bleed the fish and ice. Gut the fish and fillet as any other catch. Take the fillets and lightly salt them and set them in a bag in the frig. with itallian dressing and a little bit of lemon juice. Allow it to sit over night in the frig. Grill or pan fry until done. To serve: place fillets on a hickory plank. For best results, throw away the fillets and eat the wooden plank.

Oh yeah...and please pass the okra...more for me

hey, thanks to all that showed up hope we can do it again soon
had a great time fishing with y'all
I also had a chance to take a few pics
Littoral with a nice bass


I wrassled this one to the boat after asking Litt what his bass hit. THX

after my bass attack Paul and I went futher down river to hook up with a red or two. so we eased up to big boggy creek I spotted a sweerel in only inches of water. as we drifted slowly and prepared to cast it spooked A large red. we sat quietly for a few minutes wile casting but nothing . moved down to the old fort for a wile to try off the rocks some. I had a hard hit off the point then pop! line broke lost and lost my spoon should have put on a leader. wile I tied another loure Paul gives it a try with a D.O.A shrimp.

after working that angle for an hour the tide starts back in. so we start back up river working the bank hard for a bite. not much happened on the way back up. Paul did catch a couple but I was around the corner working a creek and didn't get a pic.

I would like some thoughts for the next trip. maybe Wakulla beach? lets work on it. Till next time

I also wanted to thank everyone for the trip, I had a great time on the Wakulla River. I did not catch anything, but the day was still perfect. How about Wakulla Beach for the next trip. We have a good tide on Sunday April 9th, low tide around 7am, with a high tide in the early afternoon. What do you guys think? I'm not giving up on the Wakulla, I'm taking some time off next week, and plan on tryint it again.
Billy

I'll vote for you Apalach.