Location: Get off at I-75 Exit 18 (same exit for Valdosta Mall). Go west on SR 94/133. You will cross the Withlacoochee then come to the first traffic light. Here you will turn south onto a small dirt road and continue to the Little River. The boat ramp is open from 6 AM to 11 PM. There are no gates and I'm not sure how closely this is monitored.
Plenty of parking and the launch site is kayak friendly.
(Click any picture to enlarge)
Ready to launch.
Going upstream from the launch site on the Little River you will quickly come to the bridge on SR 94. There are no pilings in the river until the water level comes up as you can see from this picture.
As you continue north just above the bridge you may hear gun shots as the the Little River Sportmens's Association is on your left (west). You should be protected by the berms set up by the club and the fact that you are below the river bank. If the river gets too high bringing you above the bank it will usually (depending on the rise) flood the club, too, so there's no shooting taking place.
Now, regarding the property on your right (east). There is a range here owned by the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) and my memory is that it had a decent berm. You may hear gun shots from this direction, too. This property is the Valdosta State Prison run by the GDC.
The sign on the bank in the upper right of the picture says, "GDC Guard Line."
If you are foolish enough to get out of your boat and explore this side and you hear gun shots you might want to stop and put your hands in the air.
Really high!
I did see a little wiggler in this area (about 3 1/2' long). Don't know if he's part of the GDC Guard Line, or not.
Here's the bridge on the return going south.
Managed to pick up this little pan fish under the bridge on a chartreuse baby shad with sparkles. I thought he was bigger when reeling him in. Apparently, river fish are stronger than their pond cousins. Catching a nice bass should be fun!
Continuing back south under the bridge about 1/3 to 1/2 mile I came to the Withlacoochee River. The With is a bit smaller than the Little River and makes a rather inauspicious entry right behind the sandbar pictured on the right .
Again, if you click on the picture you'll easily notice that the entry is covered by a blow down making a portage necessary if you plan on going upstream.
The following shot was taken downstream of the Withlacoochee and Little River convergence on what is now the Withlacoochee. The Little River enters the picture on the left and the Withlacoochee comes in from the right.
You will notice that the water is fairly clear as the level is a bit low. As a result I was struck by how many fish I saw, especially, small pan fish. Along ledges and drop offs I could see larger fish which appeared to be bass.
I am told that crickets are the ticket here for pan fish, but I prefer fishing with artificials. There's just something about throwing an inanimate object out in the water, maneuvering it around and fooling a fish.
River fishing is something I know very little about. (Heck, I don't know that much about fishing, period!) I plan on floating from this location down to US 84 and learning more.
Check back for that report and learn with me.
UPDATE - Saturday, July 11 - Do not float down to US 84 and think you're going to get off the river. There is no take out there and getting out would be very difficult. Fortunately, I decided to drive down and check it out first or I would've had a very long river trip!
Withlacoochee - Little River Convergence Interactive Map
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LINKS
Current Georgia river levels: Real Time Georgia Streamflow
Solunar Tables for your zip code: HERE
Rigging your kayak: Captain Dick
Interactive map by Angling Technologies: HERE
FORUMS
Georgia Kayak Fishing
Georgia River Fishing
Jax Kayak Fishing
Gulf Coast Kayak Fishing (you might need to be registered to view this one)
FLY FISHING RESOURCES
Fly Fishing West Georgia
Books and DVD by George Roberts:
Master the Cast
Fly Fisherman's Guide to Saltwater Naturals and Their Imitation
Saltwater Casting - 10 Steps to Distance and Power (DVD)
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If you are a resident of Georgia and like to fish from a kayak I recommend becoming a supporting member of the Georgia Kayak Fishing Association located at GeorgiaKayakFishing.com.
