Friday, July 10, 2009

WITHLACOOCHEE & LITTLE RIVER convergence - Valdosta

The Little River forms the boundary between Brooks and Lowndes County until it joins the Withlacoochee River which continues this boundary.

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





**********
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)

**********
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.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

HUTCHINSON POND - Adel - Hahira






















Hutchinson Pond


250 Acres

Owner: Jim Kent
Phone 229-896-3161
Yearly Fee: $400 for family
Location: Between Adel and Hahira east of I-75. Get off at the Cecil Exit around the 32-33 mile marker. Go east straight through Cecil to Hutchinson Pond/Caulie Harris Rd and turn north (left) at Friendship Church. You'll see the pond on your left after a couple of miles. For a map enter "Cecil, GA" in the search window at Google Maps. Hutchinson Pond is not labeled but you will find it as a somewhat triangular shaped body of water ENE of Cecil. It lies along a road with two names: Hutchinson Pond Rd. and Caulie Harris Rd.
Jim has been developing this pond for several years. He'll be glad to give you a free tour if you like. He has stocked the pond with Georgia Giants and there have been some really big bream caught here.
The eastern half of the pond is mostly clear with the western half thick with cypress. The deepest I've found with my sonar is 9-10'. I've had good luck with live minnows and artificials that resemble baby shad. Others have used crickets with success.

Be aware that there are alligators. I know that there was once a ten footer and my friend says he has seen another at least that large.

There is a boat launch along side a low dock on the southeastern corner of the pond that is excellent for launching a kayak. I don't think I could ask for better. You can back right up to the launch site so you won't need wheels to tote your yak.











A windy day on the Hutch. Winds were around 15 mph this day. You'll find a need for an anchor or stake out pole on days like this if you're in an exposed area. Back among the trees it is not near the problem.











It's thicker in the back and provides cover from the wind. No, this was not a windy day but it can be remarkably calm in these areas.















Dad caught these four kitties totaling 11 lbs caught off Jim's dock with liver.



















Some miscellaneous pix from Hutchinson Pond















































































Google Map




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)

**********
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.


Friday, July 3, 2009

WELCOME TO THE SGKF BLOG!

My name is Frank and I was born and raised here in Valdosta, Georgia. I fished off and on with my dad and later with friends as I grew up. I have never been what one would consider an avid fisherman.

That changed this past January (2009) when I purchased my first fishing kayak. I've fished more since than I did the 20 years previous.

The purpose of this blog is to share information about kayak fishing around South Georgia. Because of my location it may include areas like the Georgia coast, Jacksonville, Florida Gulf Coast and Panhandle.

I own three kayaks made by
Ocean Kayak. The Tridents 11, 13 and a Big Game. Good kayaks, not perfect. (None are perfect) I'm sure I'll end up selling/trading/owning more . . .

ENJOY!!

**********
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)

**********


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.