Reed Bingham State Park - Adel

Reed Bingham State Park: Over 1600 acres
Reed Bingham Lake: 375 acres
Entrance Fee: $5 per vehicle

Reed Bingham State Park is located approximately 40 miles north of the Florida line. From I-75 take Exit 39 at Adel and go 6 miles west on US Hwy 39. It was formed by damming the Little River. It has nature trails, swimming beach, canoe/bicycle rentals, camping areas (RV/tent/trailer), pontoon boat tours and more. There's a good web page HERE with more information and a calender of events.

For supplies Adel Outfitters is located in Adel at 413 Hutchinson Avenue which is on US 41. You can call them at 229-896-7105. Haven't seen any fly fishing gear there but they seem to have everything else including firearms and hunting supplies.

On this trip I was fortunate to fish with George Roberts. George has published two books and a DVD on fly fishing and written articles for several fly fishing magazines.

Master the Cast
Fly Fisherman's Guide to Saltwater Naturals and Their Imitation
Saltwater Casting - 10 steps to Distance and Power (DVD)

We got there close to lunch time. Temp in the mid 80's, some breeze and gnats! Geez, they were bad. Fortunately, once we were on the water they were not a problem.

We launched at the northwest boat ramp. This site is closer to the river which is where we were headed.

Click any picture to enlarge














You can fish the lake but you will have to put up with waves from ski boats and jet ski's. My gear for the day was a light spin caster and a fly rod (9 foot 6wt). I was using a small baby shad arty on the spin and a popper on the the fly.















George was using a 6 foot 4wt fly rod. I believe he used a popper most of the day. It's fun to watch the distance he can get with this little set up.

Here he is casting under some overhangs close to the launch site. We were still picking up waves from the boats on the lake at this point.




























The river water is typical for our area being brown tannic colored. The river is beautiful (and fishy looking!).







































You'll see DNR patrolling in their pontoon.














Midday fishing was slow. None of those I talked with on the river had done much. George caught two. A panfish and a bass that straightened his hook.

I had a panfish suck my popper and spit it back and caught this one on my shad.














We headed off the water a bit after 3 PM. A bit tired, hot, thirsty and tanned (burnt!).













Gotta remember the sunscreen and cooler next time!

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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.