Did not realize it has been so long since I posted. For the past several week, actually months it seems, my favorite river has been flooded big time. It's slowly dropping now and may be back down to good fishing level in next week or two. While all this was going on I have been fishing nearby lakes mostly for crappie. Both an Alabama license and fishing a couple of small state lakes less than one hour from home. Not catching a lot but at lease it getting outdoor and fishing. We went through many months of no mullet in the bay but about 4 months ago they came back. For some reason they were mostly silver mullet which run small. The big blacks were few. Right now even this bite is on the fritz. January and February are always difficult months to do much catching, But if we can get a few relative warm days without rain the water will warm up to turn on the bream bit....that is when the river gets right. It's probably goin to be around the end of March before much bream activity picks up and I'm ready. My winter supply has been completely eaten and I need some new and fresh bream. Will try to be a little more responsive in the future and keep you up to date on what's going on.
With the Choctawhatchee River still flooded I have switched to small lake fishing. Latest sojourns have been to some Alabama state lakes that area not far from the Florida line.
I fished Leon Brooks Hines lake near Wing, Ala. on Monday and Friday of this week. The lake was closed Dec and Jan, gut opened Feb 1 and I was there with a buddy. The target was catfish and bream, but we never go around to seriously fishing for gills. Ended up with a limit of 12 cat, six each, for 27 3/4 pounds.
I went back yesterday and fished by myself. This time I worked on bream as well as catfish. My six channel cats weighed 17 lb 5 oz, Managed to box 18 really nice bream, mostly bluegills, The limit is 20.
There is a year long special $12 license to fish all 20 lakes in Alabama. This is a deal since a daily license is something like $7.
The 'ol Choctawhatchee River is still in flood stage and will be that way for a while longer so long as we keep getting rains every few days. Pond fishing has been the name of the game for me over the past few months.
My latest discovery were some sand hill ponds on the Fitzhugh Cart Tract at Greenhead on hwy 77. Fished there only twice....3 big crappie the first trip and 36 crappie and one bull bream on second trip. This is unique tightly controller property that is managed by FWC and the Water Management District. No boats, trailer, or motors of any kind. Free Jon boats are provided.
J. B. Hillard
Did not realize it has been so long since I posted. For the past several week, actually months it seems, my favorite river has been flooded big time. It's slowly dropping now and may be back down to good fishing level in next week or two. While all this was going on I have been fishing nearby lakes mostly for crappie. Both an Alabama license and fishing a couple of small state lakes less than one hour from home. Not catching a lot but at lease it getting outdoor and fishing.
We went through many months of no mullet in the bay but about 4 months ago they came back. For some reason they were mostly silver mullet which run small. The big blacks were few. Right now even this bite is on the fritz.
January and February are always difficult months to do much catching, But if we can get a few relative warm days without rain the water will warm up to turn on the bream bit....that is when the river gets right.
It's probably goin to be around the end of March before much bream activity picks up and I'm ready. My winter supply has been completely eaten and I need some new and fresh bream.
Will try to be a little more responsive in the future and keep you up to date on what's going on.
Jan 20, 2016
J. B. Hillard
With the Choctawhatchee River still flooded I have switched to small lake fishing. Latest sojourns have been to some Alabama state lakes that area not far from the Florida line.
I fished Leon Brooks Hines lake near Wing, Ala. on Monday and Friday of this week. The lake was closed Dec and Jan, gut opened Feb 1 and I was there with a buddy. The target was catfish and bream, but we never go around to seriously fishing for gills. Ended up with a limit of 12 cat, six each, for 27 3/4 pounds.
I went back yesterday and fished by myself. This time I worked on bream as well as catfish. My six channel cats weighed 17 lb 5 oz, Managed to box 18 really nice bream, mostly bluegills, The limit is 20.
There is a year long special $12 license to fish all 20 lakes in Alabama. This is a deal since a daily license is something like $7.
Feb 6, 2016
J. B. Hillard
The 'ol Choctawhatchee River is still in flood stage and will be that way for a while longer so long as we keep getting rains every few days. Pond fishing has been the name of the game for me over the past few months.
My latest discovery were some sand hill ponds on the Fitzhugh Cart Tract at Greenhead on hwy 77. Fished there only twice....3 big crappie the first trip and 36 crappie and one bull bream on second trip. This is unique tightly controller property that is managed by FWC and the Water Management District. No boats, trailer, or motors of any kind. Free Jon boats are provided.
You can find more info here http://myfwc.com/viewing/recreation/wmas/cooperative/econfina-creek...
Mar 4, 2016