Mike Stacey:  In the Coastal Angler Magazine, May issue, there is a good article on your CraigCat.  Website www.craigcat.com   They can run up to $13,000 with motor.  Sure looke like one heck of a fund rig. If I had one I would probably do more just running around and having fun than fishing.  Neat craft........

Clint, according to this map it looks like Carroll Rd is where you turn off 3280.

Clint:  Gave you incorrect directions to Bozemans, etc.  Here is the right stuff.

1. Go down hwy 3280 1.7 mi to BMS Rd on the left. You will see Bozemans sign . Dirt Road, you will come to a pole in center of road so go around to right. There is a Bozemans sign directing to right. Concrete Ramp is not as steep as I though. In pretty good shape but I could not tell about the drop off. Plenty of parking for maybe a dozen rigs down by the river, but more up on top of the hill.  There were 4 or 5 trailers there about 2:30 this afternoon.  $3 box at top of hill before you drop down to river level.

2. Simplers - back on 3280 and down about another mile or so turn on McCewen St. Simplers sign there. Ramp in good shape. To get to river go to right of ramp. There is supposed to be a sand bar at river so go around the end. Several camps at this ramp. This is only about  a half mile downriver  below Bozemans.   $3.oo box

3. Rooks Bluff. This is on down 3280 a little further. There is a Coke sign at the turn off. Forget trying to launch here.

4. Smoke House.  On down 3280 another 2 or 3 miles. Turn left on Smoke House Rd. This is paved. Ramp at end of the road. This is the best of all I visited. To get to the river go to left. It's a couple of miles to the river. You go through two lakes on the way. From what I have been told there is good fishing all the way to the river. The water is higher here. I'm going to hit this place next week.   $3.00 box.

5. Cowford. Today at 2PM there were 16 rigs parked under the hwy20 bridge and one in the new ramp parking lot. The new ramp is out of the water and rip rap at end doesn't look good. Everyone is using the hard sand launch by the bridge which is the old ramp area.  There must have been many more rigs there this morning. 16 at 2PM is a lot.  Fish must be biting or maybe it's the weekend.

I walked out maybe 50 feet on sand bar into the river. Hard pack sand and dry.

I'm going to Bozemans one day and fish down river as my buddy told me.   This will take me past Simplers  and Rooks Bluff.on the way. He said down about a mile ans start fishing.

Then another trip to SmokeHouse later in the week.  

I have some pictures of the trip today and will get them on photobucket. Having some camera upload issues but will get there.

Friday I will be going out of Black Creek and work the various mouths going into the bay. A few keeper specks and reds are being caught, but it's spotty.  Haven't fished salt water in a long time so don't expect much, but will see.

If that doesn't work I might run up to Fish Lake and try for shellcrackers.

Welcome to Copperhead John:  Now those copperhears are something else. There is only one place I have caught them. They grow big.

Well Clint I'm not much on salt water either but a friend who is a tackle manfacturere does a lot of testing of his products in areas where you can catch bass/reds/ and specks in the same brackish water. This is around the mouths of the rivers. Shellcrackes are along the reed/grass banks down there too.  He has been catching enough to keep a trip interesting.    You have to be careful with salt water. Start hitting reds and gator trout and it becomes addictive chasing those big ones.

Was at Smoke House at 5:10 this morning , but was not the first. A couple of rigs had already launced.  Fished all day. Loaded up at 4PM.  A much longer than than normal for me. I usualy quit by noon.  Had to really work but got a decent catch of 21 bream that included  warmouth and shellcrackers. 15 were really nice big ones. Also got a 2 pound jack and one small cat. Have learned how to clean a jack so kept him. The are not as good as bream, but ok.   Made a couple of picture but for some reason can't get them off my camer onto the computer. Have been having some issues with the camera. Now it looks like I will have to see about repair.

I went straight down to Little Sister and fished 45 minutes with flyrod. Didn't get a bite at all so switched to crickets and worms. Caught one small bream with worm and crickets did the job on all the others.  Used about 140 crickers. Caught a lot of dinks. Had maybe half dozen crickets left at end of day.

Anyway,   After a couple of hours stopped using worm. Could not even get a cat on the bottom with worms.

 Stayed in Little Sister until about 1PM. Didn't see another boat until I got back to the main river. A single guy was bass fishing in mouth of Big Sister. That's the only boat I saw all day but could hear some running on the river.

 I made a run to Fish Lake just to check it out. It's not that far from the Sisters.  Fished for a while and something almost jerked one rod out of the boat. Missed him. That's the only bite I got, so headed back north and went into Gardners Canal.  Got the biggest shellcrack of the day there and a couple of nice big redbreast.

In Little Sister I hung the biggest shellcrack I have ever hooked. When he bit and started moving off slowly the cork raised  up lay flat on the water and slightly  vibrating. I figured it was a shellcrack from the way he bit.  He kept moving away slowly and eventually stretched the line out to the end and I was half out of the boat giving him all I could so he would take it. Was using a Bream Buster. Didn't have a choice, was at the end of the line and had to hit him.  Knew immediately it was a good one.  Took a while to get him to the top of the water and got a good look at him near the boat. He must have been 2+ pounds. I have caught 11 1/2  inch shellcrackers. This one was larger.  Hooked pulled out before I could get the net under him.  The hook set just wasn't all that good or it could have been the #8 hook was too small.  Wish he had sounded good and deep. Maybe the hookset would have been better. Oh well, the big one got away..................

If you have never been to Smoke House it's worth checking out. I noticed there was a sign on a couple of trees at the turn-off on the river.  The whole run between the landing and the river looks like good fishing and is from what people have told me.  When the water is up there are several sloughs back in the swamp that should do look good.

Sorry I missed you on the water. Next time we are there on same day we need to swap boat info so we know what to look for.  I run a G3 Pan Fish with 25 hp Yamahopper.  Color....I call it army drab color.

Maybe when I run into you guys I will follow up around and see how you fish in the limbs with fly rods.....LOL

I'm not very familiar with the Apalachicola River. I do know down at Wewa on the road that goes out to Cox turnoff. of you keep on going past the bridge there is a landing about a couple miles down the road where they have catfish tournaments into the Apalachicola.

Further on down below Wewa there is Howards Creek that is famous. Have been there one time. I believe it goes into Brother River which runs into the Apalachicola.   It's about 90  to 100 miles from De Funiak.

Hi Joey, welcome to our little panhandle group I'm hoping it will grow in time.  Would love to hook up with your and Clint on the river one day and get acquainted.  If we can gather up enough panhanle folks maybe we can have a 'fish day' on a river somewhere and do up a fish fry. 

Full moon this week and I'm stuck with visiting company. Doubt I will get out at all this week.

Keep in touch and I will do the same.

J. B

Hi Jeff,  Welcome to our little panhandle group.

That's a cool photo you have there. Where in the world did you catch that monster. Looks like a huge Bluegill from Ocheesee Pond at Sneads.

Thanks JB, Caught that one last year at Lake Iamonia just North of Tallahassee. We need rain bad to get to those good spots.

I had forgotten about Lake Iamonia. Will have to check it out when we get some water.

I fish out of Rhoden Cove on Lake Jackson when I'm over there visting my sister who lives on the road to the launch.  I have caught some really nice shellcrackers in the little creek just out from the launch. From reports in the Talh Democrat last Friday it's almost impossible to launch at this ramp now due to low water. I was over there a couple of weeks ago and was barely able to get my 14 ft Jon in the water.

Things seem to be finally picking up over here on the Choctawhatchee. A friend went out yesterday and did very well on bass. 

Talked to a friend this morning at a wedding and he reported a good trip this week below Bozemans on the Choctawhatchee River.  He ans son caught 72 using a fly rod with bug and brim buster with crickets.   Also, another guy claimed a limit in same area this week.

For bream he said fish away from shore and for warmouth and stumpknockes fish the shore.   The bream are not fat but warmouth are OK. 

I have't been able to get out at all this week but will be out there Monday.  Sure wanted to fish that full moon.

On Friday of last week the Talh Democrat 'OUtdoor Focus' reported on Talquin. They give a report every Friday and sister clips and sends me the article.

Report for last Friday says bass have switched to summer pattern, holding on main lake ledges and points. Medium diving crank baits in shad patterns have been producing where there has ben current. With the low water the electric plant there has not been generating as usual so there is less current.  Due to this fish are more apt to take a slower and steady presenation like Carolina or Texas rigged worm. Good reports on bream on main lake points and edges. Crickets working best.

I heard a report this morning on WMBB in Panama City that bream beds are all over Lake Seminone.

Too luck at Talqauin.

Seminone, supposed to read .... Seminole. 

I still haven't been able to figure out to edit on the forum. All the others I belong to are much easier.

Any of you know how to do it?::::   

Anyone go fishing in the last couple of days?   I'm headed to Bozemans Camp on the Choctawhatchee tomorrow morning and armed with cricketrs, worms, two fly rods and a bass rod. Maybe something will be biting.

Last trip out the yellow flys were starting to attack. That was week before last. Hope they are not too bad tomorrow.

Had the boat in the water at daylight with great anticipation of a good day. That was not to be!!!   Not sure what happened but the catch was way off from recent reports.  Fished until about 11:30. That was all we could take........it got just too darn hot to be enjoyable.

Plenty of water at Bozemans and downriver, but the bite was way off. My fishing buddy Joe tried bass fishing and managed one keeper on a bubble gum worm. I was after bream with crickets and beetle spins.  Managed 2 keeps with crickes and nothing with beetle spins.  One small cat in 14 ft water on a wiggler.

That was it.............. 

Only one other boat launched here this morning. 

Hi Jeffrey, was reading the Talquin report yesterday that was in last Fridays Democrat. They report the summer pattern in full swing. Bream on crickets and worms in 6 to 8 ft of water and even crappie in 9 to 12 ft around the mouth of Little River using minnows.

I seem to find plenty of small size but good keepers can be elusive. I think I'm not fishing the deep water enough after the sun heats things up a bit. Yesterday I had a fair amount on interest early in the day on a #10 yel-blk-yel popping bug fly, but all they would do is play with it. Changed colors and it seem to be the same thing.

On lake Jackson the water is so low it's easy to spot bream beds. The usual crickets, worms, and fly-rod poppers are working.

For those of you who are not aware of this boat ramp resource here is a very extensive guide that coveres a good bit of the panhandle.  It will take a good while just to explore all it has to offer. There is one short coming..... When looking at a page and you want to go to the previous page....most of the time it takes you back to the homepage which is aggravating. But, it sure is inclusive and everything you might want for fishinginf information.

See:  http://fishingdestinguide.com/index.html

A friend went out of Smoke House this morning and reported a very good catch of bass. A lot of shorts but the keepeers a bit over a pound to three pound range. Used a buzz bait and a zillion casts. Hard work.  He also reported the yellow flies were out in orce.

I may have to start being more versatile and fish for something besides bream.

Yesterday we did find a potential good catfish hole of 12-14 ft water right up next to the bank.  Night fishing sure does look enticing with all this heat

I went to the Choctawhatchee River only one time last week and didn't do much.  Keep getting good reports from the areas I fish but I'm not setting the world on fire!!!! 

I see the Caryville gauge is showing a little rise for next couple of days and dropping on Tuesday. Will give Tuesday a shot and see if there is enough water coming out of the swamp to generate a decent bite.

On Thursday I'm going down to Destin and give the gulf a shot on the "Swoop" party boat.

Thanks Jeff for the report. As we say, it was one of those days.....

I was just reading the Talh paper of last Friday on Talquin. They way they write every Friday makes it sound like you should catch fish every time you go, but of course we all know different.

Those were smart cats...........LOL

Yep on Seminole, from the report I've had. Wish it was not such a long driver over there. Have considered going over and staying a couple of nights in the motel at Sneads.

Last Friday's Talh paper reports excellent panfishing with crickets and worm.  The week before they reported beds all over the place, but that's one BIG place for my little 14 ft Jon.

Woke up early, checked the weather radar, and decided to head out by myself. Went to Dear River and was disappointed. Water still too low to navigate the creek to lakes without pushing and pulling the boat across a sand bar. So went on down to Smoke House. Got there a little after 6am and several trailers already in the parking lot.

Fished until about 10:30 when the first rain and thunder came. Headed back to the landing.

The catch was five 7 to 8 inch bream for keepers and a number of dinks.  One caught with fly rod and popper, the rest with cricketrs in 8 to 10 ft water.

The other boats I saw were mullet fishing.

Not a good day for puttin meat on the table.

LOL..........Well Jeffrey compared to what I did this morning you are in the ball park. Fished  5:30  to 10:30 out of Smoke House Lake on the Choctawhatchee and brought home 1 7 inch gill, 1 6 inch warmouth, and 1 10 inch channel.  Released 2 10 inch bass.  Counting the car and boat I burned up about $18.00 worth of gas plus got up at 3:30AM.  I might have a pound of fish. 

I'm going out in the Gulf on Thursday on a head boat. At least I should do much better on the cost per pound ratio than today.

I must be  jinxed no matter where I fish.  Went out on the Swoop today on a 5 hour trip. This is the fastest boat in Destin. We made it out 22 miles. Most of the other head boats don't go that far for they are slower and runs trips by the hour. Anyway, my friend Joe and I did get our limit of snapper with the largest 4.8 pounds.  The other 3 were small, maybe two pounds. Really too small to keep in my book but on a head boat you have to decide just what to keep and what to release. They don't say very long in a given spot and move around.  I did catch a gag grouper of about 7 or 8 pounds but the season is closed and he has to go back.

Joe and I made a pack today that our next trip on the Choctawhatchee we would take no live bait and concentrate on the fly rod and maybe a little bass casting if the fly rod does not work.

I haven't been doing anything with crickets and worms so may as well make a radical change and see what happens.