Shore Fishing

Forty-six years ago, we began a two-day canoe trip down Fisheating Creek with our 7-year-old daughter. With only a basic tent, some food and fishing rods, no first aid kit and a rented canoe, we were dropped off anticipating a comfortable 2-day float, drifting and fishing with an overnight camp halfway back to the campground. We were expecting our second child at the time.

We chose the week the cypress trees were leafing out and they drew the level of this small creek down over a foot overnight. As we were dropped off, the driver said he was skeptical about the low water but, we decided to go anyway. We ended up dragging and portaging the canoe, gear, and our daughter as we walked and pulled the load over 3” of water and sand. We never did find the “campsite” and ended up setting our tent on an old road grade we later found out was called “burnt bridge”. To top it off, Les dropped the perfectly grilled steak that was to be our dinner in the sand. We spent the night tired and hungry, listening to the many alligators roar within a few feet of our small tent.

Other than getting lost in a dead-end slough, the extreme concentration of alligators due to the low water, the endless portages, a pair of aggressive cottonmouths determined to board the canoe and the usual clouds of mosquitos in a swamp, it was an interesting and educational outing.

So, remembering the good stuff and forgetting the rest, we decided to go back to Fisheating Creek and stay in the campground in our Aliner camper. We planned to paddle up and down the creek with our kayaks and sleep in comfort. We again chose the exact time the cypress were leafing, and the creek was barely deep enough to float our empty kayaks over sandbars between deeper “lakes” upstream from the campground. Several folks we talked to mentioned that the bass fishing had tanked after Ian, so we were surprised to catch a few. The resident stump knockers were all over our small floater/diver minnow plugs and a few smaller bass also liked our black plastic worms fished slow and deep.

In the afternoon, we ventured downstream and found more water but fewer fish that wanted to cooperate. We ran out of daylight before we got to the end of the lake under the railroad trestle and US 27. This area needs more exploration when we return. We’re already planning a trip for next fall when there’s hopefully more water.

The camping facilities at Fisheating Creek Outpost are first rate, with level pads for the RV crowd. We enjoyed the electrical hook up for our AC which muffled the nearby highway sounds. While a few trains went by in the daytime, none used the track at night. The showers had hot water and there were plenty of vacant spots for campers. The group sites looked particularly nice with shady oaks and grassy tent sites.