So who else went to the river today?

larrodarro

Looking down on the mouth of the creek. I took this picture after I had walked home and called my sister to come pick me up. See how red the creek is compared to the river. That is because the river is mostly spring fed.

larrodarro

If you want to cross over to the other side of the creek and don't want to get your feet wet, but are willing to get wet all over, this tree is how you would do it.

larrodarro

This is just down from the mouth of the creek. We don't have a lot of river land, but thanks to how far this point reaches out into the river, we have twice the riverfront we would if it was in a straight line. The last flood left all the white sand.

_John_

neat to see that tannic acid stained creek running into the limestone spring fed river water.

Is that confluence a good place to fish? I was just curious if the fish like that (guessing higher pH) spring fed water vs. the acidic water in the creek.

larrodarro

neat to see that tannic acid stained creek running into the limestone spring fed river water.

Is that confluence a good place to fish? I was just curious if the fish like that (guessing higher pH) spring fed water vs. the acidic water in the creek.

We saw 6 or 8 bream and a couple of bass right at the bar. When I was a kid, me and my Daddy would wade the creek and fish. Always caught fish that way. But I would say there are more per cubic yard in the river. There are a few big springs on the creek too. Because the sun doesn't reach the creek, it is way colder than the river.

Have you ever heard of Red Horse Sucker Fish? They are a bottom feeding fish that goes up the creeks on bright nights in February and March to spawn. It is legal to gig, snatch hook or catch them in gill nets or pens. We make a pen with chicken or dog wire. You leave a gap in the downstream wire and when the pen gets full of fish you ease in the water and close the gap. Then everyone gets in the creek and catches the fish by hand. It is easier with waders. Even though this is Florida, we do have a winter.

We have caught over a hundred on a good night. But since we have the first wire up from the mouth, we never fish late. All the folks upstream from us would be cut off if we kept our wire up too long.

Suckers are full of soft bones. You have to gash them {cut the flesh every 1/4", leaving the fillet attached to the skin to hold it together}, then cook them in hot grease until the bones are edible.

Larro

jacques57

From one river-canoeing enthusiast to another: That was a photographic essay worthy of National Geographic. Wonderful. Thank you.

_John_

we have those fish here, but I haven't heard anything about people doing that with them. You see some everytime you float down a river of the Edwards Plateau (Texas hill country), but we don't really trap them like that to my knowledge.

larrodarro

we have those fish here, but I haven't heard anything about people doing that with them. You see some everytime you float down a river of the Edwards Plateau (Texas hill country), but we don't really trap them like that to my knowledge.

Some people here put a few in their man made ponds to help keep the algae down. But I think sucker fishing with the older folks was so popular because you could stock up on fish in a short period. My grandmother used to make canned fish balls with them. {before refrigeration} These days a lot of people will let the kids go in the creek to do the actual catching. If there isn't a lot of fish in the pen, you keep slipping the caught fish back in the water so they can catch them again.

larrodarro

From one river-canoeing enthusiast to another: That was a photographic essay worthy of National Geographic. Wonderful. Thank you.

Thanks. I took over 200 pictures, so there should be a few good ones in the bunch. Glad you enjoyed them.

Larro