Seminole Ramlins
by Jack Wingate

Having fished the "Rodman Pool" (a Bagly Gold Bangolure with Black Stripes worked good) on the Ocklawaha River in Florida, which is known as the Cross Florida Canal, cutting the distance from the Gulf waters to Baltamore and the East Coast by many miles, I was flabergasted by reading in a book while I was in the hospital, that the prior canal was surveyed and planned many years ago.

This canal was to begin at Cumberland Sound, up the St. Mary's River into the Okeefenokee Swamp to Billy's Lake, then across the swamp into north Florida and enter the Gulf down the Aucilla River saving hundreds of miles from Apalachacola, a strong cotton, turpentine and honey export town. Flabergasted I was.

Perch fishin has been the Fish of the week. Limit catches of Speckled Perch was made on Jigs, then some were made by taken a Jig tipped with a Minnow. One man sed he took 3 Perch on the last Minnow he had. He then picked up the broken Minnows or pieces laying in the boat and fished with them. The very best catch we had this week was made late evening on Minnows, 25 feet deep. Each fishwas from 1 ½ to 2 lbs. That is big Perch in any ones lake.

Andrew Adams of Panama City, FLwith a nice Bass and Hybrid he caught

Very few Bass Fishermen hit the lake. One did report he had a 7 and a 4 lbs. Bass on Worms, 7 foot deep, but he also sed the week before he had 5 fishat 27 lbs. using the same Worm and tactic.

Our water temperature is sort of confusing to some folks. Spring Creek is holding at 55°, the River is at 58° and here in the basin it is 60°. Since the recent rain of 1 to 2 inches, our Lake at our gauge is only 7 inches down.

Duck hunters are doing real well on Bustin' Shell. How many they are killin I jist don't know but they sure are a shootin a lot.

This just in, Pam and Steven Wells, our local duck guides, took John Ridley, Jr. and Sr. out huntin' on Monday and they got 11 Ringnecks. Good bunch of ducks.

Correction: Chris Neely was the 6th member of "The Swarm", the Hydrilla Gnats tournament team. He's a local and a heck of a good fisherman.

Wingate's Fishing Report

John Ridley, Jr. and John Ridley, Sr. with their 11 Ringnecks they got while out with guides, Steven and Pam Wells