Bob Smith
Bob Smith
bob@bassinbobs.com

 

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"BOBS LOCAL RIVER REPORTS"

 BLACKWATER RIVER
December 16, 2001
Water Temperature: 60-65
Water Clarity: Clear
OK, I had to go back after yesterday. Water conditions were similar, but the weather was a lot different.
Clouds and occasional drizzle gave the day a dull, dreary look and feel. Wind was 5 - 10 out of the south.
Water temps ranged from 60 - 65 degrees and the tide was again falling strong. I started out trying the same places and things I did the other day and the bass wanted no part of my worms.
A small redfish is the only bite on the plastic all day.
In the slough that leads back by Reggies I had a nice hybrid striper take a buzzbait in the most explosive strike of the day.
I fished around the slough without another bite.
Downriver in the grass I started getting topwater strikes.
Bass after bass attacked my little 1/8 ounce buzzbait with a lot of short strikes and total misses. One spot would turn up a single fish, then a stretch of nothing, then three from the next place. The action was pretty steady as long as I stayed in the sawgrass. Once I moved upriver or out of the grass the bites stopped. I reeled the buzzbait pretty slow, but not crawling. Banks that tapered quickly into 5 - 8 foot seemed to be the best. Docks were also pretty good and I would pitch the buzzbait back under them and bring it out slow. One place (2 docks with a bar in between them) gave up 5 bass.
Total today was around 25 with most being small. I could have scrapped out a tournament limit but it wouldn't have been anything to write home about - just five12" bass. Every bass I caught was on top. I could probably have caught more or bigger fish another way, but fishing for fun I'll take the smaller fish on top any day - a tournament would have been another story.



December 15, 2001
Water Temperature: 60-67
Water Clarity: Clear
Wow! It's been more than a year and a half since I fished Blackwater River! And a good time I had revisiting this small river once more.
A cold front passed through the other day, so I hit the water expecting a typically slow day out. The sly was clear and sunny, wind light from the north and northeast. Tide was low and falling fast generating a very strong current early. Water was mostly clear and ranged from 60 - 67 degrees.
I started off at Carpenter's Park and did not crank the outboard until I was below the railroad bridge. I fished a junebug Baby Eel and a buzzbait as I moved pretty quickly downstream in the current. My first fish came just above the boardwalk on the baby eel. It was a decent keeper of about 2 pounds.
More fish fell to the small worm as I swept past the boardwalk. Just above the railroad tracks I landed one which was probably 4 or 4 and a half pounds. At the mouth of the creek beside the tracks I pulled more keepers and a few short fish.
It was shaping up to be a real good day since my total stood at 15 or so before 8am. As the day wore on the bite slowed some, but I never went long without at least getting bit.
Tried a lot of the places that used to be good, and then seemed dead before I decided to stay off Blackwater and fish in more productive places. I caught fish in these places again, like the good bass fishing I remember on this river about 9 years ago. Not only did I get quantity, but quality as well.
When I called it a day at 2pm my total catch was around 35 - 40 bass, with more than 15 good keepers: several would have topped 3 pounds easy. Now, just why dosen't that happen on tournament days? All the fish I caught were on the main river. Once I moved into the sloughs the bites ended. Fish were holding to wood and docks at about 2 - 15 foot. The few topwater fish I caught slammed the buzzbait hard also. The Allen Lures Baby Eel was by far the best bait today. Texas rigged with a 1/16 ounce weight and 1/0 hook, I let it sink to the bottom then ever so slightly llifted the rod tip to make the bait move a foot or less. Strikes were noticable for the most part, but definitely not energetic like summer.
OK, so maybe I'll start going back to Blackwater - at least in the early spring, winter, and late fall.


August 20, 2000
Water Temperature: 84
Water Clarity: Clear to Light Stain

Enough already! I would like to fish more than a few minutes
before being run off by weather! OK, now that I've vented a bit... Water temp was 84 degrees, sky cloudy to nasty, wind calm to around 20 from the West - Northwest. Water was a little low, but not a lot. Don't know the stage of the tide.
Got a late start and was on Yellow River around noon.
Fished the mouth or a little while and caught 2 keeper sized fish on a Black baby Eel. Then moved up river a little with thunderstorms rumbling in the distance.
Along a deep bank with trees I caught another pair of keepers on a 4" Allen Lures Fireclaw crawfish - Green Pumpkin.
The storm was getting closer so I moved close to the ramp and managed a short fish on the Baby Eel.
After 45 minutes on the water and 5 fish the rain started falling, and lightning crashing everywhere around me.
I tied up at Browns Fish Camp and sat in the truck for a while waiting for it to pass.
An hour later it let up and I went off to fish some more.
I eased down he canal beside Browns and fished down to the mouth in that direction. As I came out of the canal I could see
I-10 and a wall of black clouds moving my way.
I caught three small bass on a buzzbait as I ran 24 high back up
the canal, and missed another. Total fishing time - maybe an hour! What I thought were afternoon thunderstorms became and all afternoon deal and I drove home in the torrential rain and frequent cloud to ground lightning. Hope next time I get a little more time on the water. All soft plastic caught bass were holding in about 10 foot of water along deep banks with trees. They were tight to the cover but strikes were solid.
The topwater bass came up out of about 3 foot.



July 21, 2000
Water Temperature: 82-84
Water Clarity: Clear to Light Stain

Got the boat on Yellow River about 8:30am and fished unitl 11:30am (when massive thunderstorms sent me hauling butt back to the ramp - I can deal with rain, but I won't play with lightning). Wind was light form the southwest, water clear to light stain. Sky mostly cloudy to down right nasty.
Water temp was 82 - 84 degrees. Tide stage unknown.
While the upper end of the river is extremely low (and I had expected the same lower on the river) the water at Brown's Landing was high! Fished a few usual places around the mouth and caught a few smaller bass - 2 on a buzzbait and 2 on a black Baby Eel. Then nothing. Since I am not extremely familiar with Yellow River I ran upriver to look around.
Fishing the Baby Eel beside heavy cover along deep banks (Boat was a short flip from shore in 18 - 20 foot of water)
I got several bites and boated 3 nice 2+ pound bass.
Then the storms rolled in and I opted to call it a day.
The current was not strong. All worm bits were super soft.
If I had been running the trolling motor I probably would not have felt them. I had to really pay attention and watch my line.



February 20, 2000
Water Temperature: 68
Water Clarity: Clear to Light Stain

On the water about 10:30am and fished until 4:30pm. Sky was sunny, wind around 10-15 from the north. Water ranged from clear to light stain and 62 - 68 degrees. Tide was low.
Started off with a bit near the ramp at Carpenters Park,
but missed it.
Had a few more missed strikes as we worked down the west bank of the river. Along the boardwalk we picked up a warmouth and nothing else. Further down river my partner pulled a nice fish from a dock, then nothing again. I caught one more. Later in the day we moved into Yellow River - the first time I have managed to get my big Stratos up there.
I picked up another two bass on Yellow River, and had a few missed strikes. Total for today a paltry 4 bass.
The only redeeming thing was that no one we spoke to was doing any good. The passing of a cold front the other evening may likely have contributed to the bad day. One bass took a buzzbait and several others missed it (short strikes),
the rest took a 4" Allen Lures Fireclaw crawfish fished Texas rigged around wooden cover.


November 13, 1999
Water Temperature: 60 - 62
Water Clarity: Clear

I got a bit of a late start today and was on Blackwater around 10am. The tide was low and falling, water clear and 60 - 62 degrees. Sky was fog until around noon then sunny, wind light.
My first bass was a heafty 6 pounder from under the boardwalk at downtown Milton, followed by one about 15 inches. Gurther downriver I caught a few on a buzzbait, but they were all short (around 10 - 11   inches).
I moved upriver for a while and caught a few more on a worm.
Total for the day sat at 14. I fished from 10am until 2pm.
It was a short day, but a good day.
With the exception of the buzzbait caught fish everything took a texas rigged 4" red shad Baby Eel fished on 8lb line with a 1/8 ounce weight and Gamakatsu 1/0 hook (My favorite combination and a good money maker for me this past year).

June 12, 1999
Water Temperature: 76 - 80
Water Clarity: Stain

Know how plans sometimes don't work out? Well...
After making a decision while pre-fishing todays tournament I stuck with it. My partner, Larry Butler of Crestview, and I made the run from Blackwater River around the point and back up to Escambia River. It didn't pan out.
After a few short fish, one keeper, and two lost fishing rods during the ride over, we called it a day on Escambia and headed back to Blackwater around 11:30am.
Back on Blackwater we continued for another 2 hours without a bite. Along the boardwalk in downtown Milton I caught two nice bass. Now we only needed 4 more to round out the 7 bass limit. With that third fish in the livewell it seemed as if someone threw the stupidity and inconsideration switches!
Jet ski after jet ski suddenly appeared beside us, and the pleasure boat traffic and water skiers becam unbearable! Just 10 minutes earlier we had the entire area to ourselves! Needless to say the fish stopped biting again, and so we moved.
In the next hour and a half I managed a single additional keeper. We weighed in 4 bass fro 4.70lbs. Not impressive at all. All keepers were caught on a black 4" Allen Lures Baby Eel. A few short fish hit a buzzbait and a spinnerbait.
The sky was cloudy early then sunny. Wind was light. Tide was high then falling. Water was stained on Escambia and clear on Blackwater, temps ranged fro 76 to 80 degrees.



June 9, 1999
Water Temperature: 76 - 81
Water Clarity: Very Light Stain

Got on the water about 8am and fished until 1230.
Tide appeared to be falling, wind was light and variable, sky mostly sunny. Water temp ranged from 76 - 81 degrees and was clear to very light stain.
Fished upriver and down trying to determine a game plan for teh 3-Rivers tournament on Blackwater this coming Saturday.
I figured out my plan by noon and called it a day.
For the morning I only boated 8 bass, 2 of whgich were short fish (under 12"). Two ate a black Baby Eel, and the rest took my buzzbait. Topwater strikes were solid and explosive when they came. I didn't miss a single fish today.


May 12, 1999
Water Temperature: 70 - 73
Water Clarity: Light Stain to Light Mud

Hit the water around 8am and fished until the thunderstorms rolled in around 2pm. It was not an exceptional day at all.
Water temps were 70 - 73 upriver.
Water was light stain to light mud and low. Sky mostly sunny wind from the southwest around 10.
My partner caught 7 bass, 3 keepers and 4 shorts from the back of the boat while I managed to scrape out 3 with one being a decent keeper. All fish took a black Baby Eel fished texas rigged in moving water. There did not seem to be any particular cover the fish were using as they came from weeds, wood, and sandy banks. Most were in 3 - 6 foot of water though, so that was one constant for the day. Strikes were soft.
A lot of times there was no indication there was a fish there until the line was lifted and reeled in. Hard fishing was the rule.