Angling for Panfish

Up the Wacassa river to the Weekiva run. Sounds intriguing, doesn`t it? Today I`m fishing with a mother and her daughter. Just the three of us motoring up that beautiful old river, twisting and turning, ancient trees fallen across the width of it with only enough room for my 16 footer to pass by.

We`re not fishing for the biggest redfish or mackerel or trout. We`re going. ..."pan-fishin'. Bream, redbellies, warmouth bass, and catfish. All very good eating just seasoned, breaded and fried a little bit.

We travel up the Wacassa about 1 mile and turn off on the Weekiva River and immediately see two big alligators sunning themselves on the bank of a sharp turn. The water here is still a dark brown color. About 1/4 of a mile up the Weekiva the water gets pretty clear from the main springs at its head. The eel grass all swaying back and forth looks like mermaids hair. Here the water is only 4 or 5 feet deep.

I like to fish a spot where there is a bare sandy depression, (or slight hole) and tall swaying grass along its rim. Anchor 5 yards or so upstream and fish into the hole. Cast so you can see your worm or worm-like lure fall into the lighter colored sand.

In an instant some critter will rush out from the grass into the clear and snatch your bait up. Pow! One after another. As quick as you can bait and cast you`ll get action. It is a lot of fun. I get so busy taking fish off hooks and slipping them into the fish box, and then handing out worms, that I don`t get to fish as much as they do. You know...that`s OK with me. To see them laughing and yelling is a real thrill also.

The river here is about 10 to 15 yards wide with thick forest on both sides, and a thick canopy of tree branches overhead. The water is spring-fed and the temperature of the water is 70` to 72` year round. So it's cool in the boat on the surface of the water and quite shady from the overhead canopy of tree branches. Very comfortable. And lots of fun.

The regulations state that we can take home an aggregate amount of 50 fish. (that`s 50 mixed species), and we took everyone of them home and ate half of them with buttered grits, home fries and skillet cornbread. Oh ...that's delicious. That`s fishin`

Capt. Dan
cedarfishininfo@hotmail.com