South Bay RV Campground

Camping can be a real delightful experience if you’re in the right park at the right time of the year.

We’ve only been RV camping since 2006, but we now have our favorite campgrounds on a list of those we frequent the most here in Southwest Florida, I mean like every few weeks or so without fail.

Summertime in our neck of the woods is a lot of humidity with almost predictable rain showers in the afternoon.

So, with that in mind, we always do our fishing in the morning and are usually finished before noon. 

Since my birthday is in mid summer, I get to choose the one campground we love among our favorites.  For us, South Bay RV Campground is that special place.

      Our drive is a few hours East from our home on the Gulf side of the state, of course we make our usual stop at the Wal-Mart in Clewiston for some last minute goodies for our weeklong stay.
      South Bay RV Campground is actually located about 18 miles East of Clewiston in a small town called South Bay……….go figure!

The entire park is surrounded by a small canal that is filled with fish of all kinds, a couple small alligators, and there’s even a small lake called Shiner Lake, where I’ve even caught and eaten some big Channel Catfish……..YUMMY!

Shiner Lake has a walking path all around it so anyone can get his or her exercise walking or riding a bike.

South Bay RV Campground is under the supervision of Palm Beach County, so all the 100 plus 30 Amp and 50 Amp campsites are all paved with water, sewer and even cable TV, as well as Wi-Fi.  For the kids, there’s even a playground.  If you like to have a group meeting onsite, you can use the Pavilion recreation hall, you can also use one of the two laundry rooms if you need it, where your clothes will be super safe.  There are also 18 handicap spaces available should you require one.

Someone is in the office everyday except Sunday’s and when you check in, they give you a little packet showing where your site is, and the gate code to get in after hours.

One of the major advantages of camping at South Bay is the fact that it is right next to the largest lake in the state of Florida, Lake Okeechobee!  Which just happens to be famous for its bass fishing.

You just drive out the front gate, go up the dyke, and down the other site to the rim canal and boat launch.  You can’t see the main lake from here, but there is plenty of fishing in more calm waters.

The next closest town is Belle Glade and is only a few miles North of South Bay.  They have massive sugar cane fields and a large processing plant nearby. 

Since I like to also choose a good restaurant for my special day, we love to eat at a place in Belle Glade called Wah Lan’s.  You guessed it; some great Chinese food served buffet style.  Don’t know how its possible, but the waitress actually remembers us every year, so she’s very accommodating.

Although Lake Okeechobee is noted for great bass fishing, and it is, there is also some great fishing for channel catfish, which I love eating, some crappie, which I’ve never personally caught, plentiful bluegills, which I catch and release a lot of, except for what I use to catch bass with, Mayan Cichlids, which I also love eating, and a few other types of fish I normally don’t keep.
Yes, there are a few alligators around, but they not only don’t let you get very close, but they just overall leave you alone and watch from a distance, thank goodness.

During the summer months, usually from June through September, you can camp for half price, which makes this a super great deal for anyone who is willing to put up with that summer humidity.

Overall, we highly recommend camping at South Bay RV campground anytime you get the chance.  Happy Camping!
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How do you find an RV water leak?

If you have ever owned an RV or any kind of camping vehicle for any length of time, then you probably had to deal with the fact that you had a water leak somewhere.  So, how do you find an RV water leak?

First of all, I believe you must have the ability to be able to fix almost anything.  With that said, how do you find a water leak?  Well, you just have to start looking.

Let’s say you see a puddle of water on the floor where it shouldn’t be, what would be the first thing you’d want to do?  Explore of course.  Look at everything and any place you suspect a leak to be coming from.  Sometimes they come from a distance away and are extremely difficult to find where the source is.

If possible, test with a water hose if you have one.  Most RV’s of any size today come with a water and electric hook up, so having water available is almost a given.  Unless you’re doing some primitive camping, without facilities.

Even if you own a tent and it’s leaking, you can probably find the leak by pouring water over the suspected area and have someone looking from the inside to see exactly where the leak is coming from.

We purchased our new Bullet RV in March of 2012, so you would not expect it to be leaking anywhere inside, especially a mere 7 months later, but much to our amazement, it did.

My first thought was that since it had rained that night, the leak was coming from the outside storage door on the left side, because I saw water near the wall and inside that storage area.  Luckily for us, we could just open the little hatch they built inside, next to the bed, and look down into the storage area.

After wiping up the little bit of water there was, I told Karen that I’d check it out in the morning when it was daylight.

First thing the next morning, I found a little water standing, so I wiped it up again until it was completely dry. 

Since we didn’t want this small problem to interfere with our morning fishing, we launched our little Sea Eagle boat and headed out to catch some fish.

After returning from our morning fishing, I opened up the outside storage door only to discover that water was still standing in a small area close to the wall.  Since it hadn’t rained in the morning, I immediately knew the rain wasn’t the cause of this leak, so again, I wiped it dry.

Because I have a built in natural sense of fixing everything I can, I decided to pull off the water connector from the outside wall and check the hoses. 

I turned off the main water supply and proceeded to remove the three screws holding the water connection to the side of our Bullet.  Luckily for me, it was a lot easier than I expected.  However, I did notice that the connector was well sealed against the side panel, and it made a suction type noise when I pulled it away.

After pulling out the water connector, I then turned on the main water valve, only to witness a very small drip, drip, drip coming from where the hose inside our Bullet connected to the main water hose connection from the outside.

A miracle, the water stopped leaking and I was a very happy camper!  So, after giving Karen the good news, we both could relax knowing that problem of how to find a water leak was solved.

Well, since we’re coming out of summer weather, it did rain again that night, and again the next day, there was a very small amount of water standing…again!

I knew right away that the outside seal had to be broken to fix this problem, so I advised Karen that we stop at the hardware store on the way home and buy some plumbers tape and silicone sealant.

So, after cleaning up the little bit of water, again, we proceeded to prepare our Bullet for the short trip home.

We did stop at the hardware store to buy the things I needed to fix that nagging little leak, and right there in their parking lot, I again removed the water connector, unscrewed the water hose behind the connector, wrapped some plumbers tape around the fitting, then put the sealer all around the hole area, and finished putting in the three screws.  Then as an extra bit of safety to avoid future leaks, I ran a small bead of sealant around the edge of the outside connector before heading for our storage area.

I was very happy that I knew how to find a water leak and could fix it before any major damage occurred.  But believe me, some water leaks just can’t be found and you must persist and try and fix what you think might be causing it.  Lets face it, how do you find an RV water leak isn’t always as simple as this!
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Gator gets aggressive!

We just happen to reside in one of those states where alligators are in abundance, and we see them much of the time.  Especially since we camp near water and I fish a lot.

Recently, we camped at one of Florida’s finest parks called Myakka River State Park.  It’s certainly one of those places where you WILL see gators cruising the Myakka River, as well as the main lake.

They mate during the spring and at that time they can get rather territorial now and then.

After ten years of living in Southwest Florida, we’ve never personally had any type encounter with an alligator during one of our many fishing adventures, except for our last camping trip!

During the morning we set up my chair and shore fished.  Within about 10 minutes I looked up and saw a rather large alligator swimming right toward me.

Luckily for me, it stopped about 30’ away and just stared at me.  Much like they do when you’re fishing anywhere in this area.

Only this particular day, this gator was obviously a very aggressive one that didn’t want anyone in its self proclaimed area.

It wasn’t long before the gator started creeping closer until it was less than ten feet from where I was sitting.

Waving my arms didn’t work this time, but when I finally picked up our little blue cooler, that aggressive gator did a virtual back flip and landed about 20’ away.

It was at that time that I picked up my chair, cooler and fishing gear and left the area.

Karen and I walked back to where we started the trail, but along the way, I looked back and saw that same aggressive gator swimming upriver, literally following us.

We arrived at the place where the trail starts and there weren’t any gators around so I decided to start fishing again.  About 10 minutes went by before I noticed that same gator swimming toward me again.

This time, it kept about 30’ away and just watched me fish.  Knowing that gator was still just watching me, I just kept looking to see if it was moving closer.  It did move about 10’ closer, so again I packed up and we left the area.

The next day we drove to the bridge and watched while two gators actually walked up an embankment, bit into some tree branches and returned to the water.

All in all, it was an exciting few days and we even caught some fish in the main lake!

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Bugs don’t bug me no more!

Coghlans Bug Pants

I bought the small (I'm 5 ft and 110 pounds), so I worried it would be too big. I wore it outside my shorts and it was fine. The ties at the waist and ankles have an adjustable elastic cord, so there's no issue with the legs dragging on the ground. The fine mesh partially blocks the breeze, so it is hotter than bare skin. But at the same time, it's easy protection when you're only going to be outside for a brief time or if you're not sure whether mosquitoes will be a problem or not. Although I've found a natural mosquito repellent I like a lot (Liquid Net), I don't always want to take the 10 minutes it takes to fully spray myself and wait for it to dry... especially if we're camping and I've just showered and am only going outside for a few minutes. The mesh also serves as light sun protection if you're caught without sunscreen.

Yes, it looks a little weird, but so what? I'm surprised more people don't wear these. I sure could have used them when we went to Collier Seminole State Park in the summer (I know--what were we thinking?) when the mosquitoes almost carried me away! It works, it's lightweight to carry when you're not wearing it, and the price is well worth it (thank you, Coghlan!).

I have to mention that the first pair I received had about 4 small holes in it. I submitted a replacement request through Amazon and received the replacement pants very quickly... and no holes! So if that happens to you, don't despair. Now I have to order the Coghlan Bug Jacket to be totally protected.  Basically, "bugs don't bug me no more" and I'm happy for that!
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Florida rabbit feeding!

Here comes the rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!

     During our camping adventures we often see small animals like this rabbit feeding themselves on whatever they like that's available.

     Our personalities dictate that we are loyal conservationists and we always respect the animals that inhabit this earth. 

    We do a lot of fishing, but that's for fun and food.  Most of the fish I catch are released since we want them to reproduce to keep our balance of nature in tact.  So, every time we see a rabbit feeding, I say "here comes the rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!  We love these animals and will do anything to keep them alive.

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Don’t let a blowout ruin your camping trip!

     We had just finished camping for a July 4^th weekend with no problems, except the fish weren’t biting as expected, and the humidity was very stuffy!

     On Sunday morning I fished about an hour from shore just before breaking down our RV setup, and the humidity was already starting to zap my energy, so that was slowing me down somewhat, but we still completed our departure checklist.

     After dumping our tanks, we pulled out of the park onto the main road and headed toward our storage.  Less than 30 minutes later we turned onto one of the last roads, about two miles away from our storage, and within a few minutes I head a noise that sounded like a shotgun going off.  Our RV really didn’t handle any different so I first thought we hit something. The road itself was very smooth without potholes, rocks, turtles or armadillos.
     Luckily, there was a side road we could pull off onto to check things out.  What we found absolutely astonished us. 

     One of our four tires had completely blown out, including the steel belts inside.  It was a sight I shall never forget!

     At first I was going to just change it myself, only to realize we had Good Sam Roadside assistance, so we called.  We waited about 45 minutes before I got out the jack and removed the spare tire.  During our wait, three people stopped and offered assistance.  We made the decision to call our favorite tire store, and they had the tire we needed.  A few minutes later roadside assistance called us for service, so we just told the driver that I had done it myself and we were OK.

     Although I normally keep correct air pressure and stay away from animals, potholes or rocks in the road, this gave us a new appreciation for maintaining everything on our RV.
     So, what would you do if you suspect one of your RV tires had blown out?  Well, you probably already have the answer so here's a few reminders: Put on your flashers and pull off to the side of the road if possible, check all tires, either call for roadside assistance, or hopefully you have a hydraulic jack handy.  Place jack under axle where tire is bad and jack up so tires barely clear the ground.  Hopefully you also have a lug wrench, so loosen them all and proceed to continue jacking up until tire is clear of the ground.  Pull tire off and replace with your spare that's inflated to the proper pressure.

     One very important thing to remember is to make sure you buy the right trailer tire and not a car tire.  There is a difference, so get the size right off the tire and you’ll be safe driving any road.  Just don’t let a blowout ruin your camping trip!
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EternaBond Sealing Tape

     At first I was a bit skeptical about any type of tape on our RV roof.  I've read a few articles where it just doesn't work.  Much to my delight, my wife ordered a 50' roll, and when it arrived, I asked what are we going to do with this? 
     I asked that question because of all the doubts I had built up in my mind.
We schedule one Saturday morning to seal our RV's rubber roof.  My skepticism about this type product almost completely disappeared when I rolled off a couple feet and starting sticking it onto the seam across the top stretching from side to side.  By the time I finished that one seam, I was 100% convinced that this may be the holy grail of RV rubber roof sealant!
     Not only did it stick to anything it touched, it stuck so firmly that I had trouble pulling up one small corner where I didn't align properly.
     It was that first seam seal that prompted me to continue with all the other things I wanted to seal up like the TV antenna, radio antenna, skylights, bath vents, refrigerator vent and of course around our A/C.
     It took me a couple hours to complete, and I literally ran out of that 50' roll.  Almost immediately, I logged onto Amazon and ordered more tape, only this time I got the 4" wide instead of the 3".
     The following week the tape arrived and I drove to our RV storage and applied the remaining tape across the back.  That took me less than 30 minutes.
     Overall, the complete job made me feel rather elated that we did something that could possibly stop water from entering our RV, especially since our friend has a fairly new RV and recently experienced a water leak.
     The mysterious thing about water leaks is you usually never know where they come from. 
At least we now sleep better at night knowing that me may have stopped any potential leaks for our camping future.
     If  you're thinking of resealing your RV, house, or even Mobile Home roof, I highly recommend you give Eternabond sealing tape a very serious consideration.
     This could save you a lot of money, especially since fixing an existing leak is not only very expensive, it will literally turn you ceiling tiles a brown color you don't want to see.
     The real answer here is Eternabond Sealing Tape.
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Bass doesn't want to be dinner!

     While fishing the largest lake in Florida, Lake Okeechobee, I hooked into a small bass that ate my live bluegill bait.

     My excitement of reeling in this fighter was growing as it got closer to our Sea Eagle inflatable boat.

     This bass kept stripping a little line but would turn back toward us and slowly fought it was toward our boat.

     As it was just about reaching our netting area, it shook its wildly shook its head and we could see the little bluegill baitfish just came flying up in the air while our so called hookup just turned and raced away from our location.  I could only think that this bass doesn't want to be dinner.

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How to make a hoist for inflatable boats!

There are probably many ways to get a small inflatable boat up off the garage floor, so here’s our way.
 I went online and ordered a hoist system for a bicycle.  One that had two pulleys and enough rope to make it all work right.
After finding a good location in our garage, I then got up on a ladder and located the wood beams.
Then I acquired 4 each 3” wood screws and two wood blocks that were 2”x4”x10” to hold up the pulleys.  After positioning our Sea Eagle SE-8 where I wanted to rope to hang down, I then put the blocks on the wood beams and marked hole positions. After drilling holes into the blocks and the beams, I then secured both Pulleys to the ceiling with the 3” bolts and threaded the rope across both of them so that the hooks and strap would hang exactly over the area on our boat where I wanted them to be.
All we do now is wrap the straps around our Sea Eagle and hoist it up off the garage floor.  You can easily do this yourself and it will give you a little more space to clean, walk under or just have it hanging around until you’re ready to use it.  The video shows how the hoist works so take a look and you will see "how to make a hoist for inflatable boats!
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How to catch mullet without a net!

     If you are lucky enough to have mullet grace your waters, then you’re in for a real treat, not only for catching, but they are excellent smoked, or fried if you prefer.

    Most people enjoy catching mullet with a large, heavy mullet net that they have to cast out time and time again.  I’ve owned a mullet net and have found that it’s not only a little heavy from all those weights to make it sink faster, but it’s tiring throwing to schools when they are spotted close enough to cast to.  So, how to catch mullet without a net may be just what you’re looking for.

    How to catch mullet without a net takes a lot of patience and the right rigging.  I use a 17 lb. Leader about as long as I can stretch my arms.  Then I tie a loop at the top end so I can attach it to my main line with a swivel when ready.  For a main line I’ve tried a variety of sizes and have found that anything above 15 lb. is workable.  Below that line weight you really risk breaking off when you try and set the hook.

   For a complete rig, I take an up eye octopus #4 hook with eye facing toward the loop and I run it up the leader until it’s about 12” or so from the loop.  I find the best hook tie is right on the shank since you need the line below to tie additional hooks. And I repeat this process at least 4 or 5 more times, spacing the hooks about 6” apart.

    Once the rig is complete, I cut up a white Zoom plastic trick worm and make sure it covers the hook barb completely.  Normally I’ll cut the worm into small pieces up to ¼” thick.

    Why so careful you ask?  Well, since mullet and tilapia are normally vegetarians, they will only suck in that little plastic worm for a very short time, and if you’re not hanging on to your pole, you have no chance of hooking them.  By the time you blink twice, they have already spit it out!

    When all hooks are tied on the leader, I then make another loop at the bottom end for my sinker.  And speaking of sinkers, as a general rule of thumb, I use a ½ oz. sinker if the winds are light, a ¾ oz. when it’s a little windy, and a 1 oz. when it’s really blowing.

    I use this type rig exclusively for mullet and tilapia since I do catch plenty of both most of the time.

    For a pole, you can use what you prefer.  I’ve seen many people catch mullet and tilapia with a regular 12-16’ cane or fiberglass and do just fine.

    OK, now for the secret recipe that many mullet fishermen already know.  You will need some chum to get their attention. 

   For chum I take a gallon Ziploc bag, fill it with rolled oats, add about ¼ cup garlic powder and shake it up.  Then, when I’m ready to fish, I just put enough water in the oatmeal and mix it up until I can make a ball in my hand.  Then I just toss it out and put my previously tied rig just a few feet beyond where the chum landed.

   Now you just sit back, relax and just wait for the first bite.  It will be a very quick jerk and that’s it! 

    Should you choose to learn how to catch a mullet without a net, you’ll find this fish, along with the larger tilapia, some of the fiercest fighters you’ve ever seen.  Not to mention a very tasty table fare.  I prefer smoking them with a good rub….yummy!
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Ever have to replace your anchor rope?

Replacing an anchor rope can be an easy task if you have a tool.  I've acquired a case from a larger ballpoint pen which I'm using as a fid.  Our anchor rope is about 40' long and 1/4" thick, so not having a rope fid was just fine with me.

First you thread the rope into the fid and loop them through the anchor hole on top.  Make a big enough loop so you can bring it around and insert it through the rope about 2" from the hole.

Then you just bring the fid and rope around and insert about 1/2" below the loop you made near the hole.  Push the fid up inside the main rope far enough so your rope is snug at the bottom and pull the fid out of the rope and pull it tightly until it's snug with the loop you made near the hole.  You can then cut your tag end of the rope that's out of the main rope and pull it until the tag end is inside the anchor rope.

This will never come loose because it's basically locked since you passed it through the small loop at the hole.
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Chilly Willy is cool for camping and fishing!

     What is Chilly Willy you ask?  It's a portable ice maker!  Personally, I can’t imagine camping or fishing without ice for all the things we need ice for, besides our fish!

     After all, we drink tea, smoothies, water, a variety of juices, etc.  And then there’s the matter of having enough ice if we catch more fish than we need to.
     One rainy day, we heard a knock on our RV door, and when we answered, there was a man with a bag full of mullet he had caught earlier.
     He asked if we wanted any and naturally I said yes!  What was the problem you ask?  Well, it happens that Huck gave us so many mullet that we didn’t have room in our little freezer, so we threw them into our large cooler instead. 
     This presented another problem, you guessed it, we didn’t have enough ice to keep them cool before I cleaned them.
     We jumped in our Tundra and drove the five miles to the store to get some more ice.
     Well, it was that one decision that made us realize that we go through lots of ice and just can’t make enough with those little ice trays.
     After a brief discussion about buying a portable icemaker, we decided to find one we liked.  So I jumped on the Internet and immediately found what we wanted.
     A few days later, this big box arrived at our door, and when I opened it, we found a beautiful Magic Chef portable icemaker.  I told Karen we’d never have ice concerns again.
     Naturally I had to test it, so I filled it with one gallon of water and turned it on to make large cubes.
     What I discovered is that it makes 9 large cubes every 9 minutes and fills the tray in about two hours.  Overall, the gallon of water we put in the tank takes about all day before it needs filling again.  This is what I call “Super Low Maintenance”.
     To make a long story shorter, we now leave our Magic Chef in our RV all the time since that’s where we need it the most.  
     We love this handy little icemaker so we have even affectionately named it Chilly Willy because it is now a part of our camping and fishing adventures.
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Bass fishing at its BEST!

I’ll be the first to admit that catching bass is not a major priority, and I don’t fish for bass like I see most bass fishermen fishing.  So these might be small to those hard core bass fishermen.

You see, I like catching many other types of fish like Tilapia, Bluegill, Warmouth, Mayan Cichlids, etc.  Mostly because these type fish are a lot easier to catch and taste just as good.

I do however return a lot of fish that I hook into because of size mostly, but now and then there comes along a fish that I won’t throw back, and it’s marked for dinner!

Since we do a lot of camping and fishing here in Florida, we arrived on Wednesday afternoon and immediately set up our RV.  Then we decided to launch our little Sea Eagle inflatable and check out how the fish were biting.  It was a little bit of a shock to see that fishing was very slow.  If I didn’t get a bite for 30 seconds or so, we’d move to another patch of lily pads!  I guess we’re kind of spoiled since we usually experience bites within seconds after dropping a nice, juicy worm in front of all those hungry fish.

You see, my beautiful wife Karen and I were camping at South Bay RV resort, which is at the South end of Lake Okeechobee here in Florida.  The next day was not only my birthday, but the fishing was unusually slow, so we proceeded to motor to one of our favorite areas.  A place where we’d caught bluegills, bass and even some big channel catfish in years past.  Not much luck there and for the rest of the day.  However, we did drive into Belle Glade and have a wonderful Chinese dinner!!

On Friday, August 2^nd, we repeated our launch routine and motored to another favorite spot we’d fished the day before.  Hardly any bites this day either, so we motored to another place on the lake, where I immediately caught a small bluegill.  After hooking it through the mouth and casting a short distance, I sat the rod down and proceeded to fish for other fish. 

It didn’t take long before the bobber with the bluegill started moving rather quickly.  I picked up the rod and pulled back as hard as possible.  I reeled in a bass that looked to be around 16” or 17”.  As it got right at our net, it literally spit out the bluegill and swam off.

We relocated a short distance, where I caught and hooked up another small bluegill.  About 10 minutes passed before the bobber went under and the line started moving.

This time I reeled in a 16” bass that actually made it into the net.  Finally, success at last.

The next day we repeated our routine and about 1-½ hours into our fishing day, another bass took the small bluegill.  This one was 17” and the hook literally fell out of its mouth as I was removing it from the net.

After calming down, I finally caught another baiter bluegill, hooked it up and let it swim freely, pulling the bobber all over the place.

It didn’t take long before the bobber went down again; so I picked up the rod and pulled strongly back three times. 

The fish was not only big and powerful it was stripping line faster than I could reel it in.  Then the unthinkable happened, it headed straight for the bushes and went deep inside before I could turn it around.

Finally, I managed to pull it out of the bushes and get it coming toward our boat, where Karen had the net ready. 

After about 15 minutes of fighting this monster, Karen netted it and let out a very loud yell of total excitement.

After placing my fingers under its gills, I lifted it out of the net only to see that the small bluegill was about 50% swallowed and the hook was right at the beginning of the stomach.

During the hook removal, the big bass swallowed so hard that my fingers got scraped up as I watched the bluegill’s tail almost disappear into the stomach.

When I measured this bass, I yelled again in excitement because it was 19” and the largest bass I’ve caught to date.  So, for that day, we took home a 17” and 19” bass that I later filleted. 

This type of fishing isn’t for everyone, but for us, it’s the most exciting way to catch bass and any of the other types we enjoy catching!  You see, we just love being in the outdoors!

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Want a new looking LP cover without the expense?

If you own an RV and camp a lot like us, then you notice things around your RV that need attention. 

We bought our RV in 2012, so it is now over three years old.  Since we are constantly cleaning inside and out, we try to keep it looking like new, and it does.

One item we have not been able to clean properly was our white LP tank cover.  The spots over the years just became so dark that it was starting to look like it was time to replace.

Not wanting to buy a new cover, I decided to try something we’ve never used before, Mold and Mildew spray!

We spray our shower on a regular basis, but never thought about using this product on our LP cover.

After spraying the entire cover, we almost immediately noticed it was getting whiter.  Within a few minutes the cover looked like we had bought a new one, only less that extra expense.

We then rinsed it with lots of water and were pleasantly surprised to see that it looked so good.  The best part is that it saved us $30 for a $3 spray that worked like a miracle!

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One of the biggest Mayan Cichlids I've ever caught!

Fishing in Southwest Florida is nothing less than fantastic.  Why?  Because you not only have thousands of lakes, canals, gulf waters, rivers and streams, but you have access to almost all these beautiful bodies of water all year long.

With all the boat ramps available, you can launch just about any size boat you have.  Personally, my wife Karen and I sold our power boat and bought a 10’ Sea Eagle inflatable that has enough room for all our gear and us!

It’s powered with a Motor Guide 55 lb. thrust electric motor, so being stealthy is what we do.

As far as boat ramps go, we hardly ever use the modern, paved ones, we use dirt ramps that were originally made for the herbicide control boats to launch to control a variety of weeks and water plants.

What’s the best part of all this?  We catch fish all the time!  We’re not trophy fish people and don’t need to have a certain fish in the boat to make our day complete.

We do love catching fish like the Mayan Cichlid, Tilapia, Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Warmouth and a variety of others when available.

If you’re at all wanting to know what a Mayan Cichlid is, then keep reading and you may learn something about this overlooked fish.

These scrappy fish were first discovered here around 1983 and they are originally from Central and South America.

First of all, you’ll find these fish in the most southern states like Florida!  One of the really long names is cichlasoma urophthalmus and they are non-native species.  They are also called False Red Terror, Orange Tiger, Mexican Mojarra & others, and they are very similar to Black Bass and Sunfish.

They are a beautiful orange color with almost red gills under its head.  Around the dorsal fin is a dark green color with black vertical stripes along the sides, and a black spot near the tail.

Although the cichlid doesn’t get very big, it will put a lot of stress on an 8 lb. line.  The largest cichlid measured by scientists was 12.6" and weighed 1.5 lbs.  The world record is only 15” and the one I have pictured is 14” and weighed around 2 lbs, so you now know what a struggle it was getting it to our net.  Luckily I was using 10 lb. line and 8 lb. leader with a baby night crawler.  They are sometimes referred to as the ‘atomic sunfish”.

The cichlid also eats snails, grass shrimp, insects, crickets and some vegetation, as well as jigs, wooly worms, small streamers and popping bugs.

There isn’t a size or catch limit, so you can fill your cooler if you like.  Besides being very aggressive and lots of fun to catch, these fish are some of the best tasting I’ve ever eaten.  It has white, flaky meat and a very mild flavor that I call “YUMMY”.
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River Monster: A Prehistoric fish story!

We were already camping at one of our favorite parks, so our kayak was on the ground and ready to take out for a morning fishing trip.

Our decision to paddle to the South side of the Caloosahatchee River in search of some Mayan Cichlids or even larger Bluegills was one based on our fishing as much of this beautiful river as we could.

After uncovering our kayak and sliding it down a small slope of grass, we launched, boarded, and started our short paddle.

It only took us a few minutes to get to the other side of the river, so I baited up my hook with a nice fat worm and tossed it near some lily pads.

Almost immediately hooked into a small bluegill, so I released it and tried again without success for anything larger.

We paddled up the shoreline to a small canal entering the river and tossed the anchor.  I had caught some larger Mayan Cichlids here on an earlier trip so was rather anxious about hooking into a large one.

After moving around and fishing almost exclusively near the lily pads, I had decided to toss the wormed hook into some rather open water just under a large overhanging tree.

It only took a minute before by bobber started going under and moving slowly away from us.

I set the hook and immediately started loosing some fishing line as a monster fish was stripping the line from my reel faster than I could reel it in.

The fight lasted a few minutes before I had the strange looking fish next to our kayak.  Naturally it was thrashing about and getting both of us wet in the process.  Since it had some small teeth I didn’t feel like grabbing it by the mouth just to bring it in the kayak.

I finally lifted it over the edge and dropped it right in front of me.  When it wasn’t jumping around I could see it wasn’t the normal fish I usually catch.  Since I have a freshwater fishing book I remember seeing something resembling a Bowfin.

Since it had scales, gills and looked like a regular fish, I decided to keep it for food value, so I hooked the plastic stringer through its mouth and lifted it back into the water.

We were aware that there were many varieties of fish that live in this river, such as Tilapia, Catfish, Grass Carp, Bluegills, Mayan Cichlids, Redfish, Tarpon, Snook, but nothing prepared us for what I actually caught.

We fished a short while longer then paddled back to our trailer.  I cleaned the Bowfin and cut some nice, boneless fillets and placed them in a zip lock bag so I could put them in the refrigerator for now.

Since I was rather curious as to what this kind of fish would eat, I cut open its stomach and found a large gold hook, a plant stem, and a small bluegill.

When we arrived home the next day I did some research on the Bowfin only to find out that this fish is rarely caught and is considered prehistoric.  It also said the meat wasn’t that good to eat.

Not really wanting to pay attention to the information regarding the Bowfin, I did eat the meat only to find that it tasted just fine, but it was a little too soft for me so decided not to eat it again.

Karen and I have since talked about it and have decided we wouldn’t keep any more of this type fish since it is considered prehistoric and we’re all about conservation.

All I can say is that it put up a fantastic fight and that’s always good fun on light tackle.
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