Paddlin' and Fishin' Camel Lake

Hi Blog!

On Monday, February 19, 2018, we arrived at Camel Lake Recreation Area in the Apalachicola National Forest near Bristol, Florida. This year, we hope to spend more time in county, state, national park and national forest campgrounds and less time in overcrowded commercial RV parks. The description for Camel Lake said it all - camping, swimming, hiking, biking and paddling along the shores of the crystal-clear waters of Camel Lake. This was the view from our campsite the first night.

The camping area only has 10 sites, and most of them have 30/50 electric and water. There is no sewer or dump station, so you have to come in with empty tanks. Our site was huge and gave us plenty of room to spread out.

The mile long hiking trail around the lake was perfect for our coffee walks. The best part of being camped along the lake shore was being able to walk our kayaks right down to the water. The first morning, we couldn't wait to paddle about.

Camel Lake is about a mile around. This gave us plenty of time to explore. The lily pads are just starting to come up. It won't be long before we start seeing the flowers bloom.

We knocked, but no one was home.

We always take our waterproof camera with us when we paddle. We never know for sure if we "got the shot" until we get home. Here the sky is reflected on the water surface, but you can still see the plants below.

We are just now seeing signs of spring. It will be a few more weeks before this bald cypress starts to bud out its leaves.

The clouds came in and the wind picked up. Usually, that would mean getting off the water, but with Camel Lake being so small, we knew we could ride out the waves.

Besides, we had more nooks and crannies to explore.

In true Florida fashion, wait five minutes and the weather changes. By the time we made it back toward camp, the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds shinning down on the white sand beach. Yes, there are signs - beware of alligators - swim at your own risk!

After seeing us out on the water, our camp host, Bobby, suggested we give bass fishing a try. Now, we've been fly fishing for trout for over 20 years. We've only tried fishing for bass a couple times. Bobby was kind enough to lend us some of his favorite lures. Here, Kathy gets ready to try out the atomic frog.

Fishing from a kayak is relatively new to us. It takes some getting used to managing the paddle and the rod, but it has turned out to be easier than we anticipated, and lake fishing by kayaks has some interesting advantages.

Here Dave is bouncing his worm across the lake bottom.

Kathy spent her time near the bank trying to entice the fishes to come out from their hiding places.

While there were a few other campers, we had the lake to ourselves...well, except for this little coot which didn't mind sharing with us.

We wish we could tell you we caught a lot of fish, but alas it was not our day. We did get a few hits, but we lack the skill to set the hook and reel them in.  Furthermore, the lake was windy, and Bobby confirmed to us that the best time to fish is in the early morning when there are no winds and the water is as smooth as glass.  Indeed, on our early walks, we saw many more rises than later in the day.

However, any day you can spend out on a beautiful lake is a great day.

In addition to fishing and paddling, we hope to get out and do some hiking on the Florida Trail. So, stay tuned.