Now before y’all go to judging the title of this post, let me be very clear…I am not messing around. This past year, I was lucky enough to discover some backwater areas to throw a fly that provided some of the wildest fishing opportunities (considering I just hopped in a car and was there). For anyone that has fished the freshwater swamps of Georgia, the Carolinas, or Florida, you will know what I mean when I say that you never know what you might run into. The water can be murky, deep, and filled with a variety of species (not just fish) that can quickly make the hair on your arms stand up if you are not prepared.

As for what I came across this year, the fishing was off the charts. Having explored some of this water by foot in the past, I knew that fish lived here and had run into some in the past, but always wondered what would happen if I could get the paddle-board out there. So with my Jeep locked and loaded, we found a dirt path down to this backwater swamp, and headed in for quite the adventure. I probably fished this body of water three times over a three day period.

Upon my first outing, I was welcomed by an orchestra: fish rolling everywhere, gators swimming around, and birds of all sizes letting me know that they were there. For awhile on the first day even had about a 6-foot gator follow the paddle-board around until it realized that I had nothing that he wanted (until it would hear a splashing fish of course). Based on what I had seen, I knew that my primary target was going to be Bowfin. For those of you that follow this blog, you will know that Bowfin have a special place in my fishy heart, in that they are still relatively “newer” to me and I have always found them to be unbelievable fish. They fight hard, are prehistoric, and have an attitude. What is not to love! I could tell that many of the fish rolling were Bowfin by how they were gulping the air, and I equipped my 8-weight accordingly with 30-Pound straight mono and one of my go to bright yellow flies.

Within 10-minutes, we were already hooking up to fish. Bass, crappie, and warmouth were all on the board. All very nice, but still waiting on the good ol’ Bowfy. Upon pulling up to a laid down tree and laying out a nice cast, my line went tight and proceeded to shoot off at unprecedented speed. My mind immediately went to a Bowfin, but this fish was staying deep and felt like a 20+ pound fish that I was not expecting. Thought I might have snagged a carp, or possibly even a small gator, but after a 20-minute fight (not kidding) I saw a 4+ foot shape next to my paddle-board and let out a shout of surprise. I had hooked the largest Longnose Gar of my life and had a strong hook in the perfect spot of the mouth. After putting on a glove to protect myself from the teeth, I was able to get my hands on the fish and onto the board for some great photo ops. Gar are another under appreciated fish, but on a paddle board and at this size, you would be a fool not to enjoy.

After chugging a Gatorade in pure exhaustion after someone getting this fish on the board and getting some photos, I was back to wondering where my Bowfy friends were. Kept seeing them roll everywhere, even saw a few getting spooked from my board, but none were eating yet. With this said, I know how these fish can be. Depth is often times a major component in catching them, and based on not being able to touch bottom with my 6+foot long push pole, proceeded to find a shallow end of the swamp to give that a try. Within 5-minutes of finding shallow water, pure mayhem ensued. Was catching a Bowfin every 10-minutes and getting my board pulled all around the swamp. They were smashing anything big a yellow stripped fast, and also proceeded to snap off my straight mono more than a few times. After catching a handful of nice fish, I threw a cast under a tree and had a take that exploded the water. Immediately was praying that this was a huge bowfin and not another gar, and to my best wishes, it came true. My biggest bowfin ever was on the line, and I proceeded to lock in and focus on getting this fish in the net. After multiple jumps, net dives, and getting my line off a stick or two from the fish taking me into the trees, I was able to get this fish in the net! BUT…the freaking monster cut a whole through my rubber net with its teeth and proceeded to continue the fight. I somehow managed to get my net in the boat, re-fight the fish, and get my hands on a massive bowfin that I was ecstatic to see. Below is a self timed picture of the big girl.

After catching close to ten Bowfin, I decided to call it a day and go spend some time with my girlfriend and the pups we were babysitting, But with this said, knew I would be coming back out the following days. The following days proceeded to be great as well (mind you not as good as this first day, but still plenty of fish). I was able to get out one night without the board and fish from the shore and landed a nice Bowfin that took me for quite the ride. Also was lucky enough to run into a Chain Pickerel that isn’t always the most common site in these southern waters. Haven’t caught a lot of these, so always a welcomed site.

As will be a theme to the vast majority of my outings this year (due to work, family needs, and the pandemic), figuring out where fish live within driving distance has become so critical for me. We can’t always find time to get on an airplane and travel around the world, but we can find a 3-day weekend to get out and pursue our passion. Really will never understand ANYONE that wants to trash on the opportunities that some of these fish can bring.

Tight lines and thank you!

Joe