At the end of the video he says pick up some light gear... while earlier in video he said he chose a MH rod. And shorter is better. 5'!

 

He wasn't messing around!

 

And 14 seconds into this video and one guy is dunking his reel halfway into the water!

 

Florida gators tend to keep me either in the boat or on dry land just in case.

 

Fun to watch others fish that way.

 

I'm trying to imagine a 5' MH. Didn't they make those with pistol grips?

 

 

17 minutes ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

At the end of the video he says pick up some light gear... while earlier in video he said he chose a MH rod. And shorter is better. 5'!

 

He wasn't messing around!

 

And 14 seconds into this video and one guy is dunking his reel halfway into the water!

 

Florida gators tend to keep me either in the boat or on dry land just in case.

 

Fun to watch others fish that way.

 

I'm trying to imagine a 5' MH. Didn't they make those with pistol grips?

 

 

I own 2 pistol grips. Both are 5'6" medium action from BPS. Believe Lew's makes one too. Like mine for bank fishing and when sitting down in a Jon Boat. Finding access to fish a decent creek is not always easy and, once you do, it's best to keep it to yourself and others you trust. And we have huge gators in MS too just not in this location.

Good Fishing

Kunnan use to make those shorter than typical rods, complete with the rubberized pistol grips by Fuji and the guides were made with a plastic outer ring often times a green color. I bought three in about 94 at a bait shop for 5$ apiece. Gave them to my nephews. 
 

FWIW, I never used them, not ever.  Rods and reels have come a long way since then. 
 

Also, I’ve wade fished the St. John’s river at Whiteys fish camp, I was young and cautious but without fear. Same in the Osceola forest, but that forest was full of danger.. no doubt. 
 

About 85-89 

38 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

Kunnan use to make those shorter than typical rods, complete with the rubberized pistol grips by Fuji and the guides were made with a plastic outer ring often times a green color. I bought three in about 94 at a bait shop for 5$ apiece. Gave them to my nephews. 
 

FWIW, I never used them, not ever.  Rods and reels have come a long way since then. 
 

Also, I’ve wade fished the St. John’s river at Whiteys fish camp, I was young and cautious but without fear. Same in the Osceola forest, but that forest was full of danger.. no doubt. 
 

About 85-89 

 

My Kunan was a boron blank. Just wished it was 7'.

 

I also have some old pistol grip rods. They come in handy in a kayak, canoe, & paddleboard fishing. Some old timers like them for skipping under docks. They were the standard in mid 1980's. And great for tight overhead cover like this creek fishing.

 

I get a chuckle out of you wade fishing at Whitey's! Too funny. Its the water there.... and Whitey's is famous for two things- their fried catfish which back in the 30's and 40's was caught right there next to the fish camp, but these days is shipped in boxes frozen from catfish farms. And for two, Whitey's is known as home to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

Lead singer of the band Ronnie Van Zant lived on Brickyard road which was just to the north of Whitey's about a 1/2 mile by water. And so Whitey's became Ronnie's hometown backyard restaurant he frequented often by boat from his dock to Whitey's and back.

 

Just before Ronnie died in the plane crash in 1977 he filmed himself and band guitarist Gary Rossington pretending to fish in Doctor's lake. All they were doing was faking the fishing for the cameras filming them at his house location for convenience. Its curious in first few seconds of film Ronnie is seen jigger pole fishing for the cameras. No one knows why to this day.

 

But when Ronnie and band came home from the road, Ronnie did not want to fish in doctor's lake behind his house. Instead he loaded up his boat and drove it down to a private cabin he rented in Ocala National Forest on Lake Delancy. When he went there an 8' tall chain link fence was locked shut behind him locking him inside a public forest and lake but had it all to himself through the only private boat ramp on the lake. And it was there he caught his PB just weeks before dying in the plane crash. He sent the fish off to the taxidermist but never saw it finished because he died in plane crash. That PB fish he caught at Lake Delancy is now with his daughter Melody.

 

I get a chuckle out of you wading at Whitey's because there is a reason why Ronnie did not fish in that water. Same reason I stopped in 1982. The water there is not good. The gators don't even like it. So I'd bet you probably did not even see any in that area? They have steadily declined for decades.

 

 

Ronnie is filmed here using mid 1970's fiberglass rod and Abu Garcia 5000 series reel. This was filmed in doctor's lake behind his house in September 1977. On October 20, 1977 he lost his life in a plane crash. RIP

 

And F14, I'd stay out of that water......

 

The camera angle here is looking to the South down along the western shore of Doctor's lake. So way down there at the bottom of this lake to Ronnie's right is where Whitey's is at. Looks like a mile here, but I think Ronnie took camera crew to area north of his house which gave an all natural woods background without houses. Looks better on camera, and was in position to be seen from camera on bridge on eastern side of lake. Ronnie doing some fake fishing here!

 

 

2 minutes ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

 

My Kunan was a boron blank. Just wished it was 7'.

 

I also have some old pistol grip rods. They come in handy in a kayak, canoe, & paddleboard fishing. Some old timers like them for skipping under docks. They were the standard in mid 1980's.

 

I get a chuckle out of you wade fishing at Whitey's! Too funny. Its the water there.... and Whitey's is famous for two things- their fried catfish which back in the 30's and 40's was caught right there next to the fish camp, but these days is shipped in boxes frozen from catfish farms. And for two, Whitey's is known as home to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

Lead singer of the band Ronnie Van Zant lived on Brickyard road which was just to the north of Whitey's about a 1/2 mile by water. And so Whitey's became Ronnie's hometown backyard restaurant he frequented often by boat from his dock to Whitey's and back.

 

Just before Ronnie died in the plane crash in 1977 he filmed himself and band guitarist Gary Rossington pretending to fish in Doctor's lake. All they were doing was faking the fishing for the cameras filming them at his house location for convenience. Its curious in first few seconds of film Ronnie is seen jigger pole fishing for the cameras. No one knows why to this day.

 

But when Ronnie and band came home from the road, Ronnie did not want to fish in doctor's lake behind his house. Instead he loaded up his boat and drove it down to a private cabin he rented in Ocala National Forest on Lake Delancy. When he went there an 8' tall chain link fence was locked shut behind him locking him inside a public forest and lake but had it all to himself through the only private boat ramp on the lake. And it was there he caught his PB just weeks before dying in the plane crash. He sent the fish off to the taxidermist but never saw it finished because he died in plane crash. That PB fish he caught at Lake Delancy is now with his daughter Melody.

 

I get a chuckle out of you wading at Whitey's because there is a reason why Ronnie did not fish in that water. Same reason I stopped in 1982. The water there is not good. The gators don't even like it. So I'd bet you probably did not even see any in that area? They have steadily declined for decades.

 

 

Ronnie is filmed here using mid 1970's fiberglass rod and Abu Garcia 5000 series reel. This was filmed in doctor's lake behind his house in September 1977. On October 20, 1977 he lost his life in a plane crash. RIP

 

And F14, I'd stay out of that water......

 

 

Very interesting, however I saw several large females basking in the sunlight in about a foot of water. 6 to be exact. (February) There was a tiny finger off the main river, I moved off the river into this and you could see the fish camp! Beds were several and males were already on them defending against blue crabs. I got a good chuckle out of that. I never was able to get those fish to take my bubba lizard, by Gilraker. But I was incredibly fortunate to see this, but then again, that was true during my 6 years living in the area. Didn’t Ronnie’s wife have a restaurant in Jax? I’m certain I’ve ate there at one time.. I lived on the west side and ended up in Green Cove springs. Jacksonville was a trip, I loved being there. 

Do you know that part of the St. Johns river from Rice Creek in Palatka all the way up to Jax and out to ocean is all considered as "sacrificed" section of river? Sacrificed to the polluters! It has been this way for nearly 100 years. Nothing anyone can do about it until the sources of pollution are stopped.

 

The Elite Series pro bass fishing runs their tournament just South of this pollution dividing line in the river. Rice Creek.

 

Ronnie's widow purchased a building in Jax Beach where she opened up her FreeBird Cafe and rock music concert hall. It is now closed down and sold off.

 

Green Cove Springs is still a small country town, but is growing.

 

You loved it in Jax and I can't wait until I can get out for good!

1 hour ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

Do you know that part of the St. Johns river from Rice Creek in Palatka all the way up to Jax and out to ocean is all considered as "sacrificed" section of river? Sacrificed to the polluters! It has been this way for nearly 100 years. Nothing anyone can do about it until the sources of pollution are stopped.

 

The Elite Series pro bass fishing runs their tournament just South of this pollution dividing line in the river. Rice Creek.

 

Ronnie's widow purchased a building in Jax Beach where she opened up her FreeBird Cafe and rock music concert hall. It is now closed down and sold off.

 

Green Cove Springs is still a small country town, but is growing.

 

You loved it in Jax and I can't wait until I can get out for good!

Haha, I lived there in the 80’s, I’ve got no regrets. But it was rather wild, at least on the west side. I moved about the state fairly easily as you know. My favorite lake was Lochloosa, do you remember when Wade Boggs bought the fish camp there? His father ran it and was a great Man to BS with, he weighed my 11.2 caught out of the Lake. Obviously this was before the sink holes that pretty much destroyed the lake. Nonetheless, great memories. After that I began to saltwater fish and that is probably where my heart is with LMB a very close second..