Favorite / Suggested Floats

My family and I have have only been kayak fishing for a few months now and we've been wanting to go new places. I know that finding somewhere to float isn't that hard to do, but knowing where to put in and take out is important.

How about a list of everyone's favorite or suggested trips including put in/take out, length of float, fish species available, and any other pertinent info.

I'll list some that we've done to start it off in the next post.

Maybe if we can get a good list together it could be a sticky.

Nobody is really going to share the fishing waters on a World Wide Web site.

Oconee River Milledgeville. We actually make a few different trips here. Plenty of largemouth, catfish, bream, carp, gar, and bowfin. I'm sure there are jack (chain pickerel) too, but I haven't caught or seen them in the river yet. All three boat ramps have good parking and are used enough to keep crime down it seems. The Greenway one is heavily patrolled and is a very nice park with paved trails, obstacle coarse, pinic tables, dog park, etc.

1. Sinclair tailrace boat ramp to Greenway boat ramp.
This one is about 4 miles. There are some shoals that you'll have to carry over if the water is down, but that keeps other boats from most of this section of the river. Also there is a small rapid by the old power house right at the bridge. I've made it threw just fine, but not sure I want my kids trying it. I wouldn't suggest going over them without taking things out of your kayak first. Alternatively you can just pull out before them instead of floating the last little part to the ramp on the other side of the bridge.

2. Sinclair tailrace boat ramp down and around Carter's Island. This is a very short float that puts you back out right where you started. Once you get on the other side of the island there is almost no way a john boat or canoe can get through so it's very private. We have been twice and saw no one over there either time.

3. Greenway boat ramp down to "state" boat ramp. I've heard it is 6 miles. Sounds about right. This is our favorite section. Good fishing and lots of sandbars. "Elephant rock" to jump off of and swim for a cool down. Good combinations of shallow and deep water. There are always more people on this section.
______________________________________________

4. "Georgia Lake Number Nine" at the corner of Laying Farm Road and HWY 112 just outside of Milledgeville. This little pond is very nice and just the right size to paddle around. There is no boat ramp, but a large gravel parking lot and the edges around the lot are kept clean. The rest of the pond is grown up all the way around. Not many people put a boat in, so the only section fished often is the bank around the parking lot. I've only bass fished there, but I hear there are nice catfish in there too.

5. Bartram Forest WMA in south Baldwin county HWY 441. I haven't put in a kayak here, but was told by Forestry that any boat can be put in, but they are electric only. Also you can't drive in, but have to park by the road and walk into the ponds. There are 4 large ponds that aren't too far to carry a kayak. There is another small pond that I have never laid eyes on and I hear is very grown up.

6. Miller Creek Lake Recreation Area in Jones county on Blountsville RD off HWY 129 between Eatonton and Gray.
We've only been here once (8/14/16) and got skunked, but it was still a very pretty little lake. Decent boat ramp and very clean place. There is a covered pavilion and a few picnic tables. The lake has a couple of man made little peninsulas to fish from too. It is stocked every year with eating size catfish and then closed until May. They feed them heavily during that time and then hold a kid's fishing event. After that they open it up for public fishing.


7. Oconee river from Blackshear ferry to the bridge in Dublin. I am guessing this was around 5 miles. Lost 2 bass and a gar. Caught 2 bowfin / mud fish. Those were a first for me. Saw snakes and a big osprey. No gators, but I have seen several in that area before. We got out at the little park beside Roach's farm and garden. Not a good place because the bank is very steep and although it is open to the public, it still felt more like I wasn't supposed to be there. I think I would exit at the East Dublin boat ramp just off buckeye road if I make this trip again. That is about a mile before the bridge.

So far that has been it for us other than a private lake we fish. I hope this list will help someone out and that all of you will continue to add to it.

Please let me know if I can add any more information about the places I listed. Jason

Randy said:

Nobody is really going to share the fishing waters on a World Wide Web site.

Click to expand...

I don't expect anyone to reveal any secrets or honey holes. I just thought that a list of public accessible floats that are probably already well known to people of the area would be nice.

All the places I listed are most likely known to everyone who fishes in middle GA, but maybe not to people in other areas. If I'm revealing anything that bothers ya'll I will gladly delete it.

Doesn't bother me at all, but it will others.

http://www.thewildernessway.net/kayak-tours-events.html#tours

I know you are in middle georgia, but if you ever venture down to florida there is some good info on paddle trips on this website. Go to their website and then click the "paddling places" link.

jcbcpa said:

http://www.thewildernessway.net/kayak-tours-events.html#tours

I know you are in middle georgia, but if you ever venture down to florida there is some good info on paddle trips on this website. Go to their website and then click the "paddling places" link.

Click to expand...

That site has exactly the information I was talking about. There are maps of places to paddle with access points shown. We really want to get down there to the Ocala National Forest area and paddle that clear water.

Thank you for posting that.

The wife wants to take the kayaks out next weekend for a day float somewhere we haven't been before. We did the Chestatee earlier this summer and have done the middle Flint and Hooch as well. She'd like to stay in N. GA up to the TN/Carolina line.

We won't be doing any fishing on this trip, just looking for enough water to float the kayaks without too much dragging.

Thanks for any suggestions

Dawson Forest section of the Etowah is a nice day trip. Easy access, great scenery and pretty calm. Rught now the river is at a lower level than I generally like, but you should be able to do it with little dragging.

FIshing is also pretty good along here at times.

Some good info here:
http://dawson.org/OTD-CanoeingAndRafting.html

Section I mean is highway 9 to Kelly Bridge road

I don't mind giving a tip on a good spot, try boy scout camp thunder to highway. 36 ramp. Always check water level before going, Outdoor Center at 36 can help and shuttle is available.

That is on the Flint.

Thank you hopefully we'll make it down there next spring. I doubt we'll get a chance this year.

I have been thinking about putting in the Ocmulgee in Macon at Amerson River Park, paddling upstream some and then floating back to either the Spring Street bridge boat ramp or down to Central City Park. I've got to drive in and make sure there is a convenient (and legal) place to get out and load up at Central City Park.

http://garivers.org/paddle_georgia/maps.html

Here is a great source I just found. Maybe not new to most of you, but it sure is a help to me. There isn't really any fishing information, but maps with points of interest, shoals, obstacles, clearly marked places to launch or take out, and even river miles between points clearly marked. The maps are broken down into different GA rivers and then further into trips or sections of that river.

They are in PDF format so you can easily save and/or print them.

Steinhatchee River, Florida. It's not all that far and the float is amazing. Some fast moving water in places. Mostly a slow current with minimal paddling. You put in a Steinhatchee falls off HWY 51. Float/paddle into Steinhatchee, take out at several public docks and ramps. Not sure how many miles long it is but it takes about 3 to 4 hours to get to the takeout.

rollingwiththeflow said:

Steinhatchee River, Florida. It's not all that far and the float is amazing. Some fast moving water in places. Mostly a slow current with minimal paddling. You put in a Steinhatchee falls off HWY 51. Float/paddle into Steinhatchee, take out at several public docks and ramps. Not sure how many miles long it is but it takes about 3 to 4 hours to get to the takeout.

Click to expand...

Thanks. That sounds like a fun trip. I looked at it on Google and it looks just the right size for kayaks. Small enough to keep most other traffic out and large enough to hold some good fish. I like that old swampy black water, but I'm itching to check out some of the crystal clear springs down there too.


We were planning a 3 day, 22 mile river trip for this weekend, but Hurricane Matthew has us rethinking that. Praying for everyone who will suffer from that storm.