Arbuckle Creek is a bit of a secluded place and pretty wild for the most part. You will encounter other people in this area but it is not crowded and the further you go up it the fewer people you will encounter. It has been at least 10 years since I had been up the creek :) and with today being relatively windy, I thought why not.
The following pictures are of the furthest point that I traveled in the boat. The boat I have works rather well for small creeks like this and in lakes of all sizes. I took advantage of that today. The trip took me approx. 1.5 hours from Neiberts Fish Resort to get to the train trestle. It was worth the trip.
This is the top of what I call the falls. It is an area on Arbuckle Creek where the elevation changes and the water crosses an area that is mostly limestone what is created is a bit of rapids. I have seen it at a much higher water level and have always called it the falls. It is probably about as close as we are going to get to any kind of water falls in Central Florida.
This is a view of the falls going back toward the train trestle. The water gets a bit deeper as it make a turn and drops elevation again.
This is the pool in front of the train trestle. I decided to downsize everything while I was fishing on the creek. I switched to an ultra light fishing rod, with 6lb. test line on it and a yellow RoosterTail inline spinner. I grew up fishing these lures on trout streams as a youngster with my dad. We use to catch many fish on them and they have been a staple for me ever since. They work great on any game fish but are particularly deadly on the pan fish. In the right conditions there is little that can compare to them. So armed with these I fished the creek up to this point pictured above. I caught several assorted pan fish and several small bass. On the way into the falls as I crossed under the trestle I saw 6 catfish swimming in the current the largest would have weighed at least 15lbs, I did not come equiped with the necessary tackle to capitalize on that fishing excitement so I proceeded to the falls, pulled the boat on shore, and began fishing the pools. The following pictures are some of the fish that I was rewarded with.
This beauty was caught on the yellow RoosterTail inline spinner. I casted up into the rapids and let it flutter down before beginning the retrive. BAM! this monster knocked the fire out of it.
I took my golden rule out and measured the fish. It came in at approx. 22 inches. The golden rule is 25 inches in total length. This really was a nice fish and was unexpected at this location I had been catching 10 inch bass in the creek and on an ultra light that still makes for a pretty fun day fishing.
On of the many pan fish that were caught. I caught redear, bluegill and warmouth. All on that little spinner that you see the fish hanging from including all of the bass that were caught.
A few more casts and a few more fish and it was time to head back. I fished for a good part of the drift back down the creek catching several more fish. I passed several boats a little further down on the way back that were catching a good number of shell cracker on red wiggler worms. It is time for the bluegill shell cracker and warmouth to spawn so you might want to buy some crickets and red wigglers and take the kids fishing. Nothing gets the kids interested in fishing like the action of fishing for pan fish during the spawn.
Part of the ride on the way back. It is a really scenic trip and I got to see a couple of gators and a few turkeys in the process.
So what are you waiting for? Nothing shows the beauty of God's wonderful creation as the great outdoors. With a little bit of effort and virtually little money. You can enjoy this yourself or with your children. Arbuckle Creek provides an awesome opportunity to fish and explore. It is well suited for canoeing as well. You can go to places that are rarely seen by others. So take some time wander in the wonder of God's magnificent creation.... examples of it are all around you.
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