Using google earth to scout wading areas

[swampsinger 0]

I don't remember seeing this stuff in the travel brochure.

[mikechell 0]

I don't remember seeing this stuff in the travel brochure.

Surprise, surprise, surprise !!!

[Bimini15 0]

It is the sunshine state. That we have.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

for those wondering... vibrio can be found in all warm salt or brackish waters worldwide - not just here in Florida.... I've read of cases reported as far north as the Carolinas and across to the Texas coast... Anyone wading or working along warm water coastal areas should be familiar with it...

[Saltybum 0]

All good info and I really appreciate Bob bringing up the fact about NOT wading in dirty water.

\Anymore 98% of my fishing is wading, be it the beach or the Banana River Lagoon. In dirty water ( if I can't see my feet in 12" ) you can't see holes, sticks with barnacles that will slice you up, beer bottles, other sharp metal etc. along with sting rays and previously mentioned sharks, which are very rare in my area. Alligators we do have. Some quite big too. Why I also don't wade pre-dawn. Another story.

That being said...if I can't see my feet I won't wade. Plus I mainly sight fish for reds and trout in very shallow water anyway.

[FlatsRoamer 0]

Lol don't scare him guys!!

 

Yes there are many dangers in the water, but as long as you use common sense and be smart about things then you should be fine. I would also recommend wading (depending where you are) with flats boots. I have the cheap $30 pair from bass pro but I know Simms makes a great wading shoe, but at a much higher cost...

[swampsinger 0]

It's going to be pretty tough to put me off, however some of it is sinking in. You'll be able to spot the rookie, I'm the one wearing waders and boots to the beach. I've got several secret spots picked out between Tampa, Sarasota, and Port Charlotte areas.

[islander727 0]

It's going to be pretty tough to put me off, however some of it is sinking in. You'll be able to spot the rookie, I'm the one wearing waders and boots to the beach. I've got several secret spots picked out between Tampa, Sarasota, and Port Charlotte areas.

I hope that doesn't include Lemon Bay. You don't want to wade there. It's filled with sewage piped in from four different counties. The sharks have developed a taste for humans and prefer to hunt them over any other food source available. Researchers have documented them travelling up to five feet on dry land to snatch unsuspecting bait slingers.

 

Even if you do get past the drainage and the predators, there aren't any fish around anyways.

 

(If you see schools of mullet, pitch some flies in and around them. Redfish tend to follow them. Oyster beds are a fish magnet. Just use caution, as they are as sharp as razor blades and will hurt you)

[Saltybum 0]

My wading foot wear is SeaSoft Stealth dive booties. They have arch support and thick hard soles with rubber reinforced over the toe and heels.

 

Let us know how you do.

[mikechell 0]

Lol don't scare him guys!!

As Geena Davis says, "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

 

Fear is not a bad thing ... it makes you more cautious.

[saltydancindave 0]

It's going to be pretty tough to put me off, however some of it is sinking in. You'll be able to spot the rookie, I'm the one wearing waders and boots to the beach. I've got several secret spots picked out between Tampa, Sarasota, and Port Charlotte areas.

Might still have an old brochure from 20 years ago out of a local newspaper or fishing magazine somewhere in the library which listed wading areas including a spot either just north or south of the Skyway Bridge off the interstate turn around & Emerson Point plus areas around Sarasota thru Venice down to Englewood, Charlotte County & Boca Grande in Lee County. Used to try finding these areas as most were on gulf islands &/or off the Intercoastal Waterway to fish accessible off of parks land.

[swampsinger 0]

I've been using google maps and street view to find close parking and water access points

[saltydancindave 0]

Pelican Press published The Angler's Guide - Fishing in Sarasota Waters back in 2002 & probably earlier with a '99 copyright. Most saltwater wading in Charlotte County is off Manasota Key.

[Li'lDave 0]

Mike. Here we add to that list

 

Estuarine Crocodiles

Bull sharks

Stonefish

Box jelly fish

 

Vibrio is very real as well. I remember a mate nearly lost his foot because he didn't treat a scratch appropriately.

[Li'lDave 0]

In saying that. I love using google earth for much more than saltwater fishing.