Mingo National Wildlife Refuge - Trip Report Added

[Flysmallie]

It's not someplace I'll go rushing right back to but I did enjoy my time there. I can't say that it didn't live up to my expectations because I had none. Trips seem more rewarding when you just go with it. As Jeff asked me Saturday, "If I told you that we were going to drive 3 hours to catch 2 fish but one was going to be a nice bass would you do it?" Uh yeah. Every single time. 

 

John I'll get you some spanish moss and gator pics in a few weeks. 

 

[ness]

Good attitude. It’s not all about inches or pounds or numbers.

I went to a wedding last weekend. 😄

[snagged in outlet 3]

Weddings are worse than peas. 

[jdmidwest]

A sack of frozen peas can cool off a pain.  Nice report, you make it look better than it normally is this time of year.  You made the right choice and did not stay in the swamp, the local mosquitos would have drained the blood out of you.  Its a spring/fall place to fish.  Early on, crappie, then bass in the fall on Stanley Creek.  Duck Creek main pool can be fished all year, but it is choked out with weeds anymore.  They used to spray and kill off lanes to keep some open water to fish, but they have let it grow up.  And this area is in kind of a drought right now, not much rain this spring.

 

[Greasy B]

Great report and cool pictures, I love swamps.....swamps with fish that is.

 

 

[Gavin]

Looks like a fun adventure. Fishing success usually comes 3rd after people & places in my book.

[Harps]

12 hours ago, jdmidwest said:

............Its a spring/fall place to fish.  Early on, crappie, then bass in the fall on Stanley Creek.  .........

 

What makes Stanley Creek the place to be? Seems like the closer we got to it, the worse the conditions were.

After we left I was on the side of the fence of not planning a trip back there, but maybe we just hit the calendar wrong. Smallieflys proved the potential for nice fish there and I would still like to catch a bowfin on the fly........

I may try to add some pics in a day or two, too much going on at the homestead....

[jdmidwest]

Did you paddle into the wilderness area?

[Harps]

8 hours ago, jdmidwest said:

Did you paddle into the wilderness area?

Yes, Flatbanks up to about a third of a mile from Stanley. It just started to get difficult to navigate the trees and obstacles and the water had a lot of pollen scum on the surface, so we turned back.

[Harps]