“The awesome thing about the Coochee river system is its ability to provide multiple different species all in one place” – Capt. Jesse Males
Seven years ago my friend Matt and I embarked on a canoe trip that has since become an annual event. The trip takes us down 25+ miles of what could possibly be Florida’s wildest river.
For the fly angler there are plenty of different fish species to be had. Largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, chain pickerel, and bowfin were all landed on fly during our most recent trip.
For most of the fish you will encounter a 5 or 6 weight is more than enough, even for some of the larger bass and bowfin. During my recent trip I brought along these three rods: the 3-4wt N-7, the 4-5wt C-9 and the 6-7wt C-9 by Walton Rods. These rods are fantastic and can hold up to some serious punishment.
The big bass below was landed on the 3-4wt N-7 by Walton Rods. I primarily brought this rods to fish for bluegill during the trip, but you never know what is going to sip a small popper once it hits the water.
I had the previous mentioned rods pared up with the Brookie, Rush LT, and Grip series fly reels by Galvan Fly Reels. In my opinion, aside from looking super rad, these reels did a great job and seemed to have very smooth drags when throwing lighter leaders and fighting bigger fish.
View the video below to see some of the footage from this years adventure down on The Coochee.
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I would also like to thank my friends at Walton Rods, Galvan Fly Reels, and Free Fly Apparel for helping me out on this trip!
Keep your hearts right, and your lines tight!
Backwater Fly Fishing / Jesse Males 