# Blackwater River help



## DDay (Aug 25, 2018)

Hi all. New guy here. Drinks are in me 

I will be in Milton for a few days in September with the bass boat in tow. Planning on fishing the Blackwater, and this is new water for me, so was hoping to ask a few questions...

1. Safety- are there areas of the river that deserve extra caution (stumps, shallows, sandbars)? Are these areas above or below Carpenter Park?

2. How should I think about finding bass in September? Not asking for gps numbers, but hoping general advice (Oxbows, creeks, river current) is ok to ask for.

3.in reading some older forum posts i see where some have said Yellow River is better than Blackriver for bass. Any navigation issues/concerns regarding the entrance in to the Yellow from the Black I should be aware of?

4. Any considerations from all the rain and freshwater run off?

Many thanks for any help/advice you can provide! Sincerely appreciated!


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## DDay (Aug 25, 2018)

Make that “drinks are on me” not “in me”


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## CurDog (Nov 14, 2010)

1. Yes, on the main (upper) river, stay on the outside of the river bends when navigating. The inside bends are the shallows/sandbars. 

As with any river (down here), operate in a safe prudent manner until you know where the stumps, logs, etc are. 



2. Probably like anywhere else you fish for bass. Many slews and ponds off the river, and many deep holes on the river. 



3. Yes, Yellow River is better for bass in my opinion. And it is VERY SHALLOW in the mouth of Yellow river and Blackwater river (bay). Trim up, and go slow. Or launch at one of the boat launches at the end of Ward Basin Rd. You'll be about 1/8 mile above the mouth at one launch and a couple hundred yards from the other. 



4. Since you did not specify what "days" in September, Blackwater usually clears fairly quickly, and Yellow river may be better closer to the end of the month. I was up on yellow river a week ago, it wasn't bad at all.


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## Yellow River Cat (May 3, 2008)

I’m not familiar with Blackwater around Milton at all. Yellow River should be good as long as we don’t get any tropical storms. I don’t fish the lower part very often, Browns Landing is at the south end of Ward Basin Rd. is a good launch if they’re still open. If you put in at Carpenter Park you have to run down south of I-10 to get to the Yellow Rv. I fish mostly 20 miles upriver from there as the crow flies and the deadheads and stumps get worse the further up river you go. The lower part is not that bad and on a good day you can catch some decent fish. There are some other launches on the west side of the bay. Hopefully some of the guys who fish down that way will chime in with more and better information.
Best of luck to you 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

If you launch in Blackwater then travel south to Yeller it gets real REAL shallow south of I10 in places. The 1st cove on the south/west side past the Blackwater Bridge has a shipwreck that will rip off your lower unit if you hit it. If you go into the cove either stay close to the northern or southern shore. 



There are tons of dock lights which will produce reds/trout/stripers! Those are always fun at night. I use everything from crappie jigs to MR17's. You could live bait it with shrimp too. It's really productive and not so hot at night!


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## SurfRidr (Apr 24, 2012)

Depending where you're coming from, Dday, the bass fishing can be tough to figure out. If you fish the lower Blackwater, try to do it on a falling tide so the river is moving better, but most of what I have seen on the forum says the Yellow is better for bass. I wouldn't know, I moved here from North Carolina where I have fished the reservoirs my whole life and thought I was a decent bass angler, and here I just seem to be missing something and haven't quite put it together yet. I've caught a few but I have not been able to target them well; and the ones I find are all smaller fish. 

Fall is a great time to pursue speckled trout and redfish, don't forget about those as well. Your bass tackle will work fine for them, but you'll want to do some searching on the forums for tactics. Topwater walkers, jig heads with paddle tail swimbaits, and shallow jerkbaits should all be good options. 

Hope you have a great trip!


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## DDay (Aug 25, 2018)

Thanks for all the info guys. Much appreciated!

I will post info (and hopefully some pics) after my trips. Right now it looks like fishing on September 9-10 and September 16-17. Thinking one weekend i will fish the Black and the other weekend the Yellow.

Seeing a sunrise and sunset on a “new” body of water is always fun. Especially if you make it back to the dock safely and with a few fish caught!


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