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If you go to Camp Lonesome, try paddling Wood River. It is a really pretty river, and the fishing can be very good. Near
Camp Lonesome it is a narrow river, then it widens out into a fair sized river for a short distance then narrows down again.
Downstream of the creek to the Mud Lakes the river is full of submerged branches of dead Red Mangrove trees. It is still
quite navigable by canoe or kayak, and the deadfalls make good structure for fish. This section of the river is quite scenic.
There are bromeliads on the trees, and there are occasional clumps of cattails. The lower part of the river is overgrown
with mangrove and you will have to zigzag back and forth across the river and slide over and under branches and logs. The
river widens out again near the junction with The Nightmare and Broad river.
When I paddled Wood River in March of 2002, I came across a school of baby tarpon at the creek to the Mud Lakes and
was with them until the river closed in. When one fish would throw the lure, another would grab it. Farther down, near The
Nightmare there were large tarpon rolling but none were interested in my lure.
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Willy Willy Mound and Camp Lonesome are lovely remote campsites. They are sheltered by tall trees bedecked with several varieties
of bromeliads. Paddlers should try to stay at these sites on weekdays. On weekends, these sites as well as other ground
sites such as Lostman's Five, Canepatch, and Graveyard Creek are popular with powerboat fishermen. It can get crowded. These
guys bring everything with them, including the kitchen sink.
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Willy Willy Mound
Broad River
This little pool is as far as you can go up Broad River without getting out and lifting over logs. The water
is fresh and the banks are lined with willows and other freshwater shrubs with lots of bromeliads.
Canepatch before Hurricane Andrew
Canepatch after Hurricane Andrew
Canepatch is another nice campsite. The above pictures show the effects of Hurricane Andrew. In March of 2001 this site
looked much as it did before the hurricane and the downed trees that choked Avacado Creek were nearly gone. Fishing in this
area is excellent. There really are tarpon in Tarpon Bay. Snook, redfish, seatrout, baby tarpon, and bass can be caught in
Rookery Branch and in the creeks that come down from the sawgrass. If you clean fish on the dock here, don't just drop waste
off the dock. There is an alligator here that is somewhat agressive and will come up to the dock to see what it can get.
If you go exploring in the tall grass and sugarcane, watch your step. There are rattlesnakes here.
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At Willy Willy, watch for White Crowned Pigeons that feed on cocoplums in this area. When paddling in Broad River and Broad
River Bay, be on the lookout for manatees and sea turtles. Fishing is good in Broad River Bay, and tarpon may be rolling
near Wilderness Waterway marker # 26.
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