Canoeing Juniper Springs Run in an Old Town 119 Canoe

Canoeing Juniper Run 

February of 2021  I made a trip to Florida to Canoe a spring fed creek that I have wanted to Canoe for YEARS.   I first read about this Creek in The Book  FABULOUS FOLBOT HOLIDAYS years ago.   This creek is listed in the top 25 of  River/creeks to canoe in the United States.  

Here is the book(still available on ebay and other sources) and the page where the article On Juniper Run and Alexander Springs are noted. 

This book though old is a must read for awesome Canoe trips.  

So,  I finally  made it down there and the parks shuttle service is closed because of Covid.  I then put my Old Town 119 Canoe in at the take out at Juniper Wayside on Hwy 19  and paddled up .  I caught Bass, redbreast sunfish, Spotted sunfish and the creek was loaded with mullet!   I also had an encounter with an 8' plus Gator that you can see in the video.   I paddled a few miles up well past Sweetwater Springs(private) and then floated back down.  This day was a very fun float/paddle  and one I will never forget.   

Check out my YouTube Video of my float/canoe trip  of Juniper Run. 

#juniperspringsrun

#junipersprings

#Juniperwayside

old town 119

Greenfield Lake Wilmington, NC - where and what to Catch & more!

Greenfield Lake - Wilmington, NC

Greenfield Lake is a 90 acre millpond that was  originally used for rice production starting way back in 1730.  The City of Wilmington Purchased the Millpond and Land in 1925.  The lake has a nice Boat Ramp and parking area (see Map) and has a 5 mile Greenway for walking /jogging/Bicycling around the lake.   Things to see here are many species of Birds, Alligators, Turtles,  and I am sure a few Fox Squirrels call the woods around the lake home.   

Fish to be be found in the lake include Largemouth Bass, Bream, Shellcrackers, Bowfin, Longnose Gar, Black Crappie, Warmouth, Grass Carp, Common Carp, Yellow Perch,  Golden Shiners  and a record Bullhead Catfish was recently caught there.   

see   http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/outdoors/article85251312.html

The Trees in the Lake(Bald Cypress) and around the Lake  (Longleaf pines and Live Oaks are numerous ) are impressive as well as the Stunning Azaeleas which you must see in Spring.

Greenfield Lake has a nice boat ramp that is perfect for Canoes/Kayaks and small Jon Boats. It is very shallow out from the ramp so bigger boats may have a problem.

The parking area at the Boat Ramp

Here are the signs at the Boat Ramp

Here is a view of the 5 mile trail at the Dam

A view of the Dam

Here are some Bald Cypress Trees in the Lake

A nice Crape Myrtle Tree covered in Spanish Moss

I saw 3 Alligators on my trip there.  A small 2 fter, a 4fter and a 8 fter.  I would not let a dog get near the water.  These gators don't seem afraid and will approach you and while feeding them is illegal I suspect people do feed them by their behavior I observed.

Here is a nice Bass I caught there on a Black Spinnerbait

A nice Gar my Buddy landed.

If you ever find yourself in Wilmington you must at a minimum take a walk around the lake or better yet canoe the lake.

ADDED  2022

***June 19th  2022  my wife and I set out to explore and fish Greenfield Lake our quarry being Gar and while we were not successful( I had one good run) we did catch a lot of Bream and one nice Shellcracker .   We also saw 4 Gators at one time and several others along with several Ospreys, Comorants, Little Green herons and great Blue herons. 

Here is a picture of two anglers fishing - 

A Nice  Redear Sunfish  AKA Shallcracker
  

tags -  " Gar Images North Carolina "

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#wilmington

#northcarolina

#fishing

#greenfieldlakefishing