Welcome to my fishing (and outdoors) adventures! Fishing is my escape and has so much to offer; the tranquility, the challenges, and listening to that drag scream. It's not just a hobby; it's a journey of practice, skill, dedication, and the willingness to grind it out.
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@@crazybirdblonde without trying to sound flip, they are all over Florida, especially my area, I could see one any given day. It's just a random thing. I dont try to fish around them, I generally try to stay out of their way, but they are very curious creatures and often times will appear at your kayak when fishing
I had one swim by the dock I was fishing from on the Matanzas River near Palm Coast when I used to live there. Didn't actually see the manatee, but the amount of water that was being displaced as he swam past was impressive!
These guys essentially like shallow, warm water with plenty of plant and algae growth, so they can be found well up river. Really the limit is how navigable the water way is for them as they are not small animals. They *are* referred to as Coastal, but I can tell you as a Marine Ecologist who specialises in Coastal Ecosystems, (though North-western European and Arctic/Antarctic) in my case, that the term 'Coastal' can actually apply further inland than many might assume. Being mammals Manatees require few of the specialist adaptations that most fish would require to be able to switch easily between Marine, brackish and Fresh Water. Brackish water being that zone where fresh and marine water mix. Others may term it Estuarine, which works as well...
I don't wish to cause a stir, but the manatee on the back end, is that the one someone wrote on several years ago (and got severely fined for, which they 100% should have)? It's hard to tell with the compressed video on RU-vid and I *think* I can see writing on it but it could totally be that one rubbed up against something natural. Also, 100% thought they were alligators at first but laughed when they weren't. That's a super cool experience and I'm happy you did the right thing by giving them their space. Hope you catch some big ones (fish, not manatees or alligators 🤣)!
Hey great comment there and I appreciate it! I've been fishing in Florida for a while now and unfortunately most or many manatees have boat prop scars or gashes from boats. Not saying that is what happened but most likely it is. If it was an alligator I'd been paddling straight up the bank lol!! And yea I always give them room, but they are so curious that they literally will come right up to your kayak. I accidentally went over one in my kayak once, and it nearly flipped my yak, so I've learned to give them space, plus it's the law.
Don't want to say that most scars are from boats and props as they can be from other encounters, but unfortunately many of the injuries look to be from boats. Ofc it's hard to see them as well
Its not fun when your fishing and these show up. Because they are federally protected from any human contact, its illegal to fish around them in florida.
Manatees are not native to Florida but were introduced to eat vegetation from engineered waterways and now have RUINED boating. They are so stupid, they can't get out of the way.
Yea it is a shame. I get that there will be accidental encounters, just hate it when the encounters happen in areas where folks are supposed to follow the rules but don't!
I used to go to Crystal River every February to see some manatees with my kids and they are beautiful creatures, most of the time the mothers will swim by us with their babies, it’s so cute