Dumbest Question ever

Mark W

Mark W

Well-known member
We are renting a place in Hernando Beach Florida for a couple of weeks. We are right on one of the many channels that come into this area. Have a couple dumb Northerner questions.

1. How the heck did they make all these channels? These are all perfectly laid out so they are definitely man made. From this "development" all the channels lead to one that goes out into the gulf.
2. Have lots of mallards swimming by the place. Do mallards drink both fresh and salt water?

The second question makes it duck hunting related.

Thanks -

Mark
 
Don't know the answer to 1 specifically but a lot of dredging in FL I have seen has a barge for holding material and another with a giant ass back hoe basically to dig the material up. Might be something along those lines

The mallards that I have hunted in the salt water frequently roost on fresh water at night. I don't know how much drinking the mallards do but I am sure there is some level of salt tolerance.
 
The channels were dug long ago before Floridas & US passed environmental regs. They excavated the channels through marsh and mangroves and side cast the material to raise the elevation of the lots. The grid patterns were laid out to maximize the number of waterfront lots and access to the rivers, bays and Gulf. The older 1940-1980s Houses were then built slab on grade. Problem now is that with sea levels here rising about 1’ in the last 75 years, a lot of them are incredibly vulnerable to even the smallest storm surge. Once they flood and are substantially damaged they have to be elevated really high to meet modern codes.

A lot of the canals were dug around historic stream channels that lead back to freshwater springs. So the water might be fresher than you think. But the park mallards are probably going to ponds a few times a day for freshwater.
You can catch speckled trout, reds, sheepshead, mangrove snapper and snook in those canals. Get some live shrimp and a medium action spinning reel (fishing license too) have fun.
 
Many species of ducks can drink limited amounts of salt water. There is a salt gland in their bill that separates the salt. Not positive about mallards, but I believe black ducks have the gland so I would assume mallards do as well since they're essentially the same bird. I think chicks may need fresh water as the glands are not functional for a while.
 
We were just up in that area, at Chassahowitzka River Campground. Caught a bunch of mangrove snapper in the springs, but only a couple of keepers.
Weekiwatchi Preserve right across the street from where you are staying is supposed to be a pretty cool place, lots of hiking and fishing.
 
Thanks everyone.

Pretty cool place down here. So different than MN. Our only requirement is that every meal except breakfast is seafood of some type. We have been down this way before and have found some nice hole in the wall seafood joints.
 
SJ Fairbank said:
Many species of ducks can drink limited amounts of salt water. There is a salt gland in their bill that separates the salt. Not positive about mallards, but I believe black ducks have the gland so I would assume mallards do as well since they're essentially the same bird. I think chicks may need fresh water as the glands are not functional for a while.
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This is true, but a tried and true tactic for coast of Maine black ducks once most of the freshwater is frozen is to set up on the edge the tiny freshwater creek. Ducks don't spend a lot of time there, but they do come in and set down briefly to drink in the fresh water plume. A pair of decoys and a good hide are all you need.
 
Jeff Reardon said:
This is true, but a tried and true tactic for coast of Maine black ducks once most of the freshwater is frozen is to set up on the edge the tiny freshwater creek. Ducks don't spend a lot of time there, but they do come in and set down briefly to drink in the fresh water plume. A pair of decoys and a good hide are all you need.
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I was keeping that tidbit to myself. :D LOL Same is true for brant and geese on the salt, and sometimes divers will stop in as well. Many of the best tiny little freshwater trickles are foundation or curtain drain outlets poking through a seawall. They aren't subject to freezing because the groundwater collected comes out at high 40's-mid 50's temps year round.
 
Mark W said:
Thanks everyone.

Pretty cool place down here. So different than MN. Our only requirement is that every meal except breakfast is seafood of some type. We have been down this way before and have found some nice hole in the wall seafood joints.
Click to expand...
You gotta try shrimp and grits for breakfast 😁
 
Mark W said:
Thanks everyone.

Pretty cool place down here. So different than MN. Our only requirement is that every meal except breakfast is seafood of some type. We have been down this way before and have found some nice hole in the wall seafood joints.
Click to expand...
Gator bites and fish spread! Mmm, mmm good!
 
Did some researching on the Hernando Beach area and all the canals. Guess there was some mining down this way and they used the ex cess mining material to build up the home sites. Along with dredging. Also found out that the "development" we were staying in was the only one of the 3 with direct access to the gulf. The developer started working on two other sub divisions and then the rules changed on him more than halfway through. They changed the access to the gulf stuff and these two newer areas could not have direct access to the gulf. Instead they built a channel over to where we were and then there was a hug concrete wall seperating our area from the other two. There was aa big crane to hoist boats over the concrete wall for those boaters to get to the gulf. Pain in the ass and I hear the lift was broken wuite a bit of the time.

Nice trip again. Came home to a snowstorm. Wonderful
 
i haven't spent a bunch of time there, but if you look further down around fort myers i always find those canals fascinating. They are excavated out of solid sandstone and fossilized coral. No soft bottom there.
 
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