Couey Road Fish Camp

Love this!

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is excited to announce its newest acquisition which will help in the fight against crime from the air.

A 2014 Zeppelin NT 07-101semi-rigid airship measuring 246-ft was recently seized from drug dealers during a spectacular traffic stop conducted by the PCSO Aviation Unit last month.

At the time, the drug dealers were transporting a cargo of he**in worth $80,000 in the airship they referred to as “Aeroin.” It’s probably the only time in the history of forever that a helicopter has pulled over an airship in flight. It was epic.

Retired U.S. Naval pilot Tom Kazansky from Arcanum, Ohio moved down to Polk County just last year, but will come out of retirement to take the helm of the airship.
“I’ve never flown a flippin’ blimp before; I’ve only flown jets,” said Kazansky. “But it’s a flippin’ blimp! How hard can it be?”

Asked how he came to be chosen for the job, Kazansky answered enthusiastically. “I was eating a Moon Pie and a Seven Up at the Bartow Executive Airport when I noticed Sheriff Judd standing next to the blimp. I’ve heard a lot about the Sheriff and heard he loves saving taxpayers money, so I yelled out to him, ‘Yo, Sheriff Grady…I’ll fly that thing for ya, for free!’ and his face lit up.”

According to one of the PCSO’s public information officers, who are among the very best in the business, unusually attractive, and uniquely intelligent, the airship will primarily be used to monitor criminal activity from above, but will also see some action at community events and schools.

“Children will love this more than our K-9s,” said the PIO. “I mean, no offense to our K-9s, but this is a flippin’ blimp, man! I bet Hillsborough County doesn’t have a blimp!”
This is the second consecutive year that the PCSO has kicked off the month of April with an unusual addition at the agency. On April 1, 2021, the PCSO debuted their G8R Unit, in which an alligator named Godzilla was chosen to be used instead of K-9s when suspects tried to evade capture by diving into lakes and ponds.



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The sun hid behind the clouds before there was a proper sunset but this was pretty.

Warning! Some experienced boaters had an accident on Yellow River yesterday. They said there are sunken trees that have moved around in the river. Tore up their boat. Just wanted to post a heads up.

Unfortunately 2020 really kicked us. The ramp remains closed. We have seen a lot of posts that the fish are finally biting. Some really impressive catches. Happy New Year!

There are lots of new fallen trees floating by our place. Please be aware if you are on the water. I saw that the tape was down and trailers were returning at the end of Ward Basin. I don’t know if the ramp is open.
The military came out and cleared the fallen trees blocking the cut through earlier in the week but they said there are a lot of loose trees. Be cautious.

UPDATE: PLEASE help us by telling your friends who do not know both ramps are closed. People are showing up very angry.
There is not an open launch at the bottom of Ward Basin. We would have opened for emergencies but there are fallen trees in the ramp. The house was under water and we are still in the process of emptying it so we have not had time to mess with the ramp. I don’t know if “Browns” is permanently closed but it is currently taped off. There is still standing water everywhere and anyplace you try to turn around is going to be muddy at best. Sadly, we had a contractor to fix the ramp and were waiting on all of the paperwork but that is going to have to take a back seat to living conditions.

A new state record

Santa Rosa man breaks state catfish record with 69.9-pound flathead - South Santa Rosa News Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) fisheries biologists certified a new state record flathead catfish weighing 69.9 pounds, measuring 48.5 inches long, with a girth of 38.25 inches, caught by angler Lavon Nowling from Santa Rosa County. Nowling caught his flathead catfish on rod...