Gone Fishin
Caddo Lake, TX
Gone Fishin’
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF GONE FISHIN’
Caddo Lake, near the small community of Uncertain, TX, is a wonderful place to visit and photograph. The area consists of waterways, swamps, and bayous filled with moss-covered bald cypress trees, abundant wildlife, and folks who like to hunt and fish.
I had scouted this location before and decided that it was where I would set up for the late afternoon shot. Standing in 6” of swamp water (in my muck boots), waiting for the right light, my wonderful scene became the local fishing hole. At first, I was a bit disappointed, but I figured they had as much right to this beautiful spot as I did. So, I decided to embrace the new opportunity and believe it added to the moment.
Images and location summary by Tim Wier
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I would rate the difficulty of this trail as a 2 on a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the most difficult). The walk to the location of this shot is only about 60 yds from the parking area. However, a couple of trees in the water obstruct this view, so you will need to stand in about 6” of mud/water to get this shot. You can either wear muck boots or stand in the mud/water with your boots (NOT RECOMMENDED).
The Mill Pond at Caddo Lake State Park is a tiny body of water (only about 250 yards wide and 200 yards deep), but it can produce some GREAT images. After visiting the Mill Pond many times, this location is one of my favorites. It can be photographed in the morning, late afternoon, at sunset, or on an overcast day.
I prefer to photograph this scene in the late afternoon (after the direct sun has risen above the tallest trees) but before the reflective light dissipates. During this short window of time, the reflective sunlight illuminates the back set of trees in this scene, producing highly saturated colors.
Even if you miss the reflective light, this location can still be photographed as it gets close to sunset. The scene takes on a more subdued tone, with the colors of the leaves popping against the backdrop of brown trees and grey-hanging moss. I chose to shoot this location as a 3 - 5 frame vertical panoramic, but it can easily be photographed as a single-frame wide-angle shot.
When shooting at the Mill Pond, I usually bring my 24-105 mm and a 70-200 mm lens, with the majority shot with my 70-200 mm lens.
The image above was taken as a 3-shot vertical pano @ 91 mm.
163 Ft. Elevation
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Permits Required
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Google Maps Birds-Eye-View
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LOCATION SUMMARIES WRITTEN BY PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
