After watching the Travel Channel TV show Cash and Treasures on Meg teeth found in the Peace river I could not wait to try my had a fossil hunting.  Several hours on the internet and a few at the local library I was ready.  I rented a canoe from the canoe outpost in Aracdia http://www.canoeoutpost.com/Peace/peace1.html and met three wonderful older women who gave my sons and I a few tips and locations to try out.  After a few minuets in our first dig site we found are first small shark teeth.  My sons, ages 11 and 7, and I at 35 were all hooked!  We had more fun in that river that day!  We came home with over 100 fossils that day.  For Fathers day my sons and wife took me back out.  Again we hit paydirt, with even larger shark teeth found.  After showing off our finds my father wanted in on the fun ans our next trip had grandpa digging in the river.  We found larger broken megs that day and we wanted more!!!  Another fossil hunter was on the river that day and was kind to show us his find of several nice megs.  My next trip started out with finding the summer rains had attacked the Peace river.  The water was now a 1.5 feet up from our last trip and the water was now muddy.  We stoped in a spot that I wanted to try for a few trips and hit black teeth gold.  MEGS!  We came home with 7 nice Megs, the largest one was at 3 inches.  We also found mammoth teeth.  The heat of summer drove us off the river early that day but we would be back!  On our last trip which was last Friday we brought up our new "used" canoe and hit the honey hole again.  Strong river currents delayed our trip and when we finally hit our spot a classic Florida thunder storm hit.  With only a few sifting trays full we were sent home!  Thanks to the Peace river we now have a new family hobby and over 250 shark teeth to enjoy.  Sever other finds have brought out our enjoyment in the research of our finds too.  With classic Florida summer heat and reain storms in full force now we are waiting for fall to get back up to the river.  Living only about 20 minuets away from the Caloosahatchee river  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caloosahatchee_River we are going to try our luck closer to home.  I hope to be able to post pics soon and will let you know what we find.

Curt

With school starting in one week my sons wanted to go back on the river for a fossil fix.  I have been researching several tributaries of the Peace River, and wanted to take a look at them so off we went.  Our 1st stop was Shell Creek, it is the southernmost tributary of the Peace River.   We launched off from a county ramp called Hathaway park.  Several bass boats were going in and with a quick look at the creek it was not looking good for fossil hunting.  A severe storm and dumped a large amount of rain on the area the day before and this creek was showing it off.  We lasted about 25 minuets and let the bass fishermen have the creek.  Our 2nd stop was Joshua Creek, which is just north of route 760 on the Peace River.  This boat ramp was busy with air boats and bass boats.  I was starting to wish I had brought a fishing pole instead of a shovel.  We made it into the creek and started several quick holes with only 1 nice tiger shark tooth found.  The heat and weather were keeping me from going to far up the creek.  This is going to be a good spot to fossil hunt when the water and weather are in prime fossil mode.  So after about an hour we packed up quick and headed to Arcidia to the boat ramp off of  route 70.  With the rains the day before we found teeth that were right on the surface for our collection.  Both of my sons were finding teeth, turtle scutes, eagle ray pavement teeth, and bone pieces everywhere.  We kept about 20 shark teeth and some eagle ray teeth for our growing collection.  I found a small round piece of bone with a hole in the middle of it.  We now have about 4 of these and I am not sure if they are from a natural process or indian artifact for a necklace?   All in all it was a good, hot day with the rain storms coming in on our drive home. 

I am looking for a small jon boat to use for fossils and fish.  Our canoe is great but the Caloosahatchee river is real big and with safety in mind were are staying off it untill a larger power boat can be found. A coworker is also into fossil hunting and had a serious boating problem when a large tug boat swamped their canoe.

Can't wait untill winter and lower river/creek days!!!

Curt

I am having a hard time downloading my pics to the forum.  Not sure if it is my computer or a Kodak software problem.  I hope to get them up ASAP.

I feel you pain with the heat. I am not sure why I let my wife talk me into the Florida move.  Fishing and now fossils are better than a Chicago winter, but the summer still stinks down here.

Curt

My frist report is on with pics!!!!!!!!  Sorry for the oversized pic's, I have to work on downsizing them for better viewing.  Computers really hate me...........

Curt 

Hi Curt (Cvemt)

I am in the Ft Myers area... sounds like you are too.  I dive off Venice to do most of my fossiling but i tried my luck in the peace river and a few local creeks off the caloosahatchee this weekend and didnt do as well as i would have liked.  I think i still have a lot to learn on river digging and site scouting!  When i dive everything is sitting pretty and very little searching is required just pick up the megs.  It would be nice to meet some fellow fossilers since i have a hard time finding people to take with me or go with.  I have also been thinking of trying out the "caloose"... i have a 22ft boat we could take up river past the lock and scout if you feel game...  otherwise i was thinking of getting a dive together off venice soon and braving the arctic waters.  Shoot me an email @ mlynch21@gmail.com in fact anyone around the area feel free to contact me! Also i have a 12 year old brother i am trying to get involved... so maybe your 11 year old son could help him out with that.

Matt