Econlockhatchee Report

Econlockhatchee Report

Thank you for reading this Econlockhatchee Report. It wasn’t supposed to be an Econlockhatchee Report, but that’s how it played out.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Monday morning at 0830, Susan dropped me off at the 419 bridge over the Econ. Even though the algae sign was still there, the water was not green, so I launched the canoe and went.

This greeted me as soon as I launched the canoe.

The gauge was at 0.77, and I’d say the water is too low, not for fishing, but for paddling. It was a ten-mile-long obstacle course. I went over, under, and around log jams, and had to drag or carry the boat in a lot of places.

Yes, it was an obstacle course.

At 1630 I arrived at Snow Hill Road, pretty well spent, having caught a handful of bass. Didn’t have much fishing time because of the obstacles. Still it was a beautiful day with lots of birds- an eagle (three times), a couple swallow-tailed kites, a few limpkins, woodpeckers, hawks, and the usual assortment of herons and ibis. I saw an ibis with a little fish in its beak, never saw that before. There were lots of fish, although they were mostly Plecostomus and tilapia. Did see a school of channel cats, never saw that before, either. And of course the giant reptiles, can’t forget those.

In a perverse way it was fun, but I’m going to want more water before I try it again!

Tuesday I fabricated a camera mount for my canoe. It’s not a piece of art, but does the job. Afterwards it got tested on Lake Mills. It worked pretty well.

Wednesday found me on a different stretch of the Econlockhatchee, with the new camera mount. The river, still low, was much easier to negotiate in this stretch. Fishing was OK (although the fish were running small) and the pictures were pretty good. But at home, a problem developed with my photo software.

Fly fishing from the canoe…

 

…produced several bass, if no big ones.

 

 

Got this very hungry bluegill, too.

 

Used the spin pole as well!

 

A nicely rigged Culprit worm.

 

After ducking under the tree.

I wanted to fish Thursday. But what happened was a visit to the Apple Store, not nearly as much fun. It was time for a new computer and the photo software issue clinched it. Cha Ching.

Apple gave me a 10 percent discount for being a veteran. Of course there was a catch- I had to order the machine on-line. We did that at the Apple Store, but I couldn’t walk out with it- it had to be delivered. On Friday.

So instead of fishing Friday, I sat around and waited for the new computer to arrive. It did, nice and safe. So now I have two computers, a funky, balky old one and a shiny new one.

I intend to spend more time fishing next week.

That’s my Econlockhatchee Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go walking! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

Easter Week Report

Easter Week Report

Thank you for reading this Easter Week Report. I hope everyone has a blessed Easter.

Got out bass fishing on Tuesday, and out of Port Canaveral (!) on Friday.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

spotted sunfish, aka stumpknocker

Tuesday found me walking the Econ, tossing plastic worms. Would love to fly fish there, but don’t see how it could be done with all the trees, at least with my skill level. But the plastic worked well on the bass, and even got a few stumpknockers, too. Wish those things grew to five or ten pounds, man, that would be something.

Thursday went to the Orlando Wetlands Park with some friends. Did not get many good photos, though.

black-crowned night heron

 

tilapia

 

bullrushes

Friday I joined Alastair Worden for a Port Canaveral trip. Wind was out of the east at about 15, so it was kind of snotty. We found a big school of pogies right away (there were lots of them around), and I netted some. Got a bite from a big spinner shark. He made a run, jumped while spinning, and broke my line (#50 braid). Got a bite from a bluefish and hooked it in the side. And that was it for me. Alastair got a northern sennet. And that was it for our trip as far as fish went. Nice day if breezy. It was too rough to really go looking for fish, though.

That’s my Easter Week Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go walking! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

Under the Weather Report

Under the Weather Report

Ken Shannon with a big snook he got in Belize.

Thank you for reading this Under the Weather Report. Got out on Friday only, except for a walk along the Econ on Wednesday. Since fishing didn’t happen much, I’m running a snook pictorial from my files.

Capt. Willy Le, Indian River Lagoon, Stuart.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Maxx with Capt. Scott Hofmeister at Jupiter Inlet. This is probably Maxx’s first fly-rod snook.

Sunday I was re-wiring the trailer of the Bang-O-Craft. I couldn’t get the lights to work. To determine if the problem was in the trailer or the car, I carried an extra battery over to the trailer. Bad idea.

Maxx, a little older here, in Everglades National Park.

Monday I could hardly get out of bed- the back was wonky. Naturally I hoped it would get better.

A younger John Kumiski, Everglades National Park.

Tuesday it was not better.

Alex, in Bulow Creek.

Wednesday I visited Dr. David Demetree Chiropractic, and got my back tweaked. On the way I stopped and took a walk along the Econ. It’s closed. Even if it wasn’t, don’t know that I’d want to fish there. It is a nasty shade of green.

Nathaniel Foster (a student of mine) on the Banana River Lagoon.

Thursday the back was still sore, and I had a dentist appointment anyway. No fishing.

Capt. Paul Hobby, Indian River Lagoon, Stuart.

Friday I launched the Bang-O-Craft (didn’t trust the back enough for the kayak) at CS Lee Park on the St. Johns. I had not forgotten those schooling bass. They, however, forgot about me. They were not there, nor anywhere else I looked.

Don Causey, Everglades National Park.

The first fish I got was a tilapia. They always surprise me when they strike my lure, in this case a white crappie jig. Then, even more surprising, a large needlefish took the pink jig. To round off the catching “frenzy” (hardly), a nice crappie took a white Road Runner. That was it for four hours of effort. It was a beautiful day, with swallow-tailed kites and eagles among the many bird species noted. The grackles are putting on mating displays, that was fun to watch (and hear).

Small creek snook, Everglades National Park.

So the Econ is green, the lagoons are brown, and waa-waa woe is me. Might have to travel to do some fishin’.

Capt. Greg Gentile, Indian River Lagoon, Stuart.

That’s my Under the Weather Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Maxx, Everglades National Park.

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go bicycling! Stay active!

Mile Conneen, Ten Thousand Islands NWR.

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

A Ho-Hum Report

A Ho-Hum Report

Thank you for reading this Ho-Hum Report. Got out three times in two days, slightly unusual.

Most of the bass I got were around this size, a St. Johns RIver fish.

Monday-

wanted to float the Econ. Foolishly, I deferred to the weather forecast, which was for clouds all day, with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. Not wanting to get caught on the river in a storm, I decided to go to Lake Mills instead.

I’d never caught much in Lake Mills, so the six or seven bass I got there was a new record for me, even if they were all twelve inchers. Culprit worms, gotta love ’em. Of course the sun came out fifteen minutes after I launched the canoe.

While out there, an idea came to me- “You should go to the St. Johns River.” Heck yes, I should. Twenty minutes later, the canoe was on the van. Fifteen minutes after that, the canoe was in the garage and the Bang-O-Craft’s trailer was attached to the car. Twenty minutes after that, I was parking the van at CS Lee park, after which we headed right to the mouth of the Econ.

The water is LOW. The boat bounced off the bottom for part of the way. That low water certainly kept the boat traffic down.

The thought was to fish for bluegills and redbellies. All I brought was ultralight tackle, both spin and fly (although the fly poles never got touched). They were still rigged for shad with tandem crappie jigs, so that’s what was used. About the sixth cast, FISH ON! Turned out to be a bass, only slightly larger than the Lake Mills fish.

But there were lots of them. And periodically they erupted onto the surface in a feeding frenzy, feeding on what looked to be baby shad. They would only hit the pink jig. The one with the white head was variously paired with black, white, chartreuse, and clear-with-silver-glitter tails and never took a fish. I finally tried a 1.5-inch Creme Sassy Shad- they would hit that, too.

A large tilapia was foul-hooked in the dorsal fin. It was quite a tussle until the fin tore and the jigs came flying back at me.

Those bass put up a much better account for themselves on the tiny tackle than they would with my usual bass gear. At one point I got a bass double, too- one on each bait- something that had never happened to me before.

So I had a fishing twofer, and it wasn’t even Tuesday yet! Which was good, because…

…Tuesday

found me and the ‘yak on Mosquito Lagoon. Bad news for lagoon lovers- the water is turning brown again, I fear. In five hours exactly four redfish were seen, with zero chance of a shot at any of them. My only fish was a puffer. At least it was fly-caught. ‘Twas a beautiful day, though.

Wednesday

when we got home there was a message from Seminole County on my answering machine telling me that toxic blue-green algae was coming out of the Little Econlockhatchee and to avoid contact with the water. I had intended to float the Econ on Thursday or Friday, so the message put the kabosh on that idea.

It’s great that our public servants are taking such good care of our water quality. Every decision is only based on money, it’s so sad.

Thursday

was spent in large part waiting for a phone call (!) and Friday was filled with errands that didn’t get done Thursday. Friday night we took in a concert by the Orlando Concert Band. Boom! Crash!

That’s my Ho-Hum Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go bicycling! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

The Bass Fishing Report

The Bass Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Bass Fishing Report. Lucky enough to get out three days this week- even a campout! And some bass were caught- largemouths, that is.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Tuesday morning I drove to the Rodman Campground, where there’s a boat ramp, and where I spent the night. I launched my kayak at the ramp and went paddling on quite a sizable lake. Looks like they used mass amounts of glyphosate– there were no aquatic plants other than water lilies. This was very disappointing, and made fishing more difficult. Where were the fish hiding, if there were no weed beds?

My average size Rodman bass.

My first fish was a dink bass, caught in water lilies near the shoreline of the canal, on a Senko-style worm. There was a spot with a lot of branches sticking out of the water, got four or five there, all pretty small.

Saw a green patch out in the lake, paddled out to it. It was a small floating patch of vegetation, dollarweed and some terrestrial plants. Pulled a decent fish out from under it.

Got my best fish next to a small patch of water lilies along a dropoff. A second fish followed the hooked one in, and then hung around until I released the it. Then they swam off together. Who knew??

The best one I got there, the fish whose partner waited for it.

 

Sunset over Rodman Reservoir.

My plan was to fish Rodman two days. After the first day I did not want to fish there again, so in the morning I drove to Farles Lake. I literally had the place to myself. The fish bit pretty steadily, but again, mostly small ones, and again, almost all on soft plastic worms of various shapes and colors. Got one dink on fly. Probably ended up with two dozen fish, but the biggest one was three or four pounds.

All in all it was a pleasant, productive trip, even if no monstahs were forthcoming.

Thursday I did something I’ve been wanting to do for a while- I went to the Econlockhatchee! This was a walking trip with the shortest spin rod I own, and it was goooood. Culprit worms and Senkos, the fish didn’t much care.

I even got several sunfish (redbellies and stumpknockers) on the rig. How a stumpknocker can get a 3/0 hook in that little mouth is beyond me, but they do, somehow. I got more bites, and the quality of the fish was better, than either day in Ocala Forest.

An Econ fish, one of many.

 

And, the irises are blooming.

That’s my Bass Fishing Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go bicycling! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

The Equinox Report

The Equinox Report

Thank you for reading this Equinox Report. I only got to fish Wednesday- not even on the equinox! As windy as it’s been all week, I was lucky to fish at all. All the photos this week are file photos. I didn’t take the camera out all week.

And now the length of daylight exceeds the length of darkness, at least until September…

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Monday I got to take a lung function test. These are not a favorite, and it is my sincere wish that none of my readers ever have to take one.

Tuesday required a follow-up visit to the pulmonologist to discuss the function test. It was hardly different than the previous one, which is good. The visit completely tied up my day, but both Monday and Tuesday were windy anyway.

Wednesday I met Mike Conneen and River at the Mosquito Lagoon for some kayak fishing. While I was driving there the car thermometer registered 37 degrees! But there wasn’t much wind, and there were no clouds, and the sun was warm even if the air wasn’t.

Mike, River, and a redfish.

Fishing was slow all morning, and Mike and I split up. After eating lunch I was paddling and looking, and nearly ran over what had to be the stupidest redfish in the lagoon. After passing it, I turned around to look for it, a ploy that almost never works. But this time, the fish was still there, tilted down, apparently looking at or for something on the bottom. I cast and the fish took the fly. But I missed it. As I pulled the fly for another cast, the fish chased it almost to my bright yellow boat.

That certainly should have been the end, but the fish turned around and casually started swimming away. Leader butt in the rod, I just flopped the fly out there again and the fish nailed it, and this time it stuck. It wasn’t a big fish by any means, 22 inches or so, between two and three years old. I kissed it, unhooked it, and released it, amazed I had gotten it. Dumb, dumb fish.

Tammy, the inimitable.

The next fish was a couple hours later, also a redfish, but a larger one. Again, the leader butt was in the rod, and I watched the eat move (couldn’t see the fly). When I got the fish to the boat, instead of using the dehooker, I used a pair of forceps. Just as I was about to grab the fly, the fish shook. The leader got caught in the scissors part of the forceps which cleanly cut the tippet, and the fish made off with a new piece of jewelry, that it probably didn’t want and which I certainly didn’t intend to give.

Laurel, on a charter a long time ago.

The last fish of the day was tailing when I saw it. Then it started swimming on a course parallel to mine. Again, it was close and the leader butt was in the rod. I flopped the fly out there. Never felt the take. I saw the leader moving sideways and set. Fought the fish to the boat and it shook the hook, so no forceps accident there, good thing. Then I went back to the boat ramp.

Ken the Professional Fish Model.

I hadn’t gotten a fish with the leader in the rod in quite a while, and then got three that way in one day. Kind of amazing, and certainly great luck was involved.

Thursday and Friday were both real breezy again. The A/C in the van went out, so that gave me something to research. Hope it doesn’t cost thousands to fix!

That’s my Equinox Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go bicycling! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

Oklawaha River Report

Oklawaha River Report

Thank you for reading this Oklawaha River Report. I wanted to leave Wednesday. Circumstances prevented that. So this report covers only Thursday and Friday.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Paul McInnis met me at the Eureka East ramp Thursday morning. I was talking to a local who suggested we leave our vehicle at the Eureka West ramp instead. We took his advice. From there we loaded almost all of our gear into Paul’s pickup, and drove to Ray Wayside Park. There I discovered I’d left my tent in the van. I had to go back and get it, setting us back an hour. Arrrggghhh.

After loading gear into the kayaks, a short canal put us into the Silver River. I wanted to see otters, got cormorants instead. Once we reached the Oklawaha, we had the river to ourselves, with the brief exception of some canoe racers who came tearing by. The weather was exceptionally nice.

The water was fairly clear. The river flows through bottomland woods- lots of beautiful cypress trees, red maples, ash trees, willows, sabal palms, and other plants I didn’t know. Poison ivy likes it there, a lot! It was all along the banks.

The current was surprisingly swift for a Florida river, and it was much deeper than I expected. The combination of current and depth, combined with plentiful downed trees, made it difficult to fish. If you tried to fish deep, you hung up. If you fished shallow, there weren’t a lot of bites.

spotted sunfish, a.k.a. stumpknocker

Using a tiny jig, Paul did well on the sunfish. My first fish was a bass, on a Culprit worm (red shad), that was all of 10 inches. It was quickly followed by a warmouth. Quite a while later, I got what turned out to be the best fish of the trip, a bass of 2-3 pounds, on the same worm.

After switching to a small fly rod, the bites started coming much more frequently. Of course, the fish were much smaller, too- redbellies, stumpknockers, and bluegills. The fly that produced the best was a black wooly bugger. Of course I lost it to a root. That’s OK, I’ll make more.

redbreast sunfish, a.k.a redbelly

We spent the night at Gores Landing, a small and mercifully quiet campground. The loudest thing there were the birds. Owls hooted all night, limpkins screamed, and at dawn the chorus of songbirds was a wild symphony of bird calls. All especially cool!

bluegill

Day two was largely a repeat of the first, except there were fewer fish. The water was browner, too. By about 1030 we’d stopped fishing and were just paddling, or peddling, in Paul’s case.

We were at Eureka West about 1430, at which point we loaded up, made the shuttle, and went our separate ways homeward.

In all it was a very pleasant if not particularly fish-filled trip.

That’s my Oklawaha River Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go bicycling! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

Beware the Ides of March Report

Beware the Ides of March Report

Thank you for reading this Beware the Ides of March Report. Fished two days, took pictures part of another one.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Monday found me launching the kayak at the Snow Hill Road Econlockhatchee launch. I floated downstream casting a mouse gurgler fly and hooked two bass before the bridge was out of sight. Then, I couldn’t buy another bite. The switch to the spin rod was eventually made.

A black shad Culprit worm was the bait of choice for a long while. It got bit sporadically, by junior-league-sized bass. The best one was the first one I got, on the fly, and he was only 13 or 14 inches.

The river looked strangely quiet. There were no alligators (!). There were very few fish in the water that I could see. In five hours I saw a single, small catfish and a single Plecostamus, and one small school of mullet. Not a single bass did these eyeballs spot.

What there was, was a lot of chainsaw-cut branches. Some over-zealous individual(s) cut away lots of blowdowns to make the river accessible to motor vessels. To my way of thinking, more traffic = fewer fish. Or perhaps it was that day, or me. Either way, I don’t think I’ll be visiting that stretch again any time soon.

Purple gallinule

 

soft-shell turtle

 

Yellow-rumped Warbler

 

common moorhen

 

humans with cameras

 

pileated woodpecker

 

great egret

 

american alligator

Tuesday, 20-knot winds. Visited the Wetlands Park for about an hour, and learned birds don’t much like the wind, either. I still shot close to 300 frames, with my old, three-frame-per-second camera (The expensive new ones can do thirty.). The Park is going off, bird-wise, though. Lots of nesting birds, sandhill crane colts, etc. Good time to visit now.

Wednesday, had a meeting. Tied up a windy rainy day, so no problem there.

Thursday, 20-knot winds. Tied some flies.

Friday, an incredibly nice day, found me in the kayak, wearing waders on Mosquito Lagoon. I paddled quite a distance before getting a bite from anything other than a puffer. That last spot gave up a dozen trout and five or so reds, all fairly modest in size, all on the plastic shad. One or two trout may have exceeded 20 inches.

News Flash! People are boneheads! While I was standing there, a school of redfish swam almost right into me. As this was happening, four goobers in a big jonboat pulled up about 50 feet away, blowing all the fish out. They never knew. One guy put down the trolling motor and another said, “Don’t get too close to that guy [meaning me].” Too late, but thanks!

On the way back to the put-in I waded a sandy spot with the fly rod and one of the flies I’d tied the previous day. A redfish (maybe two?) swam by. I put the fly on him, he didn’t bite it. There must have been two, though, because the line came tight and minutes later I was releasing a red that was four or five pounds, best fish of the day. Never took the camera out.

Ten minutes later the boat was atop the van, and I was outta there!

That’s my Beware the Ides of March Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go bicycling! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

Big Cypress Report

Big Cypress Report

Thank you for reading this Big Cypress Report. The weather was glorious, and fishing was good- once I figured it out.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Mangrove tunnel, East River.

On Tuesday I launched my kayak at the East River landing in Fakahatchee Strand State Park, a place I’d never been before, suggested to me by the Glades Fly Bum. Visions of snook and tarpon danced in my head. Another kayaking fly fisher was launching at the same time. He assured me that snook and tarpon were present in good numbers, even suggested flies to use and spots to try. I followed his advice.

The tunnel opened up into a cichlid-filled pond.

Did I catch, or even see, any snook or tarpon? No. What I caught were Mayan cichlids. I didn’t drive five hours to catch Mayan cichlids. Where are the snook and tarpon? Five hours of casting brought plenty of cichlids, but nothing else.

Mayan cichlid, a decent-sized one.

The next morning I launched at the Halfway Creek Kayak Launch. Again, I had never been there before, and again, the Glades Fly Bum had suggested it to me. Two fly fishers were launching a Gheenoe at the same time. One of them assured me there were plenty of snook and tarpon present, and suggested which flies to try and spots to try, even gave me a fly. Thank you!

Mayan cichlid, business end.

When I started fishing my way down the canal, all I caught were cichlids and largemouth bass. I didn’t drive five hours down here for cichlids and bass!

Lunchtime came. While eating my snack, I considered the situation. The weather was outstanding. Temperature in the mid-seventies, plenty of sunshine, poofy white cumulus clouds floating overhead, winds light and variable. I wanted snook and tarpon. In nearly ten hours of fishing, I had yet to even see one of either, much less catch one. I was feeling disappointment and frustration. On a perfect weather day! In a beautiful place I had basically to myself! What’s wrong with this picture?

On the other hand, bass and cichlids were plentiful and willing. Were those fish my fantasy species when I was planning my trip? No. Were they what was available? Oh, yes. Stop being dumb, John. Embrace the cichlid!

Another cichlid shows off their colors.

I fished for bass and cichlids all afternoon, catching fish after fish. It was fun! Cichlids pull hard! I tried a popper and dropper, getting both bass and cichlids on both flies (no doubles, unfortunately). I started thinking of cichlids as tropical bluegills. They’re as aggressive as bluegills, and have a similar body shape. They’re much more colorful, and tend to be larger, than bluegills. I was using a six-weight (snook and tarpon, remember) but found myself wishing for a four-weight.

It was amazing how much that attitude shift did for my enjoyment of those wonderful fish. It was the best thing I could have done. When life gives you lemons, yada yada yada.

Dusk falls at Monument Lake.

That evening the Glades Fly Bum showed up at my campsite, as planned. We’d never met before, and chatted about people we knew, and stars and planets, and fishing, and specifically about snook and tarpon, and cichlids. He asked me, “Have you ever eaten a cichlid?” I admitted I had not. He said, “Once you eat one, you’ll never release another one. They’re awesome eating!” I’ll have to try that sometime, but not this trip.

Dawn at Monument Lake.

 

More dawn. Good cell service there!

 

More dawn.

 

And finally, the sun!

 

A yellow-rumped warbler chirped at us.

 

Irises in the cypress head.

After an incredible sunrise and a morning walk through a cypress head, we launched at a spot the Glades Fly Bum made me promise not to mention. Glades Fly Bum said, “The water is low. The fish will be trapped in here.” The cichlids and bass were even more aggressive than the previous day. I got a red-eared sunfish. I got a sizable spotted gar. I jumped a tarpon. I caught an oscar. I even got a little snook. Had I spent more time I could have easily had a fifty fish day. But I had to drive home (it was a short trip), so I happily settled for whatever I got in three hours, including plenty of bass and Mayan cichlids. It was a blast.

An oscar, another tropical panfish.

I suspect most of my readers already have the tackle needed to catch cichlids. A four-weight would be perfect, although you might want to go heavier than that- remember those pesky snook and tarpon. I used a floating line with a ten-foot leader tapered down to 20-pound test. I didn’t break off any fish, but remember those pesky snook and tarpon! Unweighted Wooly Boogers may be the perfect flies, but they need to be tied on saltwater hooks- yes, you may get bit by snook or tarpon. I also had luck with feather streamers like Seaducers and Cockroaches, but my impression was that the fish were not very fussy. Poppers? Oh, yes, absolutely. And, snook and tarpon will hit poppers, too.

Don’t forget the pesky snook and tarpon.

Next time I drive to south Florida, visions of snook and tarpon will still be in my head. They are my favorite fish, and are species that are not terribly common in my central Florida waters for much of the year. But I will have a four-weight with me, too. For I have learned to embrace the cichlid.

This guy came right by the kayak, and splashed me.

Saturday (!) I went kayaking with a group from the Central Florida Freethinkers, at Ramp Road in Cocoa Beach. We went through a series of mangrove tunnels I had no idea existed. Of course the radar was turned on, and I saw exactly zero fish. But a dolphin swam by my kayak at close range and splashed me with water, so that’s something.

That’s my Big Cypress Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go bicycling! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
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Fished One Day Report

Fished One Day Report

Thank you for reading this Fished One Day Report. That day was Tuesday. I probably should have gone Monday, too, but let the chance pass. The rest of the week was tied up with errands or less-than-optimal weather.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Econ Update

Last week, writing about the Econ, I wrote, “I need to call Oviedo. No one answered, so I just sent an email.” A response came back, the same day! I reprint it here in its entirety-

Good evening, yes there was a sewer line break that could have potentially impacted the Econ River. The signs posted are a precautionary measure and the city continues to do water sampling for e. coli impact. The line has been fixed but as a precautionary measure we will continue to sample the water so the signs stay in place until we finish sampling for two more weeks. Again, this is a precautionary measure that we do anytime a water body could have been impacted for the safety of residents and visitors.

Regards
Amanda Kortus, CFM

I drove over the 419 bridge this afternoon. The poop sign was gone and folks were launching paddle vessels. Guess we’re good to go.

Tuesday’s Fishing

Went kayaking on Mosquito Lagoon. Went from partly cloudy to completely overcast, but the wind was light. Found reds, one here, one there. They either trashed the fly or fled in terror, so I got a few. Also got one slot trout on a plastic shad at the end of the day.


Your reporter has a copy of George Leonard Herter’s Professional Guide’s Manual that he bought from Herter’s some time in the 1960s. Weeks like this one, where not much fishing gets done, will see some content from this and other old books being used in this blog, pieces similar to the one reprinted below…

LUNAR PHASES, BAROMETRIC PRESSURES AND WATER TEMPERATURES

Contrary to common belief, the various phases of the moon have very little effect on fishes feeding habits. Reports from groups of ichthyologists state that fish strike when they are hungry or excited, regardless of the position of the moon. However, tides do affect the feeding of certain salt-water fish which follow the rising tide into the shallows.

Likewise, barometric pressure has very little to do with fish habits. According to the same groups of ichthyologists, feeding habits of fish are not determined by barometric pressure, although fishing after a hard rain will sometimes produce better fishing because of natural foods which have been washed into the lake by the rain.

On the other hand, water temperatures have a great deal to do with fishing. A water temperature indicator is a must to any fisherman. When the water is cold for a fish, it will lie dormant and feeding activity will be reduced to a minimum. When the right temperature range is found, fish tend to be active in feeding and better fishing will result. The best fishing temperatures for various fresh-water fish are listed below:

Atlantic Salmon, Trout .. 55-70degs. F
Chinook Salmon………….50-60 degs. F
Lake Trout ………………….40-50 degs.F
Pickerel……………………….60-75 degs. F
Landlocked Salmon……..40-55 degs. F
Pike, Muskellunge………..60-70 degs. F
Smallmouth Bass ……,….60-70 degs. F
Walleye ……… …………….55-65 dees. F
Largemouth Bass ………..65-75 degs. F
Yellow Perch ………………65-75 degs. F

What do you think? Do you agree with Mr. Herter’s assertions?

Saturday

Went on an Oviedo Photo Club field trip to the Southern Oaks Training Center in Sorrento. They train standardbred horses there. A little out of my line, but with challenge comes growth. Anyway, here are a few photos from the place.

 

 

 

That’s my Fished One Day Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go bicycling! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.