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One Day Fishing Report

November 24, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

One Day Fishing Report

Thanks for reading my One Day Fishing Report. There was that Thanksgiving thing you may have heard about, and with the exception of Monday, the weather was shaky the rest of the week.

Ordinarily at this point you’d read, “Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.” I don’t that link works right now. Feel free to try. If it doesn’t work, there will be no recourse until I straighten out the website.

The website! I believe I saved all the content on the old one that I wanted to. I believe spottedtail.com moved to the new host. The domain isn’t pointed that way yet. If I have time on Saturday, I hope to work on it. If not, it will be at least a couple weeks.

Either way, most likely there will not be a post next week.

OK, Fishing!

Wednesday Scott Radloff and I took the Bang-o-Craft out from Haulover Canal. Wanted Beacon 42, but the bridge was closed. We headed east, then north. The water was fairly murky. No sight fishing happened, but it was cloudy.

Scott, tossing a small jig, hit a solid fish on his first cast. Unfortunately, it came unglued. I got a juvie redfish, then an eight-inch snapper, then had a suicidal seatrout, a fairly large one, attack my tail-amputated-by-a-puffer plastic shad right next to the boat. Usually, panic ensues and the strike is missed. Somehow I caught and released this beast. It was probably pushing four pounds, quite a nice one.

We went to change spots, and the motor decided it didn’t want to work anymore. With minor difficulty, we returned to the boat ramp and loaded the boat, just after noon. We’d gotten three hours in.

I shoot photos of clever signs and bumper stickers I see. Below, please enjoy a few of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s the One Day Fishing Report. My next report, two weeks hence, should have some solid fishing and photo action. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Uncategorized · Tagged: , ,

No Fishing Report, Fishing Photo Essay

November 16, 2023 by · 2 Comments

No Fishing Report, Fishing Photo Essay

Thanks for reading my No Fishing Report. There was no fishing this week. The weather all week was terrible, and I’ve been simultaneously trying to move my website and fight a respiratory infection. Since I have thousands of images of fishing, we’re going for a walk down memory lane with a few of my favorites.

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

First, my website saga. I found a new host. Moving the website has been an ongoing problem, but I hope to finish it by the time you read this. I guess we’ll see come November 25!

These photos share some of the reasons I’m compelled to fish. The fish bring me to beautiful, wild places! Fish are beautiful, wild beings! Truth is, I often feel sorry for the fish, even while I try to catch them. But nothing brings me “into the moment” more than stalking a fish. I love the fishes and the places they live.

Tammy Wilson slings a line, Okonoluftee River, NC.

 

Hillsborough River, Florida.

 

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.\

 

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.

 

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.

 

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida.

 

Canaveral National Seashore, Florida.

 

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia.

 

My favorite bass flies.

 

Drop shot with Allison and Alex, Goodness River, Alaska. The fish was an Arctic grayling.

 

Maxx battles a mahi with a three-weight, off the Florida Keys.

 

Waiting for the storm, Everglades National Park.

 

A nice snook does a flyby near our canoe, Everglades National Park.

 

Big man, big fish, big water, little boat. Off Cocoa Beach.

 

On Cape Sable, Everglades National Park.

 

Near Port Canaveral.

 

Maxx, Matt Van Pelt, and Alex, Everglades National Park.

 

Any time can be nap time. Goodnews River, Alaska.

 

Mike Conneen, Shark Point chickee, Everglades National Park.

 

Tyler Williams with a double, Goodnews River.

 

Crappie fishing, Lake Monroe, Florida.

 

Boating a halibut, near Whale Pass, Alaska.

 

My smallest tarpon ever, Everglades National Park.

 

Tammy takes Barbie fishing, Mosquito Lagoon, Florida.

 

During a kid’s fishing outing at Lake Ashby, this girl caught this killifish. She was real happy about it!

 

Slinging line at sunset, St. George Island, Florida.

 

River Dog, Everglades National Park.

 

Campsite on Tiger Key, Everglades National Park.

 

Little tunny causing a fracas off Port Canaveral.

 

American crocodiles, Everglades National Park.

 

Battling silver, Goodnews River.

 

Battling silver, Goodnews River.

 

Me, circa 1955? 56? My dad made the image.

 

Shuttle launch from the Indian River Lagoon.

 

Halloween Pennant, Everglades National Park.

 

Willie’s log, Goodnews River. He used a bunny leech, and 10-pound tippet, on an eight-weight.

 

Exploring the backcountry, Everglades National Park.

 

Maxx battles a tarpon, his first on fly, off LaCosta Island, Florida.

 

That’s the No Fishing Report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays · Tagged: , , ,

Econlockhatchee and Other Stuff Fishing Report

November 10, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

Econlockhatchee and Other Stuff Fishing Report

Thanks for reading my Econlockhatchee and Other Stuff Fishing Report. Oh yes, it’s been quite a week, with a trip up a mountain, a trip across the country, and a trip down the Econ.

All you veterans, thanks for serving. I hope you’re taking advantage of your Veterans Administration benefits.

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

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First, some local news. Host Gator has been hosting my websites (spottedtail.com, johnkumiski.com, spottedtail.com/blog) since 2011. Before I left for California, I received an invoice from them for the next three years- $539 and change. When I was selling fishing charters, and selling books, paying the bill made sense. Now I collect Social Security and have a mostly fixed income. The website no longer makes me any money. Paying that fat bill isn’t a good financial decision for what is now in essence a public service.

The upshot is, on November 25, all the material on those sites goes up in cybersmoke. I hope to keep blogging but have not found a host yet, something else for me to do this week. Or maybe the blog ends too. We’ll see, I suppose.

OK, I think I found a new host. Will update all of you next week.

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Tuesday

The mountain summit is inside this 1930s CCC building.

Maxx and I went up Mount Diablo, quite a famous mountain to geologists, mapmakers, and surveyors. The summit is used as the reference datum for land surveying in much of northern California and Nevada.

We did nothing more than check out the views and the wind caves, walking and jumping around the place as needed. It was a beautiful day in an awesome place, and I hope to bring my bride there, sooner rather than later.

 

Tuesday night I took a red-eye out of San Francisco, on which I actually slept some. Wednesday was mostly rest and recovery.

Thursday

Nice fatty, best of the day. Almost crashed and burned between the current, the fish, and the fallen trees.

A splendid day found me in the canoe, floating down the Econ. Although I got a single, modest bass on fly, there was zero surface activity. Most of my fishing was with a Culprit worm. The fish seemed to like it.

A couple of the many alligators out enjoying the weather. Speaking of fatties.

Friday and Saturday

I’m booked solid with honey-dos and errands. I am ripping the camper part of my van apart and starting a major upgrade. I hope to blog about it! 🙂

That’s the Econlockhatchee and Other Stuff Fishing Report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, travel blog · Tagged: , ,

Humbled in Northern California Fishing Report

November 5, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

Humbled in Northern California Fishing Report

Thanks for reading my humbled in California Fishing Report. Oh yes, it’s been quite a week, with not many fish caught by me.

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

King salmon, right next to me, old and moldy.

On Monday, Alex brought me fly fishing on (in, we were wading) the Feather River. As we walked on top of a berm to the fishing spot, I spotted what I mistakenly thought was a pair of otters. Turned out they were 20-pound Chinook or king salmon. The river was full of them. They were oldy and moldy, on redds. There’s an emergency closure on all angling for chinooks in California- we were after steelhead. Alex got one about 20 inches long, but we weren’t close to each other, so no photo. I hooked two kings, one in the butt (I broke it off) and one somehow in the mouth. It shook the hook, a good thing. No fish for me.

A BIG trout at the Trinity Fly Shop.

Tuesday found us steelheading on the Trinity River. We stopped at the Trinity Fly Shop first, then spent several very chilly hours in the river. I had one bite from a guppy, and we were properly skunked.

We stopped by the Sundial Bridge in Redding on the way home.

Alex had to work on Wednesday, so I soloed it on the upper Sacramento River. I met a very kind angler by the name of Eric in the parking area. He took me down the river, giving me pointers as we walked. We got to the “spot”, then split up.

The Sacramento River, one view.

 

My only fish of the week.

I fished a couple hours without a bite. Large, round boulders made wading difficult, a recurring them out here. The erudite fly fisher here carries a wading staff. I’ve never used one, never having seen the need, but the need here is painfully obvious!

The spot where I captured the beast.

Working my way back up the river, I ran into Eric again. He’d gotten two little ones, and was leaving to go somewhere else. I stayed, and at the next spot I got the first fish I’ve caught in California, a rainbow trout that may have been eight inches long. At least if didn’t have any parr marks! Hey, it was a fish!

Imagine these rocks under 2-3 feet of water and covered with algae- that’s what I was wading in.

I managed to fall down, not in the river, without hurting myself. My feet slid out from under me on a steep slope cover with pine needles and leaves. BOOM! Down I went. Humbling.

Mexican sage, in the genus Salvia.

Thursday Allison and I visited three parks, one of which had an herb garden. The most interesting from a fishing standpoint was the Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve. From the top of the gorge, we could look down into the water and watch salmon fanning their redds, just awesome. I’d like to visit with a fly rod…

Manzanita tree, common in these parts.

On Friday, Maxx and I went to the upper Sacramento again, a different spot this time. Again, tough wading. Again, I got skunked. Again, I fell down, tripping on a stick. Maxx hooked three fish, lost one while the photo guy fumbled with his phone, lost one on his own, and got the other. Not real big, but good for him!

Maxx with one of his fish on the upper Sacramento.

Saturday was our last fishing day. We went out, on the lower Sacramento River in Alex’s new drift boat. Would I get a real fish? Would any of us?

Messing with the boat.

As it turns out, I once again stank up the boat with a solid skunking. Maxx, however, caught three wild rainbow trout, one of which was respectable. I got to row Alex’s boat, a Clackacraft, which rows like a dream. I was impressed with it. We had a great time, and I enjoyed spending the day with my sons way more than any minor disappointment from not catching a fish. Maxx got some- we were good.

Maxx, hooked up. Alex, on the oars.

 

His first.

 

His second.

 

The last one, up close. Courtesy Maxx Kumiski.

There are so many mountains, so many trout streams connected to the Sacramento River- check out the watershed map below.

That’s the humbled in California Fishing Report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , ,

My First Intracontinental Fishing Report

October 29, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

Happy Halloween, and My First Intracontinental Fishing Report

Thanks for reading my first Intracontinental Fishing Report. And, happy Halloween! (which adults now get way too wound up about. Leave it for the kids, please.)

I have a guest blog this week. https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/guide-to-packing-for-a-fishing-camping-adventure/

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

Sunday’s weather forecast predicted high winds for the entire week, except for Monday morning. Monday morning found me launching the kayak in Mosquito Lagoon. A short time later, I found a redfish crawling around on a shallow shelf. Amazingly, it did not realize I was there. I dropped the fly out in front of it, and when it was close enough that I thought the fish would see the fly if I moved it, I moved it. Two feet and a cloud of mud- BAM! Fish on!

On a Tedesco Slider.

I had a couple other decent shots but did not get another redfish bite. A trout, the first one in several trips, did bite a puffer-damaged soft plastic shad while I was blind-casting, though.

It was a beautiful day, and I pretty much had the entire lagoon to myself, so I was a happy boy driving home.

Thursday found me on a United Airlines aircraft, flying to San Francisco from Orlando. The astute reader may already know both my sons live in California.

Friday, Maxx, Catalina, I and drove from Castro Valley to Red Bluff by way of Chico. Had to stop at Fish First Fly Shop for some needed supplies, licenses, etc., getting ready for Saturday.

Saturday dawned cold, especially for this Floridian. When we reached the river, temperatures were in the 30s. The stream was small, intimate, beautiful, in the Lassen National Forest. No stockers.

Catalina, ready to chase the wily trout.

Of course, the fish weren’t very cooperative. They were all trying to stay warm. Maxx struck first, with a rainbow trout that still had parr marks, all of six inches. Then he got another, similar one. Then Catalina got one, her first fish with a fly rod. I wanted to get it mounted for her, but was voted down, a good thing.

O, successo! Photo courtesy Maxx Kumiski.

In spite of the cold, there were quite a few bugs hatching, both mayflies and caddis flies. Very few risers, however. I didn’t get a bite. Alex missed a couple small ones. We had a lovely walk in the woods on a spectacular if chilly day. Some of us had leaky waters.

Alex at work.

 

Fly fishing crew. Photo courtesy Catalina Kumiski.

There will be more trout fishing before I go home, and that’s My First Intracontinental Fishing Report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Short Mosquito Lagoon Report

October 21, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

Short Mosquito Lagoon Report

Thanks for reading this short Mosquito Lagoon report.

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

Fifty-two degrees Monday morning when I hopped in the chariot, Bang-O-Craft in tow. Wanted to try the east side of the lagoon. Once I got to the ramp, that idea was trashed. Three- and four-foot waves meant crossing was a stupid idea.

I stayed on the west side, found what lees were there. Saw some snook, saw some reds. Had one good shot at a red with the fly while wading (with my waders on). I thought it took the fly. I was mistaken. Shot blown. Ran over what fish there were all day. Late in the afternoon, had two shots on spin, from the boat, and converted both. Eureka!

First fish. Note the water clarity.

 

Soft plastic shad works again!

 

The second fish was larger, but I didn’t photograph it.

Tried it again Tuesday. Water on the east side was nasty, and water everywhere is high (gauge at 1.6 feet). By now the wind had come up, making that crossing dangerous again, but now I had no choice. Fished the west side, had three shots, converted none. Did get a couple pinfish on fly, though.

Discovered a wet leg when I took off the waders. Where’s the Aquaseal?

That’s the short Mosquito Lagoon report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report · Tagged: , , ,

Pamlico Sound Road Trip Photo Essay

October 13, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

Pamlico Sound Road Trip

Mike Conneen, River, and I just wrapped up our 14-day Pamlico Sound road trip. For much of the trip, fishing was less than stellar. But we saw amazing sunrises and sunsets, climbed a lighthouse, visited the Wright Brothers, paddled during a small craft advisory, talked to locals, got swamped by a jerk in a sport fisherman, met the Adventure Cat, and so much more.

Rather than try to do a blow-by-blow, I’m doing a photo essay with captions.

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

Mike setting up camp on Cedar Island.

 

One of a family of otters on Cedar Island. The light was bad. I shot a lot of frames- this was the best one.

 

In the Tacoma, on the ferry. That’s sea water all over the window.

 

Paddling Pamlico Sound during a small craft advisory.

 

We explored tiny creeks to get out of the wind. Photo courtesy Mike Conneen.

 

We explored tiny creeks to get out of the wind.

 

Photographer at sunrise, Okracoke Island.

 

Hatteras Inlet from Okracoke Island.

 

 

Dawn at Bodie Island.

 

Sea oats at dawn.

 

Sunrise with gulls.

 

Exploring an uninhabited island inside Oregon Inlet.

 

Near that same island.

 

Near that same island.

 

 

 

Mike and River go flying with Wilbur Wright.

 

 

Inside Bodie Island Light.

 

View from the top!

 

Chatting with locals, Nag’s Head Pier.

 

Surf’s up!

 

Not everyone is paddling. Oregon Inlet fishing center.

 

Sunset, Oregon Inlet.

 

Green anole, Elizabethan Gardens, Manteo.

 

 

 

Flying at sunrise.

 

End of the road, Gull Rock Game Land.

 

The catch of the trip. Mike caught this red while sitting in his kayak, still on the trailer, at the Gull Rock Game Land.

 

Mike caught this red from his kayak, Newport River.

 

I caught this red from my kayak…

 

…fly fishing, Newport River.

That’s the Pamlico Sound Road Trip report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Ignored the Weatherman

September 26, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

Ignored the Weatherman

I ignored the weatherman Monday. The forecast, once again, was, “Showers likely in the morning, with scattered thunderstorms, increasing into the afternoon. Rain chance 70 percent.”
I went fishing anyway.

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

There was a lightning show all the way to Mosquito Lagoon. At the St. Johns River I got out of the car to get a photo of an incredible sunrise. All the lightening looked far away from where I was, and my destination. I continued on my way.

This was worth the trip had I not seen a fish.

Launched the boat under mostly cloudy skies. Didn’t see much for an hour, hour-and-a-half. Got a few trout at a culvert on the spin rod. Then there was a redfish crawling along the bank. I pooched the shot. It would be a recurring theme.

Ha! Got one!

I got shots, too. There weren’t a lot of fish around, but enough that in spite of significant rust I finally caught one, a nice redfish. I soon hooked another, only to have it become unbuttoned. When I checked the fly, the hook had snapped.

It doesn’t matter how many bites you get- this fly is not a good fish-catching tool.

A dry spell followed. Then some drum tails started popping up.

Mosquito Lagoon black drum are actually pretty easy to catch with flies- if you can see everything. When the water is murky and the light is bad, then it’s all guess work. Guessing right doesn’t happen a lot. In spite of that, finally got one, after at least 20 shots.

Dr-r-r-rum.

A while later I was staked out, standing up, when I spotted a drum near the shoreline, an easy cast. It took three casts, but I put it on his nose and got the eat.

Finally, paddling back, I spotted a red pushing along the shore and got it to take the fly. Of the four fish I caught with the fly, three of them were hooked with the leader in the rod. Which was pretty awesome!

The water on Tiger Shoal is still pretty clear.

There was no rain, and no lightning. Glad I went!

There will not be a report the next two Saturdays. I will be doing research, and won’t be bringing the computer.

That’s the I ignored the weatherman report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , ,

The Weatherman Struck Out

September 23, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

The Weatherman Struck Out

The weatherman struck out this week.

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

A doctor I used to fish, a man by the name of Jim McCully, wrote a fascinating book called Beyond the Moon. The book is about how the tides work and why they are so hard to predict. Sea level is anything but.

The United States government publishes a book annually called the Coast Pilot, which gives tidal predictions for the year at places all along the lengthy coastline of the USA. They use computers to make these predictions, of course.

At the time McCully published his book, sixteen separate factors (if my memory serves, been a long time since I read the book) went into the computer model that makes the prediction. At least eight other factors, considered to be of minor importance, are not used. And a big, important factor- the weather- can’t be used, since weather can’t be predicted a year in advance.

So the tidal prediction is exactly that. A prediction.

Weather forecasts are also predictions. I took a meteorology course during my university time, and if nothing else learned that predicting the behavior of giant air masses is extremely difficult. Air frequently doesn’t do what you expect it to. I wonder how many factors go into weather prediction models?

It’s hard to predict the weather 24 hours in advance, never mind a year.

All that having been said, the weatherman missed three straight forecasts this week, by miles. Strike three, you’re out!

The forecasts for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday all read like this- “Showers likely in the morning, with scattered thunderstorms, increasing into the afternoon. Rain chance 70 percent.”

Where I’m located, we had some light rain in the evening on those days. During the day it was partly cloudy with lots of sunshine, beautiful days.

This was my expectation. It did not come to pass. Image cribbed from the internet.

Did I go fishing? I did not! Not wanting to get caught out in the likely lightning, I did not go fishing. So I was partly perturbed with the forecaster for bad predictions, and partly perturbed with myself for putting too much faith in them. I certainly know better.

I didn’t wet a line this week. I did spend time preparing for an upcoming fishing trip with Mike Conneen, however. I’ll be very prepared after all that prep time!

Please, wish us luck!

That’s the weatherman struck out report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Uncategorized · Tagged: , , , , ,

A Skunking on ML

September 16, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

A Skunking on ML

Got out only once this week, to a skunking on ML (Mosquito Lagoon). Our sons flew in this week to finish moving Alex to California. It’s kept us pretty busy…

Addendum to the Maine Trip

On our Maine trip, we left home on 6/18, got home 9/3. In that time we put 6963 miles on the van, burned 304 gallons of gasoline (I don’t know how much carbon that added to the air, but it seems selfish of us), spent $1150 on that gasoline, and got 23 mpg. At least we (in our 2013 Toyota Sienna) were moderately efficient.

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

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Fishing

Tuesday saw the Bang-O-Craft hit the water at the Beacon 42 Boat Ramp about 0800 hours. The plan was to do a little high(er) speed scouting, something hard to do in a paddle vessel.

The water was murky the whole way across to the east side. Although there were lots of mullet, I only pushed a single fish as I ran across the lagoon. Once I reached Tiger Shoal the water cleared up nicely; however, I only spotted a single redfish. Considering the numbers of mullet, the lack of gamefish was a mystery. The manatee grass on the flat inside the shoal is as thick as I’ve ever seen it, and I do mean ever. The floating dead grass kept fouling the outboard, causing cavitation. I’d have to stop, put the motor in reverse to blow all the grass off the lower unit, then continue. Again and again. Nice to have that problem!

Crossing over to the west side, I fished the outside of the spoil islands for a couple miles, using a weedless spoon. The puffers are thick, and on a mission to destroy all soft plastics. Only a handful of gamefish were seen, and no bites happened. So I can state unequivocally that no fish were harmed in the making of this report. The boat was on the trailer at 1300.

Maxx came in Wednesday, Alex Friday. They roll out Sunday (they think) or Monday (I think).

That’s the skunking on ML report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report · Tagged: , ,
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