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The Bassheaven Report

May 7, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

The Bassheaven Report

Thanks for reading this Bassheaven report. I returned to Ocala National Forest this week. I can assure you that summer has made its way into central Florida, despite what the astronomers might say.

Last week I was all excited about my Squirmles flies. The fish eat them. Then the Squirmles fall apart. Failed experiment. Stick to rabbit strips, John.

Tuesday

A bit of loveliness at Cowpen Pond.

In the morning I made my way up to the Forest. First fishing stop was Cowpen Pond, a beautiful place. Dropped the kayak in and began a short reconnaissance. Because the fish weren’t hitting like a pack of starving piranhas, I only stayed there an hour or so. I suspect it deserves more attention- it was my first time there, after all!

Lots of water lilies all through the Forest.

From there I went to Echo Lake. This one was real small- five acres! I took a few casts from shore, didn’t see anything or get a bite, so I left.

Went to Sellers Lake. Cast a few times from the shoreline, wasn’t feeling it, left and went to Farles Lake. It gave up quite a few bass, all small, and danged few on the fly.

From there I made my way to Alexander Springs Recreation Area. Checked in, and met Nick Colantonio at the campsite. We dined, and chatted, and watched it get dark, and crashed, Nick in his tent, I in the van. It was warm. Glad I have fans!

Wednesday

Alexander Springs Run.

We went to Alexander Springs Run. The bass, all small ones, bit well in the morning on both flies and plastic worms. They were still on beds there, the only ones we saw. As the sun climbed, the action shut down. We paddled up to the spring. It’s such a pretty creek! Fished most of the way back with two dinkers to show for it.

Why do I call it bass heaven??

It was still pretty early. Nick wanted to hang out. I went to Sellers Lake. I did not get any monsters but action was good on both fly and plastic. I found schooling fish and missed five strikes on as many casts. I checked the fly- broken hook. Put a new one on, got a couple fish, started missing them again. Checked the fly- broken hook. I don’t think I’ve ever broken two hooks on a trip before, much less in ten minutes. I’m in a boat- it’s not like I’m hitting rocks on the backcast.

Sellers Lake sunset.

Thursday

Nick wasn’t feeling well. I went to Sellers Lake alone, with the idea of paddling through the canal to Chain-O-Lakes. The trip through the canal was about a mile long, the cranes giving a Jurassic feel to the spectacular morning. Got fish immediately upon arrival, first on plastic, then on the bug. Schoolies were chasing bait, exciting fishing although the fish were small.

The lake had a small beach, rare in my brief Forest experience. I went there to have lunch and spend some time not sitting in the kayak. I waded and fly cast without result to a grassline. Reeled in to wade back and take lunch. A five-pound bass swam right past me- I swear it was checking me out, sensing it was safe, perhaps?

Landing the beast.

While eating I was tossing crumbs to the sunnies and guppies, watching them jockey for position to get the cheese. I look up, and sitting fifteen feet away is a four-pound bass, just watching me. Knowing it wouldn’t work, I bent down, picked up the spin rod, and tossed the worm out five feet beyond the fish. To my utter astonishment the fish went right over and sucked it in. I caught it! Best fish of the trip!

The photo doesn’t do this fish justice.

Returned to camp to check on Nick. He wanted to try the late shift. We went to Grasshopper Lake, a beautiful piece of water. We got a few fish but it was slow…

The bug in question, in the maw of the fish.

Friday

The dragonflies were plentiful and colorful.

We went to Sellers Lake. A few schoolies on fly, a few fish blind-casting plastic. I was to drive home afterwards, so quit when the action slowed.

Nick makes his way out on the lake.

It was great seeing Nick, and Ocala Forest truly is bass heaven. But I won’t be camping in Florida again until about November. It’s getting to be dawn patrol time of year for anglers.

Flycasting to schoolies.

Nick, thanks for joining me!

That’s the bassheaven 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 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , ,

Ocala National Forest Fishing Report

April 15, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

 

Ocala National Forest lies between the Oklawaha and St. Johns Rivers.

Ocala National Forest Fishing Report

Hi Nick-

Sorry you couldn’t join me for the Ocala forest trip. It was great- fantastic weather, beautiful places to fish, even a (brief) encounter with a lovely young woman. And fish. Lots of fish.

I drove up there Sunday morning. I had a campsite at Juniper Springs reserved for four nights, but check-in wasn’t until three. I tried to get into north Grasshopper Lake. That Sienna ain’t exactly an ATV. I started down the access road and quickly backed right out again. The road to South Grasshopper was rough but hard, and short, and there’s actually a boat ramp there.

The lake looked fantastic. The water was clear, there was lots of vegetation, and on a beautiful Sunday morning there was only one trailer at the ramp.

My first fish was a warmouth that hit the mouse fly. Shortly a couple small bass and a bluegill followed as I explored the lake.

The guys in the other both came trolling motoring past me. They said the bite was off, probably because of Friday’s front. Well, maybe. It was pretty chilly. I wasn’t doing all that much, and had an agenda, so I loaded up and went to Farles Lake.

It looked fantastic too, and again, only one trailer. I got several bass on the fly here but they were all little ones. However, I saw several bass beds, and probably the biggest bass I’ve ever seen was on one of them. I started wishing I knew more about bass fishing.

As I was loading up the other boater came in, said he hadn’t done too well. Water temp was “only” 70 degrees. I know bass like warmer water than that- they like it warmer than tarpon do! He said ordinarily a 20 to 30 fish day was the norm here. Perhaps further investigation was needed.

At the campsite I ate nuts and berries for dinner, and watched the bats and lightning bugs come out as it grew dark. I slept well in the back of the van.

Salt Springs was my first stop the next morning. While I was getting the boat loaded up, the above-mentioned young woman approached me and asked me if I’d paddled there before. I had not, and told her so. We chatted briefly- she was waiting on a kayak rental. Our chat ended when she said, “I’ll see you out there.”

The Salt Springs Run was not at all what I signed up for. It looked like the rest of the St. Johns River- barren, herbicide-sprayed into submission. Not a blade of anything green in the water. Not one but two boat ramps.

After about 15 minutes I’d seen enough and reversed course. The young woman was paddling straight for me. She had a fishing rod!!! We chatted some more. Her name was Marissa, she lives in Jacksonville, and was looking to buy property in the area. I should have got some photos of her fishing but brain-farted on that until it was way too late…

A scene in the Alexander Springs Run.

I went to the Alexander Springs Run. At the put-in were some folks taking out. They had gotten one bass all morning, not what I wanted to hear. The river looked fantastic, thick beds of eelgrass, lots of water lilies, decent flow. I had three fish in ten minutes, all on the mouse fly. Fantastic! I rode the current downstream. The further I went, the fewer bites I got.

I reversed course and paddled up almost to the spring. Bass beds dotted the bottom. By now the wind was coming up the river hard enough that it blew me upstream against the current. I put the fly pole down and started tossing a red shad worm. It worked pretty well, although most fish were small.

More nuts and berries, bats, and lightning bugs that evening.

In the morning I went to the Lake Delancey Recreation Area.  The west campground was open, the east campground was not. But I couldn’t get access to the lake, and it looked super shallow anyway. A wild goose chase, but when you’re exploring these things happen.

I went to the Hopkins Prairie Recreation Area, checked out the lake. I thought catching fish would be possible. Got my new kayak cart out and dragged the boat down to the water’s edge. Turned out there was an almost unused boat ramp on the other side of the lake, but I get ahead of myself.

Ready to go at Hopkins Prairie.

I got a decent bass within minutes, on a Culprit worm. The water at this lake was clear but tannin stained. It looked black. You couldn’t see the bottom. I think the water had been low for a long time, and then came back up. There were all these woody dead bushes through the lake, I think they were St. Johns Wort plants.

They wind was honkin’ pretty good, but I got the fly rod out. Good choice! Started hitting fish right away. The coolest bite of the day- The bug hit the water. A few feet away the water bulged up, clearly a big fish. A moment later the bug disappeared, almost like a bluegill bite. I set the hook with authority. The fish, surprised, wallowed like a hog at the surface for a moment, and was at least five pounds.

He soon wrapped the leader around one of those little bushes, something that happened several more times that day. The hook on all my mouse flies are barbless. When the fish wraps the line, they just shake their head and the hook comes out. So it happened with this one, and several others.

Also at Hopkins Prairie.

I was bummed, but it’s fishing. I just kept trying. But next time I go up there I’ll have some bugs on barbed hooks, I’ll tell ya that!

On the way back to Juniper Springs, I checked out the access to Wildcat Lake, Yearling Lake, Sellers Lake, and Beakman Lake. I could get into all but Yearling, too old for that trek. So many fish, so little time! With a high clearance vehicle, a whole bunch of other lakes become available, too. The whole place is fantastic.

Fern Hammock Springs, at Juniper Springs Rec Area.

That evening I walked around Juniper Springs. There is some magic at that place.

The water wheel at Juniper Springs.

For my last day I went back to the place I liked the best. It took a while to get a bite, but the first fish was a solid five pounds, on a Culprit worm. I got a little one on a fly, and then nothing. And the wind came up, and made fishing way more difficult.

The power of the Senko.

I stopped to look through my tackle. I found a worm that looked like a Senko. I’d never used one but had heard good things about them. I got a fish on the first cast, and then another on the second cast. Boom!

I got another five pounder, and hooked and lost another one at least as big. The little ones were almost a pain in the butt. The power of the Senko!

I prefer to fish in saltwater, sight fishing, but with the current state of Florida’s inshore saltwater, it was awesome to find a place where the waters appear healthy and supports good fish populations. I’ll be going back up there. Hope you can make it next time!

All the best-

JK

 

That’s the Ocala National Forest fishing 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 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, Fishing Reports, Fishing Stories, Paddle Fishing Florida, travel blog ·

Lots of Fishing Report

February 26, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Lots of Fishing Report. And M-M-Manatees!

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the lots of fishing report. Got out Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (twice), and to the beach on Friday.

Sunday-

Sunday usually finds me home. The weather was nice and nothing pressing was going on, so I went shore fishing with a light spin rod along a mile-long stretch of the Econ. I worked it hard for about four hours, tossing plastic shad and plastic worms. I got three small bass. Did not see any kind of fish in the water other than a few guppies- no tilapia, no gar, no plecostamus, no sunfish, certainly no bass. Shore fishing the Econ is a full-body workout!

Monday-

The DOA Shrimp found this puppy redfish.

Not learning my lesson, because hope springs eternal in the heart of a fisherman, I tried another spot on the Indian River Lagoon. When I got there, the birds were singing like it’s spring or something! Blackbirds, grackles, coots, and other birds whose calls I don’t know. It was awesome! And, I didn’t get skunked! I saw a few redfish and two (yes, two) snook. I got shots at none of them. The water was discolored enough that I was on top of them before I saw them. Blind-casting, four or five dinker trout and one small red hit my spin lures. I hardly touched the fly rod. A beautiful if breezy day.

Tuesday-

I had a favorite spot on the St. Johns River. Thick with weeds, it was hard for motorboats to fish, and there were lots of fish there. Then the state started contracting folks to spray herbicides, thousands of gallons of it. Most of the turtles got a “virus” and died. The shad stopped coming. The fishing went completely to hell, including my favorite spot.

So much vegetation was killed off that the manatees in the St. Johns, which should at this point be the chubbiest in the state, have to be fed lettuce –https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/feb/22/florida-has-fed-manatees-25-tons-of-lettuce/ ,

https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/jan/21/officials-florida-manatees-eating-lettuce-in-pilot-program/ ,

https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/feb/01/manatees-in-florida-need-greater-protection-lawsuit-says/ ,

https://www.savethemanatee.org/how-to-help/take-action/floridas-algae-blooms/

-because they have no food. Nice work, Florida.

Orlando Sentinel photo.

Anyway, I went to the former favorite spot on Tuesday. There are still no weeds, other than water lilies and cattails. I worked it hard, getting a half-dozen sub-adult bass and three crappie.

Crappie on the 3″ shad.

The crappie hit, in order, 1) the 3″ shad, 2) a 7 1/2 inch Culprit worm (?!?!), and 3) a 3″ chartreuse soft plastic curly tail. If I were fishing for crappie, I certainly would never pick any of those lures, but there ya go.

Wednesday-

Trout! Gurgler! It’s a beautiful thing!

Tried another area in the Indian River Lagoon. I found a hole that had a few nice trout, and I actually got one on a fly rod gurgler. There was a redfish busting along the shoreline. Got him on a 3″ shad! WOW!! Got a couple more trout on the spin rod. It felt like a career day.

Redfish on the shad!

 

And another trout!

On the way home, I stopped at a new (to me) spot off SR 50, first time there. I started throwing a fly rod mouse. Got a bass on the second cast. Yes, it was small. I was there about 90 minutes and caught more fish than I had all day the previous day, with the best about three pounds. Nice find.

Thursday-

Susan asked me to stay home – she was having a chair delivered. After the delivery it was too late to fish. I went and picked up the jonboat – Cha-CHING! – and bought a new fuel tank for it. Hopefully it will stop getting me stuck now.

Friday-

Wanted to run the jonboat, but Susan asked me to go to the beach. It was a beautiful day! The water at Playalinda was kind of dirty. There were relatively few surf fishermen. I talked to one of them. She and her husband had gotten four small whiting and a catfish, using shrimp for bait. Did not see anything that compelled me to go back to the car and get my fishing rod.

That’s the lots of fishing 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 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , ,

Another Central Florida Week Report

February 18, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Another Central Florida Week Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the Another Central Florida week report. I fished, I hiked, I paddled- nice week!

Guest blogger Patrick Young has another post this week, about buying gifts for campers. Some good tips in there!

I am selling off many of my lures. The ones that I have put up for sale first can be seen at this link…

On to the report-

Monday-

Valentine’s Day! Spent some time with my valentine!

Last week, talking about the Bang-O-Craft motor, I wrote, “Stupid motor. It needs professional help, I’m afraid.” I brought it to Ahoy Marine in Sanford. I’m tired of getting stranded. Other errands most of the day.

Tuesday-

More errands in the morning. In the afternoon I walked a stretch of the FT from Barr Street in Oviedo to Lockwood Boulevard.

I met a couple, through hikers who had come from Pensacola. Yes, from Pensacola, walking the whole way. They had met 20 years earlier at an AA meeting. Didn’t work for him- he was drinking vodka from the bottle when I encountered them. He was a piece of work. He said he knew everything, and was never wrong. He had also, earlier that day, almost been arrested by the Oviedo police for driving a motorized shopping cart from the Publix store at the corner of Lockwood Blvd. to the trail head. There’s more, but you get the idea, I hope. I got away from them as fast as I could.

Florida waterfall along the FT.

 

On a bluff overlooking the Econlockhatchee.

Wednesday-

Took a kayak to the Indian River Lagoon in spite of the small craft advisory. I figured I could wade, just using the boat for conveyance. The plan worked great, except there were hardly any fish. I saw six in five hours. Had two good shots, both of which should have worked. Neither did- the fish spooked off the shad (first shot) and fly (second shot). The water was pretty clean! Found a dead manatee, went to the FWC office there at the causeway to report it. The dispatcher told me, “Yeah, they’re everyplace.” “They” being dead manatees. That’s sad. No grass, no manatees.

Thursday-

That’s a small bass!

Took a kayak down the Econ, starting at 419. Brought a fly and a spin rod. Got one small bass on fly. Got several bass on the spin rod, along with a couple redbellies. Got a picture of one of the several mammoth gators I saw, too. Met Ben, the chef at Mission Barbeque. Beautiful day, not long enough!

A little larger…

 

They got bigger as the day went on. I lost the best one, of course.

 

And Godzilla!

Friday-

Boring stuff, including writing this. Hopefully I’ll at least get a walk in this afternoon.

That’s my Another Central Florida Week report. Thanks for reading!

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

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , ,

My Week Around Central Florida Report

February 12, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

My Week Around Central Florida Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading My Week Around Central Florida report. Again, got some fishing in this week!

Monday

Susan and I went to Merritt Island NWR, went hiking on the Oak Hammock and Palm Hammock trails, a grand total of two-and-a-half miles. A very nice two-and-a-half miles!

Lunch at Sunrise Bread, then off to the Enchanted Forest. Whoever heard of an Enchanted Forest being closed??? There ya go, this one is closed on Mondays. We went home.

Tuesday

Cold, overcast, windy. I went looking for new places to fish, ended up on Tosahatchee. Then it started raining, too. There’s an old borrow pit they call Lake Charlie, no motors allowed. I caught a bass there once about 40 years ago. Could warrant further investigation.

That’s such an awesome piece of property. I need to spend more time there.

Wednesday

Ended up going to CS Lee Park and launching the Bang-O-Craft to make my first shad fishing trip this year. I did not find any shad. The one bite I got was from a striper hybrid, on a Road Runner. Then, Bang-o-Craft motor wouldn’t start when I had enough. I started poling back. After 30 minutes or so I tried the motor again. It started. I left. Stupid motor. It needs professional help, I’m afraid.

Thursday

I took a kayak (on which the motor, while slow, ALWAYS works) out of River Breeze Park. Beautiful day! Found clean water for the most part. Found some fish, too. All tiddlers. Got six or seven reds, all less than 12 inches.

Got six or seven trout. A couple maybe would have held batter. Got a floundah, too, a little one. The water was low and I did not see another boat until I started back, always a nice thing.

Friday

After morning errands I went back to Tosahatchee, kayaked on Lake Charles, where I got skonked. I went for a walk in the woods and took some pictures. It was the first day of Hogs with Dogs season- lots of trucks with dogs and cages out there!

 

 

That was My Week Around Central Florida. Thanks for reading!

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

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , ,

Everglades City Report

February 4, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Everglades City Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading this Everglades City report. Got some fishing in this week!

But first, something out of the ordinary for this blog. While watching musicians on youtube, I ran across a woman by the name of Jackie Venson. This lady can lay down some tasty guitar licks! I’ve never seen a woman play guitar like this. Not surprising, she’s a Berklee School grad. Anyway, check it out. If you don’t like it, just turn it off!

Her guitar work on this cut sends shivers down my spine!

If you like it, she’s got a couple concerts recorded on youtube. One of them is at this link…  If you like her, spread the word. She’s relatively new and could use the support…

Monday, went to the eye doctor. I have a bad cataract in the right eye, needs surgery. My Uncle Leo always told me, gettin’ old ain’t for sissies. Sadly, he is spot on.

When I got home, I packed my stuff and drove to Everglades City ranger station, got a backcountry permit for two nights on Jewell Key.

Tuesday morning, I packed the gear into the kayak and caught the outgoing tide all the way there. It was kind of windy. Before I even stopped to make camp, I went to the gulf side of the key and started fishing. I had to wade- it was too windy and rough to fish from the kayak.

I started with a spin rod, three-inch shad, trying to find out if anyone was home. Jewell Key has been good to me, but last time there, there were no fish. Before long I got a ladyfish, then a trout. I put the spinner away and started tossing a Clouser Minnow.

In this file photo from an earlier trip, Maxx holds a typical sized Jewell Key trout.

I worked my butt off. Did get a few more trout, though, and one diminutive snook. In the meantime, the water was rising, and I was getting hungry. I went to the campsite – no one else there! – and took care of all that camping business.

I laid around for a while, watching clouds and ospreys. Watching the clouds is an exercise in creativity. I see some strange things in those clouds!

I saw a chicken’s body with a seahorse’s head in this cloud. No chemicals involved.

I picked up the spin rod and started casting from camp. A Bite! A Puffer! Then I got a ladyfish, and then the best snook of the trip, not saying much. Maybe three pounds? I just let it go. A few hockey-puck-sized jacks attacked my lure, too.

Any day you catch a puffer is a good day!

Did a little kayaking on the lee side of the island. One trout, another dinker snook. Slow fishing. Watched three guys in a Boston Whaler, in the wind and current, not far off. I wasn’t going out there. They kept making the same drift. Fair amount of hollering going on in that boat. Good for them!

In this file photo from an earlier trip, Alex holds a snook of the size that I caught on this trip.

Back to camp. Pulled the boat up onto the island, got ready for night. Clouds made me think there wouldn’t be much in the way of stargazing, so I lit a campfire. First time in a couple of years. It was nice, watching the flames in their sameness and infinite changes, thinking about the chemical reactions going on in there, feeling the heat.

Built a campfire, first time in a long time.

Watched it get dark. I love watching it get dark. I love dark! Civilization’s fear of darkness makes me sad. I was at least 80 miles from Miami, but it lit up the night sky like a beacon.

The clouds cleared some, so I put out the fire and stargazed until I was almost too cold to get up. Some of my favorite constellations were almost straight overhead. Any Tauruses out there, reading? Geminis? Leos? On the US east coast, your stars are up there right now, as soon as it’s dark.

I crawled into my tent, my sleeping bag. It felt awesome! Checked my phone- 8:30! I’d catch up on some sleep tonight! I wish I had a video camera that could record my dreams. I could make such bizarre movies…

Wednesday was almost a carbon copy of Tuesday. I waded the entire gulf side of the island, fly casting in the wind. Hope springs eternal in the heart of a fisherman. I hit trout fairly regularly, the best being 19 or 20 inches. Never did get the killer strike, though. Got a small pompano. Did get to watch the sun make a complete arc across the heavens, too.

Got a small pompano.

Fished from camp again – nothing. Kayaked the lee side of the island – one trout. The guys in the Boston Whaler were back at the same spot, still hollering. Still good!

No clouds this night – stars should be out. As it got dark, Jupiter and the slimmest of crescent moons followed the sun to the sea in the west. Orion and all his friends came out. I saw a single satellite, pretty odd for the couple hours I laid out there to only see one, especially the way Elon Musk has been tossing them up there.

Jupiter and the crescent moon followed the sun into the sea…

 

The learned observer can find Orion, Taurus, Gemini, and Canis Minor in the photo. Leo was lost in Miami’s glare.

Went to bed, wanted to get up early. A little after eight…

Thursday, there were still stars out when I got up- the Great Bear and Scorpius were easily recognized. Packed everything into the boat, ate a simple breakfast (all my meals this trip were simple- no cooking), and hit it. I caught the tide getting out there. I’d have to fight it to get back. Then I had to drive home. So, no fishing this day. Hardly saw any fish, anyway.

That was the theme this trip – there was no bait. The water was cold! I was glad I had waders. But no bait, no fish. And it’s not like there were no fish, I got six species, but there were not many. Nonetheless, I had two full days of getting my nature on, and anything more than that is just a bonus at this point. I might just be a biophiliac…

That’s my Everglades City report. Thanks for reading!

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

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Fishing Stories, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Two Days Out of River Breeze Report

January 22, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Two Days Out of River Breeze Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading this Two Days Out of River Breeze report. Thanks to everyone who bought some fishing rods! I’ll be donating the unsold rods to some charity, I suspect.

The talented Patrick Young has sent me another guest blog piece, about kids and camping. Read it here…

Last week I wrote, “Tuesday was even more exciting search for tile, orchestrated by Susan!” Needless to say, that story did not end there. I also wrote last week, “Thursday, more car maintenance.” That story did not end there, either.

Monday and Tuesday I started emptying everything out of my office to prepare it for the tile installers. There is no better way to clean a room, or a house, than by completely emptying it. My office is not completely empty yet, but it’s getting there. The installers come Monday, so I know some of what I’ll be doing over the weekend.

I botched the maintenance job I attempted on the van. The gents at Pep Boys made it right on Tuesday. As long as the van was there, I had them do the other job, too. Car should be good to go for a while.

Wednesday, a beautiful, crisp, cloudless day, I put the kayak in the water at River Breeze and paddled to Marsha’s Pond, where I intended to fish. When I got there, there were already two boats there. I pulled up on a shoreline anyway.

A small black drum on a white slider fly.

I was pleasantly surprised how clear the water was. I was also pleasantly surprised to see some fish! The water was cold and clear, there were other boats around, and the fish were not biting very well. I got a small black drum on a white slider, then spooked fish occasionally for a couple hours.

Then I saw something I never expected to, perhaps never again, in the Mosquito Lagoon- a school of redfish.

Granted, it was a small school, maybe two dozen fish. And unfortunately, I moved them by not-quite-running them over. I circled around, staked out the boat, grabbed the fly rod, and went wading, hoping they sat right down again.

They did not. After 30 minutes of looking, I gave up and got back in the boat. Standing with the spin rod in my wader belt, I went looking for them again, now standing in the kayak. Pretty amazing, I found them. A good cast with a DOA Shrimp garnered an immediate strike. This caused the school to vaporize, but I sight-cast to a school of reds and got one, by gar!

Redfish on DOA Shrimp.

Later, I got a rat red on the DOA Shrimp by blind-casting. That was it for the day.

Thursday I went back to River Breeze. Lots of trailers were parked there. I decided that Marsha’s Pond might be too crowded- the water is still high enough for skiffs to go anywhere.

When I got to the first spot I wanted to fish, there were three kayaks there.

When I got to the second spot I wanted to fish, there was a boat anchored there.

When I got to the third spot I wanted to fish, there was a boat anchored there.

When I got to the fourth spot I wanted to fish, there was no boat anchored there. Yay! There were no fish there, either. Boo!

I worked my way into a small tidal creek. Good current was flowing, and this place has been good to me. I got were two redfish which, laid to end, may have made one legal-sized fish. Yes, they were small. But they did take that white slider.

Yes, it defines “dink”.

There were no fish at the next spot. I crossed an empty flat to another small creek, deeper than the first. Good current, again. Wadable. I staked out and went wading, after tying on a Clouser Minnow. I’d cast to the far bank and swing the fly, like fishing for salmon. I kept getting “pinfish bites.” I finally stuck one, a small ladyfish. There were lots of them- I probably caught fifteen. I wore out three Clousers in that creek. The ten-inch reds were in there, not thick, but enough I got ten or so. So I was getting bites, if all small fish.

This was a real one, though.

Then a real fish took. It actually pulled drag! It was the first of a pair of five-pound trout I got. Made my day! Got four or five smaller, in-the-slot trout, too.

The barb on all my fly hooks is crushed down, so I’d like to think I didn’t hurt any of the fish too much. I did not take either of those big trout, beautiful fish, out of the water. Better a live fish and a crappy photo than a great photo and a dead fish!

The weather was awesome, I found a place that had fish, I had it to myself. Fantastic! When the current stopped running the bite stopped. It took me an hour and a half to get back to River Breeze. Aye, ’twas a full day, laddie…

Friday Susan and I went to Blue Spring State Park. The sign at the entrance said there were 431 manatees there that day. I thought one of the rangers had a weird sense of humor (something I know quite a bit about), but there were actually that many there. Incredible, beautiful.

Plenty of beef in the spring run!

The spring run looks great. The water was almost limpid. There were loads of fish in there, including tarpon and snook. There were also tilapia and Plecostamus. There were many hominids on the bank, too.

The entire run comes from this boil.

 

I could not tell what these were.

 

Knew this one, though!

 

 

Kayak tours and rentals available.

After walking to the spring and back, we had a little picnic, trying to plot our next move. We decided to go to nearby Hontoon Island State Park, somewhere we had never been.

We walked three miles.

 

A short ferry ride (free!) took us out to the island. We took a three-mile loop, walking to an Indian mound at the far end of the island. It was a fine day for a walk, partly cloudy, not too hot. And after all that, we hopped in the van, and were home for supper. Another fantasmalyshtical day!

That’s my Two Days Out of River Breeze Report. Thanks for reading!

OH! I have a box of flies (a couple hundred at least) that belonged to the late Bob Stearns, many tied by Bob. It’s a mixed bag of saltwater streamers and poppers, with lots of classic Keys-style tarpon flies! I’m offering them for sale, $25 for the batch. If you can’t come get them, I’ll mail them if you pay the shipping. Contact me if you’re interested, please. home phone- four zero seven nine seven seven five two zero seven

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

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Econlockhatchee River Fishing Report

January 14, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Econlockhatchee River Fishing Report; Rods for Sale

Hi everyone, thanks for reading this Econlockhatchee River fishing report, and my attempt to sell some more fishing rods. Like last week, subscribers get first shot at these rods, both spin and casting models.

First, a call to action!

The Tongass National Forest, of Southeast Alaska, is America’s Salmon Forest, one of the last few places on earth where wild salmon, steelhead and trout still thrive. Join us in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s to reinstate roadless protections on the Tongass.  www.americansalmonforest.org/takeaction   #AmericanSalmonForest   #TongassNationalForest   #Tongass77   #AKroadlessrule

Son Alex with a coastal cutthroat trout in the Tongass.

These roadless areas are the underpinnings of Southeast Alaska’s robust fishing and tourism industries, important recreation and subsistence lands, and are essential to the local way of life. This year, the U.S. Forest Service has announced they have a new vision for Southeast Alaska, and that includes putting an end to industrial scale old growth logging. To begin this effort, the USDA Forest Service has launched a 60-day public comment period to reinstate the Roadless Rule on Alaska. The last day to submit comments is January 24, 2022.

Susan with a silver salmon, also in the Tongass.

Take action NOW, please! http://www.americansalmonforest.org/takeaction.html

This is how thick the salmon get in the Tongass! Please take action to help keep it this way!

Now, the week including fishing.

Monday was an exciting day at Autonation Toyota Winter Park. Rocinante needed maintenance!

Tuesday was even more exciting search for tile, orchestrated by Susan!

Wednesday, I put the kayak in the river and started casting a new (for me) floating snakey-looking-foam-and-bunny-strip fly, in spite of the cool temperatures. Many casts were made where the thought was, “That one should get a bite.”

Over an hour went by- no bites. Saw a big alligator. Saw an otter- we had a bit of a staring contest, most extraordinary. But no fish. It was time to change the fly. Went for an ugly hackle fly that had been collecting dust in the box for years.

The ugly fly quickly caught this fish.

Of course, it quickly caught a fish, a nice little bass. Then a redbelly hit it. Then I got a big tilapia! Then, another bass! And then, because it sinks, it got caught on a submerged branch and was lost.

Tilapia on a fly.

It was the only one of those I had, but the box had quite a few wooly buggers. A black one was tied on. Several more redbellies, and a truly dinker bass. Time to paddle back.

On the way back, an enormous alligator slid off the bank as I approached. Some of these Econ gators must be pushing 1000 pounds.

Yes, it was very stanky.

Then I noticed a dead and decayed alligator carcass hanging from the branches of a blown-down tree. Macabre. Took a pic to share. Not a beautiful photo by any means.

Thursday, more car maintenance. Couldn’t afford to have it all done at AutoNation. And there’s still another job to do.

Friday, took a short before-lunch hike on the Florida Trail.

Glorious FT morning!

 

Love the mud bridges!

Then I took an after lunch paddle on the Little Econlockhatchee, where I found an abandoned golf club. You really have to love winter in Florida. I lost two flies to snags, did not see or touch any fish other than guppies.

That’s my Econlockhatchee River Fishing Report. Rods are below! Thanks for reading!

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

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Fishing Rods for Sale!

All rods have been used- many were my guide rods. Priced to sell!

Spin Rods

Daiwa Sealine Graphite SG624, 7.5′ Medium Heavy Saltwater, Lure 1-3 oz., Line 12-30 lb.
I have two. Great rods for big tarpon, big jacks, sharks, etc. $50 for the pair.

Daiwa Sealine Graphite SG623, 7′ Medium Heavy Saltwater, Lure 1-3 oz., Line 12-30 lb.
Great rod for big tarpon, big jacks, sharks, etc. $25.

Daiwa Sealine Graphite SG213H, 7′ Medium Saltwater, Lure 3/4-2 1/2 oz., Line 15-25 lb.
Sporty rod for big tarpon, big jacks, sharks, etc. $25

Striker Graphite SPR704, 7′ Light saltwater, Lure 3/8- 3/4 oz., Line 8-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

Daiwa Power Mesh Procaster PR213, 7′ Medium Light Saltwater, Lure 1/2- 1 oz., Line 6-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

Shimano Stimula SI-070PMB, 7′ Light Saltwater, Lure 1/8-1/2 oz., Line 8-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

Shimano Compre CPS70M, 7′ Light Saltwater, Lure 3/16-1/2 oz., Line 8-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

The El Rod Custom-Built Spinning Rod, 7′ Light Saltwater, Lure 3/16- 1/2 oz., Line 8-17 lb. Redfish, trout, snook, largemouth bass, etc. $25

Casting Rods

Daiwa Power Mesh Procaster PR52-T5, 6 1/2′ Extra Heavy, Lure 3/4- 1 1/2 oz., Line 14-40 lb. $25

Browning Gold Medallion Graphite MC-56M, 6 1/2′ Medium, Lure 1/4- 3/4 oz., Line 8-17 lb. $25

Lew’s Laser TXS, 6’10” Medium Heavy Freshwater, Lure 3/8- 5/8 oz., Line 10-20 lb. This baby almost glows in the dark! Shows signs of wear. $10

Rhino Titanium RHTC 602M, 6′, two-piece, Medium, Lure 1/4- 3/4 oz., Line 8-17 lb. $10

Thanks for looking!

Filed Under: central florida destinations, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Happy New Year Fishing Report

December 31, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

Happy New Year Fishing Report

Happy New Year Pie, by Cheryl Kumiski

Happy New Year! Thank you for reading this Happy New Year Fishing Report. I wasn’t going to write one this week, but weirdly enough, I missed it. I miss my readers, my friends!

Since it’s January first, we all need to start hoping for a strong shad run. The advance scouts should already be here.

The weather has been incredibly nice! I lost track of the days!

We gotta back up. The Sunday before Christmas I drove to Hillsborough River State Park, an unpleasant drive of about three hours, no matter how I go. The park is almost worth it, though. I was supposed to meet Nick Colantonio, famous the world over as the Comatose Angler, a real treat for me. I beat him there, though, so decided to scout the river.

I paddled upstream until I came to a fallen tree that blocked further (easy) access. I rigged my fly pole (4-wt), tying a mouse fly on the end of the leader, and began floating downstream.

It took all of four casts to hook a bass. They came pretty steadily, and a few of those aggressive little stumpknockers managed to impale themselves on that hook, too. The day’s best fish jumped off, of course. All in all, a splendid afternoon.

Nick and I repeated the process the next morning. The fish weren’t as bitey, and the ones I caught were smaller. After the previous day it was all house money anyway. Beautiful day on a beautiful river with great company, and I didn’t need the 1st aid kit! Any fish were a bonus!

A few days later I went paddling on the Indian River Lagoon. I saw three redfish all day, only got one shot, and the fish spooked off the fly. Good thing the birds and weather were both incredible. Pepe Le Pew came home with me.

Christmas came. It was less festive around here with our boys (men, now) in California. We muddled through!

A few days later I went paddling on Mosquito Lagoon. For hours without seeing anything. I stood up to rest my bum, and there was a redfish up ahead of me, rooting around. I sat again, dropped the fly, and bam! Got him! So rare to convert that first fish of the day. I made sure it didn’t happen again…

I took my jonboat up the Econlockhatchee from the St. Johns, past the cabin, and fished my way part-way back down. Got two dink bass on plastic worms, which beats no cheese. The river looked lifeless. It’s still too high for my tastes.

I took my kayak down the Econlockhatchee from SR 419. No fishing tackle involved. There are some freaking DINOSAUR-sized alligators in that stretch, very impressive creatures. Small ones slide into the water as you approach. The big ones just eyeball you as you float by because they don’t see you as a threat. I had to wonder if they saw me as a snack. Other than the reptiles, the river still looked lifeless.

Thursday, went to a different spot on the IRL. Saw a redfish on the shoreline right away. My weighted fly plopped too close to him. I changed the fly, to a Seaducer. A few minutes later, something blew up some mullet. I dropped the fly on the spot, and Bam! Snook, to my surprise, about 22 inches and very feisty!

It was the 30th of December, and I saw at least two dozen tarpon roll, altogether amazing. It’s not like we’re in the Keys or the Everglades. Although none bit my flies or lures, I did get a decent trout while throwing to the rolling tarpon, on a DOA Shrimp. Saw a few more reds too, but did not get another shot, mostly runovers. Fishing wasn’t great, but the day was.

I found this boat abandoned in the marsh, if anyone needs a reclamation project for 2022. The paint is nice.

That’s all I have. Thanks for reading!

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

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

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Fishing News, Fishing Report

October 9, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

Fishing News, Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this week’s Fishing Report. Got out three days this week, all solo trips by kayak. Tried to find new places to fish. Hard to do- I’ve been at it a long time!
———————————————

Fly Tying

Last week I wrote, “I … got ready to tie up some delicious offerings for fish.” The results of that little tying spurt are shown below.

A deliciousness of electric sushi.

The pattern, originated by the late Mike Martinek, is called Electric Sushi. I am a huge fan! You can see the tying directions at this link- http://www.spottedtail.com/tying-the-electric-sushi-fly/

Reds like sushi.

 

Trout do, too.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ve been writing recently about the redfish worm and the fuzzy or wooly redfish worm. It’s a great fly! I haven’t shown a photo in a long time. Picture below, wooly on top, plain on bottom. Not a lot of difference.

hook- mustad 3407 #4
eye- small or micro lead dumbell, or bead chain, or plastic, depending on desired sink rate.
tail- I prefer arctic fox but will use marabou or a bunny strip. I prefer black, but use whatever.
body- medium ice chenille or cactus chenille. again, I prefer black.
hackle (if desired)- grizzly neck hackle, tied Palmer.

The redfish worm is one of my favorite drum flies, too.

Buena suerte! Boa sorte!
————————————————————

Fishing News- Haulover Canal Gauge

For years this blog has related water levels in the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon to the USGS Gauge at the Haulover Canal. The URL, and the gauge format on the webpage, for that gauge is changing. The new URL is https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/02248380/#parameterCode=00065&period=P7D

As I write this, the gauge reads well over 1.0. Every whole number equals a foot of water. I like for the gauge to read at 0.5 or below. I’ve seen it above 3.0 (after a hurricane) and below 0.0 (bars exposed everywhere). That webpage is an extremely useful tool for planning fishing trips in those lagoons!
————————————————————-

The MULLET RUN

Anyone have any news???

Will we ever see this again?

FISHING (and other) Report

Monday
Went paddling on high, murky water Mosquito Lagoon. Found a flowing culvert, where two trout, a snook, and a redfish fell for my flies. That was a good find! Ran over a couple fish, but it was very hard to see anything, in spite of the extraordinary weather. The water will most likely be high into December, maybe January. I doubt that I’ll ever see it clean again.

Culvert trout on Clouser minnow.

 

And the redfish! Note how murky the water is.

Tuesday
Susan and I visited the Orlando Museum of Art to see an exhibit of Clyde Butcher’s work. Highly recommended!!! One of my favorite Butcher photos is of the beach at Cayo Costa. I learned on Tuesday he waited there for a month to get the light he wanted. Waugh!

An example of the master’s work…

Wednesday
Dentist. News could have been better. Losing a tooth. 🙁

Visited Dr. David Demetree, chiropractor. Always feel a lot better when I leave there!

Visited the new digs of Mud Hole Tackle.

Put a new heating element in our clothes dryer.

Not a very exciting day.

Thursday
Went paddling on the high and murky Indian River Lagoon, place I had not visited in quite a long time. Looked for new nooks and crannies, got a trout and a little snook on fly.

Friday
Went paddling on the high and murky Indian River Lagoon. Again looked for new nooks and crannies. Relearned something I already knew from hard experience- first boat through a narrow spot gets all the spider webs. Got a couple trout and a small black drum on the rubber shad. Lightening chased me off.

No one likes getting one of these in the face.

Don’t know that I found new spots but had fun looking!

That’s what I got. Thank you again for reading this Fishing Report. Life is great and I love all my readers!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go hiking! Take a walk! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Flies and Fly Tying, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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