the spotted tail

Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report

November 15, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report

This is the Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report for November 14. My apologies for all the selfies.

With a kayak fishing charter coming up on Saturday, all my fishing this week was paddle-based fly fishing.

Tuesday‘s trip was on the Mosquito Lagoon. Yes, it sounds like a broken record. High, dirty water makes fishing tough there. I found one redfish all day. Remarkably, I had a good shot at it and caught it. One cannot with reasonable expectation see one fish and hope to catch it. Someone gave me a huge dose of luck.

It was quite a handsome redfish, though.

Wednesday Mike Conneen and I went to the Banana River Lagoon. The water was cleaner than Mosquito Lagoon, but still pretty dirty. All the grass there is gone. I ran over a small school of fish and set up camp while Mike kept going. A couple hours of casting a wool crab netted me three bites that resulted in a black drum, a redfish, and a hooked and lost fish of unknown specie.

Black drum selfie. Not the monster black drum, but it’s a fish.

This redfish was a pretty nice one.

I imagine the fish feels a great deal of relief when it gets returned to the water.

And off it goes!

Unfortunately Mike did not get a fish. There wasn’t a lot of cheese (not many fish) around for us.

Thursday

In spite of that I went back to the Banana River Lagoon the next day, to a different spot. The good news was the water, although of course still quite high, was clean. Like it’s supposed to be. There was no grass at all, though. Only a handful of fish were seen all day, resulting in a single shot and a small redfish that took the wool crab.

Another case of converting the single shot I got.

It is painful to see what’s happened to that fishery.

Sunrise over the St. Johns River on Saturday morning, at 70 mph.

Saturday fly fisher Steve Marsden, from the wilds of northern Wisconsin, joined me for a day’s kayak fly fishing. He had a few shots at tailing reds. Sadly there were no conversions. He did get what was by far the largest pinfish I have ever seen, and a handful of trout that probably would not have “held batter.” The weather was awesome, the birds spectacular, and we enjoyed the day.

If the IGFA kept pinfish world records, this fish would be in the book.

Sunday Tammy had a birthday. She spent it with friends on the Econlockhatchee. I hope she had fun. I think she did!

Fishing on the Econ was less than stellar.

Tammy’s birthday crew. Birthday Girl is hot and pink.

—————————————————-
FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
—————————————————-

And that is the Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report

November 5, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report

This is the Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report.

Rain and the Lagoons

Back a few weeks we had a near-miss from Hurricane Matthew. Several people asked me if the storm’s heavy rains would have a clearing effect on the lagoon. The short answer- no, it won’t.

The drainage area of the Indian River Lagoon system has increased three-fold since Henry Flagler built his railroad around the turn of the 20th century. That increase in watershed size has come mostly from drainage ditches that drain sugar fields, orange groves, and cattle pastures, drainage ditches that drain subdivisions and shopping areas, storm drains, etc. All that freshwater draining into the lagoon carries loads of nutrients and pollutants. So the rain, rather than increasing the water quality in the lagoon, actually decreases it.

If the water were pure rainwater it would be great. But it’s polluted storm runoff. It won’t be clearing the lagoon, ever. Rather than solving the problem it just makes it worse.

Outside Reading

Reid Bryant has a brilliant essay about social media’s blurring effect on fly fishing reality in the November/December issue of American Angler. It’s worth getting the magazine just to read it.

Blog Posts This Week

Go Macro Macrobars Review- http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/gomacro-macrobars-review/
CEP Merino Socks Review- http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/cep-outdoor-ligh…ino-socks-review/
—————————————————-
FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
—————————————————-

Yes, we did go fishing this week.

Mr. Conneen works the Lox.

On Monday Mike Conneen drove and I rode along to Jupiter, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, to fish the Loxahatchee River. Beautiful mangroves lined the river with pine trees right behind them. The water was dark but pretty clear. High water. We saw a half dozen or so tarpon, no takers. We did not see any snook, the main reason we went. We did not see much else in the way of fish, and rare in a Florida waterway, no manatees.

We saw lots of birds of various water kinds of species, and some alligators, and caught maybe ten crevalle between us. Mike got the lion’s share of those.

It was a pleasant enough day to be paddling on a lovely river. Fishing was disappointing though.

Tuesday errands called, not the least of which was early voting. Man, I’ll be glad when the election is over, regardless of what happens. I digress. A small retention pond lies near the polling place. Thirty minutes of casting a red shad culprit worm netted me one small bass. Then the errands continued. Thank you, little fish! Please discharge your civic responsibility by doing some research and then voting!

You may have pieces of water you drive by all the time on your way to fish elsewhere. Thursday found me undecided about where to fish. High, dirty water in the lagoon makes me not want to fish there. The Econ is still very high. The St. Johns is still high. Some time looking at maps gave me an idea. “You drive past here all the time and have never stopped. Go check it out.”

I hooked up the Bang-O-Craft to the chariot and rode off to joust with windmills at the new spot (two in one week!). The new spot was beautiful, near SR 46 but surrounded by marshes. There were fishies breaking all over the place. I could not catch one on spin or fly and never figured out what they were.

Deciding to ignore them I started tossing a Culprit worm (same one as on Tuesday). Boom! Boom! Boom! Three yearling bass in quick succession. A long dry spell followed. Looking at the place you just knew there were fish there. But I couldn’t find any more.

Three yearling bass in quick succession…

I stumbled into a small creek with a little bit of current. The fish were “stacked up like cordwood” in there (I have waited a lifetime to honestly use that old cliche.) The Culprit worm got torn apart. The the DOA CAL worm I put on got torn apart. Then the DOA CAL shad I put on got torn apart, although what was by far the biggest fish I hit (three pounds, maybe a little more?) took that and tossed it, heartbreakingly, on the first jump.

It finally dawned on me that I had a fly pole and this might be a good place to use it. For close an hour I caught a bass on almost every cast on a cream-colored Matuka Bouncer. Yes, the fish were small, 12″ ones. But it was a bass on every cast. It has never happened to me before. It was fun. It was fabulous. It was by far the most bass I ever caught in one day in a lifetime of fishing.

The place was Loughman Lake. It must have some bigger fish and I’ll be going back.

Friday George Allen joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. Speaking of little fish…

We got numerous trout on DOA CAL jigs, only one fish in the slot. We went looking for redfish. We found some spooky tailing fish and never really got a good shot at one. We poled some shorelines. Shortly before we left George hit one while blind casting. That fish maybe went 18 inches, took a DOA CAL shad tail, and was the only red we got.

Redfish on the DOA CAL Shad, an awesome little bait.

The manatees are still everywhere. Please navigate with caution- GO SLOWLY!

You may have restaurants you drive by all the time on your way to eat elsewhere. There’s a relatively new place on US 1 in Titusville called Loyd Have Mercy. Soul food, seafood, and Bar B Cue. Susan and I went there Firday evening, not really knowing what to expect. I got garlic butter crabs with cole slaw and carrot souffle. Sue got shrimp with the same sides. OUTSTANDING! My only complaint concerned crab size- they were kind of small. But as far as the quality of preparation, everything was wonderful. We’ll be going back. Do your taste buds a favor and check it out.

What’s left of the crabs after I got going…

And that is the Election Day Central Florida Fishing Report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bass fishing, DOA Lures, florida fishing, fly fishing, kayak fishing, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing report

GoMacro Macrobars Review

October 30, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

GoMacro Macrobars Review

This is a GoMacro Macrobars Review.

When it’s time to fuel up, some folks go to Micky’s. They don’t need to read this.

Folks who want a dense, healthy, nutrient-filled snack that has a list of ingredients that anyone with English proficiency can understand (instead of needing a graduate degree in organic chemistry) need to check out the line of Macrobars from GoMacro.

GoMacro produces a variety of flavorful, wholesome, vegan, macrobiotic, sustainably sourced bars. This company also goes that extra length to have a positive effect on the world. What’s not to like?

Here’s an ingredients list from one of their bars: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Sesame Butter, Organic Dates, Organic Raisins, Organic Puffed Brown Rice, Organic Sesame Seeds.

Gee, what’s missing here? High fructose corn syrup, trans fats, genetically modified organisms, and any type of preservatives. All of our food should be this pure.

People like runners, hikers, cyclists, paddlers, and others who use muscles to get from point A to point B should be eating this stuff!

While I wrote this I sampled the Morning Harvest flavor. This tasty 59 gram bar packs 240 calories, has 11 grams of healthy fat, five grams of protein, and 15 grams of sugar. Not great for sitting around the office with a cup of coffee, but on a strenuous hike it would be absolutely perfect!

For more information on, or to purchase some of, GoMacros tasty treasures, visit their website at https://gomacro.com.

Thanks for reading the GoMacro Macrobars Review!

Buen provecho!

John Kumiski

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Product News and Reviews · Tagged: Eating, Food, Genetically modified organism, gomacro, healthy snacks, macrobars

CEP Outdoor Light Merino Socks Review

October 30, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

CEP Outdoor Light Merino Socks Review

Read on for a Light Merino Socks Review.

The new CEP Outdoor Light Merino socks I got did not fit neatly into my “socks system”. All my black socks go in one drawer. All my ankle-high white socks go in a different drawer. All my calf-high white socks go in a third drawer. All the socks in any drawer are interchangeable, so no pairing is needed. Simplify, simplify.

These new socks, although black, would not fit the system because, strangely, one is marked “L” and the other “R”. Additionally, although they were marked as size medium, they looked appropriate for an eight-year old. They were tiny!

After I put them on (yes, they fit wonderfully in spite of their apparent small size) I wanted to take all those other socks, all three drawers full, and toss them. The new socks felt that good.

CEP Outdoor Light Merino socks are light, short and rugged. The design is ideal for a variety of climates and ensures a perfect thermal balance even in warm or humid conditions. This thinly padded hiking sock offers a precise fit and increases circulation in the legs and feet making feet/legs feel fresher longer.

CEP Outdoor Light Merino Socks Features

This high-quality sock offers the following features:
-Unique combination of premium merino wool, finest silk and high-tech functional fibers for extreme durability
-Perfect anatomical fit (thus the L and R)
-Extra-flat toe seam
-Excellent heat and moisture management
-Padded zones to relieve pressure where it’s needed most
-Close-fitting foot section helps prevent blisters
-Antibacterial, odor-reducing properties

We all wear socks. In a word, these socks are great. If I get a several more pairs I can put all the Ls in one drawer and all the Rs in another. Simplify, simplify.

For more information or to purchase some (and you should) visit this link- http://www.cepcompression.com/men/socks/mens-dynamic-outdoor-light-merino-mid-cut-socks

Your feet will thank you.

John Kumiski

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Product News and Reviews · Tagged: Merino, merino socks, socks

Bahia Solano Fishing Report and Photo Essay

October 28, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Bahia Solano Fishing Report

This is this week’s Bahia Solano Fishing Report and Photo Essay.

Flying over Medellin.

Any doubt about us being in the tropics was shattered when we got off the turboprop in Bahia Solano. Soldiers, heat, mud, dogs, chickens, the smell of meat charring over charcoal, lush vegetation, trash, vultures, beautiful, hospitable brown-skinned people, conversations at the speed of light. I was back in the jungle and it was awesome!

View from my balcony at Playa de Oro Lodge.

We took a truck to a boat to the Lodge Playa de Oro. Our hostess was the gracious and charming Isabel Palacio. The rest of the group consited of Rodrigo Teixeira, a production coordinator for FishTV, Ricardo Canali, owner of Real Pesca, Johanna Garavito of ProColumbia, and our guide, Alejandro Linares, who also owns the El Pez fishing tackle store in Medellin. As an English speaker I was linguistically challenged.

From left clockwise: Isabel, Ricardo, Rodrigo, me, Johanna

We ate a delicious lunch- fried wahoo steaks with fixins. As wonderful as it was, the birds stole the show. One hundred five species of birds have been identified on the lodge property alone. They are beautiful, brilliantly colored, and not at all shy. I hadn’t even touched my tackle yet, but everything was fantastic.

The birds stole the show.

A two hour boat ride straight out into the Pacific under a sky threatening rain started our first day of fishing. We planned on trolling for sailfish, tuna, and mahi at what Alejandro told me was the Panama Current. We trolled without success long enough that I took a nap on the boat’s deck.

The boat ride out.

Alejandro finally gave up on the trolling. We went to a point of land where huge boulders pierced the surface of the sea, providing habitat for frigatebirds, boobies, and other seabirds. Alejandro handed me a large spinning rod with a giant popper attached. When I asked what we were fishing for he said, “Pargo. Atun.” Cubera snapper and tuna. OK. I’d never caught either so it was fine with me.

We fished around these rocks.

This plug weighed four ounces. Tossing and working it was WORK.

Using that outfit was serious work. After a while it was rest time for me. Ricardo had a bite, something that screamed line off against a very tight drag. But the hooks pulled lose and we never saw the creature.

Alejandro battles a pargo.

Alejandro was like a machine, tossing the popper a mile and working it back with powerful sweeps of the rod. A fish finally came up and ate it- what a fish! Pargo, muy grande! The snapper weighed close to 70 pounds, the biggest one Alejandro had ever gotten. After we photographed it, to my surprise and relief, he released it.

It was a beast.

It wasn’t my fish!

Even after that it was a bit of a shock when a fish nailed my plug. Against a tightly set drag the fish made a powerful run. It was a tuna, not even a very big one. Man, such power!

The tuna weighed less than 10 pounds, but they were all business.

That fish was not released. Nor was the next one I got. Alejando got a third.

One of Alejandro’s tackle boxes.

We had tuna sushimi and tuna ceviche as appetizers at dinner that evening. They were both heavenly.

The weather the second day could have been better.

Inclement Weather

Rain greeted us the next morning. Near the lodge we cast lures for tarpon and roosterfish. An hour’s work netted no results, so we went back to the pargo spot. The rain just got heavier, the wind windier. I broke out the ten-weight. Carrying it to Colombia would have been stupid had I not used it. I got one blue runner, not exactly the fish I had in mind. But it was a fish on a fly in a country that was new to me. Score!

Johanna had never caught a fish before.

Although there were three tuna caught with plugs, there were no pargo this day. With the weather deteriorating and the fishing slow we decided to bag it early in the afternoon. The ride back to the lodge was memorable for all the wrong reasons- big seas, heavy rain, everyone soaked and miserable.

Atun! Johanna is a happy girl.

Last Day at Bahia Solano

The next morning I had some time before our flight back to Medellin. I used it to photograph some of the birds and sights around the lodge.

My trip to Bahia Solano was way too short, unfortunately with uncooperative weather and fairly uncooperative fish. I’d made some new friends and had a chance to catch some new species, an altogether great trip. February is supposed to be the best month for fishing there. I’m looking for a way to clear my calendar for a couple of weeks.

For more information on Bahia Solano and the Playa de Oro Lodge, visit http://www.hotelesdecostaacosta.com/bahia-solano. Find the English link for the site at the top left.

———————————————————

FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html

===============================

And that is this week’s Bahia Solano Fishing Report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing News, Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: adventure fishing, bahia solano, fishing, fishing in Colombia, Fishing tackle, Pacific Ocean

High, Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

October 22, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

High, Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

The gauge reads two feet (I like it below 0.5). The water is full of microscopic brown algae. It’s the High Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report!

BLOG POST THIS WEEK-
Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- The New Reality http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/kayak-fly-fishing-mosquito-lagoon-redfish-new-reality/

FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html

===============================

Sunday I ran my On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar on the Mosquito Lagoon. We ran the Mitzi around the lagoon from Haulover Canal down to Max Hoeck Creek, up to the north entrance of the Pole-Troll area, and back to Haulover. The water is dirty everywhere, but it’s dirtiest down south.

There are almost-ridiculous numbers of manatees around. We’re seeing them in places we never used to.

We saw a float in the water, the kind used on the DOA Deadly Combo. The first thing that came to mind was, “I wonder if there’s a fish on it?” Slowing to idle, we approached the float. When we got close, it went down!

I put a jig head on one of my lines, then hooked the line between the float and the fish. It turned out to be a redfish of about four pounds! We released the fish and the float was added to my tackle stash. That was all the fishing we did, and the only fish we saw.

Monday Scott Radloff joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing from the Mitzi. We started behind some islands in the pole-troll area. We couldn’t see the bottom, but I quickly got a slot red on a Johnson Minnow. Scott hit a small trout on a Deadly Combo a few minutes later. We stayed back there over an hour, but those were the only bites we got.

Scott with our only redfish.

Fishing along various bars we picked up about 15 seatrout using the Deadly Combo. Most of them were short, with a few decent ones. We did not see a redfish all day. The boat was on the trailer about 2 PM.

Tuesday son Alex and I went bass fishing together at a pond in Geneva. It was slow. He got one on a popper. I got four on Culprit worms.

Alex with the best fish of the day.

During the battle the worm got torn off.

Wednesday I took the kayak to River Breeze. In one way it was a crazy idea, since the water was high and dirty. I figured I could get into low traffic areas and look around. As it turned out, that was true.\

I looked in new spots and favorite spots. I tried sight fishing and blind casting. I used a spin rod, something I almost never do when kayaking. The water was cleaner up there than farther south. You could see the botton sometimes in almost two feet of water. I did not see a single fish, nor did I get a bite. I ran across two other kayakers who had the same report.

The boat was back on the roof of the car at about 230 PM.

Friday Dr. Greg Scible joined me for a day’s fishing on Mosquito Lagoon. Using Deadly Combos we picked at mostly undersized trout- one here, one there. We found a flat with fairly clean water. On that flat were just enough redfish to keep us there for over an hour. They were hard to see and although we had several not-particularly-good shots we did not get one, did not get an eat from one.

We ended the day using the Deadly Combo again. On the last cast of the day Greg got the best trout of the day, a fish that was maybe 19 inches long. He released it before I could get a picture.

None of the trout would be considered trophies.

And that is the High, Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: Bass fishing, DOA Lures, mosquito lagoon fishing report, mosquito lagoon fishing seminar, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, seatrout fishing

Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report

October 15, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report

Since Hurricane Matthew passed us we have been under a small craft advisory for an entire week, with constant 20 knot winds out of the east-northeast. So we have the Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report.

BLOG POST THIS WEEK-
Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- The New Reality http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/kayak-fly-fishing-mosquito-lagoon-redfish-new-reality/

FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html

I certainly don’t want to drag this blog into the quagmire of election politics, but this makes an excellent Bumper Sticker of the Week:

===============================

I’m looking for a publisher for my latest book. Much of Monday was spent working on that. I am also making an attempt to join the 21st century social-media-wise. Yes, I am kicking and screaming. But Tuesday morning found me working on that. After being in the house since last Wednesday cabin fever was building.

Tuesday afternoon two retention ponds in Oviedo helped dispel the urge, helped scratch the itch. Eight largemouthed black bass were caught on DOA CAL bass worms and Culprit worms from those two ponds, along with a single missed strike. Not exactly fly fishing in the wilderness, but it was fishing, and fish (although not particularly large fish) participated. Life is good.

BASS on CAL

BASS on Culprit

The storm knocked some trees down in my neighborhood. Wednesday morning I collected some of that newly available firewood. After that I visited a ditch that drains into the St. Johns River. In ten minutes those same plastic worms that worked so well the previous day fooled five bass to three pounds who were hiding in that ditch! A brief spurt of hot fishing, indeed!

BASS with some old guy

Continuing on to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, I discovered that:
-the water is very high, although it’s been higher;
-all the boat ramps appear to be operational;
-the dike roads are all closed; and
-I must postpone my show and tell seminar because the dike roads are all closed.
There were some trees down but all in all it could have been much worse.

With the intent of netting some mullet for future bait use I took the Mitzi to Port Canaveral on Thursday, knowing we were still under a small craft advisory. One thing I was forced to notice right away is that the storm has deposited tar balls along the beaches and in the port. I unknowingly stepped on one and tracked tar all over the deck of the Mitzi before noticing it. A rag dipped into my fuel tank and used to scrub all of the offensive areas removed it.

Before I reached the end of the jetty waves were coming over the bow. The boat nosed back into the port, which we circumnavigated.

Other than canvas awnings, hurricane damage seemed minimal. I am reluctant to say the mullet run is over, but I don’t think I saw two dozen in the port. The net never came out of the bucket. Rodney Smith thinks we’ll get another wave of bait coming through.

Friday I went to see Rodney. He, I, and Mike Conneen visited the Turkey Creek Sanctuary in Melbourne. On the way home I stopped and cast a line into a couple of pieces of open water. It would be great to report I found killer fishing in some new spots, but I did not get a bite.

And that is the Small Craft Advisory Orlando fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, port canaveral fishing report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: Bass fishing, DOA Lures, florida fishing, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Port Canaveral

Hurricane Matthew South Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

October 8, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Hurricane Matthew South Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

In case you didn’t hear, we had a hurricane come by this week. Such fishing as I did was done at Jensen Beach/Stuart. So we have the Hurricane Matthew South Indian River Lagoon fishing report.

Thanks to all of you who sent emails and texts, and called, to check on our safety here. We’re all fine! We were without power for about eight hours. For us it was a pretty wimpy storm. Pray for the poor folks who got slammed in Haiti and the Bahamas, though.

Kayakers (and I paddle quite a bit myself) frequently amaze me with their lack of concern for their own saftey. You’re hard to see sometimes, folks! Check out this story- https://www.maritimeinjurycenter.com/2016/09/19/kayakers-injured-collision-ferry-hudson-river/

I was on youtube for something and stumbled into this-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVFu4LkXMJo
Didn’t know it was there! Hope it gets like that this winter coming!

UPCOMING EVENTS
Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 15. http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/
Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 16. http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

FOR SALE
EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html

The fight, near Fort Pierce.

Monday morning bright and early I boarded Capt. John Young’s Action Craft at the dock at River Palm cottages. Dave from Wright-McGill was the other angler. We threw DOAs for hours between the south causeway at Fort Pierce and the St. Lucie inlet. Fishing was not hot. We got numerous small crevalle jacks. Dave got a couple decent seatrout. I got a decent bonefish. Wind, thunder, and lightning caused a hasty retreat somewhere around 2 PM.

Dave with a decent seatrout.

The fish was fooled by a DOA CAL combination.

John Young with an Indian River Lagoon bonefish.

This fish was also fooled by a DOA CAL combination.

Tuesday morning not quite as early I boarded Capt. Ray Markham’s Action Craft. We did not travel quite as far, nor did we fare quite as well. Jacks and ladyfish made up our catch. I saw eight bonefish but could not catch one. We wrapped it up about noon.

DOA has some interesting new lures out, including a snake imitation for both salt- and freshwater fishing. Check them out here: http://www.doalures.com

Wednesday found me up on the roof with a bucket of tar, looking for potential leak sites. It must have been a good investment of time because we did not leak during Friday’s day-long deluge.

Since Wednesday the water level in Mosquito Lagoon went from 1.5 on the gauge, to zero, to almost 2.5. The Econlockhatchee River went up four feet. Fishing will probably be messed up for a few days…

And that is the Hurricane Matthew South Indian River Lagoon fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports ·

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality

October 5, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

The fly in question? A black redfish worm.

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality

Mosquito Lagoon was long justly famous for its clear water and abundant fish- redfish, seatrout, black drum, and several other species. Anglers used a variety of techniques to catch these fish, but for kayaking fly fishers the main draw was the ability to sight fish the critters, even while sitting in a kayak.

The landscape began to change in 2011.

During the summer of 2011 an algae bloom appeared. It quickly spread. Soon the water in the lagoon became a sickening brown color. If you put your hand in the water, it disappeared. Unless a fish stuck a body part out of the water, you had no idea it was there.

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon redfish

You can see the shallow water is not crystal clear. Again, the fly is black.

Winter came, and the bloom cleared.

It came back during the summer of 2012, and cleared again when winter came.

It came back during the summer of 2013, and cleared again when winter came.

It came back during the summer of 2014. Winter came. The water did not clear. It has been disgustingly dirty ever since. Friends of mine have said, “I can’t wait for the water to clear.” Well, yeah, but I think they’re being optimistic. None of the conditions that led to these blooms has been changed (and it’s a complex set of circumstances), so why should the water clear?

Perhaps I’m being pessimistic, but I think brown, dirty water is the new norm here. Adapt or get skunked.

The dirty water has had a cascade effect. Light cannot penetrate the water, so a lot of the seagrass has died. Seagrasses fed the entire ecosystem, so my fear is that the productivity of the system, its ability to produce finfish, has been seriously compromised. There ain’t as many fish, because there ain’t as much fish food.

If you kayak fish with a fly rod, there are fewer fish to find, and it’s gotten much harder to find them. What to do? What to do???

You could, of course, take your game elsewhere. Undoubtedly some fishermen have. Those of us who live here are loathe to take such a drastic step. No, we adapt. This piece examines how to do so.

In a nutshell, what the entrepid paddling hackle heaver needs to do is concentrate his (or her) effort at shallow spots that have lots of light-colored bottom. If you can wade there that’s a huge plus. Places that fit this description include Tiger Shoal, Georges Bar, and many of the spoil islands. There are many other places, and some time spent studying Google Maps will pay dividends when you’re out paddling.

If the water is low (0.5′ or less on this gauge http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?02248380) that’s a really huge plus. The deeper the water is, the tougher seeing the fish will be. The converse is true, too. Low water is one of your biggest allies.

What you look for has not changed.

What you’re looking for hasn’t changed. Tails, wakes, busts, laid-up or finning fish, concentrations of birds or bait, all can lead to a pay-off. My preference is to find an area that has fish, then abandon ship and do my hunting on foot. Your conversion rate will be higher by doing this.

If there’s any silver lining to the dirty water situation, it’s that the fish can’t see you either. On a recent trip I got three reds. My longest cast was about 20 feet.

For reds and drum you still want flies that sink. My favorite color is basic black. It seems to be visible in the murk.

Black flies work well…

Your casts will have to be more aggressive. Any fly not in the immediate vicinity of the fish’s head will just not be seen, much less taken. Don’t be afraid to lay it on them!

Seatrout, frequently tough to sight fish even when the water was clean, seem much less abundant now. I have yet to figure them out. When that happens I will write another article.

While this piece is about the Mosquito Lagoon, the Indian River and Banana River Lagoons have the same problems. Indeed, the problems may be worse in those lagoons. Last winter the Banana River Lagoon had an enormous fish kill between SR 528 and the Pineda Causeway.

In the Mosquito Lagoon that hasn’t happened, and in the Mosquito Lagoon there are at least some seagrass beds that remain. All that having been said, there are still fish in both those lagoons, and they can certainly be caught on fly tackle. Again, look for shallow areas with light colored bottoms so you have a chance to see any fish that may be present.

…but other colors will work too.

So while we can hope that the good old days of plentiful fish and clean water aren’t gone, hoping does not put fish on the end of the line. Get paddling, look for fish in those shallow spots, and some good things will happen. That’s Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality.

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Stories, Fishing Tips, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, opinion · Tagged: adventure fishing, Artificial fly, fishing story, fishing tips, florida fishing, florida fishing tips, fly fishing, kayak fishing, Mosquito Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon redfish

Mullet Run Orlando Fishing Report 93016

October 1, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Mullet Run Orlando Fishing Report 93016

The mullets are pretty thick along the beaches right now, thus the mullet run Orlando Fishing Report.

Because they spend so much time in the sun, fishermen are at greater-than-normal risk for skin cancer. Visit this link for tips on avoiding this dangerous but preventable illness: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/pdf/skincancer_family.pdf

Here in central Florida, the beautyberries are ripe. While you can find tastier berries, beautyberries certainly are edible. It’s so nice of nature to leave these out where we can gather and enjoy them, at no charge other than a few moments of our time!

The aptly named beautyberry.

BLOG POSTS THIS WEEK
What A Fish Knows- A Review. http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/what-a-fish-knows-a-review/ A great book, of interest to anyone who cares about fish!

UPCOMING EVENTS
Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 15, http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/
Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 16, http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

FOR SALE
EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
Wurlitzer Piano- http://orlando.craigslist.org/msg/5764347708.html

——————————
Sunday an email came in from Chris Myers. Paraphrased, it said he’d found a bunch of tarpon in the Mosquito Lagoon from 5-30 pounds, and they were eating. Did I want to fish on Monday?

I met him a 0545 and off we went. The fish were not where they had been. Still, he looked around and found a different bunch of tarpon. They were less than five pounds, and way less than 30. Still, they were tarpon. I missed a bunch and boated two on a small minnow pattern.

This is a small example of the greatest fish that swims.

When that stopped working we went looking for redfish. We found an area where there were quite a few, with enough tailing that you could see where they were. I would like to report that we got several, but we didn’t get any, on either fly or spin tackle. It was good to see them, though.

My bait freezer was as bare as old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, and something needed to be done about that, so Tuesday son Alex and I went to Port Canaveral. We caught a few mullet at the boat ramp, then pointed the bow of the Mitzi at Satellite Beach, hoping to find something scintillating along the way.

There were menhaden just north of the Cocoa Beach pier. Nothing other than a few pelicans was working them. We kept going.

We found a big pod of feeding Spanish mackerel before we got to Patrick AFB, and got six or eight on fly (in my case the same one I got the tarpon on the previous day). Then we continued looking. I wanted big tarpon.

We got to Satellite Beach without seeing anything else, so I turned the boat towards Spain and went out a couple of miles. There was nothing out there either.

We ended up back at the pogie pods north of the pier. Alex caught a small blacktip shark there.

File photo of Alex fighting a black tip shark.

We went north of the north jetty. Aha! That’s where all the mullet were hiding! Using mullet for bait we got several fish, including a small lemon shark, bluefish, jacks, and Spanish mackerel. I got some mullet for my freezer. So it was a modestly successful with outstanding weather.

Wednesday Scott Radloff joined me for another go at Port Canaveral. Not having seen much when running south the previous day, this time we headed north. There was a large pod of pogies in Canaveral Bight. We netted some, then used them for bait. We hooked several sharks of various sizes. We did not see or get bites from anything else. Not wanting sharks, we continued our quest.

North of Cape Canaveral the water turned a lovely emerald green color. There were fair numbers of mullet in the surf. We got some jacks and bluefish when we fished. We did not see any tarpon, or catch any other species of fish.

The sea breeze came up so we headed back down to the jetty and tried fishing among the commercial mullet netters. Man, they do some damage. Jacks, blues, Spanish macs, and sharks was what we got. So it was a modestly successful with outstanding weather.

Thursday the craziest thing happened. Someone called me, wanting me to take them fishing on Friday. Thank you, thank you, I thought no one loved me any more! Dear readers, we are open for business and this report works better when people go fishing. There are still fish out there, so let’s call John and make some plans, OK? 407 977 5207. Thank you for your consideration!

Friday Scott Bryant and his son Greg joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon spin fishing. Were the redfish where they were Monday? Of course not.

We looked in shallow areas (the Mitzi kept hitting bottom) and saw a fish here, a fish there. Greg got a small slot fish on a gold Johnson Minnow. A while later Scott got one a little larger on an identical bait. We had shots at several tailers, none of which converted.

Greg with a spoon-fed red.

One thing which is easily noticed this time of year- there are hardly any finger mullet in the lagoon. There aren’t enough on the beach to make one think that they all chose that route. Where are they???

All in all it was a slow day, with only a couple of fish for which we worked quite hard. So it was a modestly successful with outstanding weather.

And that is this week’s Mullet Run Orlando Fishing Report, courtesy of Spotted Tail.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, port canaveral fishing report · Tagged: mosquito lagoon fishing report, mullet run, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Port Canaveral, redfish, tarpon fishing

the spotted tail

Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report

Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report

Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report

Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report

Rain and the Lagoons

Outside Reading

Blog Posts This Week

GoMacro Macrobars Review

GoMacro Macrobars Review

CEP Outdoor Light Merino Socks Review

CEP Outdoor Light Merino Socks Review

CEP Outdoor Light Merino Socks Features

Bahia Solano Fishing Report and Photo Essay

Bahia Solano Fishing Report

Inclement Weather

Last Day at Bahia Solano

High, Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

High, Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report

Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report

Hurricane Matthew South Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

Hurricane Matthew South Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality

Mullet Run Orlando Fishing Report 93016

Mullet Run Orlando Fishing Report 93016

Recent Comments

Archives