the spotted tail

Two Bites Orlando Fishing Report

December 13, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Two Bites Orlando Fishing Report

Kayak fishing two days this week I managed two bites, thus the Two Bites Orlando FIshing Report.

Those readers who do not subscribe and have wondered where I’ve been, my last two reports came from Louisiana and can be accessed here: –http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/venice-la-fishing-report-and-photo-essay/

–http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/the-rest-of-the-kayaking-louisiana-fishing-report-a-photo-essay/

Lots of photos, not much text.

Upcoming Events

-Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival- the largest birding and wildlife festival in the United States! January 20-25 at Eastern Florida State College – Titusville campus, 1311 North US 1, Titusville. http://www.spacecoastbirdingandwildlifefestival.org

Fishing!

Mike Conneen and I got back from Louisiana Sunday night. Unpacking etc. took place Monday. Photo work and thank yous took place Tuesday. Errands happened Wednesday. There were more errandy things to do Thursday, but it was so nice out I tossed a kayak on the roof of the van and went to the Indian River Lagoon.

Fishing was not hot. I saw a handful of fish. Incredibly, one was tailing and rooting around. Using advanced hoping-for-the-best skills, I tossed a black bendback out where I guessed the fish would be. It was quite a surprise when the line came tight!

A bigger surprise was the size of the fish. It was pushing 20 pounds, a real nice fish. Welcome home!

A nice result for one cast.

After a couple photos the fish swam off.

I made one cast, and got one fish. A good afternoon’s work!

After more errands on Friday I decided to try fishing out of River Breeze on Saturday. The water is still a foot higher than I like it, and it’s still real dirty. Expectations were low.

A total of seven redfish were seen, most close enough to be touched by the paddle. I got one shot and hooked and caught the fish. The fly was a Bouncer Fly, shown to me last summer in Alaska by the developer, Steve Duckett. This red was much more modest size-wise than Thursday’s fish but almost as satisfying emotionally. Again, a couple photos and off it went.

Battling the beast.

I made one cast, and got one fish. A good afternoon’s work!

The Bouncer Fly, a great idea I did not think of.

And that is the Two Bites 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 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Fish Pop in Ocean Drop 50% from 1970

The Rest of the Kayaking Louisiana Fishing Report- a Photo Essay

December 8, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

The Rest of the Kayaking Louisiana Fishing Report- a Photo Essay

This is the rest of the Kayaking Louisiana Fishing Report. The astute reader may recall we were getting blown out by a nasty cold front while we were in Cocodrie. But now that I’m home and have access to my computer I can post the photos from part A of the trip, too.

Upcoming Events
-Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival- the largest birding and wildlife festival in the United States! January 20-25 at Eastern Florida State College – Titusville campus, 1311 North US 1, Titusville. http://www.spacecoastbirdingandwildlifefestival.org

Fishing!

As was stated last week, we started in Venice, fishing with Capt. Brian Sherman and Capt. Carol LeCompte, staying at Reelivin Lodge in Empire.

Capt. Carol kept us well fed.

The lodge is elegant and comfortable.

For the non-fishermen…

A little redfish pizza!

Through the dead cypress forest.

The scars from Katrina have not fully healed, even in the marsh.

I had a magic moment with a flock of purple martins.

And of course some nice fish were caught.

From there we went to Cocodrie, staying at Coco Marina. Bebe McElroy befriended us and took us on a cold boat ride.

Our new friend Bebe, a delightful woman who holds the Louisiana state record for southern stingray.

It was a COLD boat ride.

Our last night there promised better weather.

Then we went to Grande Isle, where we fished in marsh duck ponds with great success in spite of the cold and wind.

Coming on to Grande Isle. Fishing is important here!

Mike fishes in a tiny “pond”.

The marsh was full of fish.

I got this red on a Hootchie Fly…

…and this one on a blue and white Clouser Minnow.

Another red falls to the fly.

I got fish on every fly I tried. If I made the cast, the bite followed.

We fished until late in the afternoon.

The drive home took for-eh-vur.

And that is the rest of the Kayaking Louisiana Fishing Report!

Mike Conneen made a video of the trip, you can see it here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaoxYVpa6to&feature=youtu.be

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 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Fishing Stories, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: adventure fishing, fishing cocodrie louisiana, fishing grande isla louisiana, fishing louisiana, fishing venice louisiana, fly fishing, fly fishing louisiana redfish, kayak fishing, kayak fishing louisiana, photography, redfish

Venice LA Fishing Report and Photo Essay

December 2, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Venice LA Fishing Report and Photo Essay

Some readers undoudtedly want to know what happened to last week’s report. I wrote it and never posted it, since Mike Conneen and I rolled out of central Florida at 4 am last Saturday morning. Since I did not fish that week there waren’t a whole lot to report anyhoo!

—————–

Upcoming Events

-Ocean Reef Beach Festival- December 5. The ORB returns to Pelican Beach Park, Satellite Beach. Celebrate the ocean lifestyle with exciting conservation and recreation displays, activities and hands on learning! Food trucks, local ocean artists, live music and more! The event is free and will be held from 10am-5pm. Proceeds to benefit Surfrider Foundation and Anglers For Conservation.

—————–

Mike did the driving, aiming his Nissan towards Empire, Louisiana. Besides the two of us, the truck carried two kayaks and accessories, assorted fishing tackle, a variety of cameras, camping and cooking gear, a smattering of food, some clothing and personal items, a computer, a smartphone (not mine!), and odds and ends.

We got to Empire about four in the PM. Capt. Carol LeCompte at Reelivin Fishing Charters was our unbelievably gracious host. He had told me over the phone he would take care of us. He was more than true to his word, going way beyond what was needed, feeding us oysters, crabs, fish, gumbo, jambalaya, and other Cajun specialties the names of which escape me. It was all very delicious! The lodge was elegant yet comfortable, really nice, five stars from this reporter.

We kayak fished two days out of Venice with Capt. Brian Sherman at kayakvenicela.com. I wanted to fly fish. The water was way too dirty for sightfishing, so the first morning I just chucked it. Mike used spin tackle with a variety of lures. The catching started almost immediately and really just kept getting better. I foolishly brought my old computer with me. It doesn’t talk to my new camera so the best pics aren’t even here. Let the pictures do the talking!

Captain Vudu, Carol LeCompte. Vudu, bay-bee!

Capt. Brian Sherman, Kayak Venice LA

Mike Conneen with his first Louisiana redfish. He’d get a few more!

Mike has another fat redfish.

Same fish…

Fish in hand…

…and posing for the photeaux!

I got into the act too, with a DOA CAL jig.

Not a release shot, the fish is still hooked!

It doesn’t matter where they are, reds love the DOA CAL shad tail.

After two days of fishing in Venice, we went to Cocodrie. Our arrival coincided closely to the arrival of a strong cold front. We got in a few hours of fishing on our own, close to Coco Marina, our base during our stay here. We got a couple reds, a few trout, and one black drum. All but one were caught on soft plastics.

We did not fish the following day due to strong winds, rain, and lightning. It looks like the next couple days might get blown out too, so I am going to post this now.

That is this week’s Venice LA Fishing Report and Photo Essay.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: adventure fishing, Capt. Brian Sherman, DOA Lures, kayak fishing, kayak fishing Venice LA, kayakvenicela.com, paddle fishing Venice LA, redfish Venice LA, reelivin charters

Blown Out Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

November 21, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Blown Out Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

This is the Blown Out Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report. Winds in excess of 20 mph were a persistent weather feature this week.

Best wishes to all for a fantastic Thanksgiving. In spite of all the craziness in the world, we all have so much to be thankful for. Make some time to think about it. You’ll feel better afterwards.

Upcoming Events

The Contest from Two Weeks Ago

Two weeks ago I asked what a Button Trout was. Because no one responded I forgot to address it last week. I got this information

A solid trout at 26 inches. It could be a button trout!

from a Mosquito Beaters book at the Florida Historical Society: In 1951 Field and Stream magazine offered as a prize a lapel button which was a replica of a spotted sea trout. To get one you had to land a trout in excess of six pounds and have it weighed at an official weigh station, which in Cocoa was Gary Bennett’s Bait and Tackle. So many of the “button” trout were caught here that Cocoa became known as “Saltwater Trout Capital of the World.”

So the Button Trout is any in excess of six pounds. I get a free copy of my book!

The Weatherman Strikes Again-

A section of the Pacific Ocean has recorded its highest temperatures ever, raising fears of prolonged droughts and flooding as a result of what may be the strongest El Niño in 15 years.

A band of water in the central Pacific registered at 85.5°F (29.7°C) over the course of one week — over 5 degrees warmer than usual and higher than ever previously recorded, USA Today reported on Tuesday.

Temperature readings suggest this year’s El Niño — a weather phenomenon caused by unusually warm water in the Pacific and that results in extreme weather patterns across the tropics and sub-tropics — could become among the strongest in recorded history. The phenomenon is expected to strengthen through to the end of the year and could have devastating consequences around the world.

Fishing!

On Monday Koji and Hiro, fly fishers from Japan, joined me for some fly fishing on the Indian River Lagoon. They told me the previous day they had gone wading out of Parking Lot 5 at the New Smyrna end of Canaveral National Seashore and had caught several seatrout and redfish, blind casting in the dirty water.

I should have gone there.

An east wind in the 15 mph range pretty much kept us pinned to the east shoreline. The first few spots we went to had very dirty water. Places that last week had been moderately clean were dirty enough now you couldn’t see the bottom. We did, however, see the alligator that follows you around, and a lot of manatees. But any fish we saw we had almost run over and they were already on their way out of Dodge.

Across from Port St. John the water looks beautiful, the way it should look. Sadly there are very few fish there.

We only had a handful of shots all day, none of which converted. Koji got two redfish by blindcasting. Placed end-to-end, they may have made one legal fish. That was it for the day.

The condition of that lagoon breaks my heart. It’s such a fantastic place and we are just destroying it.

Tuesday it was blowing 20+.

Wednesday it was blowing 20+.

Thursday it was blowing 20+.

I did not fish those days, but did do quite a bit of research and writing. I need to go fishing soon!

Friday I had an appointment at the (drum roll, please) offices of the Social Security Administration in Longwood. Typically depressing government office and waiting room. I won’t be retiring any time soon, if ever.

Did more writing and research in the afternoon.

I’ll spend the weekend getting ready for Turkey Day.

And that is this week’s Blown Out 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 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Are You Ready for El Nino? Prepare Your House and Save

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: Indian River Lagoon, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish, seatrout fishing

An Undistinguished Orlando Fishing Report

November 15, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

An Undistinguished Orlando Fishing Report

Upcoming Events

Ocean Reef Beach Festival- December 5. The ORB returns to Pelican Beach Park, Satellite Beach. Celebrate the ocean lifestyle with exciting conservation and recreation displays, activities and hands on learning! Food trucks, local ocean artists, live music and more! The event is free and will be held from 10am-5pm. Proceeds to benefit Surfrider Foundation and Anglers For Conservation.

Fishing!

This is a very Undistinguished Orlando Fishing Report. I fished three days this week. I’m in the middle of a writing project that’s taking some time.

Some friends went fishing on the Econ Saturday last week and did well, so I tried it on Monday. It was a beautiful day on the river. My friends were throwing plastic worms. I was using a fly rod. A popper garnered two strikes in two hours, so I switched to a matuka streamer. The sunfish loved it, but it kept hanging up and ended up losing it. I tried another, larger streamer and it also kept hanging up. Frustrated, I went back to the popper and got three bass (small ones) in 20 minutes, then nothing else.

The first redfish we got.

Tuesday Tom Van Horn and I went out of Port Canaveral in the Mitzi. We fished in the Bight for a while without success, then found a school of pogies and fished under them with live mullet on a slip-sinker rig. We killed six bluefish and released at least that many redfish. Fishing was pretty hot there for a few hours.

The first redfish Tom got. There were enough around that we had a couple doubles. Show that fish some love!

Wednesday I smoked the bluefish. Smoked fish dip, coming right up!

Friday’s plan was to take son Alex fishing. Alex would not and did not get out of bed. I wrote for a while, then drove to Orlando. A friend had a canoe at his condo, against the HOA rules, and wanted it out of there. I got it, an OT Sport 14. We went to the Econ for a test drive. The boat is fat, heavy, slow, and stable (a good thing), although apparently it has an attractive price point. Two bass and a stumpknocker fell for my fly rod popper in about two hours.

And that is this week’s Undistinguished 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 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, port canaveral fishing report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bass fishing, canoeing story, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Port Canaveral, redfish

North Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

November 8, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

North Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

Upcoming Events

Eau Gallie River muck dreding project public meeting Nov. 12- The St. Johns River Water Management District will host a public meeting on Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. to provide an update on the status of the Eau Gallie River dredging project. The meeting location is Melbourne City Hall, 900 E. Strawbridge Ave.

IRL Paddle Adventure 2015 – Paddle A Portion, November 14. Paddle a portion of the Indian River Lagoon! http://www.irl-paddle-adventure.com

Fishing!

This is a North Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report. Only fished two days this week. I’m in the middle of a writing project and had the seminars on the weekend, so…

Wednesday found me on Capt. Chris Myers’s boat. He very kindly poled me around on the Indian River Lagoon for about seven hours. In that time we saw quite a few fish. They were not particularly bitey. Using DOA CAL Shad we got a few slot reds and trout. I was able to get a red of about 25 inches of a shrimp pattern with the fly rod, and followed that up with a 20″ trout on the same fly. The sea grass is disappearing again.

The Universe treated Chris and I to this.

Thursday I visited the Florida Historical Society in Cocoa to do some research. I found this image, a seatrout catch from the Banana River Lagoon. The rods look like they might be fiberglass, which means this was probably taken during the 1950s. Them there’s some Button Trout!

I was born too late!

Contest of the Week- First person to correctly tell me what a Button Trout is gets a free copy of Flyrodding Florida Salt. PLEASE USE THE CONTACT FORM BELOW.

Friday I thought I would try the no motor zone. The water had dropped a little bit. Maybe I could see some fish.

The water was horribly dirty. Moby Dick could have swum by and I couldn’t have seen him. It wasn’t good sight fishing weather but it would not have mattered. You could not see the bottom in eight inches of water. Heartbreaking, really, really sad. I got some pictures of the weather…

Clouds, rain, and dirty water. At least there was a rainbow (or two).

Same rainbow, different lens.

Saturday was the Show and Tell Seminar on the Merritt Island NWR. Four people attended. We spent the day driving around the refuge, discussing where to fish and how to get them to bite. Thanks to all the attendees! We talked to some kayak fishermen who had gotten a few redfish in spite of the dirty water.

Sunday was the Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Seminar. Dave Lair was the only attendee, and again, thanks for coming, Dave! The water in the Mosquito Lagoon looks horrible, at least as bad as the no motor zone. We watched a gentleman catch a black drum in the Haulover Canal. He already had three on a stringer.

And that is this week’s North 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 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Corps awards Indian River Lagoon-South construction contract
Good News for St. Lucie River Estuary: $197 Million Contract Awarded for C-44 Reservoir

Filed Under: Fishing News, Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: Banana River, Black drum, Brevard County, DOA Lures, Florida, florida fishing, fly fishing, Indian River Lagoon, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, mosquito lagoon fishing report, mosquito lagoon fishing seminar, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish, seatrout fishing

Happy Halloween Orlando Fishing Report

October 31, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Happy Halloween Orlando Fishing Report

Upcoming Events

Show and Tell Fishing Seminars
Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar November 7 on the MINWR. http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar November 8, in my Mitzi. Please see this link for more information- http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

IRL Paddle Adventure 2015 – Paddle A Portion, November 14. Paddle a portion of the Indian River Lagoon! http://www.irl-paddle-adventure.com

Ocean Reef Beach Festival– December 5. The ORB returns to Pelican Beach Park, Satellite Beach. Celebrate the ocean lifestyle with exciting conservation and recreation displays, activities and hands on learning! Food trucks, local ocean artists, live music and more! The event is free and will be held from 10am-5pm. Proceeds to benefit Surfrider Foundation and Anglers For Conservation.

Fishing!
Monday morning I launched the Bang-O-Craft at CS Lee Park and headed up the Econlockhatchee.

Keith Jones states in his excellent book Knowing Bass, “…fall bass can treat anglers to some of the most spectacular fishing of the year. …days of 50-plus bass per peron fishing crankbaits or soft plastics are not uncommon. …fall bass tend to congregate…in large packs as they prepare for migration.”

Dr. Jones was not with me on the Econ. I did not find any large packs of bass or anything else, coming up with one redbelly on a fly rod popper, one gar on a DOA CAL Shad, and hooking and losing one small bass on the same CAL Shad, in about five hours.

A large flock, nowadays.

I did find a large (for nowadays) flock of spoonbills and shot a few photos, and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Fishing wasn’t very good though.

They take flight.

Thursday found me launching the Mitzi at Port Canaveral. The wind was from the west- how did that happen? I went out to sea looking for weeds and hopefully tripletail. There were very scattered weeds, and I saw about 20 tripletail, the largest of which was about seven inches long.

I was surrounded by this action.

Heading back in to the beach there were lots of diving birds. Breaking fish! I love those! Crevalle jacks in the three to four pound range were going crazy. Mixed in with them were a few bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Big sharks were ripping through the chaos.

The wire fly accounted for quite a few fish. Then I tried a Chug Bug, which was a no-brainer. Jacks are so aggressive on the popper. Then I tried a Floozy popper, good for only one fish. Then a Sting Silver got into the act.

File photo of jack crevalle.

By this point the novelty was wearing off, so I started heading back. Almost immediately the wind shifted and came out of the southeast, which would have shut everything down anyway.

Friday son Alex and his friend John Napolitano wanted to go jack fishing, so we went back to the Port. The wind was out of the north at about 15. We could not get near the jack spot, and by default ended up in Canaveral Bight. It was fairly slow but steady for jacks, bluefish, and ladyfish. Alex hooked a large blacktip shark, which lasted about two minutes before the shark bit off.

Then Alex got a pompano on a bucktail jig, which we will be eating tonight. Not much catch-and-release for pompano! The boat was back on the trailer at about 1:30, after a beautiful if breezy morning.

And that is this week’s Happy Halloween 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 2015. All rights are reserved.

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International Coastal Cleanup Day is Sept. 19

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, port canaveral fishing report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bass fishing, DOA Lures, Econlockhatchee River, mosquito lagoon fishing seminar, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Port Canaveral, Surfrider Foundation

Blown Off the Water Freshwater Orlando Fishing Report

October 23, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Blown Off the Water Freshwater Orlando Fishing Report

Some folks might think it’s been windy this week. Fifteen to 20 from the east-northeast, every day! And it’s supposed to continue into next week. This is the Blown Off the Water Orlando Fishing Report. It will have several parts!

Contest of Last Week-

What is it and what is it doing??

The first person who told me 1) what this is, and 2) what it’s doing, was Robert Ridgeway, who responded within 30 seconds of my sending last week’s fishing report out to my subscribers.

The critter was a big manta ray. There were three of them doing barrel rolls through a big school of glass minnows about three miles off the beach at Cape Canaveral, feeding on the minnows. I had never seen this behavior before but apparently it’s fairly common. There are you tube videos…

Do You Eat Gar?

Yes, the gar is a delicacy! And you can use the eggs to make your enemies ill! I’m not making this up, nor have I tried it. I just may try eating the fish (although they are kind of stinky), but will leave the eggs alone. Visit this link for more information… http://www.eattheweeds.com/gar-treasured-trash-fish/

Do You Eat Chowder?

At the upcoming Ocean Reef Beach Festival there will be a Chowder Cook-Off. The public (that’s us!) decides who has the best stew. It sounds like a great time.

Visit this link for more information, clammer! http://oceanreefbeachfestival.com/cook-off/

People Messing With Stuff

The Swiss Army Knife has gotten an upgrade! Can you believe people messed around with a classic outdoor icon? Actually, in this case it might be a good thing, because the re-designed knife looks awesome. Check it out at this link…

Show and Tell Seminars! Show and Tell Seminars!

For those who have enquired about the fishing seminars, first, thank you for your patience! This fall’s seminars are scheduled for November 7 for the Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar that takes place on the MINWR, and November 8 for the On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar that takes place on the waters of the Mosquito Lagoon, in my Mitzi. Please see this link for more information-http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-schools-and-seminars/

Fishing!

Sunday morning I launched the Bang-O-Craft at CS Lee Park. It had not been run in months. It ran well, and even started again after I turned it off! WOW!!! I guess using that new-fangled non-ethanol gasoline really works, Maw!

I took a few casts without result, did not see any signs of piscatorial life. Did not work it hard at all, barely worked, honestly. The wind was howling out of the northeast. The river is still quite high.

Tuesday- I brought the chariot in for its annual physical. Its rotator cuffs were shot. $1500 later they were as good as new. Wow, that hurt.

Wind still howling out of the northeast. Otherwise a beautiful day.

Wednesday- In spite of the forecast 15-20 mph winds I launched the kayak at my favorite bass pond. In deference to the wind I brought a ~~Devil’s Stick~~ spinning rod, instead of the usual fly rod. It wouldn’t have mattered.

I did not get blown away when I was here…

I flailed the water with a variety of lures for almost six hours, and netted three yearling bass. In that breeze, even with the spin rod, fishing was difficult. At least the wind blew me back to the launch point.

…or here. It’s like the vegetation held me in place or something.

Thursday- Although the gauge read 3.5, a good foot and a half higher than I like, I went to the Econ with two rods, one fly, one spin. Both were equally (in)effective.

The water may be higher than I like, but it was clean. I got several small bass and a few sunfish. I saw a large reptile, couldn’t tell if it was a monster alligator or Godzilla.

The beast was a solid 11.354 feet.

It was somewhat easier fishing the river than the pond the previous day, although that may have been entirely psychological. There were many places that required my paddling downstream to move that way- the wind was coming up the river hard enough to blow me upstream against the current.

Friday- tired of fighting wind, my mind drifted back to something I wrote last week- “I should have brought a fishing rod because there were a few fish popping. I’ll bet they don’t see many anglers up there either.” I went bicycle fishing at Hal Scott Park.

Tackle wired to bicycle and ready to go.

Catching was not fantastic. Fishing pretty much was. The Econ is tiny up there. I haven’t fished such a small stream in a long time. And although I could hear the wind tearing through the treetops, down at ground level there was no wind at all. The only footprints I saw belonged to a variety of non-hominids.

I got a couple small bass on a popping bug.

Nearly crapped my pants when my foot almost came down on a big, thick-bodied snake. Very cool.

The redbelly whacked a mini-crankbait. There were a few others.

It’s gorgeous up there, enough there will be occasional bicycle trips there again. And it was pretty nice not having to deal with a boat, especially in the wind.

Spotted sunfish, a.k.a. stumpknocker, a very aggressive little fishy!

And that is this week’s Blown Off the Water Freshwater 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.comhttps://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bass fishing, Econlockhatchee River, florida fishing, kayak fishing, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, St. Johns River

Florida Saltwater Flies- Packing for a Trip to Florida

October 19, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Florida Saltwater Flies- Packing for a Trip to Florida

Here in central Florida we find many species of fish- redfish, snook, seatrout, tarpon, snapper, moonfish, jacks, it’s a long list. Since you’re traveling, you don’t have room to bring a ton of tackle. I hope the list below reflects an exercise in minimalism for Florida saltwater flies.

The fish you’ll be encountering eat three things for the most part- smaller fish, shrimp, and crabs. The flies carried should reflect this. Additionally, some attractor-style flies like spoonflies and poppers should be carried, too.

Try to fit all the terminal tackle into a single Simms Dry Creek Waist Pack . In the pocket of the pack put the following items:

– a couple of finger guards

– a Dr. Slick hook file

– a stick of sunscreen for the lips.

Inside the pack put the following:

-fluorocarbon leader wheels in 12, 15, 20, and 30 pound test

– a package of Knot 2 Kinky leader wire . You never know when this might be needed

– a dehooker

– a Gerber Multitool or equivalent

– a small bag with a half dozen small white shrimp flies for nighttime dock fishing. If you get a chance you will be ready.

– a one quart ziplock back containing a couple dozen synthetic minnow fly patterns, similar to Puglisi style flies, in sizes from #4 to #2/0, many with weedguards, some tied as bendbacks.

An example of a minnow fly. Lefty’s Deceiver will work, too.

A flock of faux fishies.

– a small Plano box jammed with flies, including-

*3 Dupre spoonflies

* a half dozen Merkin-style (or other) crabs, size #4, with weedguards

*several Clouser Minnows in various colors and sizes (#4-1), with weedguards

Clouser minnows of many color combos work well.

*several black bunny leeches, #2, with weedguards

* several Borski-style Sliders, size #4 and 2, in various colors and weights, with weedguards;

My version of a slider.

* a few Trout Bites or other style bendback, size #4 and 2

* a few Rattle Rousers, size #4, great for dirty water

* a selection of poppers and gurglers. Baby tarpon love small gurglers!

If you have space, a few fry minnow patterns will be great for freshwater fishing and baby tarpon.

A craft fur fry minnow.

With this kit, you could fish saltwater anywhere north of Key Largo and would be prepared for most of what you would encounter.

So we have discussed Florida Saltwater Flies- Packing for a Trip to Florida. In your Florida fishing fantasy, what different stuff would you bring?

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2013. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Tips, Flies and Fly Tying, opinion · Tagged: fishing tips, florida fishing, florida fishing tips, fly fishing, fly tying, redfish, seatrout fishing, tarpon fishing

Mullet Run Winding Down Orlando Fishing Report

October 16, 2015 by john kumiski · 1 Comment

Mullet Run Winding Down Orlando Fishing Report

This is the Mullet Run Winding Down Orlando Fishing Report. It will have several parts!

Contest of the Week-

To the first person who can tell me 1) what this is…

What is it and what is it doing??

and 2) what it’s doing, goes a free copy of Flyrodding Florida Salt! Judges decision final. Hint- I encountered this while out fishing this past week. Please use the Comments Form below.

How Will Global Warming Affect You???

The water level may well be different in 2100.

While web surfing I came across a website that predicts the water levels on planet earth in the year 2100. You type in your zip code, and you get two maps- one in 2100 with pollution drastically curbed, and one in 2100 with things continuing the way they’re going now. It ain’t pretty. It will take an extraordinary run of luck for me to make it to 2100, and even if I make it and I’m in the same house I will still not have beach front property.

According to this prediction, the Indian River Lagoon will not exist anymore, the barrier islands all being submerged. It’s an interesting and sobering exercise. Check it out at http://choices.climatecentral.org/#12/28.7254/-81.0920?compare=scenarios&carbon-end-yr=2100&scenario-a=unchecked&scenario-b=extreme-cuts

Tips for Surf Fishermen

Rodney Smith has posted some great tips for surf fishermen. Read them here… http://rodneysmithmedia.com/ten-surf-fishing-fun-facts-2/

Show and Tell Seminars

For those who have enquired about the seminars, first, thank you! I have been working on it. The MINWR requires more paperwork than ever before, can you believe it? Hopefully they won’t make me raise the price to out of reality.

I wanted to run the seminars this month. At this point it looks like November at the earliest.

Orlando Fishing Report!

Sunday I layed around and watched the NFL all day. A complete waste of time, and yet glorious.

Monday– Boat Day! Minor repairs, cleaning, organizing, etc.

Tuesday– Scott Radloff and I ran out of the Port. The redfish were gone! 🙁 We found a few tarpon rolling, and Scott had a nice one on for 10 minutes or so, four or five jumps, the highlight of the day.

Can’t argue about its highlightness!

We did a lot of running and didn’t find too much. We did find a big ball of jacks near the beach. Evidently the jacks were being herded by numerous large sharks, because as soon as I hooked one all kinds of hell broke loose. The sharks appeared out of nowhere, all lit up. My jack ran right at the boat and six feet of determined shark ate it right along the gunwale, nearly smacking into the boat, and tossing water all over us.

Scott had one eat his mullet and fought it up to the boat The beast was easily six feet long. I wish I had gotten a picture of it.

For the day we ended up hooking a nice tarpon, eight or nine sharks, one juvenile snook, a dozen jacks, a couple Spanish mackerel, and a couple bluefish. The weather was spectacular. It certainly beat a sharp stick in the eye.

Wednesday– Looking at the weather forecast, Wednesday was supposed to be the last day with west winds, with them shifting to the northeast and increasing in velocity as the weekend approached. So if I wanted to fish along the beach, this might be the last chance this week. I took it, launching at Port Canaveral.

The redfish are definitely gone. There was not much else there either. I ran north up the beach, hoping to find breaking fish, or a school of fish, or predators pounding mullet, or rolling tarpon. Something! I had two fly rods and wanted to use them.

It was a good thing I had a cast net and caught some mullet, or I would not have gotten a fish. As it was all I got were six bluefish, decent ones for east coast Florida, but nothing else. The fly rods were both exercised, but only by casting. Nary a bite came to my flies.

The numbers of mullet appear to be thinning somewhat compared to last week. It’s mid-October, and the numbers of mullet last week were the best in years, so that’s not surprising. I hope I can get out there a few more times before it ends entirely.

Thursday– searched for the mythical source of the Econlockhatchee. Private land surrounds Lake Conlin in Osceola County, not accessible. There’s a bridge crossing at Wewahootie Road in Orange County, also on private property. Went to Hal Scott Park, pulled the bike out of the van, and went looking for the river.

Tools of exploration.

I found it, not the source but as close to it as I’m likely to get. I should have brought a fishing rod because there were a few fish popping. I’ll bet they don’t see many anglers up there either.The bike ride was a good thing- it had been too long.

Econlockhatchee Bridge in Hal Scott Park.

Friday– wasn’t going to go out but Alex asked me to take him and his babe. Forecast NE at 15, we went to the Indian River Lagoon. Not much has changed there since last week. The alligator that follows you is still there.

The alligator that follows you.

There were ladyfish at the power station. Alex hooked a nice trout on a jerkbait but it came unglued. There were not a lot of mullet, not like it should be now.

The Babes fishing.

And that is this week’s Mullet Run Winding Down 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 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing News, Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, port canaveral fishing report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Econlockhatchee River, florida fishing, Indian River Lagoon, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Port Canaveral, tarpon fishing

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