For About Three Hours This Week, I Thought It Was the Old Days Fishing Report

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On an amazing Tuesday weather-wise, the kayak took me to the Banana River Lagoon. I wanted a crack at the big black drum on fly. Wasn’t I surprised when they were right where I hoped they’d be! Would they bite? No.

The fish seemed to be making a circuit. While standing in the water waiting for them to come back, I looked behind me. Swimming between me and the shore was a nice redfish. I dropped a Clouser minnow in front of him, and he very cooperatively ate it. Fish was about ten pounds, too- a handsome fish. Certainly chased that skunk away!

Fish #1 was this big. File photo.

Here comes the school of black drum. I tossed the recently deflowered Clouser out in front of them, and one very cooperatively ate it. Ha! The joke was on me. Not a black drum at all, but rather a much larger redfish than the one just released.

Needless to say his thrashing kind of boogered up the rest of the fish. But I got and released that red, which was pushing 20 pounds!

Fish #2 was this big. File photo.

Several minutes of no fish followed. I was dinking the fly around when suddenly the school was right there in front of me. Since the fly was already in the water, I just gently started raising the rod. Bam! One ate it!

Ha! The joke was on me. Not a black drum at all, but rather a much larger redfish than the one just released. This one went into the backing, and put up whale-like resistance. It was pushing 30 pounds. So the black drum didn’t happen, but who cared?

Fish #3 was this big. File photo.

The school never returned, so after a while I went walking, looking for reds against the shoreline. I spotted one up ahead of me, going the same way I was. It disappeared over a patch of dark bottom. When I got close enough, the Clouser minnow flew over there. Bam! Far from a red, a snook came flying out of the water, pretty modest, maybe three pounds. A happy surprise!

The snook was this big. File photo.

On the way back to the kayak (patiently waiting, staked out all this time), there’s a monster trout, too close, maybe 15 feet away. While thinking there was no chance, I flopped that Clouser minnow out in front of it and watched him eat it. It was the best trout I’ve gotten on any tackle in a long time. That fly should go into the hall of fame.

The trout was this big. File photo.

The rest of the day produced two weener slot reds, blind-casting a DOA Shrimp. Who cared? Three trophy fish inside of an hour while wading, I’ll take that any time. And a slam besides. Awesome day.

Wednesday saw some errands, but when they were done it was early afternoon. The Econ is still too high, John, but you haven’t had that canoe out in a long time…

Next thing, I’m floating down the Econ with a fly rod. The mouse fly got one bite from a six-inch bass in about 90 minutes. It was traded to the fly box for a sexy bunny strip fly with a rattle. In another 90 minutes it produced a single spotted sunfish. This fly is tied on a 3/0 hook- that’s a pretty aggressive sunny!

I saw a monster gator, but it looked weird. When the vulture landed on it, I realized it was decomposing. Took a pic with my phone…

Then it was paddle back to the car. Promised the wife I’d be home for supper…

Thursday. Went back to the Banana River Lagoon. Could lightning strike twice? You would have thought it was a different spot. I found black drum, much more modest in size, and not schooled up. Definitely no redfish swimming with them. Got one on a Clouser Minnow, one on a yarn crab, and one on a jig. I was looking for a big black drum. I’m not complaining about three smaller ones, but while this equation makes no sense mathematically, any fisherman understands it:

1 x 30 pounds > 3 x 10 pounds

The one I wanted could not have been held in one hand…

Only saw a few reds, and no shots. As I was paddling back, enjoying the paddling, enjoying yet another amazing day, I reflected on how blessed I am that at 71 years old, I can still paddle and wade fish, putting in eight-hour days, in spite of that pesky (and ultimately fatal) lung condition. Yes, life is good.

And that, folks, is the For About Three Hours This Week, I Thought it was the Old Days fishing report. Thanks again for reading!

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

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

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