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Garage Door and Port Canaveral Report

June 7, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

Garage Door and Port Canaveral Report

Thank you for reading this Garage Door and Port Canaveral Report. Because of the door, only got to fish one day, with Alastair Worden. The day was fairly eventful, though!

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

The garage door took most of the week. The county inspector came Monday, late in the morning. Tied up the day, and then the door did not pass muster. The installer had to come back out Tuesday, again tying up the day. He said the inspector would most likely be back Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon we got word that the inspector was coming Thursday. Four days gone as far as fishing goes.

Friday – I was at Alastair’s at 0615. We loaded up and went to the Port, and got the boat. Then we tried to catch some pogies.

While all around us folks were catching them (a mile or so north of the Cocoa Beach pier), I could not get even one. A guy in another boat took pity on us and graciously gave us a bucketful. Off we went to Pelican Reef.

There were several charter boats out there. We put out a couple lines and started slow trolling. I decided to put out a third line, and almost as soon as the bait was in the water it got bit. The fish clipped the tail off the pogy without hitting the stinger, a very skillful move.

Moments later, Alastair was hooked up. A beautiful king mackerel!

While he was playing it, we discussed the fate of the fish, and decided to release it, since neither of us wanted it. Alastair doesn’t eat fish, and I didn’t want the mercury.

When he got it boatside, I tailed it, brought it aboard, handed it to Alastair, and took a few (not great) shots. He then launched it overboard, and we got back to fishin’.

I got the next bite. When the fish jumped, I was puzzled. Hooked mackerel never jump! A few minutes later I could see the fish and realized it was a mahi. Groceries for John! Alastair brought it aboard and got a few pictures, and the fish went into the box.

action photo of a caught mahi.

While we were eating our sandwiches, I got what turned out to be the last bite of the day. The fish pretty much kicked my butt. It got below the boat and I couldn’t move it for several minutes, pulling as hard as I could. I realize I’m weaker than I used to be, but still…

When it finally moved I was able to get it high enough in the water that I could see it was another king mack, a really big one. Then it dove again. We played what was for me a painful up and down several times. I’d decided that it wasn’t even leaving the water- I didn’t need a picture of it. When we got it boatside, we couldn’t even see the hooks. I just cut the leader and we watched it swim off.

The fish was at least four feet long, the biggest king I’ve been around. I hope it recovers.

We fished a little while longer, but no more action. As hot as it was, and with storm clouds forming, we called it a day. I walked back into the house around 1615. Dinner was fresh mahi, cooked on the grill, and quite delicious!

That’s my Garage Door and Port Canaveral Report. As always, thanks 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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

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Effective Slow Trolling for King Mackerel

April 12, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

King Mackerel, cocoa beach, fl

 

One of the true pleasures of living through the heat of a central Florida summer is spending time in a boat, slow trolling for king mackerel. When the weather cooperates and the fish are in tight to the beach you can be successful doing this from a johnboat.

Since kings prefer water temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, they don’t typically show in numbers in central Florida waters until April or May. When the word gets out that the kings have showed up, the parking lots at Port Canaveral fill up early.

Read the rest of this article here…

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Mercury in Fish- Is That Fish Safe to Eat?

January 18, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Mercury in Fish- Is That Fish Safe to Eat?

king mackerel

A big king mackerel- great to catch, delicious, and full of toxic mercury.

Health pundits on TV and in print are always telling us to eat more fish. Fish are good for you, they tell us. They’re high in protein, low in fat, and the fat fish contains is that desirable kind, omega-3. But, Is That Fish Safe to Eat?

Whether the seas can sustain all of us eating fish is a question to be dealt with another time.

What I want to know when I catch a fish I’m considering taking home is this- is that fish safe to eat? In a few cases, it’s not.

Most fish caught in Florida contains some mercury. According to the publication Your Guide to Eating Fish Caught in Florida, published by the Florida Department of Health, “for most people, the risk of eating fish exposed to mercury is not a health concern. However, developing fetuses and young children are more sensitive to the harmful effects mercury has on the brain than other people. As a result, women of childbearing age and young children should eat less fish than all others to avoid the higher health risks.”

How does mercury affect us?

Mercury comes in several forms. The form commonly found in fish is called methyl mercury. It damages the central nervous system, endocrine system, kidneys, and other organs, and adversely affects the mouth, gums, and teeth. It works its way up the food chain through bioaccumulation in the environment, reaching high concentrations among populations of some species. Larger species of fish, such as tuna or swordfish, are usually of greater concern than smaller species.

According to above-mentioned publication, Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, and Tilefish contain high levels of mercury. King mackerel longer than 31 inches or sharks longer than 43 inches should not be eaten at all, by anyone.

Most freshwater fish caught in Florida can be eaten without harm. Bream (such as Bluegill, Redear sunfish, Redbreast sunfish or Spotted sunfish) and marine fish such as Mullet, Snappers, Pompano, Flounder , and Dolphin are generally low in mercury. But some freshwater lakes hold fish with high levels of mercury. Check the Guide.

In general, for adults the benefits of one to two servings of fish per week outweigh the risks, even (except for a few fish species) for women of childbearing age, and that avoidance of fish consumption could result in significant excess coronary heart disease deaths and suboptimal neural development in children

For readers in states other than Florida, the EPA has a website that covers the same kinds of information. Visit it at http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/outreach/advice_index.cfm

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2012. All rights are reserved.

 

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