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A Short Lagoons Fishing Report

August 8, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

A Short Lagoons Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Short Lagoons Fishing Report. No slam this week! Only fished two days.

Bake with a Mosquito Lagoon redfish, circa 1990.

Steve Baker RIP. I learned Sunday that my old friend and mentor Steve Baker passed away last week. Read my eulogy here…

Tuesday– launched the kayak on the Indian River Lagoon, before sunrise, visions of snook on fly dancing in my head. The snook had other plans. I don’t know what those plans were, but they didn’t include getting caught by me. Got one redfish on a RipTide shad. Stuffed, baked, and served on a plate it would have made a lovely hors d’ouvre. Did find the baby tarpon rolling, convinced one to take a fly. Said fly pulled out just as the leader hit the rod. Other than the stars and birds, that was my morning. It was quite a pleasant morning to be paddling!

Not a 50 pounder from the NMZ, but a black drum on fly.

Friday– went to Mosquito Lagoon with kayak. Did not bring the spin rod. Spectacular day, if a little warm. Found a few fish, even through the murk. Convinced a few to take my flies.

The redfish worm strikes again!

Time flies so fast once youth is past that we cannot accomplish one half the many things we have in mind or indeed one half our duties. The only safe and sensible plan is to make other things give way to the essentials, and the first of these is fly fishing. – Theodore Gordon

Life is great and I love my apparent retirement!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide
Purchase Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2020. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Central Florida Kayak Fishing Report- The Week of the Super Grand Slam!

August 1, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Central Florida Kayak Fishing Report- The Week of the Super Grand Slam!

Thank you for reading this Central Florida Kayak Fishing Report. This was the week of the super grand slam! A proper slam happens in a day. This one took me all week to get, but ya take what ya get these days.

Blog Posts This Week– Leave It As It Is- A Book Review 

Other Bits of Life– Peter Green, one of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac and a hero of my youth, passed away this week. I had the pleasure of seeing him, and them, in concert back in 1970 at the Boston Tea Party. I’ve been to a lot of concerts- that one remains one of the most memorable.

Weather Forecast from Hell-

Northeast winds 55 to 65 knots with gusts to around 80 knots. Seas 
27 to 30 feet with a dominant period 11 seconds. Extremely rough on the 
intracoastal waters. Periods of showers.

Coming at us on Sunday.

FISHING!

Monday– launched the kayak on Spruce Creek, illegally, since it was before sunrise and I had no light*. Got a ticket from the marine patrol there, a long time ago, for the same reason. But, I digress.

Before the sun hit the horizon, I found a redfish cruising the bank. Dropped the bunny leech in front of him. He acted the way they are supposed to, and I had a redfish release before sunrise.

Spruce Creek red, on a black bunny leech. Welcome to a new day!

Back in the day, at that time in the morning you’d see jacks crushing mullet, hear snook popping, etc. None of that this morning, very placid. Sad.

Found some baby tarpon rolling a while later. Jumped two, one on the leech and one on a small gray shrimp pattern. Them little boogers is hard to hook!

Found another shoreline red. Thought I had it, but the fish spooked off the fly. It didn’t have a weedguard (it was the one I had tossed it at the tarpon) and it hooked on a shell. That was my morning, and a lovely one it was.

Didn’t fish Tuesday or Wednesday, but I did watch The Kids Are Alright, a documentary about The Who. When they played Young Man Blues it gave me shivers, just freaking awesome. They don’t make them like that any more.

Thursday– Got up too early (really- the days are getting shorter and I’m still on the June program) but got to see Orion above the eastern horizon as I drove to the Indian River. Dropped the kayak in illegally again (no light) and paddled to where I hoped the fish would be.

The best one- of course I didn’t notice the lens was foggy…

In a clear example of “that’s fishing,” I did not get a bite for an hour and a half, then I hooked four snook on four casts, catching three of them. The fourth sawed through my leader (#25 fluoro). The bait was a RipTide Sardine. One of the caught ones was a real one, five or six pounds, my nicest one this year. The one that got away was WAY bigger, of course. 🙂

This was a decent one, too.

A while later I got another snook, a dinker. Then I found some dinker tarpon rolling. One took a black and white streamer and I actually used a dehooker to release it. I did not photograph it, but it was important to the slam. Then I paddled back to the car.

Friday– Got up at 6 am, was on the road to Mosquito Lagoon at 0645. Got caught in some wreck traffic, so I didn’t launch the kayak until 0800.

The water is so green. The first redfish I saw was not social distance away. I did not get a shot. And something I was reminded of this day was, it’s hard to drop a fly exactly where you want it to land when the fish is eight or ten feet away. The next several fish I saw, I could have speared more easily than tossed a fly to them. They were that hard to see.

The fly was deep enough I just cut it off and let the fish have it.

In spite of the murk I had three great shots- did not get a bite. Then I had an impossible one, leader in the rod, and hooked and caught the fish, a really nice red, eight pounds or so.

Black drum, not as pretty as brook trout. I still love them.

I ended up hooking four redfish and catching two, two black drum and catching one, and the last fish, just to put the exclamation point on the slam, was my best trout this year. I think the fish knew there’s a storm coming. They were just stupid, and more active than I’ve seen them in a long time. GLAD I WENT!!!

An EP-style streamer, blind-casting!!!

*If memory serves, the regulation is, any vessel less than seven meters doing less than seven knots needs a single white light, visible from 360 degrees, at the distance of a mile, when operating between sunset and sunrise.

And that’s my central Florida kayak fishing report for this week. Thanks for reading it!

I think I fish, in part, because it’s an anti-social, bohemian business that, when gone about properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture without actually landing you in an institution. – John Gierach

Life is great and I love my work!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide
Purchase Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2020. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Beaches and More Fishing Report

July 18, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Beaches and More Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this beaches and more Fishing Report. The week had its interesting moments.

Monday– Susan and I went to New Smyrna Beach, parked at Bethune Beach Park. I brought a light spin rod and some shrimp I found in the freezer. When I got around to fishing it was with a pair of small bucktail jigs rigged tandem. I tipped each jig with a small piece of shrimp. Little nibbly fish kept stealing the shrimp, but I did catch a small whiting, successfully keeping the skunk at bay, for whatever that’s worth.

Had lunch at JB’s, then went to the national seashore. While still on the boardwalk over the dune I could see a bait ball just off the beach. Whoosh! a big tarpon launched itself right through it, getting me pretty durned excited!

We took a long walk down the beach and back, but I didn’t see much else.

Tuesday– encouraged by what I’d seen the previous day and a favorable weather forecast, I launched the Mitzi at the Port at 6 AM, then headed up the beach. At the tip of the Cape there were a few scattered tarpon rolling. I blind-cast with the 12-weight for a bit, but that gets old real fast. It’s hard to target scattered rolling fish.

Dawn at Cape Canaveral.

I continued up the beach for a couple hours before I saw anything else. Then I ran over a single tarpon, and then a small string. I cut the motor and went on the electric.

By now there were lots of clouds. Visibility would be good for a few minutes, then a cloud would come. I saw a fish here and again, but always too close to me to do much with.

If I had a cigar I would have swallowed it when here came an honest-to-God string, right on top. Only about a dozen fish, but still. I waited for them to get into range then made my cast. One of the fish saw the rod move and spooked, boogering up the rest. I did not get bit. But my knees were shaking!

A while later here came another string. Just before they got into range a cloud came. I extrapolated and made the cast. The line came tight, a big fish came flying out of the water. When it crashed back down the leader popped and I was out a fly. But my knees were shaking, bad!

The clouds were building to the west. Just one more shot, I told myself. I spotted another string out past my position. I tried for 30 minutes to get in front of them and ended up losing them. I raced the storms back to the port. We arrived simultaneously, about noon.

Wednesday– Launched the kayak in the Indian River Lagoon at the spot I’d seen the baby ‘poons last week, again armed with a six-weight and a spin rod. The water was significantly higher. The majority of the fish were gone. Did get a couple small snookers on a DOA Shrimp.

Two identical sized snook, fooled with a faux shrimp.

Thursday– Susan and I basically repeated Monday’s plan, although I bought some shrimp at the bait shop. All my casting at Bethune Beach netted me one small black drum. The guy fishing near me caught several whiting on shrimp, though.

A ball of glass minnows along the beach.

After lunch we went to the seashore. There were balls of glass minnows right in the surf, and sharks and tarpon cruising between the beach and the first bar. I was all worked up. I watched a six-foot tarpon come in through the breaking surf into about a foot of water. Its back was in the air. I didn’t have a fishing rod, but could hardly have been more thrilled. Amazing stuff, that was!

And that was my week fishing.

I am convinced that the ideal combination leading to a happy life is to have the time to both fish and read. – Brian Murphy

Life is great and I love my work!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide
Purchase Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2020. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, port canaveral fishing report · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Flamingo Paddle Fishing Report

January 25, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Flamingo Paddle Fishing Report (with a bit about St. Johns Shad)

Thank you for reading this Flamingo Paddle Fishing Report. Nothing like the Everglades, although getting to or from Flamingo is becoming a traffic nightmare.

After picking up my wilderness permit from the rangers Monday morning I loaded up the Bang-O-Craft and headed to Cape Sable. My plan was east cape two nights and middle cape two nights. The weather had other ideas.

The kayak and the Bang-O-Craft!

I had to stay east of east cape because of the wind and waves. Fortunately the kayak served as a dinghy so I could anchor the boat off the beach a way, which kept it from getting pummeled.

The waves meant the boat needed to be off the beach.

 

The Bang-O-Craft, happily at anchor.

I had some time to walk the beach. The shells are amazing! The amount of plastic there, especially abandoned commercial fish gear, is close to appalling.

 

 

 

 

A shorty snook, the first of many, and a hockey-puck jack fell for my little jig that evening. After darkness fell I stayed up long enough to enjoy the stars a bit and see two satellites. Beat from a long day, I soon crashed.

As soon as it got light I was up, eating fast and loading up for the day’s fishing. After anchoring the johnboat I started paddling. I planned the trip to take advantage of the incoming tide. No one told the water. I fought current the entire way. Crocodiles of all sizes jumped off the bank upon my approach. Between the crocodiles and the pterodactyl-like blue herons it felt a little like Jurassic Park. Even sounded like it- Scraw! Scraw! Scraw! Did not see a Tyranosaur, though.

Jursassic Park, Or Everglades National Park?

I couldn’t tell if the wind caused it or not, but the water was dirty. Between that and the wind, sight fishing with a fly rod, what I hoped to do, was impossible. Perhaps a half-dozen nice snook were spotted, all after blowing out. A single redfish tail went up and right back down again. The fly rod remained untouched. By lunchtime no bites had happened.

After lunch the current of the now incoming tide pushed me between two islands. Blind casting a DOA Shrimp produced the first bite of the day, a dinker snook. I got a dozen or so there, one after another, before realizing I was in the nursery. I went hunting again.

I found nothing but large reptiles (Where’s Steve Irwin when you need him?) until I got another dinker snook blind casting a small jig with a chartreuse twisty tail. At this point it was getting on in the afternoon. I waited at that spot for the tide to turn, catching small snook, until deciding to paddle against the current again to get back to the johnboat. You would think there would be a decent snook in there, but no, all little guys. Oh, and a solitary, lost, seatrout.

The stars again were spectacular, the Milky Way in as much glory as you’ll get in south Florida, and three satellites to boot. Venus was visible as soon as the sun set. The first stars to appear were Rigel, Aldebaran, and Sirius. Orion soon blazed. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/01/betelgeuse-supernova/605251/?utm_source=pocket-newtab The gems of stargazing, to me, are meteors, but not one did I see this trip.

The cold sent me to bed after a while. I struggled to stay warm all night.

The next morning the wind was still blowing hard. Florida Bay looked like a wavy bowl of mud. It was cold. My fishing spot didn’t work, and the weather kept me from trying much else. I loaded up and went back to Flamingo. I’d check the weather and if it were to stay the same, well, I would hit the road.

Forecast for the next day, north at 5-10. I got a campsite at Flamingo Campground. Once again the stars were awesome. Eight satellites!

In the fog I packed up, launched the boat, and headed out. After anchoring I negotiated a tiny creek in the kayak. The creek was full of fallen trees, and lots of snook. I was optimistic the lake would be good.

Another dinker snook!

Where the creek entered the lake I tried a cast. Bam! Dinker snook. I tried the fly rod with a streamer. Every cast. A snook on every cast! It wasn’t heavenly. They were all dinkers. Again I was in the nursery. I went looking for real ones.

I poled and paddled around the entire lee shore of the lake and did not see a fish. I paddled the length of the lake, back to the creek mouth. The dinkers were still there, no big boys.

The spin rod I brought has a history. I purchased the rod, a whippy fiberglass cheapy, at Lechmere Sales in Cambridge, right after I got my driver’s license. After stripping all the hardware off I wrapped new guides on the blank and put a new handle on, and mounted a Mitchell 308 loaded with four pound monofilament on it. With that rod I fished for bass and pickerel, and sunfish and crappie and perch, and stocked brown and rainbow and wild brook trout. And carp. Let’s not forget them.

Let’s not forget the carp. The author, circa 1969.

It didn’t get used at all for a long time and for years hung on our wall as “art”. Since our kids moved out we’ve been changing things around in the house. The old rod found its way back into my arsenal recently. I mounted a Shimano Nasci 1000 with 10-pound braid on it. That’s what I was using on this trip.

It wasn’t what I would have chosen to battle snook in a tiny creek loaded with lumber. But no way could I fly cast I there, so I went for it. The lure was the good old plastic shad.

The first several fish were dinkers. Then a real one hit.

The fish were in a lot of lumber.

The fish went around a mangrove root. The line was stuck in the little mussels on the root. I opened the bail while I worked the boat around the fallen wood to actually get at the place the line was caught and after fumbling around for a while got it free. The rod was passed around the root, the bail closed, the line tightened. The fish was still on.

There was more, similar stupid stuff, but I ended up getting the fish, by miles the best of the trip. I laughed like a maniac after releasing it, the whole thing was so crazy.

I cast the shad again. A bigger snook hit it. He did not mess around, immediately wrapping the line around a sunken branch and breaking off.

I considered re-rigging but that would have resulted in more fish with jewelry- no way could I get them out of that jungle. I paddled back to the johnboat, ran back to Flamingo, loaded up, and hit the road.

I left Flamingo at about 1440. I don’t want to say it was the ride from Hell, but it rained hard a good part of the way and I did not get home until 2200. The Florida Turnpike Authority ought to be ashamed of charging people to use that road.

St. Johns River addendum- last weekend I went to the St. Johns to try the noodle rod on shad. It got a workout! Fishing wasn’t hot, but it was pretty steady. About a dozen shad were released in about four hours, with lost fish and missed strikes of course. The rig used is pictured.

 

And that’s my Flamingo Paddle fishing report. I had a great time! Thanks for reading it!

Life is great and I love my work!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide
Purchase Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2020. All rights are reserved.

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

Tiger Key Fishing Report and Photo Essay

April 20, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

Tiger Key Fishing Report

A blessed Easter to everyone. Thank you for reading this Tiger Key fishing report.

FANTASTIC OFFER
Three of my book titles are now available for five cents each, only from my website.
-Flyrodding Florida Salt
-How and Where to Catch Redfish in the Indian River Lagoon System
-Fishing Florida’s Space Coast
Shipping is still $5.95 each. The mailers cost money, the post office wants a cut, and the mail boy has to bring the package to the post office. But you can have each of these titles delivered to your door for six bucks until June 15. Act now!

FISHING!

MONday
Last week I wrote- “Thursday loaded up the expedition kayak (Ocean Kayak Prowler 15) and went to Spruce Creek, which is not much of an expedition.” Monday I took it on an expedition, maybe short, but an expedition none the less. Drove to Everglades City, leaving mi casa at 0400, arriving 1000. Self-issuing camping permit in hand, I loaded up the boat with food, gear, and tackle (fly only) and paddled eight miles out to Tiger Key.

The wind was honkin pretty good out of the northwest and the water, near the top of the tide, was riled up. I did not see any fish other than black mullet on the way out, and did not get a bite after setting up camp. Did not hit it hard, was fairly drained from all the travel.

Campsite, Tiger Key. Nice.

I could not help but notice the army of fiddler crabs, way more than I’ve ever seen anywhere. Why is nothing snacking on them?

Good thing these guys don’t attack people. There were thousands of them.

Tuesday
Beautiful weather! No bugs! Southeast wind made fishing the outside of the islands the thing to do. Cast right off the campsite before breakfast or coffee, getting two small jacks and two small ladyfish on the Bouncer shrimp. Would have liked something sexier but these days be happy with what you get, John!

That’s quite a modest jack. First fish of the trip, though.

After a quick breakfast bite went boating- not far! Saw a place that said, Fish here! So I did. Second cast garnered a strike, a snooklet. Released him after a quick photo and went back to casting. A few casts later hooked a snook that was four pounds, maybe a little more. He went through the #20 Seaguar. Put on an Electric Sushi, 2/0.

The snooklet spit on my lens.  🙁

 

 

Everything was sized modestly.

Before the bite stopped there I’d gotten a redfish (small) and 10 or so trout in the slot. Spent the rest of the day hunting for fish that I didn’t find. There was no bait anywhere. Saw a single snook on top of a bar, did not get a shot. Saw one shark on the same bar. Blind-cast in places that screamed, Fish here! Did not touch a fish all day until I went back to the morning spot, where a half-dozen more trout fell to the Sushi fly.

After supper got another jack fishing by the campsite, for a nice circular ending to the day. Stayed up barely long enough to see some of my favorite constellations, tough under an almost-full moon. Slept well.

Beseeching the fish gods to toss me some crumbs.

Wednesday
Thinking that the outside didn’t work too well, went looking inside. Had a low outgoing tide to start, perfect for hunting shallow bays. Those bays had a few black mullet and the tiniest of fry minnows and nothing else.

There were lots of ospreys, good to see!

The only birds around were ospreys. There were no ibis (didn’t see one in four days!) and very few herons or egrets. No bait, no birds, no fish. I’m going back to where I got the fish yesterday.

Another snooklet.

Once there I had the same conditions as the previous day. Again, a snooklet attacked the Sushi fly almost immediately. A while later I got another. A while later I got another rat red. Then nothing. I stayed longer than I should have, hoping the trout would show. They didn’t. I hopped in the boat and went hunting again.

I worked another point real hard and again got nothing until a flounder took pity on me. It wasn’t much of a fish, but it was a fish.

Deciding a picnic on Picnic Key would be appropriate, I paddled over there. The beach is long and beautiful. The sun was high, the water clear. I walked toward the far end, high on the beach, hoping to spot a snook or redfish.

The beach at Picnic Key, home of the mighty houndfish.

When I got to the far end I reversed field. To my amazement, where there was nothing a few minutes earlier there was a fish. But it was almost bright green! What was it?

I cast too far in front. Hoping the fish would move toward me I let the fly sit there. The fish was not moving. When I tried to recover the fly it was discovered it had found a root. Pulling it off the root did not bother the fish, but it did bend the hook. While straightening it I broke the barb off.

The next cast landed a foot in front of the fish. He immediately came over to check. One twitch and BAM! It was a houndfish. He almost beached himself when he jumped, a pretty spectacular 1.27 seconds. Then the barbless hook came free. I suspect they’re hard to hook anyway, what with the bony beak.

While I was picnicking a guide boat with four tourists came to look for shells and whatnot. The captain was a crusty Chokoloskee Island native, knew Edgar Watson’s son. While we chatted he said something which was pretty obvious to someone who’s fished Florida for very long- “There sure ain’t as many fish as there used to be.”

No fish here.

I checked three more islands, saw a single redfish on two big stingrays. Did not get a shot.

No fish here, either.

The day was getting old when I went back to my “spot.” A few trout had come in, got a half-dozen to three pounds. One, once hooked, came in, did not fight until I tried to grab him. Then he thrashed like crazy. “Fish, please don’t do that, you’ll attract a shark.” No sooner did I release him than a six foot bull swam by a rod length away. It wasn’t a soil-your-shorts moment but it could have easily turned into one.

Did I have nice weather or what??

This evening had no breeze. The no-see-ums were a minor annoyance. I didn’t use bug spray once the entire trip, choosing in this instance to retire early.

Thursday
Got up at first light, had breakfast, broke camp and packed up, paddled back to Everglades City, getting there at 1000. Loaded up the chariot and drove home, thinking about no ibis, no gulls (NO GULLS), no bait, can I go to a planet that’s not being ravaged please?

That’s this week’s Tiger Key Fishing Report! Thanks for reading!

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 2019. All rights are reserved.

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

South Florida Exploration Fishing Report

March 1, 2019 by · 2 Comments

South Florida Exploration Fishing Report

I visited the Keys and Everglades National Park this week. It’s a south Florida exploration fishing report.

Upcoming-
–Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Seminar, March 23. An all-day fishing seminar that takes place in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, with the express goal of helping you catch more fish in the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons. For more information, http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/
–On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar, March 24. Fun, educational four hour fishing seminar that takes place in my Mitzi on the waters of the Mosquito Lagoon, with the express goal of helping you catch more fish. For More information, http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

For Sale– Canoe Creek racks, fit any pickup truck (except Dodge RAM with toolbox). https://orlando.craigslist.org/pts/d/oviedo-tuff-truck-rack-by-spring-creek/6791721077.html

First off, the traffic in south Florida is out of control. This reporter does not wish to inflict that on himself ever again. South Florida fishing has declined to the point where it’s certainly not worth that kind of aggravation.

Saturday I helped Allison Bowman, official girlfriend of Alex Kumiski, move to Rockland Key to be with Alex. Even making the drive as pleasant as possible with snacks, music, etc., it was awful. On Islamorada I watched an old man who was walking slowly pass me and disappear into the distance.

I learned (or re-learned) a couple of things during that drive:
-any time is a good time for oral hygiene. The GUM Proxabrush is a fine little tool; and
-a harmonica makes traffic jams more enjoyable. Mine is a Hohner Progressive Special 20 tuned to C. For $40 it’s a portable entertainment system. The world needs more harmonicas and fewer guns.

Sunday John Napolitano took Alex and I out into the Keys backcountry. He stopped the boat and started poling. Before I finished getting my fly line out he shouted, “Permit!” There were a half-dozen fish at one o’clock. I could have spit on them. Needless to say they evacuated the area in a hurry. Additionally we saw a tarpon roll, a single bonefish, and another pair of permit (I did not see these fish, nor the bone). We wrapped it up early since Alex had to go to work.

In the afternoon I paddled out into the Saddlebunch Keys to do some exploring. I found lots of Cassiopeia jellyfish (they seem to be doing fine everywhere down there). I also saw one small permit (no shot), four or five barracudas (no shots), and a single blacktip shark.

A Cassiopeia jellyfish.

Monday Alex took Allison and I out into the same area as the previous day. We looked and looked five or six hours worth. We did not find much. I cast a plastic shad about 1000 times, got one small snapper and one small grunt. We did not see any crabs, did not see much bait.

The Keys are the most over-rated inshore fishing spot on the planet. Not only have I never done particularly well by myself there, I have fished with the following guides with the following results:
-Tommy Busciglio, with Steve Baker. We jumped two big tarpon (no complaints there!)
-Ben Taylor- skunked
-horrible guide (Ah-chee-wa-wa) at Hawk’s Cay- skunked
-Dexter Simmons- skunked
-a week in the Marquesas with Rick DePaiva, Blake Matherly, and Paul Hobby- one bonefish, one permit, and one tarpon between the four of us
-wade fishing Long Key with Bruce Chard- one bonefish between three of us
-Mike Gorton, twice- one large barracuda
Maybe I suck, but I seem to catch fish most other places.

Excuse my rant.

Four AM on Tuesday I got up and drove to Flamingo, hoping to get the boat wet by 8. I was out at nine, not too bad. Blame that Anhinga Trail stop.

This purple gallinule was feeding on a water lily flower.

 

Morning glories are lovely.

 

The soul of the Everglades.

 

Anhingas photograph well!

It was windy. Concerned about crossing Coot Bay on the rebound, I stayed and fished it’s lee, catching a lot of snook on fly rod poppers. I was glad I brought a four weight- it was probably too heavy for the fish I got. The largest was 18 inches or so. Two 12-inch tarpon succumbed to my wiles, too.

Lots of snooklets I caught.

 

Tarponitas too!

Spent some quality time on my back on a picnic table watching clouds dance. They are so graceful for being so large! They boogie to the music of the planet. Truly a wonderful hour spent there.

The waltz of the clouds. Still photo can’t do justice.

 

Home, under a mahogany tree.

Wednesday saw perfect weather so I put on my paddling shoes and hit it. My spot, a long-time favorite, was pretty barren, by its own lofty standards, anyway. Five snook were fooled by my popper with the largest weighing about four pounds. That fish was worth the price of admission- stunning strike, ridiculous acrobatics, the whole schlemeile. Awesome! Saw a few crocodiles, paddled through some mangrove tunnels, had a great time, and was glad I went.

I love paddling through the mangrove tunnels.

 

The fish of the trip.

Thursday at 0530 I got out of the tent so as to hit the road early- going home! The stars demanded I spend some time watching. Scorpius and Sagittarius were in the southern sky. The crescent moon was in Sagittarius, flanked by Jupiter and Venus. The Big Dipper pointed at Leo (whose nose was almost touching the western horizon), Polaris, and Arcturus. It was SO freaking spectacular I didn’t want to stop watching. But mosquitos reminded me I had places to go.

That’s this week’s South Florida Exploration Fishing Report! Thanks for reading!

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 2019. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Another Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

October 20, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

Another Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Better than no fish.

The water was dirty in the lagoons again this week, so we have another Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report for you.

Upcoming Events-

–MINWR Show and Tell Fishing Seminar. Oct. 27, 0830 AM. In this all-day seminar I SHOW you where to fish, and TELL you how to be successful. For more information visit http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

–Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar. Oct. 28. In this four hour seminar I take you out in my skiff and show you all my secrets. For more information visit http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

Space still available for both events!

For Sale-
15 ft Sailboat for sale with trailer! Sails are 2 years old and always dried and rolled into their sailbags. Main and Jib. Great little boat for cruising or racing. Custom trailer.

Boat is clean and ready to go right now!

Visit this link for more information! http://www.spottedtail.com/15-sailboat-for-sale/

Sunday
Needless to say I was at the AFC Fundraiser, a wonderful event. A gentleman introduced himself to me and said he’d found out about the event from this newsletter! Hallelujah! Some folks actually read it!

Fishing!
Monday I went kayak scouting on the dirty waters of the Mosquito Lagoon, hoping to find some water clean enough to sight fish. If the water is more than about 12 inches deep you cannot see the bottom. Sight fishing is possible in select places, but is not easy even at those. I sure do love progress.

Hopefully a couple strong cold fronts will cause the water to clear up. My optimism is quite guarded.

Tuesday Chris Olson joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon kayak fishing. Chris got a couple slot trout on a plastic shad. I got a short red and a trout on a plastic shad too, and added a micro-snook on the fly rod for a mini-slam. I had three shots at tailing reds, which is how I got the one I got. It was a beautiful day. Afterwards we went to Kayaks by Bo to see the pretty, new boats!

Wednesday I drove to the Villages to talk to the Tri-County Fly Fishers  about winter fly fishing in the lagoons. The talk went well- they seem like a really nice group. This email came to me the next morning- “I enjoyed the talk. I’ve always been impressed with your observations and honesty.” Thank you, Russell!

Thursday I took the Mitzi to Port Canaveral hoping to catch some mullet. The parking lot had a few cars, which was encouraging. There were only a few mullet at the boat ramp, and none between there and the jetties.

The Mitzi cleared the north jetty. On the north side of it was a single school of mullet, way up in the surf. They quickly disappeared. The seas were at the design limits of the Mitzi’s capabilities. The forecast was for a strengthening east wind.

A Coast Guard zodiac came to tell me that a submarine was on its way in, and in a few minutes I should be somewhere else. After a moment’s consideration, I loaded the boat onto the trailer and drove to Mosquito Lagoon. Perhaps I could catch some mullet there. And I’ve never seen a submarine there, either.

inshore fishing report

I need to get a new model.

It turned out I could not catch mullet there. Using a DOA Deadly Combo  I did get a dozen or so trout, including several keepers, along a shoal. The first strike surprised me, but they came steadily until I left the spot. It was a pleasant surprise.

After watching the Red Sox Wednesday and Thursday nights I must have been sleep deprived, because Friday I did not wake up until after 0830- that never happens to me! Spent the day futzing with tackle, inventorying flies, that sort of thing. Gotta tie up some crayfish patterns.

And that is another Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report! Thanks for reading!

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 2018. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Charlotte County Fishing Report and Photo Essay

October 6, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

Charlotte County Fishing Report and Photo Essay

We travelled to Charlotte County this week and did some fish-catching. We have a Charlotte County Fishing Report for you!

Upcoming Events-

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report
-Aloha Protect Our Waters Fundraiser! It should be called th FUN-raiser- Mai-tais, tropical cuisine, and live music highlight this event. There might be some well-known fishing personalities, too. All funds raised help support Anglers for Conservation’s youth fishing education programs. Oct 14, 3-6 PM. For more information visit www.anglersforconservation.org/pow . I hope to see you there!

-MINWR Show and Tell Fishing Seminar. Oct. 27, 830 AM. In this all-day seminar I SHOW you where to fish, and TELL you how to be succesful. For more information visit http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

-Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar. Oct. 28. In this four hour seminar I take you out in my skiff and show you all my secrets. For more information visit http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

Fishing!

Monday I had to visit the chiropractor. He did not fix the problem and it colored the rest of my week.

Tuesday I got up in what seemed the middle of the night and drove to Port Charlotte. Old friend George Allen had moved there from Orlando and I was going to visit.

charlotte county fishing report

I’ll be hornswoggled.

We went out in George’s 26 foot Sea Hunt, cruising out to Charlote Harbor. I had zero expectations, never having fished the area before. Zero is what we got, too, until we saw a few tarpon roll. We cast a couple of pinfish out and I’ll be horn-swoggled, we got a bite. I fought the 60-70 pound fish up to the boat, where it posed for a photo. After that, even though tarpon rolled all around us, it was a hot sailcat bite. After that first fish, who cared? The back was fine so far. Thank you, George!

charlotte county fishing report

The pond at Deer Prairie Creek Preserve.

Wednesday I went to visit Deer Prairie Creek Preserve. A small dam on Deer Prairie Creek backs up a small pond. I opted to fish here instead of below the dam. That was perhaps a mistake, but I will visit the area again and hit the lower creek.

charlotte county fishing report

You’ll see lots of signs like this one.

The upper creek was gorgeous. As the morning passed the songs of birds gave way to the humming of cicadas. If you listened you could hear traffic sounds, but they were distant and easy to ignore.

charlotte county fishing report

I paddled upstream until it became obvious that if I went farther turning around would be difficult. The stream was too overgrown in most places to fly fish. I wished more than once I’d brought a UL spin outfit.

charlotte county fishing report

 

charlotte county fishing report

The creek was too overgrown to fly fish in many places.

The four-weight did come in handy though. Once the creek started opening up the fish started hitting my popper. The first was a feisty little bass, quickly followed by a garfish. After five bass and a stumpknocker the back was bothering me too much to fish any more. Loading the boat back onto the car was an exercise in slow and painful.

charlotte county fishing report

Bass on popper, always fun!

 

charlotte county fishing report

Stumpknockers are as aggressive as they are beautiful.

I visited Snook Haven for lunch. It’s an old-Florida style fish camp on the Myakka River, and is definitely worth a visit. The river is over its banks and is not fishing well right now, not that I tried.

We had dinner that evening at Carmelo’s  in Punta Gorda. Five stars and two thumbs up!

charlotte county fishing report

Logan casting to rolling tarpon.

Thursday morning I met Logan Totten http://flykayaker.com in Englewood. In the dark he drove me somewhere onto the Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park . The sun was not up yet when we launched the kayaks into a small pond.

charlotte county fishing report

we dragged the boats into another pond.

After crossing the pond we dragged the boats into a second pond and began fishing. Baby tarpon rolled around us. In spite of several fly changes baby tarpon did not bite. A few Mayan cichlids did, so no skunking for us! Logan led me through a mangrove tunnel (I love doing stuff like that!) into another pond. Again, rolling tarpon, no biters.

charlotte county fishing report

Logan, still casting.

We eventually went back through the tunnel into the second pond. More Mayan cichlids and a few small snook. Tarpon still not cooperating.

charlotte county fishing report

Score!

We dragged the boats back to first pond, paddled back to his truck, loaded up, and went to another pond. Tarpon rolled all over it. We took two drifts across without a bite and called it. Tarpon of any size can be so ornery…

charlotte county fishing report

Another snook, a mini- model.

Thank you, Logan! I loved the adventure! You get the JK stamp of approval!

charlotte county fishing report

Upper Myakka Lake. The water is high.

Friday was return home day. I stopped at Myakka River State Park  on a fact-finding mission for future reference. It’s beautiful there! As stated earlier, the river is over its banks. That and the fact my back was still bothering me kept me from going paddling. It was still so tempting…

charlotte county fishing report

Myakka paddle notes, at the canoe livery there.

My take on Charlotte County is that there is a lot of kayak fishing to be done there. Charlotte Harbor has all kinds of saltwater fish. In addition there are all the small natural ponds, with tarpon, snook, cichlids, etc. There are the Myakka and Peace Rivers and their tributaries, and loads of canals (peacock bass and snakeheads in addition to native species) and retention ponds. West Wall Outfitters in Port Charlotte is the place to stop for information and last minute tackle needs.

And that is the Charlotte County Fishing Report! Thanks for reading!

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 2018. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

September 29, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

We checked out some widely spaced fishing spots again this week, with some wild goose chases tossed in for good measure. So we have a Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report for you.

Upcoming Events–


–Aloha Protect Our Waters Fundraiser! It should be called th FUN-raiser- Mai-tais, tropical cuisine, and live music highlight this event. There might be some well-known fishing personalities, too. All funds raised help support Anglers for Conservation’s youth fishing education programs. Oct 14, 3-6 PM. For more information visit www.anglersforconservation.org/pow

–MINWR Show and Tell Fishing Seminar. Oct. 27, 830 AM. In this all-day seminar I SHOW you where to fish, and TELL you how to be succesful. For more information visit http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

–Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar. Oct. 28. In this four hour seminar I take you ut in my skiff and show you all my secrets. For more information visit http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

On to Fishing-natti!

Monday I took the kayak up to the Tomoka River, launching at River Bend Nature Park .

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

It’s a simple launch site…

The birds were beautiful but I was not impressed by the scenery. There was very little activity in the water, and most of the fishing was in people’s back yards. They were nice back yards, but still… One micro-snook and one mudfish graced my boat during my almost four-hour-long visit. A guy with a loud weed-whacker drove me out of there. Doubt that I’d go back.

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

This beautiful mudfish was my best catch.

Stopped at Spruce Creek on the way back for a three-hour tour. Got there after noon, tide was falling. Hit a flounder almost immediately. Should have quit right there- did not get another bite. All the fish were taken on a RipTide Sardine.

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

A Fabulous Flounder on the Sardine.

Tuesday I visited my old friend the Mosquito Lagoon for a solo paddle trip. The wind was from the east, the water was dirty. I expected nothing. The first thing I found was a dead manatee.

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

The vultures are happy about this.

Wasn’t I surprised when my first two fish were snook! They were small ones, but I don’t remember ever catching two in 20 minutes there before.

I found a single (?!) black drum tailing. Could not get a shot.

Got a trout about 18” by dragging the Sardine behind me while I paddled. It was almost a cheat. All fish were released hopefully unharmed.

I spent some time wading, sight fishing for redfish. The first one I saw hit the Sardine, but I missed it. Did not get shots at the other two because I almost stepped on them. It was hard to see!

Back in the boat, ran over several single reds. Got out to wade, and here came one down the shoreline, happy and stupid, its back out of the water. Switched rods, dropped the fly in front- BAM! Nice.

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

It was not huge, but it did take a fly!

I have a book called A Paddler’s Guide to the Sunshine State, by Sandy Huff. In it she describes a trip on Reedy Creek. I decided I wanted to go there.

Thursday we started late, “we” being Alex and I. We got stuck in a parking lot kind of traffic jam on 417 and could not make it to Reedy Creek. We hit several retention ponds in consolation, getting thrown out of one by local law enforcement and netting three bass to three pounds.

Friday morning I decided to try Reedy Creek as a solo. It’s down by Intercession City, so it’s a drive for me. I finally find the right spot, and all access to the creek is fenced off. Even though I’m 100 yards from the water, I can’t get there. Thoroughly disgusted at this point, I just drove home and wrote this report.

And that was how my fishing week ended. I may have an interesting report next week.

And that is the Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report! Thanks for reading!

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 2018. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sick as a Dog SW Florida Fishing Report

December 19, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

Sick as a Dog SW Florida Fishing Report

A lot has gone on since my last report. I’ve been quite sick, and I fished a couple places in SW Florida, and more. Thus the sick as a dog SW Florida fishing report.

Vanishing Paradise

This came in from Lisa Snuggs-
If you ever dreamed of fishing South Florida, book your trip now because it’s fading fast. About all most people know is some beaches have been closed due to algae blooms, but a few beach closings are only the tip of the iceberg. Fisheries from Okeechobee to Florida Bay are in desperate peril, but so few are talking about it, sportsmen from other parts of the country are wholly unaware.
Did you know?
– Over 47,000 acres of seagrass in St. Lucie and The Indian River Lagoon have been destroyed by algae blooms
– Salinity in Florida Bay is now twice the normal level
– In 2016 a toxic algae bloom covered 239 square miles of Okeechobee
– The Everglades are slowly choking to death
– The Biscayne Aquifer is slowly drying up due to low water flows in the Everglades (8 million people depend on this water source)
– This is a manmade problem
– It can be fixed
This month, Vanishing Paradise is conducting a major push among bloggers to bring awareness to sportsmen because they are the true voice of conservation. Please contact us; we have the information and interview contacts to make a quick turnaround possible. Help us fight for the sport.
Bill Cooksey
Vanishing Paradise
901-487-2672

This reporter has been trying to get people worked up about declining water quality for years. We should all be helping Mr. Cooksey. Letters to your politicians, folks!

OK, the week’s events.

Last Saturday Susan and I and the canoe drove to south Florida to attend Maxx’s graduation ceremony. He now holds a Master’s Degree in Medical Science- he is a physician’s assistant. He has a job interview tomorrow. Good luck, son!

Fly in the ointment- my nose was getting seriously runny. It would get much worse.

Sunday we went to Art Basel. It was so cool. Miami’s art scene flourishes!

Monday we took Susan to Fort Lauderdale and sent her home on an airplane. Then Maxx and I went to Hard Rock Stadium to see the Patriots play the Dolphins.

Here we are at Hard Rock Stadium.

 

A stirring national anthem at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Minor problem- the Patriots lost.

Tommy B, doing what he does.

Another minor problem- the temperature was in the low 50’s. Now obviously sick, trying to maintain my body temperature in that environment was difficult. But, it was the only NFL game I’ve ever attended, I love the Patriots, and we stayed until the last minute.

Tuesday we drove to Everglades City, dropped the canoe into the bay, and paddled toward the Gulf of Mexico. An island in Everglades National Park would be our home for the next three nights. We located our Paradise and set up camp. I was spent. Seriously exhausted and feverish after all this, I was in my sleeping bag right at sunset. At least I had my own personal physician.

sw florida fishing report

The trout fishing was as good as I’ve ever seen.

In the morning we went fishing. The trout fishing was as good as I’ve ever had. Anywhere. The dink fish were 15 inches long, most were around 20, and Maxx got a handful of three and four pounders. Then, just to punctuate the fishing with an exclamation point, Maxx hooked and boated a snook in the 10 pound range, just awesome.

sw florida fishing report

Maxx has another one.

Seriously exhausted and feverish after all this, I was in my sleeping bag right at sunset. Curious, I stuck a thermometer under my tongue. 102 degrees. The fever broke at some point during the night.

sw florida fishing report

Maxx and his snook.

 

sw florida fishing report

And the snook is released.

The next morning we did some more exploring. Not every place had fish, but when we found some they were stacked up. We got two at a time, over and over. No snook this day, though. No lizardfish, either. Maxx got a single crevalle and a single ladyfish. Other than that all we caught were fat, healthy seatrout. We only saw a few redfish all day.

sw florida fishing report

Another Everglades seatrout.

 

sw florida fishing report

Maxx has yet another trout.

When we got back to camp we had neighbors, a school trip from University of South Florida. Young and full of energy, the college students got a campfire going. I stayed up long enough to watch Sirius ascend, then went and crashed.

sw florida fishing report

I felt well enough to watch the sun set.

Maxx and I went fishing for an hour or so the next morning. He wanted to bring a few trout home. Somewhere in there another snook bit and provided some real excitement!

sw florida fishing report

We hooked a couple other snook, but this was the only other one we caught.

 

sw florida fishing report

And it gets released…

Back at camp, we packed up and paddled back to Everglades City. Maxx drove back to Miami, I to Fort Myers to visit Alex.

Alex and I drove out to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in the morning. We launched the canoe on the nose of the incoming tide and went exploring. We did not find much. I caught a mangrove snapper that maybe was four inches long, and a snook that was maybe eight. We saw three redfish and that was it. I’d never been there, always wanted to go, and was disappointed in the color of the water (brown) and the fishing results. That’s fishing!

sw florida fishing report

Alex hit a redfish on his first cast.

Sunday morning we drove to Matlacha and tried it there. Alex hit a redfish on his first cast, nice fish too. It did not last. I got a 20″ trout, he got two dinker snook. The water looks awful, brown, full of black Rhodophyta algae, and very little grass. Mosquito Lagoon is not the only place with water quality issues.

sw florida fishing report

And the winner is!

I drove home this morning and went straight to bed once I got here. I hope I shake this soon.

And that is the sick as a dog SW 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 2017. All rights are reserved.

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