The Kumiski Report
Thank you for reading this week’s report. Photo of the week –
Caleb, one of the many fishing buddies I’ve been fortunate to share the water with through the years, paddles into the dawn on Florida’s Mosquito Lagoon. Every fishing trip begins with the same question: What will today bring? Maybe trophy redfish or speckled trout. Maybe dolphins, roseate spoonbills, or a spectacular sunrise. The beauty of mornings like this is that you simply don’t know. The adventure starts with the first paddle stroke.
Available as a fine art print in my Etsy store.
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Speaking of adventure, this week’s story took place in Everglades National Park.
Crocodiles and Scorpions
by John Kumiski
Mike Conneen has been mentioned frequently in these reports. Before he got the River Dog, we took a kayak trip in Everglades National Park. The intent was to be manly and look for fish that seldom saw people. I expected the park ranger to nix our plan, but he looked at us and said, “You guys look like you can handle it,” and he handed us our backcountry permit.
Our idea was to take the Homestead Canal and adjacent marshes out to Cape Sable. I thought we could camp on a tiny piece of land I’d been to once about 35 years earlier. It turned out we couldn’t find it and were really in a bind until Mike somehow located a dry spot on the Coastal Prairie Trail, where we spent the night. In the meantime, we’d seen quite a few snook, all kinds of birds, and zero traces of people. Oh, and in a muddy marsh pond that was about ten inches deep, Mike’s kayak hit an unseen crocodile that had been resting on the bottom. The startled reptile, a good-sized one, went water-skiing across that pond a good thirty feet, giving Mike what was truly the thrill of a lifetime. It was an amazing day.
Said camping spot was nothing if not buggy. We set up the tents quickly and dove in, not to come out again until the sun reappeared. We then took the tents down quickly and jumped in the kayaks again. The air around us reeked of DEET.
Back in the marsh, the first thing of note we saw was a large shark, ominously cruising through shallow water that couldn’t cover it. Neither of us made a cast, although I did make an image.
The highlight of the day, though, came as we paddled down the narrow canal. It suddenly opened up, and on two slightly submerged bars in the wide spot was an army of American crocodiles, at least 100 of them. Many took exception to our sudden appearance and quietly slid into the water. Others just sat there, perhaps recognizing that they were more of a threat to us than we were to them.
We just sat there, trying to decide what to do next. The obvious answer- make some pictures! Cameras came out. Images were recorded. Business done, we packed the gear and continued.
We came to a spot where a good current was running. Casts were made. Snook were hooked. Mike caught so many, he decided to try using the fly rod. Mike had never caught a fish on the fly, but he did that day. His first-ever fly-rod fish was a snook, and although it was not a big one by any means, methinks that’s still a pretty small club.
The planet kept spinning while this all went on. We still had to get to the coast, since the night’s campsite would be on the beach. Reluctantly, we left the fish biting and went with the flow.
We got to the beach just in time. At low tide at this particular spot, the water’s edge was way out there. As we hauled our gear up onto the beach, the discussion centered around leaving again. We would have to leave within an hour or two of high tide. After checking the tide chart, we decided 3 AM would be the time to leave.
Since Mike has trouble walking, I would always gather the firewood. I found plenty, but as I was dragging it back to camp a thought appeared in my head- “This wood has scorpions in it.”
That night at the campfire, Mike was breaking wood across his knee. I said to him, “You need to be careful. My guess is that wood has scorpions in it.” This led to some scorpion discussion, but it ended quickly. Neither of us knew a lot about them. Neither of us had ever been stung by one.
We ran out of wood, and turned in.
A while later I woke up hearing the distinctive sounds of tent poles banging together. I looked at my clock – 11:45. I stuck my head out of my tent. Mike was taking his tent down. I got up and walked over there. “What the hell?” I asked. “I thought we said three o’clock?”
As Mike starts answering, he shoved his gloved hand towards my face. “I was stung by a scorpion. I can’t go back in the tent- there might be another one in there.” I can’t argue with the logic, or with the dead scorpion in the palm of his hand. I went back to my tent, and took it down. We were on the water at about 12:30.
The sky was clear, the night windless, the moon nearly full, an incredible night to paddle. The distance to Flamingo was about ten miles. We watched satellites, and meteors, heard jumping mullet and whining mosquitoes, and breathed air thick with humidity and the smell of salt marsh. About an hour before first light the moon set. Then we could really see the stars! Orion, Sirius, Gemini, all my winter favorites were up there, truly spectacular.
Behind the Flamingo Campground, there’s dredge hole and two spoil banks, a place where I’ve caught a lot of fish through the years. We arrived just as the sun came up. Jacks were running around, and I managed to hook one. Mike got his camera out and captured an image.
A few minutes later we were setting up camp in the Flamingo campground. We’d already packed more adventure into twenty-four hours than most trips hold in a week.
But the trip wasn’t over yet. That’s a story for another time.
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That’s this week’s Kumiski Report. Thanks for reading Crocodiles and Scorpions!
Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it. Go fishing! Go paddling! Go walking! Stay active!
John Kumiski – https://spottedtail.com – https://www.etsy.com/shop/PhotographybyKumiski
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