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Christmas Orlando Fishing Report

December 24, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Christmas Orlando Fishing Report

This is the 2016 Christmas Orlando Fishing Report, December 24. Best wishes to all for a holiday season full of joy, and a happy and healthy new year full of fishing adventures!

We fished the Mosquito Lagoon two days, and the St. Johns River three days. Of course results were mixed.

orlando fishing report

The lovely little stumpknocker is a very aggressive fish!

Sunday I went paddling on the St. Johns. It was warm and sunny and fish were popping fry minnows all over the river. At the mouth of the Econ there was another paddling fly caster who steadily caught 12 inch bass on a small white streamer. I joined him (he was very gracious) and caught several myself, some on a gurgler.

At other points along the river a small streamer netted me a crappie, some bluegills, redbellies, and stumpknockers, and several more bass. Some of the largemouths were as small as I’ve caught, beautiful little mini-fish. It was a good day and I made a note to return later in the week.

orlando fishing report

Bass of all sizes were crushing tiny minnows.

Monday Tammy joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon scouting. We launched the Mitzi at River Breeze and fished around Oak Hill area. We caught quite a few trout and redfish, some decent if not large ones, even found some tailing fish. The DOA CAL shad was the lure de jour. The day was spectacular if the fishing wasn’t, and fishing with Tammy is always fun.

orlando fishing report

Tammy and seatrout, a winning combination.

 

orlando fishing report

The release!

Wednesday was the winter solstice, historically, or perhaps more accurately prehistorically, the most important day of the year. That’s the day the time of daylight stops getting less and starts lengthening, a cause for celebration! My friend Dr. Todd Preuss joined me for some St. Johns River fly fishing.

As soon as I walked out the door I knew it would be a tough day. The air temperature had dropped close to 20 degrees, the sky was low and grey, and the wind was rocking the trees. All the fish that were there on Sunday were lying on the bottom someplace where we could not find them. We got four fish all day, with the best being a big, black bluegill that Todd fooled on a popping bug. After Sunday it was disappointing fish-wise, although it’s always enjoyable fishing with Todd.

orlando fishing report

Robert and Spencer. They caught some fish.

Thursday Robert and Spencer Cutts, a father-son team from Orlando, joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. The wind was honkin out of the north, the water had dropped close to a foot, and I did not know what to expect. Some pelicans were diving on a hole so I stopped to check it out. Two days of scouting, wasted!

The hole had fish in it. They weren’t stacked up in there, but we got seven or eight redfish and a couple of beautiful trout. Again, the lure de jour was the DOA CAL shad, although we also used some cut mullet to good effect.

orlando fishing report
When that hole stopped producing we went to another, from which we pulled another six or seven, including a gorgeous, 28 inch, 12 spot redfish. Other holes we tried were fishless, so we visited spot #2 again and got one more red before calling it an (excellent) day.

We never did get into any of the areas that I had so diligently scouted.

I enjoyed tremendously the curiosity and enthusiasm of Cutts the Younger, and Dad was pretty funny too. Thanks to both of them for a great day!

Friday afternoon was warm and sunny. I wondered if the fish were going off on the St. Johns again so I dropped the kayak in at the Jolly Gator and went a’paddling. Six bass and 12 sunfish later, all on fly, I had my answer. The only downside to an otherwise lovely afternoon was the almost astonishing amount of boat traffic on the river. Fishing was good, though.

Shannon Dunn sent me the following email, of great interest to fly fishers of Appalachian trout-
“We’ve recently published a guide to choosing trout flies, together with Bill Bernhardt of NC Fishing, that you may find useful:
http://www.fishfindersource.com/trout-flies-choosing/ ”

I like their keep it simple approach.

And that is the 2016 Christmas Orlando Fishing Report! Have a great holiday!!

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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Dirty Water Orlando Fishing Report

December 17, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Dirty Water Orlando Fishing Report

This is a Dirty Water Orlando Fishing Report, December 17, 2016. Best wishes to all for a holiday season full of joy, and a happy and healthy new year full of fishing adventures!

On a glorious Tuesday morning I met Tom Finger and we went searching the Atlantic out of Port Canaveral for some denizens of the deep. The water along the beach was very dirty. Places that were full of fish last week had none. We turned the bow of the boat east and headed out to sea.

We found a few scattered weeds out about three miles, and slowly searched them for a while. We saw exactly one very short tripletail. Speeding up the process, we went looking for thicker weeds, breaking fish, other signs of life. We found none.

By this time we were south of the Cocoa Beach pier. We again came in close to the beach. We found an area with scattered menhaden splatting, but did not get a bite there.

Finally, late in the afternoon, we anchored by the north jetty where we got a couple bluefish and a couple small sharks. Although it was a beautiful day, fishing was tough. I ran into Scott Lum at the dock. He had gotten a single tripletail. It wasn’t just me.

Wednesday morning Rodney Smith met me at the Port. Again, the weather was amazing. We ran straight down to the end of the buoy line, then kept going another mile or two. You know, the Mitzi starts looking real small out there. We found some weeds and started hunting. Lots of shorty tripletail. Then we found a small clump of weed with a decent fish under it. We had to invest some time, but Rodney finally got it to take a jig.

orlando fishing report

Rodney was very happy with this tripletail.

 

orlando fishing report

However, the fish beat him so badly he had to rest :-).

We kept looking and found another, slightly larger. Rodney got it to bite but missed it, and we never saw it again. Or any others, other than dinks.

A moderate wind started out of the southeast and not trusting it to stay moderate I headed in towards the beach. There was still nothing there, until I fired a DOA Deadly Combo out. It must have landed right on top of the beast because immediately a hefty shark came up and ate the jig. It was the only bite we got there, and after the inevitable cut-off we headed back to the dock.

On another nearly perfect day (I love Florida’s winter weather!) on Friday Tom Van Horn joined me for a scout trip on Mosquito Lagoon, the first time I’d been there in weeks. The water still looks like crap. The grass is still dying back.

We Deadly Combo’d up a bunch of trout, although all but two were short. Then we went looking for redfish. I checked four or five spots before even seeing one, but we ended up seeing a few and Tom even managed to get one.

orlando fishing report

Capt. Tom with a redfish.

Friend and paddle fanatic Mike Conneen made a 5 minute video on our Big Bend trip, worth the time to check-

And that is the Dirty Water Orlando Fishing Report for this week!

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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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

Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report

November 15, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report

This is the Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report for November 14. My apologies for all the selfies.

With a kayak fishing charter coming up on Saturday, all my fishing this week was paddle-based fly fishing.

Tuesday‘s trip was on the Mosquito Lagoon. Yes, it sounds like a broken record. High, dirty water makes fishing tough there. I found one redfish all day. Remarkably, I had a good shot at it and caught it. One cannot with reasonable expectation see one fish and hope to catch it. Someone gave me a huge dose of luck.

orlando kayak fly fishing report

It was quite a handsome redfish, though.

Wednesday Mike Conneen and I went to the Banana River Lagoon. The water was cleaner than Mosquito Lagoon, but still pretty dirty. All the grass there is gone. I ran over a small school of fish and set up camp while Mike kept going. A couple hours of casting a wool crab netted me three bites that resulted in a black drum, a redfish, and a hooked and lost fish of unknown specie.

orlando kayak fly fishing report

Black drum selfie. Not the monster black drum, but it’s a fish.

 

orlando kayak fly fishing report

This redfish was a pretty nice one.

 

orlando kayak fly fishing report

I imagine the fish feels a great deal of relief when it gets returned to the water.

 

orlando kayak fly fishing report

And off it goes!

Unfortunately Mike did not get a fish. There wasn’t a lot of cheese (not many fish) around for us.

Thursday

In spite of that I went back to the Banana River Lagoon the next day, to a different spot. The good news was the water, although of course still quite high, was clean. Like it’s supposed to be. There was no grass at all, though. Only a handful of fish were seen all day, resulting in a single shot and a small redfish that took the wool crab.

orlando kayak fly fishing report

Another case of converting the single shot I got.

It is painful to see what’s happened to that fishery.

orlando kayak fly fishing report

Sunrise over the St. Johns River on Saturday morning, at 70 mph.

Saturday fly fisher Steve Marsden, from the wilds of northern Wisconsin, joined me for a day’s kayak fly fishing. He had a few shots at tailing reds. Sadly there were no conversions. He did get what was by far the largest pinfish I have ever seen, and a handful of trout that probably would not have “held batter.” The weather was awesome, the birds spectacular, and we enjoyed the day.

orlando kayak fly fishing report

If the IGFA kept pinfish world records, this fish would be in the book.

Sunday Tammy had a birthday. She spent it with friends on the Econlockhatchee. I hope she had fun. I think she did!

orlando kayak fly fishing report

Fishing on the Econ was less than stellar.

 

orlando kayak fly fishing report

Tammy’s birthday crew. Birthday Girl is hot and pink.

—————————————————-
FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
—————————————————-

And that is the Orlando Kayak Fly 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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report

November 5, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report

This is the Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report.

Rain and the Lagoons

Back a few weeks we had a near-miss from Hurricane Matthew. Several people asked me if the storm’s heavy rains would have a clearing effect on the lagoon. The short answer- no, it won’t.

The drainage area of the Indian River Lagoon system has increased three-fold since Henry Flagler built his railroad around the turn of the 20th century. That increase in watershed size has come mostly from drainage ditches that drain sugar fields, orange groves, and cattle pastures, drainage ditches that drain subdivisions and shopping areas, storm drains, etc. All that freshwater draining into the lagoon carries loads of nutrients and pollutants. So the rain, rather than increasing the water quality in the lagoon, actually decreases it.

If the water were pure rainwater it would be great. But it’s polluted storm runoff. It won’t be clearing the lagoon, ever. Rather than solving the problem it just makes it worse.

Outside Reading

Reid Bryant has a brilliant essay about social media’s blurring effect on fly fishing reality in the November/December issue of American Angler. It’s worth getting the magazine just to read it.

Blog Posts This Week

Go Macro Macrobars Review- http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/gomacro-macrobars-review/
CEP Merino Socks Review- http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/cep-outdoor-ligh…ino-socks-review/
—————————————————-
FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
—————————————————-

Yes, we did go fishing this week.

central florida fishing report

Mr. Conneen works the Lox.

On Monday Mike Conneen drove and I rode along to Jupiter, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, to fish the Loxahatchee River. Beautiful mangroves lined the river with pine trees right behind them. The water was dark but pretty clear. High water. We saw a half dozen or so tarpon, no takers. We did not see any snook, the main reason we went. We did not see much else in the way of fish, and rare in a Florida waterway, no manatees.

We saw lots of birds of various water kinds of species, and some alligators, and caught maybe ten crevalle between us. Mike got the lion’s share of those.

It was a pleasant enough day to be paddling on a lovely river. Fishing was disappointing though.

Tuesday errands called, not the least of which was early voting. Man, I’ll be glad when the election is over, regardless of what happens. I digress. A small retention pond lies near the polling place. Thirty minutes of casting a red shad culprit worm netted me one small bass. Then the errands continued. Thank you, little fish! Please discharge your civic responsibility by doing some research and then voting!

You may have pieces of water you drive by all the time on your way to fish elsewhere. Thursday found me undecided about where to fish. High, dirty water in the lagoon makes me not want to fish there. The Econ is still very high. The St. Johns is still high. Some time looking at maps gave me an idea. “You drive past here all the time and have never stopped. Go check it out.”

I hooked up the Bang-O-Craft to the chariot and rode off to joust with windmills at the new spot (two in one week!). The new spot was beautiful, near SR 46 but surrounded by marshes. There were fishies breaking all over the place. I could not catch one on spin or fly and never figured out what they were.

Deciding to ignore them I started tossing a Culprit worm (same one as on Tuesday). Boom! Boom! Boom! Three yearling bass in quick succession. A long dry spell followed. Looking at the place you just knew there were fish there. But I couldn’t find any more.

central florida fishing report

Three yearling bass in quick succession…

I stumbled into a small creek with a little bit of current. The fish were “stacked up like cordwood” in there (I have waited a lifetime to honestly use that old cliche.) The Culprit worm got torn apart. The the DOA CAL worm I put on got torn apart. Then the DOA CAL shad I put on got torn apart, although what was by far the biggest fish I hit (three pounds, maybe a little more?) took that and tossed it, heartbreakingly, on the first jump.

It finally dawned on me that I had a fly pole and this might be a good place to use it. For close an hour I caught a bass on almost every cast on a cream-colored Matuka Bouncer. Yes, the fish were small, 12″ ones. But it was a bass on every cast. It has never happened to me before. It was fun. It was fabulous. It was by far the most bass I ever caught in one day in a lifetime of fishing.

The place was Loughman Lake. It must have some bigger fish and I’ll be going back.

Friday George Allen joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. Speaking of little fish…

We got numerous trout on DOA CAL jigs, only one fish in the slot. We went looking for redfish. We found some spooky tailing fish and never really got a good shot at one. We poled some shorelines. Shortly before we left George hit one while blind casting. That fish maybe went 18 inches, took a DOA CAL shad tail, and was the only red we got.

central florida fishing report

Redfish on the DOA CAL Shad, an awesome little bait.

The manatees are still everywhere. Please navigate with caution- GO SLOWLY!

You may have restaurants you drive by all the time on your way to eat elsewhere. There’s a relatively new place on US 1 in Titusville called Loyd Have Mercy. Soul food, seafood, and Bar B Cue. Susan and I went there Firday evening, not really knowing what to expect. I got garlic butter crabs with cole slaw and carrot souffle. Sue got shrimp with the same sides. OUTSTANDING! My only complaint concerned crab size- they were kind of small. But as far as the quality of preparation, everything was wonderful. We’ll be going back. Do your taste buds a favor and check it out.

central florida fishing report

What’s left of the crabs after I got going…

And that is the Election Day Central 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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

High, Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

October 22, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

High, Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

The gauge reads two feet (I like it below 0.5). The water is full of microscopic brown algae. It’s the High Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report!

BLOG POST THIS WEEK-
Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- The New Reality http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/kayak-fly-fishing-mosquito-lagoon-redfish-new-reality/

FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html

===============================

Sunday I ran my On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar on the Mosquito Lagoon. We ran the Mitzi around the lagoon from Haulover Canal down to Max Hoeck Creek, up to the north entrance of the Pole-Troll area, and back to Haulover. The water is dirty everywhere, but it’s dirtiest down south.

There are almost-ridiculous numbers of manatees around. We’re seeing them in places we never used to.

We saw a float in the water, the kind used on the DOA Deadly Combo. The first thing that came to mind was, “I wonder if there’s a fish on it?” Slowing to idle, we approached the float. When we got close, it went down!

I put a jig head on one of my lines, then hooked the line between the float and the fish. It turned out to be a redfish of about four pounds! We released the fish and the float was added to my tackle stash. That was all the fishing we did, and the only fish we saw.

Monday Scott Radloff joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing from the Mitzi. We started behind some islands in the pole-troll area. We couldn’t see the bottom, but I quickly got a slot red on a Johnson Minnow. Scott hit a small trout on a Deadly Combo a few minutes later. We stayed back there over an hour, but those were the only bites we got.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

Scott with our only redfish.

Fishing along various bars we picked up about 15 seatrout using the Deadly Combo. Most of them were short, with a few decent ones. We did not see a redfish all day. The boat was on the trailer about 2 PM.

Tuesday son Alex and I went bass fishing together at a pond in Geneva. It was slow. He got one on a popper. I got four on Culprit worms.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

Alex with the best fish of the day.

 

mosquito lagoon fishing report

During the battle the worm got torn off.

Wednesday I took the kayak to River Breeze. In one way it was a crazy idea, since the water was high and dirty. I figured I could get into low traffic areas and look around. As it turned out, that was true.\

I looked in new spots and favorite spots. I tried sight fishing and blind casting. I used a spin rod, something I almost never do when kayaking. The water was cleaner up there than farther south. You could see the botton sometimes in almost two feet of water. I did not see a single fish, nor did I get a bite. I ran across two other kayakers who had the same report.

The boat was back on the roof of the car at about 230 PM.

Friday Dr. Greg Scible joined me for a day’s fishing on Mosquito Lagoon. Using Deadly Combos we picked at mostly undersized trout- one here, one there. We found a flat with fairly clean water. On that flat were just enough redfish to keep us there for over an hour. They were hard to see and although we had several not-particularly-good shots we did not get one, did not get an eat from one.

We ended the day using the Deadly Combo again. On the last cast of the day Greg got the best trout of the day, a fish that was maybe 19 inches long. He released it before I could get a picture.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

None of the trout would be considered trophies.

And that is the High, Dirty Water Mosquito 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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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

Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report

October 15, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report

Since Hurricane Matthew passed us we have been under a small craft advisory for an entire week, with constant 20 knot winds out of the east-northeast. So we have the Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report.

BLOG POST THIS WEEK-
Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- The New Reality http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/kayak-fly-fishing-mosquito-lagoon-redfish-new-reality/

FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html

I certainly don’t want to drag this blog into the quagmire of election politics, but this makes an excellent Bumper Sticker of the Week:

orlando fishing report

===============================

I’m looking for a publisher for my latest book. Much of Monday was spent working on that. I am also making an attempt to join the 21st century social-media-wise. Yes, I am kicking and screaming. But Tuesday morning found me working on that. After being in the house since last Wednesday cabin fever was building.

Tuesday afternoon two retention ponds in Oviedo helped dispel the urge, helped scratch the itch. Eight largemouthed black bass were caught on DOA CAL bass worms and Culprit worms from those two ponds, along with a single missed strike. Not exactly fly fishing in the wilderness, but it was fishing, and fish (although not particularly large fish) participated. Life is good.

orlando fishing report

BASS on CAL

 

Orlando Fishing Report

BASS on Culprit

The storm knocked some trees down in my neighborhood. Wednesday morning I collected some of that newly available firewood. After that I visited a ditch that drains into the St. Johns River. In ten minutes those same plastic worms that worked so well the previous day fooled five bass to three pounds who were hiding in that ditch! A brief spurt of hot fishing, indeed!

Orlando Fishing Report

BASS with some old guy

Continuing on to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, I discovered that:
-the water is very high, although it’s been higher;
-all the boat ramps appear to be operational;
-the dike roads are all closed; and
-I must postpone my show and tell seminar because the dike roads are all closed.
There were some trees down but all in all it could have been much worse.

With the intent of netting some mullet for future bait use I took the Mitzi to Port Canaveral on Thursday, knowing we were still under a small craft advisory. One thing I was forced to notice right away is that the storm has deposited tar balls along the beaches and in the port. I unknowingly stepped on one and tracked tar all over the deck of the Mitzi before noticing it. A rag dipped into my fuel tank and used to scrub all of the offensive areas removed it.

Before I reached the end of the jetty waves were coming over the bow. The boat nosed back into the port, which we circumnavigated.

Other than canvas awnings, hurricane damage seemed minimal. I am reluctant to say the mullet run is over, but I don’t think I saw two dozen in the port. The net never came out of the bucket. Rodney Smith thinks we’ll get another wave of bait coming through.

Friday I went to see Rodney. He, I, and Mike Conneen visited the Turkey Creek Sanctuary in Melbourne. On the way home I stopped and cast a line into a couple of pieces of open water. It would be great to report I found killer fishing in some new spots, but I did not get a bite.

And that is the Small Craft Advisory 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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, port canaveral fishing report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality

October 5, 2016 by · Leave a Comment
orlando fishing report

The fly in question? A black redfish worm.

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality

Mosquito Lagoon was long justly famous for its clear water and abundant fish- redfish, seatrout, black drum, and several other species. Anglers used a variety of techniques to catch these fish, but for kayaking fly fishers the main draw was the ability to sight fish the critters, even while sitting in a kayak.

The landscape began to change in 2011.

During the summer of 2011 an algae bloom appeared. It quickly spread. Soon the water in the lagoon became a sickening brown color. If you put your hand in the water, it disappeared. Unless a fish stuck a body part out of the water, you had no idea it was there.

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon redfish

You can see the shallow water is not crystal clear. Again, the fly is black.

Winter came, and the bloom cleared.

It came back during the summer of 2012, and cleared again when winter came.

It came back during the summer of 2013, and cleared again when winter came.

It came back during the summer of 2014. Winter came. The water did not clear. It has been disgustingly dirty ever since. Friends of mine have said, “I can’t wait for the water to clear.” Well, yeah, but I think they’re being optimistic. None of the conditions that led to these blooms has been changed (and it’s a complex set of circumstances), so why should the water clear?

Perhaps I’m being pessimistic, but I think brown, dirty water is the new norm here. Adapt or get skunked.

The dirty water has had a cascade effect. Light cannot penetrate the water, so a lot of the seagrass has died. Seagrasses fed the entire ecosystem, so my fear is that the productivity of the system, its ability to produce finfish, has been seriously compromised. There ain’t as many fish, because there ain’t as much fish food.

If you kayak fish with a fly rod, there are fewer fish to find, and it’s gotten much harder to find them. What to do? What to do???

You could, of course, take your game elsewhere. Undoubtedly some fishermen have. Those of us who live here are loathe to take such a drastic step. No, we adapt. This piece examines how to do so.

In a nutshell, what the entrepid paddling hackle heaver needs to do is concentrate his (or her) effort at shallow spots that have lots of light-colored bottom. If you can wade there that’s a huge plus. Places that fit this description include Tiger Shoal, Georges Bar, and many of the spoil islands. There are many other places, and some time spent studying Google Maps will pay dividends when you’re out paddling.

If the water is low (0.5′ or less on this gauge http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?02248380) that’s a really huge plus. The deeper the water is, the tougher seeing the fish will be. The converse is true, too. Low water is one of your biggest allies.

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon redfish

What you look for has not changed.

What you’re looking for hasn’t changed. Tails, wakes, busts, laid-up or finning fish, concentrations of birds or bait, all can lead to a pay-off. My preference is to find an area that has fish, then abandon ship and do my hunting on foot. Your conversion rate will be higher by doing this.

If there’s any silver lining to the dirty water situation, it’s that the fish can’t see you either. On a recent trip I got three reds. My longest cast was about 20 feet.

For reds and drum you still want flies that sink. My favorite color is basic black. It seems to be visible in the murk.

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon redfish

Black flies work well…

Your casts will have to be more aggressive. Any fly not in the immediate vicinity of the fish’s head will just not be seen, much less taken. Don’t be afraid to lay it on them!

Seatrout, frequently tough to sight fish even when the water was clean, seem much less abundant now. I have yet to figure them out. When that happens I will write another article.

While this piece is about the Mosquito Lagoon, the Indian River and Banana River Lagoons have the same problems. Indeed, the problems may be worse in those lagoons. Last winter the Banana River Lagoon had an enormous fish kill between SR 528 and the Pineda Causeway.

In the Mosquito Lagoon that hasn’t happened, and in the Mosquito Lagoon there are at least some seagrass beds that remain. All that having been said, there are still fish in both those lagoons, and they can certainly be caught on fly tackle. Again, look for shallow areas with light colored bottoms so you have a chance to see any fish that may be present.

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon redfish

…but other colors will work too.

So while we can hope that the good old days of plentiful fish and clean water aren’t gone, hoping does not put fish on the end of the line. Get paddling, look for fish in those shallow spots, and some good things will happen. That’s Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality.

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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Stories, Fishing Tips, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, opinion · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Mullet Run Orlando Fishing Report 93016

October 1, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Mullet Run Orlando Fishing Report 93016

The mullets are pretty thick along the beaches right now, thus the mullet run Orlando Fishing Report.

Because they spend so much time in the sun, fishermen are at greater-than-normal risk for skin cancer. Visit this link for tips on avoiding this dangerous but preventable illness: http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/pdf/skincancer_family.pdf

Here in central Florida, the beautyberries are ripe. While you can find tastier berries, beautyberries certainly are edible. It’s so nice of nature to leave these out where we can gather and enjoy them, at no charge other than a few moments of our time!

orlando fishing report

The aptly named beautyberry.

BLOG POSTS THIS WEEK
What A Fish Knows- A Review. http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/what-a-fish-knows-a-review/ A great book, of interest to anyone who cares about fish!

orlando fishing report

UPCOMING EVENTS
Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 15, http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/
Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 16, http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

FOR SALE
EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
Wurlitzer Piano- http://orlando.craigslist.org/msg/5764347708.html

——————————
Sunday an email came in from Chris Myers. Paraphrased, it said he’d found a bunch of tarpon in the Mosquito Lagoon from 5-30 pounds, and they were eating. Did I want to fish on Monday?

I met him a 0545 and off we went. The fish were not where they had been. Still, he looked around and found a different bunch of tarpon. They were less than five pounds, and way less than 30. Still, they were tarpon. I missed a bunch and boated two on a small minnow pattern.

orlando fishing report

This is a small example of the greatest fish that swims.

When that stopped working we went looking for redfish. We found an area where there were quite a few, with enough tailing that you could see where they were. I would like to report that we got several, but we didn’t get any, on either fly or spin tackle. It was good to see them, though.

My bait freezer was as bare as old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, and something needed to be done about that, so Tuesday son Alex and I went to Port Canaveral. We caught a few mullet at the boat ramp, then pointed the bow of the Mitzi at Satellite Beach, hoping to find something scintillating along the way.

There were menhaden just north of the Cocoa Beach pier. Nothing other than a few pelicans was working them. We kept going.

We found a big pod of feeding Spanish mackerel before we got to Patrick AFB, and got six or eight on fly (in my case the same one I got the tarpon on the previous day). Then we continued looking. I wanted big tarpon.

We got to Satellite Beach without seeing anything else, so I turned the boat towards Spain and went out a couple of miles. There was nothing out there either.

We ended up back at the pogie pods north of the pier. Alex caught a small blacktip shark there.

orlando fishing report

File photo of Alex fighting a black tip shark.

We went north of the north jetty. Aha! That’s where all the mullet were hiding! Using mullet for bait we got several fish, including a small lemon shark, bluefish, jacks, and Spanish mackerel. I got some mullet for my freezer. So it was a modestly successful with outstanding weather.

Wednesday Scott Radloff joined me for another go at Port Canaveral. Not having seen much when running south the previous day, this time we headed north. There was a large pod of pogies in Canaveral Bight. We netted some, then used them for bait. We hooked several sharks of various sizes. We did not see or get bites from anything else. Not wanting sharks, we continued our quest.

North of Cape Canaveral the water turned a lovely emerald green color. There were fair numbers of mullet in the surf. We got some jacks and bluefish when we fished. We did not see any tarpon, or catch any other species of fish.

The sea breeze came up so we headed back down to the jetty and tried fishing among the commercial mullet netters. Man, they do some damage. Jacks, blues, Spanish macs, and sharks was what we got. So it was a modestly successful with outstanding weather.

Thursday the craziest thing happened. Someone called me, wanting me to take them fishing on Friday. Thank you, thank you, I thought no one loved me any more! Dear readers, we are open for business and this report works better when people go fishing. There are still fish out there, so let’s call John and make some plans, OK? 407 977 5207. Thank you for your consideration!

Friday Scott Bryant and his son Greg joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon spin fishing. Were the redfish where they were Monday? Of course not.

We looked in shallow areas (the Mitzi kept hitting bottom) and saw a fish here, a fish there. Greg got a small slot fish on a gold Johnson Minnow. A while later Scott got one a little larger on an identical bait. We had shots at several tailers, none of which converted.

orlando fishing report

Greg with a spoon-fed red.

One thing which is easily noticed this time of year- there are hardly any finger mullet in the lagoon. There aren’t enough on the beach to make one think that they all chose that route. Where are they???

All in all it was a slow day, with only a couple of fish for which we worked quite hard. So it was a modestly successful with outstanding weather.

And that is this week’s Mullet Run Orlando Fishing Report, courtesy of Spotted Tail.

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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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

Manatee Hatch Orlando Fishing Report

September 23, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Manatee Hatch Orlando Fishing Report

Thursday found me kayak fishing in Mosquito Lagoon, where there were way more visible manatees than visible redfish. So we have the manatee hatch Orlando fishing report.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 15
Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 16

FOR SALE
EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5795050795.html
Wurlitzer Piano- http://orlando.craigslist.org/msg/5764347708.html

CHECK IT OUT
Captains for Clean Water, http://captainsforcleanwater.org
Sign the Declaration, and maybe give a donation.

————————————-

One of my Aunt Huguette’s last wishes was that I spread her ashes at sea. Monday morning I wanted to discharge that responsibility. Friend Tammy Wilson joined me for a Port Canaveral trip in the Mitzi.

orlando fishing report

All that was left of the corporeal Huguette was in this biodegradable box.

The weather was outstanding. There were lots of mullet along the beaches, at least in the morning. We brought Huguette’s remains out off Cape Canaveral and gently released them, saying a short prayer as we did so. I had to wonder, were the molecules in the box some of the same ones that were in Huguette the last time I saw her, hugged her? It was a sobering moment.

orlando fishing report

Soaking the box so it would sink.

 

orlando fishing report

And off goes my aunt into the depths.

We went looking for fish. We found a few blasting the mullet, ladyfish (small ones) and crevalle jacks (likewise small). We fooled a few with jigs. There was some Sargassum weed near the beach, so hoping we’d find some weed lines farther out we went out there looking, going out three miles. Nary a weed, nor anything else, did we see.

Coming back along the beach we ran it for miles. The mullet had mostly disappeared, and we didn’t see much. Each of us spotted a single tarpon, widely separated in time and space. We spent more time running than fishing, and did not catch anything else.

Wednesday morning found me wading a flat next to Long Island, near the St. Lucie Inlet, with Marcia Foosaner and Dapper Dan. I chose a spin rod based on the reports I got from Marcia, which was to say dirty water and scarce fish. Blind casting with a fly rod gets old too quick for me these days if there are no bites. Fishing is frequently more enjoyable when some fish participate…

There were a few fish popping mullet. I hooked and lost what we thought was a big snook, followed by three solid strikes from crevalle, all smaller sized ones. Then I got a bite from something whose fight I did not recognize. I had to actually see the fish before recognizing it as a Belizean-sized bonefish. All my casting was done with a DOA CAL Shad, three inch version.

orlando fishing report

Bonefish in the Indian River Lagoon, some good news methinks.

A very enjoyable morning Marcia and Dan, thanks to both of you.

Thursday found the Ocean Kayak searching for Mosquito Lagoon redfish. On my leader was the same redfish worm that’s been on there for three weeks now. It still works!

The first cast, a ten footer to the first fish I saw, resulted in a take. Into the backing, you gotta love those! The largest red I’ve seen since returning from Alaska.

orlando fishing report

The same old fly has caught at least a dozen fish now.

As mentioned at the top, there were a lot more manatees than redfish. The manatees were so shallow I could touch some of them with my fishing rod.

orlando fishing report

MAN-A-TEES!

I managed to catch two more reds, with the last one very symmetrically coming on the last cast, about 100 yards from where the first one was caught. All three fish were caught on very short casts. The dirty water means they can’t see you either.

Got my wires crossed with Tom Van Horn on Friday and ended up doing a variety of chores.

And that is the Manatee Hatch Orlando Fishing Report, 92416.

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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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

Orlando Fishing Report, version 91716

September 16, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Orlando Fishing Report, version 91716

Yes, we have a little bit of good news in this week’s version of the Orlando Fishimg Report.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 15
Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 16

FOR SALE
EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
Wurlitzer Piano- http://orlando.craigslist.org/msg/5764347708.html

——-

One of my Aunt Huguette’s last wishes was that I spread her ashes at sea. Monday morning I wanted to discharge that responsibility. As I prepped the boat for launch at Port Canaveral a 22′ Pathfinder came to the dock. Its occupants backed a trailer down and loaded her up. I walked over and asked them what it was like out there, in spite of the fact that the 15 mph winds out of the east made the answer pretty darn obvious. “Nasty,” they said. “We couldn’t get out.”

I tied the Mitzi back onto the trailer and drove to the St. Johns River, running up the Econ for a couple hours of fruitless casting. Huguette’s ashes currently sit on my kitchen table. Hopefully this week coming I can carry out her wish.

Wednesday morning saw a leisurely launch of the kayak at Mosquito Lagoon (get ready for the good news portion here). Within ten minutes I had seen four redfish. I got off the boat and started wading, looking. The first fish I threw to bit, a decent red of about 24 inches.

orlando fishing report

Redfish on fly!

 

orlando fishing report

He ain’t so pretty, but the fish is.

There were bald eagles, spoonbills, manatees, dolphins, more redfish, lots of big mullet- it was an outstanding angling experience.

orlando fishing report

The fly in question? A black redfish worm.

orlando fishing report

I ended up with four reds, an Atlantic croaker (first one I’ve ever gotten in Mosquito Lagoon), a hooked and lost red, and the usual missed shots and blown opportunities. It was solid fishing, all with a six-weight, in spite of the wind, clouds, and dirty water.

orlando fishing report

The croaker shows off the fly a little better.

Thursday I joined Capt. Chris Myers for some more Mosquito Lagoon fishing, although the start was not nearly as leisurely, since we out there shortly after first light. I don’t generally get up that early to fish anymore, but there is undeniably a magic about watching the day unfold. Anyhow…

orlando fishing report

You have to be up to experience the magic of daybreak.

Chris put me on a pod of tailing reds right away. A cast, a bite, a twelve inch seatrout. The reds disappeared.
Between us we had at least a dozen shots at tailing redfish. All mine were with the same black redfish worm I’d used so successfully the previous day. There were no conversions. Chris tried with both fly and spin tackle, for no conversions as well. So finding the tailers and getting the shots worked pretty well. Getting the fish to bite did not work at all.

Still, I always enjoy fishing with Chris. He’s an outstanding angler. Thank you sir, next one is on me.

Friday was bride Susan’s birthday. We had a lovely dinner at Rocco’s Italian Grille in Winter Park, then went to the Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts. The John DePaola Quintet was playing, doing a tribute to Cannonball Adderly. They were good enough that at one point tears of joy were streaming freely down my face, just an outstanding performance, and altogether an awesome evening. The venue is fantastic, a tiny club that will sit about 100 people. If you live anywhere near Winter Park, it’s certainly worth checking out.

I hope the east wind quits soon so I can check the ocean fishing!

And that is the Orlando fishing report, version 91716!

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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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