Fishing Reports Archives - Page 9 of 63

No Fishing This Week, but…

April 15, 2023 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

No Fishing This Week, but…

For me, there was no fishing this week. The wind machine cranked through mid-week, with small craft advisories until Wednesday night. I could have gone Friday, but…

Regular readers of this blog know I have been working on building a canoe. I started skinning it on Friday.

Sewing on the skin, which is a ballistic nylon.

Skin tacked on, ready for permanent attachment.

Regular readers of this blog also know I have a Sienna van, adapted to camping. After replacing the shocks, all that build needed a re-build. Along with house repairs, that’s what occupied me the rest of the week. Now we can go camping again!

Since most folks look to this blog for fishing, I dug up some April-y kinds of photos from years past, all taken on the Atlantic.

My first cobia, my best on fly, taken off Cocoa Beach a long time ago while out with Rodney Smith.

Son Alex with a tripletail, taken off Cocoa Beach.

Son Maxx with a cobia, taken off Cocoa Beach.

Rodney Smith with a tripletail, taken off Cocoa Beach.

Tammy Wilson, cobia, off Cape Canaveral.

Mike Conneen, king mackerel, off Cape Canaveral.

I don’t remember this guy’s name. He was on a charter with Tom Van Horn, off Cape Canaveral. He had a heck of a day! I tagged along to get pictures.

And that’s the no fishing this week report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Sienna Van conversion, Uncategorized · Tagged: canoe building, cobia fishing, tripletail fishing

Fished a Day, Again, Report

April 7, 2023 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Fished a Day, Again, Report

Regular readers of this blog know I have been working on building a canoe. But now that the frame is done, there’s not much for me to do on it until the skin gets here next week.

Regular readers of this blog also know I have a Sienna van, adapted to camping. The van has almost 120,000 miles on it. I wanted new shocks. The only way to access the shock top is through panels on the van’s interior. So all that camping build needed to be removed, which took most of the day on Monday. It looks like a cave inside the vehicle now.

Minor construction around the house took most of Tuesday. There’s more to come.

FISHING DAY Wednesday I dropped my kayak into the Indian River Lagoon’s brown water which was loaded with Rhodophyta and a filamentous green alga. Yuk.

I did not see a dolphin or a manatee. I did see what was for me a new organism. There were small mussels, quite a lot of them, growing on the stems and roots of the black mangroves. Some research followed. There are a couple native mussel species in the lagoon. There are also a couple invasive species. I have no mussel expertise, but I did contact Dr. Walters at UCF, who does. I will keep you informed.

I did see a few fish. Fishing was tough- it was windier than I expected it to be. I hardly touched the fly rod. When it’s windy it’s nearly impossible to control the boat and fly fish at the same time. I got six bites using spin tackle, and caught them all- two trout, two reds, and two snook. Got a bad picture of the best red, which I sight-fished.

It was swimming down the bank. I cast ahead of it while the kayak drifted, not moving the lure until I thought the fish would see it. When I twitched the bait, he crushed it. It was quite gratifying, best fish of the day.

Thursday, fun with cars. Put those new shocks in. It’s something I do infrequently, so a 30- or 40-minute job takes all morning. But they’re in. After I get the camper build back in there, I need to do the struts on the front end…

And there’s always the house construction, and the exotic ferns to keep me off the water. The joys of home ownership. It seems to come in waves, that sort of thing.

And that’s the Fished a Day again report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Paddle Fishing Florida, Sienna Van conversion · Tagged: Indian River Lagoon, invasive mussels, kayak fishing for redfish, redfish, rhodophyta

Fished a Day Report

April 1, 2023 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Fished a Day Report

Regular readers of this blog know I have been working on building a canoe. I took Monday off from canoe building and used it to go fishing. I fished a day! So we have a fished a day report.

And what a day it was! Spectacular weather, the river to myself, and fish that were pretty cooperative. I started with spin tackle (the fish don’t seem to want to come up until the day warms) and finished strong with a fly rod popper. I lost my well-used fly rod mouse to a monster gar that somehow got hooked when he ate it, then proceeded to show me his impressive dimensions, then proceeded to pop my leader like sewing thread.

First fish of the day.

Got a few sunfish, too. No line-breakers there.

Wildlife observed included wading birds, turtles, alligators, swallow-tailed kites (a favorite), and this guy, who I believe thought he was hiding:

The rest of the week I worked on the canoe, except for the day this went on:

A new drain field for our septic system, in progress.

For interested parties, you can see the details of the canoe-building here:
https://builds.capefalconkayaks.com/2023/04/jks-central-florida-canoe-build-chapter-4-completing-the-frame/

Here a photo of your blogger with his finished canoe frame-

Skinning the boat will happen towards the end of nest week, I suspect.

And that’s the Fished a Day report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports · Tagged: Bass fishing, cape falcon kayak, Econlockhatchee River, florida fishing, fly fishing, kayak fishing

Fished Around Central Florida Report

March 10, 2023 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Fished Around Central Florida Report

Thanks for reading this Fished Around Central Florida Report. Was fortunate enough to get out four days, and visited the dermatologist again. The weather maintains a fantastic level between fabulous and awesome.

Subscribers, if the photos don’t load, please visit my blog at https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/

Saturday

Bob Hosking and I went to the Econlockhatchee. It being Saturday, I was expecting a plastic horde, but we had the place to ourselves. We got quite a few fish, and while there were no monsters, a couple four-pounders came to hand. Bob used a plastic worm. I used a fly rod mouse and a Senko. It didn’t seem to make much difference.

Bob, average-sized Econ bass.

Monday

noting the water was low, I visited the Banana River Lagoon. The water makes up for its low level with a distinct lack of clarity. I got a nice trout blind-casting the Senko, and a couple shoreline redfish (the only way I could have seen them) on a black Clouser Minnow. Don’t need to go back for a while.

The fish threw saltwater all over my camera.

Tuesday

I tried Mosquito Lagoon again. I could copy and paste what I just wrote about the Banana River Lagoon. Low, dirty water, the only fish I could see were on the shoreline. Incredibly, managed three reds on fly. Took zero photos, somewhat of a relief, actually.

Thursday

Took a solo Econlockhatchee trip. It’s been good, the water is at the right level. Flies and soft plastics are what I’ve been using. Saw lots of gatorsaurusses.

Friday

my PA (I feel like we’re developing a relationship at this point) at the dermatologist froze another pre-cancerous lesion off my face. That’s what I get for spending so much of my life in the sunshine.

That’s the Fished Around Central Florida Report report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: adventure fishing, Banana River, Bass fishing, Econlockhatchee River, florida fishing, fly fishing, kayak fishing, Mosquito Lagoon, redfish fishing, seatrout fishing

Off the Injured List

March 3, 2023 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Off the Injured List

Thanks for reading off the injured list. As Mel Brooks would say, It’s good to have two functioning hands! Happy to be ambulatory, I fished six days in a row.

Subscribers, if the photos don’t load, please visit my blog at https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/

Friday

I launched at CS Lee Park on the St. Johns River to test the transom. What a difference! And, once there, it only made sense to try and catch some shad. There weren’t many around. Mine was the only boat there. Two shad came to hand in four hours. Got some nice crappie and a fat redbelly, too, all on crappie jigs.

Saturday

I went scouting out of River Breeze, using the jonboat. Although I got a nice red and a couple trout, I found a lot of places to not go back to for a while.

Sunday

Bob Hosking and I went to Mosquito Lagoon in the Bang-O-Craft. The water is getting dirty and fishing was slow. We got a small snook and two marginal seatrout between us in almost six hours. Sadly, the fish abandoned all the places where I’d been getting them prior to the surgery. 🙁

Monday

I took the stitches out of my thumb. Not sure if paddling was a good idea yet, I went walking along the Econlockhatchee, alternating tossing a plastic shad and a Senko-style bait. The fish weren’t suicidal, but I got five or six bass, smallish ones, in four hours. A lovely afternoon it was!

Tuesday

On a gurgler dressed like a mouse…

Susan dropped me and my kayak off at the Econlockhatchee, armed with both fly and spin rods. Both worked well! The bass averaged a pound to two, with a couple heftier ones to keep it spicy.

Which view do you prefer?

The gatorsauruses kept it REAL spicy. When I got to the take-out Susan came and picked me up. Yes, I am lucky. It helps we live nearby. When the water runs low and clear, the Econ is such a lovely stream.

Wednesday

was a Mosquito Lagoon kayak day. I saw only four redfish all day, hooking, and losing, the last one. Just when things were looking bleak a black drum tailed. There weren’t a lot of them, just enough to keep me entertained. Had good shots at six, caught and released two.

Thursday

Redbelly on the mouse gurgler. Must have been HUNGRY.

I returned to the Econlockhatchee, hitting a different section. No gators! Got a channel cat on a Senko, a first for me. Also got a sunfish slam on fly. And the usual largemouth bass assortment, some (the biggest) on spin, most on fly.

The weather was awesome all week, the fish mostly bit, and both my hands work again. Life is great!

That’s the off the injured list report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports · Tagged: Bass fishing, Black drum, Econlockhatchee River, fly fishing, kayak fishing, Mosquito Lagoon

Central Florida Fishing and More Report

February 18, 2023 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Central Florida Fishing and More Report

Thanks for viewing this Central Florida Fishing and More Report. I thought I was to see the doctor on Monday, hoping to get off probation then. Imaging my dismay when I realized my appointment wasn’t until Wednesday, and I didn’t get off probation fully anyway. No paddling for another couple weeks.

Subscribers, if the photos (not many this week, and all file photos) don’t load, please visit my blog at https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/

Sunday-

I went walking with Bob Hosking at the Black Bear Wilderness Area in Sanford. Not to be picky, but there are no wilderness areas that are only 1600 acres. Let’s not dilute the meaning of the word “wilderness”. If I can hear internal combustion, if there are boardwalks, it ain’t wilderness! Anyway, nice enough walk. Didn’t see any black bears, but did see several black feral hogs. Lots of songbirds, too.

Monday-

After the seven-mile walk I was a little gimpy, and just took it easy.

Tuesday-

The weather was fantastic. I’m going fishing! Took a spin rod and walked along the Econ, tossing a 3″ plastic shad. My third cast landed in a branch on the far side, one lure down. Rust shaken, I got serious and managed to take four bass, none very large. I then tried under the Snow Hill Road bridge for shad, without any luck.

Wednesday-

I saw the surgeon. She liked the way I was healing, but I can’t immerse the hand in bacteria-laden waters for two more weeks. I never thought much of Vibrio, anyway…

Thursday-

Took the Bang-O-Craft onto the St. Johns for a feasibility test. Got one big redbelly, two nice shad, and a half-dozen crappie on crappie jigs in four hours. Test passed!

Friday-

Took the Bang-O-Craft to Mosquito Lagoon to see if the fish I had been catching almost three weeks ago were still there. As best as I could tell, they were not, although there were boats on a couple of my spots. The water is much cloudier than it was, too. My spin reel was seized up, so it was fly only. I had several shots at shoreline reds, and actually hooked one. Final tally was one red and one trout, both blind-casting while wading.

I also realized the Bang-O-Craft needs transom-replacement surgery, and soon. Not surprising, it’s close to 40 years old.

I also finally got the cedar boards I need to start building my canoe, which hopefully I can start soon.

That’s the Central Florida Fishing and More Report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports · Tagged: Bass fishing, Black Bear Wilderness Area, Econlockhatchee River, fly fishing, mosquito lagoon fishing report, St. Johns River fishing report

Carcinoma Report

January 28, 2023 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Carcinoma Report

Thanks for reading this carcinoma report. I wanted to fish more this week than the one day I got in, but the windy weather played a big part in that. Who goes fishing when it’s blowing 20?

Subscribers, if the photos don’t load, please visit my blog at https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/

These are all file photos. Didn’t bring my camera this time.

Tuesday I took the kayak to Mosquito Lagoon, basically using it for transport to places where I could wade. I caught quite a few fish blind-casting with barbless Clouser Minnows- seatrout, redfish, puffers (4!), and one black drum. Better than I expected! Yes, I do wear waders. Hate being wet and cold.

——-

Before Christmas, I visited the dermatologist because of a disturbing bump on the back of my left hand. She froze it off with liquid nitrogen, telling me, “If this comes back, you need to come back here.”

It came back within days. I went back a couple weeks ago. She biopsied it. Squamous cell carcinoma.

Surgery Monday coming, not something to look forward to. I suppose that’s what happens when you live much of your life in the Florida sun, though I supposed I could have used sunblock more diligently.

——-

And I’m close to starting to build a canoe! See https://cape-falcon-kayak.thinkific.com/courses/skin-on-frame-canoe-building-course for more information!

——-

Two or three hours every day I didn’t fish this week was spent in my yard, battling the ferns from hell. We think they spread from the neighbor’s yard, not respecting the property line. They’re aggressively taking over our yard, so I’m aggressively tearing them out by their big, fat rhizomes.

——-

OK, this was not my best report. Sorry about that.

That’s the carcinoma report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports · Tagged: canoe building, cape falcon kayak, carcinoma, mosquito lagoon fishing

Home Waters Report

January 21, 2023 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Home Waters Report

Thanks for reading this home waters report, on Mosquito Lagoon, and with a call-to-action.

“There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”
-Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz

Subscribers, if the photos don’t load, please visit my blog at https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/

OK, on Friday I was driving southbound on I-95 in Titusville. I was fairly shocked to see a full-sized billboard that said-

“Welcome to Florida, home of bears, toxic water, and dead manatees. stopthestarve.org” Naturally, I checked the website, https://stopthestarve.org. With a come-on like that, how could I resist?

Truly, FWC does need to stop spraying herbicides.

FWC contracts hundreds of these guys to spray hundreds of gallons each of toxic herbicides daily on into our waterways. This was on Rainbow River.

After arriving home, I checked the new Florida Sportsman magazine. Blair Wickstrom used a full page of editorial space to plug a new constitutional amendment, the Right to Clean and Healthy Water. Basically what he’s saying is, the Legislature and a string of Governors have let the water quality in Florida go to hell, so the people need to get an amendment on the ballot to change the state constitution. If you’re registered voter in Florida and would like to see clean water and seagrass again in your lifetime, go to https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org RIGHT NOW and sign the petition- 223,000 signatures are needed by March 1.

Please help, and please help spread the word! Thank you!

Yes, I did fish this week, two days. Errands and home maintenance took the rest of my time.

Tuesday, on an absolutely stunning day, Rodney Smith and I took the Bang-O-Craft out onto Mosquito Lagoon. The water was clean and beautiful, Rodney and I maybe not so much. We’re getting old and decrepit looking. Better than dead and decaying! Anyhow, the trout were biting well. We didn’t get any big (or small) ones, all slot fish. We took one for Mr. Smith’s dinner. We hooked a couple reds, Rodney got his, mine broke off. Check those knots, John. All the action was on the 3-inch plastic shad.

Rodney and his dinner fish.

Friday I took the kayak out, same place, on another stunning day. The trout weren’t biting quite as well, but I still got a dozen, all but two on Clouser Minnows. I also got two beautiful fat reds on the same fly.

John and the day’s first red.

Both days I really enjoyed the company!

For those looking for shad information, I don’t have any. Haven’t been. Sorry.

That’s the home waters report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, opinion · Tagged: https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org, kayak fishing, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, redfish fishing, seatrout fishing, stopthestarve.org

Skonker Paloozer

December 9, 2022 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Skonker Paloozer Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Skonker Paloozer. Mike Conneen came up with the name, ‘though I doubt that’s how he’d spell it.

Mike and I just finished a fishing road trip. Although the trip was great, fishing was WAY less than stellar, thus the name.

We started at Raysville Campground, on Clarks Hill Reservoir in Thompson, Georgia.

Nice place, nearly deserted when we were there. The first evening, fish were breaking in the lake. I went down with a Clouser Minnow and got a 10-inch bass almost immediately. I took this as a good omen. It was not.

My tent on our site.

Lake at dusk.

Launch sequence initiated!

Mike and River, on the lake.

We launched our vessels the next morning. I got a 12-inch bass at my first stop on the same fly. I took this as a good omen. It was not. Neither of us had another strike all day. And, I lost my favorite pocketknife besides.

How River goes fishing.

Dawn, Hunting Beach.

Our next stop was Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina, a beautiful place. I went fishing just as a cold front arrived. I later had to use a dryer to get the water out of my clothes, including my raincoat. I did get a redfish and a flounder while fishing through the deluge, the only ones I would get the entire trip. Mike stayed ashore during the rain and launched after it stopped. His luck was identical to mine, minus getting soaking wet.

The Lone Redfish, Kimosabe.

Night sky from the beach. Mars is the brightest “star”, and you can see Taurus and the Pleiades as well as Orion.

Boardwalk through the Marsh at HISP.

Bridge to Hunting Island. The marsh is tremendous. You know there are fish there somewhere!

We tried a creek through the marsh the next day, launching on a low rising tide. Neither of us touched a fish all day.

Marsh dusk, HISP.

Fort McAllister.

River and Mike get silly.

Another day, another move. Next was Fort McAllister State Park. The fort is a well-preserved Civil War earthworks fort, with a museum, very well presented. We launched on a salt creek on a high, outgoing tide and hit it hard all day. Neither of us touched a fish, on anything we tried. We did not try bait, however.

We were camped on an island.

There was lots of wildlife!

Mike is amazing!

Dawn, Fort McAllister State Park.

Sunset, Fort McAllister State Park.

Our final stop was Crooked River State Park. We launched on the Crooked River on a high, outgoing tide and hit it hard all day. Mike got a few reds and trout at a single spot he lucked into. I got a small trout and hooked and lost one other one. The redfish habitat here looked superb- mud flats interspersed with large and plentiful oyster mounds (featuring live oysters), surrounded by thousands of acres of Spartina grass. But I did not see or touch a red all day.

Local wildlife.

There were lots of oysters.

This guy is still waiting for his first Crooked River bite.

So, in ten days, I got five small fish. Skunkapallooza, indeed! As frustrating as the fishing was, we had wonderful if chilly weather most days. The stargazing was tremendous. Sunrises and sunsets likewise, awesome. We saw plenty of wildlife. The company was awesome. And we didn’t need the first aid kit! It certainly could have gone worse.

As some clever shmuck (me) once said, “I usually have to pay a lot of money to get fishing like this!”

We got home Tuesday. Thursday I launched the kayak in Mosquito Lagoon- one snooklet, two redfish, including one about 20 pounds, and three solid trout, one on fly. And a fly-caught puffer, as a bonus I guess. It helps to know the spots, since none of them were sight-fished.

First fish. Took about 20 minutes.

A couple trout in, this red took the lure.

Attack of the snooklet!

This beast decided to play, too.

That’s the Skonker Paloozer report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports · Tagged: camping, crooked river state park, fort mcallister state park, hunting island state park, mosquito lagoon fishing, raysville campground, redfish fishing, seatrout fishing

Fished 1.25 Days, and an Ode to Seatrout

November 26, 2022 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Fished 1.25 Days, and an Ode to Seatrout

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Fished 1.25 Days and an Ode to Seatrout. The weather has been unpleasant! We had Thanksgiving to deal with! Actually, I fished less than 1.25 days, but that will come out in the text.

I’ll be on the road next week, so do not expect a post. I won’t be able to deliver one.

For subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

Monday’s weather made me stay home, but I got tired of hanging around. Went to my favorite local retention pond for a couple hours, bugging for bass. Got one bite, a feisty one-pounder that was, of course, released.

Tuesday Scott Radloff joined me for a Bang-O-Craft trip to Mosquito Lagoon, where the water is still too high. We fished in the rain. The seatrout were on! We probably got thirty, maybe more, all on soft plastics. Most were at the bottom of the slot, a few smaller, a few larger. All were released, since the season is closed! Scott got a single ladyfish in the interests of variety. We fished until we were soggy, about four hours.

And now for that Ode to Seatrout…