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The Return of the Ambassadeur

April 14, 2011 by · 2 Comments

Long, long ago, the Ambassadeur was the king of the plug reels. That time may be gone, but lots of Ambassadeurs are still out there. They are still fine, serviceable pieces of equipment. Except that darned drag may not be working so great.

I have three of the silver Ambassadeurs, and I wanted to bring a couple to Alaska for king salmon duty. The drags were terrible. A little time searching google brought up the solutions.

One is Smooth Drags (http://www.smoothdrag.com). They sell the parts you need to make that drag as smoooth as a baby’s butt.

The other is (I’m not making this up) the United States Catfish Association website (http://www.catfish1.com/forums/f184/replacing-upgrading-drag-washers-ambassadeur-reels-13940.html), where they have a step by step instruction on how to disassemble, replace the drag washers of, and reassemble your Ambassadeur.

I just finished repairing two of my three Ambassadeurs and just ordered the parts for the last one.

Those reels better pack some long underwear. They’re going to Alaska.

John Kumski

Home- Spotted Tail Outdoors and Travel

All content in this blog, including text and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights reserved.

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Three Ways to NOT Catch Flats Fish

April 13, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Learn a few sins to use when you wish to scare off every fish on any flat.

Big Mosquito Lagoon Redfish

You'll never catch fish like this one if you're noisy.

Clothing
If you can see them, you should assume they can see you, too. Flats fish can see bright clothing, especially brightly colored shirts or hats, more easily than more subdued shades. My friend Barry Kent was disgusted with himself one day while we were fishing together, saying his white hat had spooked several fish. White, bright red, and bright yellow are definitely colors to avoid when chasing skinny water fish. Wear subdued earth tones to avoid becoming a neon DANGER sign to your quarry.

For the ultimate in flats camouflage, Aqua Design makes a line of technical clothing printed with computer enhanced images taken from underwater photographs looking through the water’s surface. If you make it harder for the fish to sense your presence you ought to get more good shots at fish.

Noise
Fish in shallow water respond negatively to noise, even the human voice. They hear everything you do with your feet. The following two examples illustrate this.

One recent morning three of us were stalking a school of about 200 redfish from my boat when my angler moved the Fly Lane Tamer, trying to get it into a better position for casting. The Tamer’s base bumped the lip that goes around the edge of my casting deck. The school, almost in casting range at that point, immediately stampeded and never slowed down as long as they remained in sight, pushing a receding wake for at least a quarter of a mile. A golden opportunity was lost because of one small bump.

On another picture perfect morning (the kind fishermen dream about) I was wading with a friend. We were surrounded by tailing redfish, literally hundreds of them, in water less than knee deep. My friend decided he needed to tell me something, even though he was 100 yards away. After he shouted over to me, every tail in the vicinity immediately disappeared.

If you want more shots at fish while on the flats conduct yourself as though you are stalking wary wild animals that are intent on surviving, because that’s exactly what you are doing.

Hesitation
An old proverb says that, “He who hesitates is lost.” Flats fishing proves this adage true over and over again. If you hesitate once the fish is in casting range, the fish either moves too close and sees you or else it moves too far away and you can’t reach it. It’s better to do anything, screw up, and learn from your mistake than stand there wondering what to do and let the opportunity disappear.

Fly fishermen often ask me, “How far will I need to cast?” In most flats fishing speed and accuracy of delivery will be more important than distance. Fifty feet, on target and right now, will usually do the trick.

There are more common sins. They will be the subject of upcoming blogs.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog including text and photos copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights reserved.

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Why Won’t That Redfish Bite?

April 8, 2011 by · 1 Comment

“They’ve gotta eat sometime.” We’re talking about fish here. Fish we want to, but can’t, catch. Uncooperative fish.

Compared to mammals, fish are simple creatures. A redfish brain, about the size of a garden pea, is not real good at analyzing things. In spite of this apparent simplicity, their behavior is maddeningly unpredictable sometimes. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why won’t they eat?”

When a redfish hatches from the egg it is hardly visible to the human eye. In three years it’s grown to 27 inches long and about seven pounds in size. Clearly, they must eat quite a bit in order to do this.

Favorite items of the redfish diet include shrimp, crabs, and small fish. Sometimes they feed very aggressively on anything that moves. Other times (and many guides have told me they’ve seen this many times) you can toss a live shrimp into a school of redfish and not get a single taker. Why won’t they eat?

A friend of mine once told me that when the US Government makes the tide predictions that it uses in the Coastal Pilot, it feeds 16 separate factors into the computer that is making the model. There are six others that are not considered significant enough to consider. Tides are a purely physical phenomenon.

A fish is a biological entity. I can’t even begin to comprehend all the factors that must affect its behavior. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, turbidity, current, wind, waves, atmospheric pressure, moon phase, boat traffic, fishing pressure, these are just a few of the things that affect the behavior of fish.

Unlike us, fish are cold blooded. We have to eat constantly just to maintain our body temperature. Fish don’t. When the water is cold they can go days without eating.

In my line of work I fillet quite a few redfish. I always check their stomachs to see what they’ve been eating. About 25 percent of the time they haven’t been eating anything.

So, why aren’t they eating? The fish aren’t talking, so I don’t know. Trying to figure it out is part of what makes fishing such a fascinating endeavor for us.

But they’ve gotta eat sometime.

Capt. John Kumiski (407.977.5207, http://www.spottedtail.com) has been guiding fishermen for over 20 years. His most recent book is titled Redfish on the Fly.

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

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Bad Days

March 29, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Most of us have seen the bumper sticker that says, “A bad day fishing beats a good day at work.” This is undeniably true most of the time. A sunny day in God’s great outdoors always beats a day working at some job you may not like.

But anyone who spends much time outdoors has had some miserable days afield, days when it rained a deluge all day, days when they were wet, cold, tired, and hungry. Usually on these days the fish don’t bite or the birds don’t fly. Days like this simply make us appreciate the good days we have a whole lot more. They don’t qualify as bad days.

What then, qualifies as a bad day outdoors?

Tommy Locke told me of a fly fisherman who had graced the bow of Tommy’s skiff while casting to tarpon. The gentleman wore nothing more than a Speedo thong for protection. The unfortunate man sank a 3/0 tarpon fly to the feathers right between his family jewels, painful just to think about. That fellow had a Bad Day.

I once read a tale about a steelhead fisherman. This poor soul was fly fishing when he had what at first he thought was a bite. He quickly realized the heavy weight at the end of his line, although moving, was not a fish. He managed to swing whatever it was near to the bank down below him, then walked down to see what it was.

To his shock and dismay it was a young woman, quite dead. His fly was hooked on a finger of her glove. Our angler was suddenly having a Very Bad Day.

On an otherwise lovely day, a former local guide went to grab a tarpon at boatside. Not only did the fish choose that moment to jump one more time, breaking the guide’s nose, the fish also managed to bury a hook in his neck, necessitating a trip to the hospital. This was a Bad Day.

Fishermen have accidents sometimes. They get stung by catfish, stingrays, and jellyfish. Their boats sink. They get hooked. They get bitten. They get struck by lightning.

So any day that you get home safely, without the use of a first aid kit (You do carry a first aid kit, don’t you?), a trip to the hospital or police station, or worse, is not a bad day, regardless of how few fish were caught or how miserable the weather was.

Count your blessings, and remember, life is great!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

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The Tarpon Box

March 24, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Although it’s mostly empty the tarpon box sits there eagerly, quivering with anticipation. It knows that very soon it will be filled, slowly, one at a time, with bright, new tarpon flies. Some will be tied with natural materials. Others will be fashioned with synthetics. All will be tied on strong, sharp, 3/0 hooks, and will be pre-rigged with leaders, 60 pound test fluorocarbon bite tippets and 20 pound monofilament class tippets.

It’s the job of the tarpon box to keep the two dozen flies safe from the elements and untangled from each other. It performs this job admirably.

The flies look jaunty inside the box, their leaders stretched out, their wings bright and colorful, and their big eyes open wide. Their job is first to entice a tarpon, a fish that could be seven feet long and could weigh 200 pounds, into eating them. Then they and their leaders are supposed to hold onto that fish long enough for the fisherman to get it to the boat, never an easy task.

The tarpon will make fantastic leaps and long, powerful runs, trying to dislodge the hook or break the leader. More often than not the fish succeeds, leaving the fisherman with nothing more than shaking hands, knocking knees, and a whale of a fish story.

Sometimes the fisherman does prevail though. Then the camera comes out, a few pictures are snapped, the tarpon is reverently revived, and the fisherman watches as it majestically swims away, none the worse for the experience. Then the fisherman looks for another tarpon, hoping to repeat the process again and again, as often as he can in the time allowed.

The tarpon run on Florida’s Gulf coast lasts but eight weeks, beginning around May Day and running until about Independence Day. During that time schools of tarpon frequent shallow waters from the Everglades up into the Panhandle waters, where tarpon fishermen search for them. Once the run is over the fishermen disperse, repairing and cleaning their tackle, tying new flies, telling stories about the big ones that got away, and laying plans for the following year.

It’s my favorite time of year. I’ve got to go now because although it’s mostly empty, my tarpon box sits there eagerly, quivering with anticipation.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

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Bob Stearns Comments on Fishing the Full Moon

March 20, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Bob responded to my last fishing report-

“You commented about the possibility of the full moon having an affect on fishing. There is no doubt in my mind that it does, both inshore & offshore. Probably too much night feeding activity. There are always exceptions, such as those full moon nights with a night-long heavy overcast. But other than the affect on tides, I cannot see any reason why the current “super moon” should be any different from any other full moon.

“One observation: For the most part after a full moon night it seems like the fishing is better during the late afternoon than early morning. I noticed that offshore repeatedly. But for inshore late afternoon can mean lousy, windy weather. Especially during the summer months…”

Thank you for your insights, Bob. It’s always good hearing from you.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

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Working the Fly

March 15, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Reader flyfishtom wrote, “I would like you to mention how to work the flies you tie. Might help us transplants catch a few more fish.”

OK. First of all, Lefty Kreh wrote an entire book about “Presenting the Fly.” In my book, “Redfish on the Fly” there’s an entire chapter about presenting the fly.

So Tom, there’s not a simple, or single, answer to what you want to know. Every cast is different.

To give the simplest answer I can, let’s assume you’re throwing at a redfish you can see. Your job is to anticipate where the fish is going and put the fly there. If you guessed right, don’t move the fly until you’re sure the fish is close enough to see it. Then just give it a gentle hop off the bottom.

If the fish sees it he’ll either flee in abject terror, come over, sniff, and swim off, or come over and eat it. Assuming he’s not aware of your presence, he will almost always respond to your offering. You’ll know if he saw it or not.

Thanks for the question. I hope that helps.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

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Selected Redfish Fly Recipes

March 10, 2011 by · 3 Comments

Reader Ron Conner wanted recipes for the Mosquito Lagoon Special and Slider flies, which I use for slot sized redfish. Here they are.

Mosquito Lagoon Special

Hook-Mustad #3407 size 4
Eyes-1/100 oz. (approx) lead dumbell or bead chain
Wing- fox or grey squirrel
Flash-four strands gold colored Flashabou Accent
Head- small tuft of deer body hair

1) Start thread, tie in lead eye. Flip the hook so the point is up.
2) Wrap thread about halfway to bend. Tie in a small clump of squirrel hair. Top with flash.
3) Just behind lead eye tie in a small clump of deer hair. The butts should be facing  forward, the tread should wrap around the center of the clump. You want the hair to flare and stay in place on the “top” of the fly. Do not trim the deer hair.
4) Whip finish and cement the head.

Slider
Tim Borski ties some sweet flies. His slider is a classic, but way too much trouble for me to tie. I modified it to this.

Hook- Mustad #3407 size 4
Eyes-1/100 oz. (approx) lead dumbell or bead chain
Tail-craft fur or similar synthetic, color tyer’s choice
Body-ice or cactus chenille, Estaz, or similar; color tyer’s choice
Hackle- one Grizzly (dyed to tyer’s choice) hackle feather tied Palmer
weedguard- 15 or 20 lb. mono “V”

1) Start the thread, tie in the eyes. Leave enough room ahead of them for the weedguard.
2) Wrap the thread to the bend. Tie in a tuft of craft fur for the tail.
3) Tie in the chenille and the butt of the feather at the hook bend. Wrap the thread up to the lead eye.
4) Wrap the chenille up to the lead eye. Tie it off and cut it.
5) Wrap the feather up to the lead eye. Tie it off and cut it.
6) Tie in the weedguard in front of the lead eye. Whip the head and cement it.

If desired, mark stripes on the tail using a permanent Sharpie marker.

I like these in olive, tan, and brown.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Tips, Flies and Fly Tying ·

Water Bottles and You

March 4, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

From the REI website- “A 2007 New York Times article reported that Americans consume more than 30 billion single-serving bottles of water annually. (Wow.) The nonprofit Consumer Recycling Institute estimates at least half, and probably closer to 75%, of these bottles turn into waste. That means they wind up in landfills, get incinerated or turn into litter. (Double wow.)

Those figures do not take into account the materials (petroleum being chief among them), production costs and transportation costs associated with plastic bottles. It all provides more incentive to find a reusable water bottle to carry with you on and off the trail.”

I use reusable water bottles made of polyethylene (which I’ve had since college), copolyester (Nalgene, etc), aluminum, and stainless steel (Pura). Susan and I used to buy disposable bottles filled with mineral water. Then we installed a water filter on our kitchen sink, which is where I fill my water bottles with when I go biking, running, hiking, paddling, et cetera.

While they all work my favorite is the Pura 1.2 liter. It fits my hand well, holds plenty of water, and is completely food grade stainless steel, even the stopper. It’s a fine piece of equipment.

The main thing here, though, is that by using a reusable bottle you stop producing the trash and litter that disposable bottles so freely supply. Please, consider the advantages of the reusable bottle. Purchase a few and use them religiously.

I was going to include a comparison of the various types of reusable bottles in this blog. REI did such a fine job on their website that I just linked to their piece here.

The reusable water bottle- it reduces waste and litter. Try it, you’ll like it!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

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Dress for Success

February 26, 2011 by · 1 Comment

“I don’t know why people think it won’t rain while they’re on vacation!”
-Lefty Kreh

Rob and Steve stepped aboard my skiff. Both men wore cotton blue jeans. Dark clouds covered the sky and rain was clearly falling in the distance. The temperature was not unusual for a February morning in Florida, about 60 degrees.

Steve had a rain parka with him, but no rain pants. Rob had a nylon windbreaker- no rain gear at all.

After we were on the water a short time it started pouring, a good, hard, soaking rain. Steve was at least half dry in his parka. Rob, of course, was completely soaked. He was freezing, especially while the boat was under way. We were back at the dock hours early. And of course as soon as the boat was back on the trailer the sun came out.

This might be Florida but in the winter it sometimes gets cold here. It can rain at any time, during any season. If you intend to fish while you’re here, you need to dress for the weather you will actually be encountering, not for what your fantasy of Florida fishing is.

Your head- you need a hat to keep the sun off. A visor is a poor bare minimum. I wear a Tilley hat, which keeps the sun off face, ears, and neck.

If it’s cold, a wool or fleece watch cap is appropriate. Worn over a ball cap it offers good sun protection for face, ears, and neck.

You need polarized sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun and errant fish hooks. If you’re fishing after dark bring clear safety glasses for eye protection.

If the forecast temperature is below sixty wear layers of fleece and wool. Long underwear is included in that outfit. Avoid cotton. Once wet it stays that way.

Always carry rain pants and a rain parka. If it’s windy you will get wet when the boat is under way. They make a great windbreaker as well.

Blue jeans are the WORST fishing pants you can wear. They’re hot when it’s hot, cold when it’s cold, and after they get wet they stay that way. Pants made from a cotton/nylon blend are far superior in a boat.

Even in the hot months you need to dress to protect yourself from a relentless and blazing sun. Light weight, ventilated clothing that covers skin is what you need. Patagonia, Columbia, and Ex Officio are all manufacturers that make superior hot, and cold, weather clothing for anglers.

Andrea is properly dressed- hat covers face, ears and neck, sunglasses protect eyes, long shirt and pants protects arms, legs, and torso from a blazing June sun.

So if you want to be dry and comfortable while fishing here, dress for success!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

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