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The Bass Fishing Report

March 28, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

The Bass Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Bass Fishing Report. Lucky enough to get out three days this week- even a campout! And some bass were caught- largemouths, that is.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Tuesday morning I drove to the Rodman Campground, where there’s a boat ramp, and where I spent the night. I launched my kayak at the ramp and went paddling on quite a sizable lake. Looks like they used mass amounts of glyphosate– there were no aquatic plants other than water lilies. This was very disappointing, and made fishing more difficult. Where were the fish hiding, if there were no weed beds?

My average size Rodman bass.

My first fish was a dink bass, caught in water lilies near the shoreline of the canal, on a Senko-style worm. There was a spot with a lot of branches sticking out of the water, got four or five there, all pretty small.

Saw a green patch out in the lake, paddled out to it. It was a small floating patch of vegetation, dollarweed and some terrestrial plants. Pulled a decent fish out from under it.

Got my best fish next to a small patch of water lilies along a dropoff. A second fish followed the hooked one in, and then hung around until I released the it. Then they swam off together. Who knew??

The best one I got there, the fish whose partner waited for it.

 

Sunset over Rodman Reservoir.

My plan was to fish Rodman two days. After the first day I did not want to fish there again, so in the morning I drove to Farles Lake. I literally had the place to myself. The fish bit pretty steadily, but again, mostly small ones, and again, almost all on soft plastic worms of various shapes and colors. Got one dink on fly. Probably ended up with two dozen fish, but the biggest one was three or four pounds.

All in all it was a pleasant, productive trip, even if no monstahs were forthcoming.

Thursday I did something I’ve been wanting to do for a while- I went to the Econlockhatchee! This was a walking trip with the shortest spin rod I own, and it was goooood. Culprit worms and Senkos, the fish didn’t much care.

I even got several sunfish (redbellies and stumpknockers) on the rig. How a stumpknocker can get a 3/0 hook in that little mouth is beyond me, but they do, somehow. I got more bites, and the quality of the fish was better, than either day in Ocala Forest.

An Econ fish, one of many.

 

And, the irises are blooming.

That’s my Bass Fishing Report. As always, thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Oklawaha River Report

March 15, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

Oklawaha River Report

Thank you for reading this Oklawaha River Report. I wanted to leave Wednesday. Circumstances prevented that. So this report covers only Thursday and Friday.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Paul McInnis met me at the Eureka East ramp Thursday morning. I was talking to a local who suggested we leave our vehicle at the Eureka West ramp instead. We took his advice. From there we loaded almost all of our gear into Paul’s pickup, and drove to Ray Wayside Park. There I discovered I’d left my tent in the van. I had to go back and get it, setting us back an hour. Arrrggghhh.

After loading gear into the kayaks, a short canal put us into the Silver River. I wanted to see otters, got cormorants instead. Once we reached the Oklawaha, we had the river to ourselves, with the brief exception of some canoe racers who came tearing by. The weather was exceptionally nice.

The water was fairly clear. The river flows through bottomland woods- lots of beautiful cypress trees, red maples, ash trees, willows, sabal palms, and other plants I didn’t know. Poison ivy likes it there, a lot! It was all along the banks.

The current was surprisingly swift for a Florida river, and it was much deeper than I expected. The combination of current and depth, combined with plentiful downed trees, made it difficult to fish. If you tried to fish deep, you hung up. If you fished shallow, there weren’t a lot of bites.

spotted sunfish, a.k.a. stumpknocker

Using a tiny jig, Paul did well on the sunfish. My first fish was a bass, on a Culprit worm (red shad), that was all of 10 inches. It was quickly followed by a warmouth. Quite a while later, I got what turned out to be the best fish of the trip, a bass of 2-3 pounds, on the same worm.

After switching to a small fly rod, the bites started coming much more frequently. Of course, the fish were much smaller, too- redbellies, stumpknockers, and bluegills. The fly that produced the best was a black wooly bugger. Of course I lost it to a root. That’s OK, I’ll make more.

redbreast sunfish, a.k.a redbelly

We spent the night at Gores Landing, a small and mercifully quiet campground. The loudest thing there were the birds. Owls hooted all night, limpkins screamed, and at dawn the chorus of songbirds was a wild symphony of bird calls. All especially cool!

bluegill

Day two was largely a repeat of the first, except there were fewer fish. The water was browner, too. By about 1030 we’d stopped fishing and were just paddling, or peddling, in Paul’s case.

We were at Eureka West about 1430, at which point we loaded up, made the shuttle, and went our separate ways homeward.

In all it was a very pleasant if not particularly fish-filled trip.

That’s my Oklawaha River Report. As always, thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , ,

Beware the Ides of March Report

March 7, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

Beware the Ides of March Report

Thank you for reading this Beware the Ides of March Report. Fished two days, took pictures part of another one.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Monday found me launching the kayak at the Snow Hill Road Econlockhatchee launch. I floated downstream casting a mouse gurgler fly and hooked two bass before the bridge was out of sight. Then, I couldn’t buy another bite. The switch to the spin rod was eventually made.

A black shad Culprit worm was the bait of choice for a long while. It got bit sporadically, by junior-league-sized bass. The best one was the first one I got, on the fly, and he was only 13 or 14 inches.

The river looked strangely quiet. There were no alligators (!). There were very few fish in the water that I could see. In five hours I saw a single, small catfish and a single Plecostamus, and one small school of mullet. Not a single bass did these eyeballs spot.

What there was, was a lot of chainsaw-cut branches. Some over-zealous individual(s) cut away lots of blowdowns to make the river accessible to motor vessels. To my way of thinking, more traffic = fewer fish. Or perhaps it was that day, or me. Either way, I don’t think I’ll be visiting that stretch again any time soon.

Purple gallinule

 

soft-shell turtle

 

Yellow-rumped Warbler

 

common moorhen

 

humans with cameras

 

pileated woodpecker

 

great egret

 

american alligator

Tuesday, 20-knot winds. Visited the Wetlands Park for about an hour, and learned birds don’t much like the wind, either. I still shot close to 300 frames, with my old, three-frame-per-second camera (The expensive new ones can do thirty.). The Park is going off, bird-wise, though. Lots of nesting birds, sandhill crane colts, etc. Good time to visit now.

Wednesday, had a meeting. Tied up a windy rainy day, so no problem there.

Thursday, 20-knot winds. Tied some flies.

Friday, an incredibly nice day, found me in the kayak, wearing waders on Mosquito Lagoon. I paddled quite a distance before getting a bite from anything other than a puffer. That last spot gave up a dozen trout and five or so reds, all fairly modest in size, all on the plastic shad. One or two trout may have exceeded 20 inches.

News Flash! People are boneheads! While I was standing there, a school of redfish swam almost right into me. As this was happening, four goobers in a big jonboat pulled up about 50 feet away, blowing all the fish out. They never knew. One guy put down the trolling motor and another said, “Don’t get too close to that guy [meaning me].” Too late, but thanks!

On the way back to the put-in I waded a sandy spot with the fly rod and one of the flies I’d tied the previous day. A redfish (maybe two?) swam by. I put the fly on him, he didn’t bite it. There must have been two, though, because the line came tight and minutes later I was releasing a red that was four or five pounds, best fish of the day. Never took the camera out.

Ten minutes later the boat was atop the van, and I was outta there!

That’s my Beware the Ides of March Report. As always, thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

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

Big Cypress Report

March 1, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

Big Cypress Report

Thank you for reading this Big Cypress Report. The weather was glorious, and fishing was good- once I figured it out.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Mangrove tunnel, East River.

On Tuesday I launched my kayak at the East River landing in Fakahatchee Strand State Park, a place I’d never been before, suggested to me by the Glades Fly Bum. Visions of snook and tarpon danced in my head. Another kayaking fly fisher was launching at the same time. He assured me that snook and tarpon were present in good numbers, even suggested flies to use and spots to try. I followed his advice.

The tunnel opened up into a cichlid-filled pond.

Did I catch, or even see, any snook or tarpon? No. What I caught were Mayan cichlids. I didn’t drive five hours to catch Mayan cichlids. Where are the snook and tarpon? Five hours of casting brought plenty of cichlids, but nothing else.

Mayan cichlid, a decent-sized one.

The next morning I launched at the Halfway Creek Kayak Launch. Again, I had never been there before, and again, the Glades Fly Bum had suggested it to me. Two fly fishers were launching a Gheenoe at the same time. One of them assured me there were plenty of snook and tarpon present, and suggested which flies to try and spots to try, even gave me a fly. Thank you!

Mayan cichlid, business end.

When I started fishing my way down the canal, all I caught were cichlids and largemouth bass. I didn’t drive five hours down here for cichlids and bass!

Lunchtime came. While eating my snack, I considered the situation. The weather was outstanding. Temperature in the mid-seventies, plenty of sunshine, poofy white cumulus clouds floating overhead, winds light and variable. I wanted snook and tarpon. In nearly ten hours of fishing, I had yet to even see one of either, much less catch one. I was feeling disappointment and frustration. On a perfect weather day! In a beautiful place I had basically to myself! What’s wrong with this picture?

On the other hand, bass and cichlids were plentiful and willing. Were those fish my fantasy species when I was planning my trip? No. Were they what was available? Oh, yes. Stop being dumb, John. Embrace the cichlid!

Another cichlid shows off their colors.

I fished for bass and cichlids all afternoon, catching fish after fish. It was fun! Cichlids pull hard! I tried a popper and dropper, getting both bass and cichlids on both flies (no doubles, unfortunately). I started thinking of cichlids as tropical bluegills. They’re as aggressive as bluegills, and have a similar body shape. They’re much more colorful, and tend to be larger, than bluegills. I was using a six-weight (snook and tarpon, remember) but found myself wishing for a four-weight.

It was amazing how much that attitude shift did for my enjoyment of those wonderful fish. It was the best thing I could have done. When life gives you lemons, yada yada yada.

Dusk falls at Monument Lake.

That evening the Glades Fly Bum showed up at my campsite, as planned. We’d never met before, and chatted about people we knew, and stars and planets, and fishing, and specifically about snook and tarpon, and cichlids. He asked me, “Have you ever eaten a cichlid?” I admitted I had not. He said, “Once you eat one, you’ll never release another one. They’re awesome eating!” I’ll have to try that sometime, but not this trip.

Dawn at Monument Lake.

 

More dawn. Good cell service there!

 

More dawn.

 

And finally, the sun!

 

A yellow-rumped warbler chirped at us.

 

Irises in the cypress head.

After an incredible sunrise and a morning walk through a cypress head, we launched at a spot the Glades Fly Bum made me promise not to mention. Glades Fly Bum said, “The water is low. The fish will be trapped in here.” The cichlids and bass were even more aggressive than the previous day. I got a red-eared sunfish. I got a sizable spotted gar. I jumped a tarpon. I caught an oscar. I even got a little snook. Had I spent more time I could have easily had a fifty fish day. But I had to drive home (it was a short trip), so I happily settled for whatever I got in three hours, including plenty of bass and Mayan cichlids. It was a blast.

An oscar, another tropical panfish.

I suspect most of my readers already have the tackle needed to catch cichlids. A four-weight would be perfect, although you might want to go heavier than that- remember those pesky snook and tarpon. I used a floating line with a ten-foot leader tapered down to 20-pound test. I didn’t break off any fish, but remember those pesky snook and tarpon! Unweighted Wooly Boogers may be the perfect flies, but they need to be tied on saltwater hooks- yes, you may get bit by snook or tarpon. I also had luck with feather streamers like Seaducers and Cockroaches, but my impression was that the fish were not very fussy. Poppers? Oh, yes, absolutely. And, snook and tarpon will hit poppers, too.

Don’t forget the pesky snook and tarpon.

Next time I drive to south Florida, visions of snook and tarpon will still be in my head. They are my favorite fish, and are species that are not terribly common in my central Florida waters for much of the year. But I will have a four-weight with me, too. For I have learned to embrace the cichlid.

This guy came right by the kayak, and splashed me.

Saturday (!) I went kayaking with a group from the Central Florida Freethinkers, at Ramp Road in Cocoa Beach. We went through a series of mangrove tunnels I had no idea existed. Of course the radar was turned on, and I saw exactly zero fish. But a dolphin swam by my kayak at close range and splashed me with water, so that’s something.

That’s my Big Cypress Report. As always, thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

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

Fished One Day Report

February 21, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

Fished One Day Report

Thank you for reading this Fished One Day Report. That day was Tuesday. I probably should have gone Monday, too, but let the chance pass. The rest of the week was tied up with errands or less-than-optimal weather.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Econ Update

Last week, writing about the Econ, I wrote, “I need to call Oviedo. No one answered, so I just sent an email.” A response came back, the same day! I reprint it here in its entirety-

Good evening, yes there was a sewer line break that could have potentially impacted the Econ River. The signs posted are a precautionary measure and the city continues to do water sampling for e. coli impact. The line has been fixed but as a precautionary measure we will continue to sample the water so the signs stay in place until we finish sampling for two more weeks. Again, this is a precautionary measure that we do anytime a water body could have been impacted for the safety of residents and visitors.

Regards
Amanda Kortus, CFM

I drove over the 419 bridge this afternoon. The poop sign was gone and folks were launching paddle vessels. Guess we’re good to go.

Tuesday’s Fishing

Went kayaking on Mosquito Lagoon. Went from partly cloudy to completely overcast, but the wind was light. Found reds, one here, one there. They either trashed the fly or fled in terror, so I got a few. Also got one slot trout on a plastic shad at the end of the day.

Your reporter has a copy of George Leonard Herter’s Professional Guide’s Manual that he bought from Herter’s some time in the 1960s. Weeks like this one, where not much fishing gets done, will see some content from this and other old books being used in this blog, pieces similar to the one reprinted below…

LUNAR PHASES, BAROMETRIC PRESSURES AND WATER TEMPERATURES

Contrary to common belief, the various phases of the moon have very little effect on fishes feeding habits. Reports from groups of ichthyologists state that fish strike when they are hungry or excited, regardless of the position of the moon. However, tides do affect the feeding of certain salt-water fish which follow the rising tide into the shallows.

Likewise, barometric pressure has very little to do with fish habits. According to the same groups of ichthyologists, feeding habits of fish are not determined by barometric pressure, although fishing after a hard rain will sometimes produce better fishing because of natural foods which have been washed into the lake by the rain.

On the other hand, water temperatures have a great deal to do with fishing. A water temperature indicator is a must to any fisherman. When the water is cold for a fish, it will lie dormant and feeding activity will be reduced to a minimum. When the right temperature range is found, fish tend to be active in feeding and better fishing will result. The best fishing temperatures for various fresh-water fish are listed below:

Atlantic Salmon, Trout .. 55-70degs. F
Chinook Salmon………….50-60 degs. F
Lake Trout ………………….40-50 degs.F
Pickerel……………………….60-75 degs. F
Landlocked Salmon……..40-55 degs. F
Pike, Muskellunge………..60-70 degs. F
Smallmouth Bass ……,….60-70 degs. F
Walleye ……… …………….55-65 dees. F
Largemouth Bass ………..65-75 degs. F
Yellow Perch ………………65-75 degs. F

What do you think? Do you agree with Mr. Herter’s assertions?

Saturday

Went on an Oviedo Photo Club field trip to the Southern Oaks Training Center in Sorrento. They train standardbred horses there. A little out of my line, but with challenge comes growth. Anyway, here are a few photos from the place.

 

 

 

That’s my Fished One Day Report. As always, thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

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

An Ocala National Forest Report

February 14, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

An Ocala National Forest Report

Thank you for reading this Ocala National Forest Report. Spent three days and two nights up there this week. Heard lots of barred owls and woodpeckers. Very cool.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Some readers may remember that, when I went to the Econ last week, there was a sign saying the water had been contaminated by sewage. I called the Seminole County Health Department, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the St. Johns River Water Management District, got no answers from anyone but did spend a lot of time on hold. Gave me some time to think.

It’s happened twice that, while paddling the Econ, I came upon a group of women in waders doing environmental studies on the river. They work for the Seminole County Watershed Management Surface Water Quality Program. I called Michelle Shelton, a Senior Environmental Scientist there. Bingo.

What I understood her to say was that an old sewage pipe in Oviedo started leaking into a wetlands area adjacent to the Econlockhatchee. Any rainfall could move the poo into the river, which was signed as a precautionary measure. She did not know the timeline for when the river will be safe to use, but promised to keep me informed.

I need to call Oviedo. No one answered, so I just sent an email. I’ll report next week.

OK, since I had a meeting Monday evening, I couldn’t leave for Ocala Forest until Tuesday. I rolled out in the fog (take that however) at about 8 AM, got to Hopkins Prairie Campground and launched the kayak.

On the water at Hopkins Prairie

Expecting great things, I was miffed that it took an hour to get a bite. Twelve-inch fish, on a 3″ shad. Picked up the fly pole. Literally next cast, got a two-pound bass on my mouse gurgler. With a single exception, that was the best fish of the trip. Also, it was the only fish on fly that day. But, I owned the lake!

Worked it hard until 1300, then took a couple hours off. Went back out at 1530 and fished until after sunset, got one more fish. Kind of a tough day.

Dusk, same area

The campground has vault toilets and lacks a water source, but my site was in the shade of big live oak trees that owls hooted from a lot after dark. Very cool spot.

Wednesday morning I went to Farles Lake, still expecting great things. It looked great. Took me an hour to get a bite, a 12-inch fish. Then the wind came up, just to make things easier.

I stayed on the pond’s weedy margin, using friction with the vegetation to keep me from blowing away. Got a little one here, a little one there. Very slow fishing.

Started working a lee methodically, tossing a Senko into the deeper water. Nothing. Nothing. More nothing. A bite?! I set up and it was a real one, pulled drag and everything. One jump- a monstah! Then it came right in. I couldn’t believe it. Is that all you got? It was.

It was a real one, even if it was a wuss.

 

I pulled out the camera, got a few pics, unhooked it and let it go. What a wuss fish. A snook or redfish that size would have been embarrassed with that kind of performance. Anyway, it was, BY FAR, the largest black bass I’ve ever caught. Yay me. Other than that, a tough day. But that fish made the trip.

Mike Conneen was at my Alexander Springs campsite when I got there. It was good to see him and River Dog.

Thursday we fished the Alexander Springs Run. Expecting great things, I was again disappointed. Am I ever gonna learn not to have expectations when going fishing? It took an hour to get a dinker, and it was the only fish I got. The wind kept blowing me upstream, and I just was not feeling it. I wanted it to be easy, it was not. By noon I was done.

Mike and I found a mediocre (but expensive) restaurant and had lunch, then we got into our chariots and headed back to our respective abodes.

During my drive home, I found myself thinking that on my first trip to the Forest, I had done well. I checked this blog’s archives and discovered that trip happened during the second week in April. Maybe I need to make another visit in eight weeks or so…

That’s my Ocala National Forest Report. As always, thanks for reading!

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

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

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

Getting Back Up Report

February 7, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

Getting Back Up Report

Thank you for reading this Getting Back Up Report. Last week I wrote, “…before a bug got me- then I really was down. Doc says I should be OK by Monday.” Doc was optimistic.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT! Friday is Valentine’s Day. Need I say more???

Tuesday found me trying a shore-fishing expedition to the Econ. This greeted me-

Not exactly awesome. I called the number, got a message, left a message, did not get a call back, and left it alone. I will get back on it in the coming week.

I went upstream of the confluence with the Little Econ, where the poo was coming from. In an hour and a half, not a bite. Saw one bass. It was in the eighties and I was melting. Came home and took a two-hour nap. Definitely not OK. On top of that, Susan had gotten the bug, too. There was a lot of snot flying around!

Thursday morning found me at the Orlando Wetlands Park. An easy walk with a camera, get some pictures, see how I feel- good plan. I felt fine.

spoonbill

 

green heron

 

little blue heron

 

needs no introduction

Thought about my wife, home sick all week. I went home and got her, then we drove out to the Black Point Wildlife Drive. There were lots of beautiful white birds there! We had lunch at Sunrise Bread Company, best sandwiches in town.

Friday, an amazingly beautiful day, found a yellow Ocean Kayak with me sitting in it floating on Mosquito Lagoon. I went to a place I don’t often fish. You need to do that sometimes. It gave up eight trout, increasing in size as they went from 12-inch to the 24-incher. Only saw three reds. Had a good shot at the third, he said I don’t think so. All on the 3″ shad. At any rate, I don’t need to go to that place again anytime soon.

So I think I’m getting back up, feeling better. And as always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go for 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, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

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

Down and Up and Down Report

February 1, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

Down and Up and Down Report

Thank you for reading this Down and Up and Down Report. Got out three days this week before a bug got me- then I really was down. Doc says I should be OK by Monday.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

I have, for your perusal (and hopefully action) a pair of petitions to consider. The first-

-The largest money lender in Africa, Standard Bank, and Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) will fund a 1,443-kilometer crude oil pipeline that will cross Tanzania and Uganda. A large number of people will be displaced and wetlands, water sources, and protected ecosystems in Tanzania and Uganda would be in jeopardy. See the petition here…

Stop Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining in Tennessee’s Protected Forests
Mountaintop removal coal mining is a destructive practice that devastates our landscapes, contaminates our water, and harms our wildlife. In Tennessee, Hurricane Creek Mining LLC is seeking a permit to mine 650 acres of protected forest. How protected is the forest if it can get strip-mined? When is the last time anyone you know used coal??? See the petition here… 

OK, FISHING!

Son Maxx and his lovely bride were supposed to visit. After we spent the day waiting, they called and said they were coming Tuesday. So we got to wait Tuesday, too.

Wednesday

Maxx and Cat and I took the Bang-O-Craft out onto Mosquito Lagoon. Rejoiced in the fact the water is ridiculously clean. But no fish, no fish, no fish, ran a few over, ran a bunch over, then found a school of black drum with a few reds mixed in. They behaved like they have been pounded for a while, and we did not get a bite in spite of several excellent shots. A skunk, for sure.

Thursday

I took the kayak out on Mosquito Lagoon. You would have thought it was a different planet. Tailing fish much of the day, and mostly willing eaters on the fly. Which was good, since it made up for both Wednesday and…

Friday

I took the kayak out on the Banana River Lagoon. I saw exactly six redfish in six miles of paddling. If you see one fish per mile, your catch rate is going to be small. Didn’t get a shot- another skunk.

Maxx said I should have gone back to Mosquito Lagoon. I don’t think it’s good policy to beat up the same fish day after day. It teaches them hook avoidance.

So it was truly Down and Up and Down. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go for 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, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

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

Boring Week Report

January 19, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

Boring Week Report

Thank you for reading this Boring Week Report. It won’t take long to read. Hey, they happen to everyone, right?

The weather the early part of the week was not fisherman friendly. While walking along the Econlockhatchee on Thursday, I could not help but notice that the water level looked good for floating it. With rain forecast this coming week, that will most likely change.

Friday morning found me at River Breeze, meeting Kevin Parry for a paddle trip. After my last trip there a couple months ago, I wrote, “It will be a while before I go there again.” To which I say, after this trip, “Ditto.” We saw maybe eight fish between us, and did not get a bite, all while paddling five or six miles of water. Although the water looked, and the weather was, great!

The forecast for this week includes a combination of cold temperatures, wind, clouds, and rain. It’s raining as I type this. So next week’s report may well be boring too.

That’s the Boring Week Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go for 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, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

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

Ree-Dik-You-Loess Report

January 11, 2025 by · Leave a Comment

Ree-Dik-You-Loess Report

Thank you for reading this Ree-Dik-You-Loess Report. While it was like winter around here this week, I got out two days, one to the Florida Trail and one to Mosquito Lagoon.

Thank you to those of you who responded to my new slideshow posted at https://johnkumiski.com. I realized that if you look with a mobile device, the show isn’t obvious. The first photo is of a sunrise, very pink and purple. If you scroll on that photo, the next one appears as if by magic!

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Monday and Tuesday

found me working on a website and pulling ferns. The forecast for Wednesday made me want to go for a walk, to get out of the house.

Wednesday

Susan gave me a ride to the Curryville Road trailhead for the Florida Trail. I brought a camera, figuring to get some photos along with a much-needed walk. From that trailhead back to my house is around two miles or a bit more. It was so nice out- I thought quite often that I should have gone fishing. Anyway, here are a few photos from the walk. If you want more, there’s a slideshow at https://johnkumiski.com/a-short-walk-on-the-florida-trail/

A January oak leaf on the FT.

 

Mills Creek

 

 

Swampy spot along the trail. The FT has a lot of these, and the trail frequently goes right through them.

 

Palmetto fibers.

 

Marsh fern

 

Pollen cones on a sand pine. Yes, they are dropping pollen.

Thursday-

more website work. And the forecast for Friday changed for the better! There was still website work to do, and ferns to pull up, but a decision was made to go fishing. Neither the website nor the ferns were going anywhere.

Friday

morning found me riding the chariot, heading east, carrying the kayak on top, to Mosquito Lagoon. The thermometer read 39 degrees when I left the house, around 0830.

The lagoon was almost slick calm, and the sky was cloudless. Could be a good day.

Got nothing at the first spot.

The second offered me a shot at a nice red, and I converted with an olive over white Clouser Minnow. A second, smaller red fell for it shortly after.

 

My first victim, released of course.

By now I could see pretty well. There were six or eight more fish there, and they were spooking off the splash of the fly. I changed to an unweighted fly. Then they spooked off its movement. When this happens, you can either keep changing flies, trying to find the magic fly, or leave fish that are clearly not interested in eating to try to find some other, more cooperative ones. This is what I did.

It was a good call.

The next fish was easily 15 pounds. It got into my backing- twice. Wow, that hasn’t happened for a long time! And he had friends, from dinky 18-inchers up to ten pounds or so, and some trout too. They were all hungry and aggressive. It was Ree-Dik-You-Loess.

The fish of the day.

 

These guys crashed the party, too.

When the bite finally slowed, I had to drink water, pee, and eat some lunch. It was after 1 PM. While eating lunch, thinking about my next move, I realized my day was over. I had a good paddle back to the put-in, an hour’s drive, and it was my night to cook.

It’s kind of weird to realize that on January 10, I may have had the best day of fishing I’ll have all year. Hey, take ’em when you get ’em, and be glad you hit it right.

That’s the Ree-Dik-You-Loess Report. As always, thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go for 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, © John Kumiski 2025. All rights are reserved.

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