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One Mosquito Lagoon Day Report

December 21, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

One Mosquito Lagoon Day Report

Thank you for reading this One Mosquito Lagoon Day Report. Shaky weather and errands important and less so kept me off the water the rest of the week.

For all you pagans, Saturday 12/21 marks the solstice. Start partying! The days will get longer from now until June!

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

Rodney the Cover Boy.

The inadequate eulogy to Rodney was posted, but the photos are fun.

I had to get blood work done Monday, and ran errands a good part of the day afterwards, trying to get them all done. Did not succeed.

Tuesday I loaded up the kayak and drove to Mosquito Lagoon. It was a beautiful day, just a touch breezy. The first spot produced a fat, top-of-the-slot trout on the second cast with the spin rod, 3″ shad. Immediately switched to the fly pole, got two more trout and a red blind-casting with a red-over-white Clouser Minnow, which was the fly du jour. I was wading here and at all the other spots but one. Bite stopped- on to the next spot.

The next spot coughed up four equally nice trout, all on fly. Bite stopped- keep moving.

The next place was fished from the kayak with the spin rod. Five trout, all larger than their predecessors.

The next place did not produce a thing. But the one after that produced a flounder, a ladyfish, a solid redfish and a small puffer.

The final spot gave up a half-dozen trout. So far, the day is pretty awesome.

I tried sight-fishing from the kayak on the way back, saw five reds, did not come close to getting a shot at any of them. But had zero reason to complain. The boat was loaded up around 1530.

That’s the One Mosquito Lagoon Day 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 2024. All rights are reserved.

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

Ten Thousand Islands Report and Photo Essay

December 14, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

Ten Thousand Islands Report and Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this Ten Thousand Islands Report. I spent time in south Florida gathering information for this report. You can thank me later!

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

I’m sure someone with waders wants to know what happened with my FlexSeal experiment. First off, FlexSeal ought to be illegal. The stuff that comes out of that can is NASTY! On the other hand, what comes out of my car’s exhaust pipe is nasty, too. But, I digress. I sprayed down a beater, leaky pair of Simms waders with FlexSeal and let them dry. Then I wore them every day in the Ten Thousand Islands. They behaved differently (FlexSeal isn’t all that flexible), and I don’t think they’re breathable any more, but they kept me drier than they did when they were leaky. Score one for being cheap. Hopefully they’ll last the winter.

On November 30, I drove to Monument Lake campground, where I rendezvoused with Mike Conneen. The next morning, we launched our kayaks at Port of the Islands and paddled seven miles out to the Gulf, some of it against the tide, into the Ten Thousnd Islands National Wildlife Refuge. We camped at White Horse Key. Wading that evening, I got two nice snook using spin tackle and a DOA Shrimp.

 

And killer colors in the sky, to boot!

In the morning, the tide was out- way out. Even with kayaks, we weren’t going anywhere.

The tide was way out.

 

River wanted to go fishing.

When the tide started coming in, I went wading, and got another snook with a 3-inch plastic shad. Mike made his getaway when the water got up enough, but I kept wading, this time with a fly rod. I watched a dark shape that looked like a small permit chase down and eat my fly. It turned out to be a sheepshead, the only one I’ve ever caught with a fly.

Sheepie on fly- my first one ever.

The wind got to be too much (the reason I wasn’t kayaking in the first place), so I switched to spin, and got another snook on a DOA Shrimp. Hooray for the Shrimp!

The next morning we were stuck again by the low tide. We packed up, and when the water came in enough, we moved to Panther Key. At the point of the island, two ladyfish and two reds fell for a Rattle Rouser cast blindly, and a trout took a Culprit 4″ Mullet.

Red on a Rattle Rouser.

 

Morning came. The tide was low. We used driftwood as skids and got the boats in the water. Mike sightcast to a pair of snook and landed a beauty, the fish of the trip. He was also using the 4″ Culprit Mullet.

Yeah. Nice fish!

Our last day there had the best weather and the worst fishing. Mike got a nice red, using a Vudu Shrimp. I got a lizardfish on a 3″ Shad. I went most of the day without a bite until finding a trout slick, where four slot fish were caught in 20 minutes on the 3″ Shad. In the meantime, Mike found his own trout hole, where it was “…a fish on every cast…” according to his report.

Yeah. Another nice fish!

 

Sunset was nice, too.

 

Home, sweet home.

Friday morning we packed up and fought the tide the entire way back to Port of the Islands, arriving there fairly spent. Mike left for home the next day. I went to the Swamp Heritage Festival, then headed to Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park, where I spent two nights.

Dawn at Long Pine.

 

In a mangrove tunnel.

 

Roots!

Sunday found me in a favorite paddling spot near Flamingo. My first fish was a snook on the 3″ Shad, and it was a nice one! Then a long dry spell happened, broken only by a single snooklet.

A fine snook.

After getting on a lee shore, I saw a fish blow up on some mosquitofish. Paddling over, I spotted the fish and dropped a Krebs Popper nearby. The fish blew up on it and finally I had a snook on fly for the trip.

Krebs Popper snook.

Then the heavens opened up, piscatorially speaking. On the way back to the pull-out, snook after snook hit the 3″ Shad. Most were small, but there were a couple decent ones. Finally, something ate it that meant business.

I was in a narrow place, trying to play the fish, keep the boat out of the mangroves, and get pictures, all at the same time. The fish must have sensed my lack of concentration, since it dove under the boat with conviction. It was as close as I’ve ever come to capsizing the kayak, and it was really close. The fish, a tarpon not all that big, was caught, photographed, and released, the final fish of a pretty amazing trip.

The guy who almost capsized me.

 

Quarter-moon and pine tree.

That evening found me at a marsh near the Anhinga Trail, trying to get sunset pictures. I heard fish popping and decided to try fishing there in the morning, which was done. It was a lovely paddle through the marsh, but there were no fish- it was quite shallow. Never figured out what that popping noise was. After a couple hours, I returned to the car and loaded things up for the drive home.

At the fishless marsh.

When I pulled off the buff, something stung my forehead. My hat had a trout fly in it from the trip to Montana. The fly had stung me. Now the hat was pinned to my head by the fly- caramba! There was no one around. Figure this one out, John.

Examination in the car mirror showed the hook (size 14) had gone in and come out again. I was truly hooked. The hat and the fly needed to be separated, so with pliers in one hand holding the hook shank, and a pocketknife in the other, I sawed a small hole in the hat and was able to pull it off the fly. Then the barb of the hook was crushed, although it maybe was crushed in the first place, it was impossible to tell. With the hat out of the way, the hook was easily removed. After returning to the campsite and showering, I drove home.

But I photographed the dwarf cypress forest on the way out!

Upon arrival I found a text on my phone from Karen Smith. Rodney was in the hospital, in the ICU. I called her Wednesday morning. She was crying- he wasn’t doing well. She sent me a text that evening, that he’d “passed peacefully, surrounded by family.” I’ll be writing a eulogy, soon. It made me very sad. Rest in peace, my friend.

That’s the Ten Thousand Islands 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 2024. All rights are reserved.

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

Two Days, Two Lagoons Report

November 23, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

Two Days, Two Lagoons Report, and a Penultimate TAF Update

Thank you for reading this Two Days, Two Lagoons Report, and a Penultimate TAF Update. I fished Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday we had someone come look at our trees- they need some trimming. The rest of the week was way too blowy for realistic fishing. The Assistance Fund got some more donations!

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please. And speaking of photos- these are from my files, since I didn’t carry a camera this week.

And lest I forget, wonderful wishes from me to thee for a perfect Thanksgiving.

A huge THANK YOU to all TAF donors, by name and in no particular order-

-Laura Rice
-Ed Perry
-Dean Altenhofen
-Anonymous
-Walt Sheppard
-Earl Gillespie
-Ken Shannon
-Emily Nelson
-Kelly Holz
-Curtis Duffield
-Michelle Wilm
-Anonymous
-Marcia Foosaner
-Nicholas Colantonio
-Stephen Truscott
-Stephen Butrym
-Jorge Hidalgo
-John Harrison
-Henrique DePaiva
-Anonymous
-Anonymous
-Lisa Pello
-Anonymous
-Lynda Wehmeyer
-James Roberts
-Ralph Tedesco
-Cheryl Kumiski
-Lars Lutton
-Lori Markoff
-Thomas Van Horn

This is quite a list, a bunch of generous, selfless people. We have raised $3,398.60 over 30 donations, 68 percent of my goal, and thank you, thank you, thank you again! Great job!

The fundraiser link if you’re motivated to donate (Please!)- https://giving.tafcares.org/-/NVCCHJED?member=SPEXUGER The fundraiser ends November 24, so it’s not too late to donate. If you do it right now!

As a reminder, the Assistance Fund helps underinsured people living with life-threatening, chronic, illness obtain treatment and medicine by providing financial assistance for their copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, and other health-related expenses.
————————————————–

Fishing

Monday

Three trout were fatties like this.

I drove the kayak to, what for me, was a new spot on the Mosquito Lagoon, launching at about 0730. It was pretty good! The first fish I got, on the Culprit Mullet, was a trout about 18 inches. Then I saw a tail, briefly. A cast resulted in a strike and a top-of-the-slot redfish.

After that it was all trout, including three beautiful fish in the 25-inch range, one on a fly rod popper. The final fish was a slot red that hit a gold spoon. The way the puffers are, hard baits are the only way to go unless you own a lure company. The boat was loaded up about 1530.

Spoon-fed red!

Tuesday

found me launching the kayak in the Indian River Lagoon, at a spot I hadn’t seen in quite a while. There were redfish there, but they wouldn’t eat. In the morning it was too cloudy to see much. I would cast over an area, not get anything, then paddle over it and move three or four fish. This happened repeatedly. Frustrating! I tried soft plastics (puffers, puffers, puffers), a spoon, a fly rod popper, even a MirroLure, the first time in years I’ve used one of those. Nothing worked.

I tried a glow-in-the-dark DOA Shrimp, and got a snooklet. Then a monster trout ate it, right by the boat. Splashed water all over me, he did.

It’s nice when they pull drag, pull the kayak around.

Then another baby snook ate it- a monster trout followed him up to the boat. Maybe he was looking at the little snook as a snack? Then a puffer amputated the tail of the shrimp. I kept throwing it and got a slot trout. I put a smoke-colored DOA Shrimp on once the sun came out. A puffer amputated the tail. I kept throwing it. Now I could see the fish. I made good casts to four, who all snubbed me. I finally got one to bite the half-shrimp, and he came unbuttoned after about two seconds. And that was it, fish-wise. The boat was loaded up about 1330.

That’s the Two Days, Two Lagoons Report, and a Penultimate TAF Update. 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 2024. All rights are reserved.

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

North IRL System Report

November 1, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

North IRL System Report and a TAF Update

Thank you for reading this North IRL System Report and a TAF Update. I fished one day in the Indian River Lagoon and two days in the Mosquito Lagoon, by kayak. The Assistance Fund also got some more donations, thank you very much.

Also, Julia Mitchell has another excellent guest blog on Living as a Digital Nomad!

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

A huge THANK YOU to all the donors to The Assistance Fund, by name and in no particular order-

-Laura Rice
-Ed Perry
-Dean Altenhofen
-Anonymous
-Walt Sheppard
-Earl Gillespie
-Ken Shannon
-Emily Nelson
-Kelly Holz
-Curtis Duffield
-Michelle Wilm
-Anonymous
-Marcia Foosaner
-Nicholas Colantonio
-Stephen Truscott
-Stephen Butrym
-Jorge Hidalgo
-John Harrison

We have raised $1,650.60 over 18 donations, 33 percent of my goal, and thank you, thank you, thank you again! Great job!

The fundraiser link if you’re motivated to donate (Please!)- https://giving.tafcares.org/-/NVCCHJED?member=SPEXUGER

As a reminder, the Assistance Fund helps underinsured people living with life-threatening, chronic, illness obtain treatment and medicine by providing financial assistance for their copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, and other health-related expenses.

The updates will continue every week until the fundraiser ends (at Thanksgiving), and of course if you’ve considered donating, it’s not too late!

———————————————————–

OK, Fishing!

I wish I had better news.

Tuesday

found me paddling on the Indian River Lagoon. The water was high and brown. There were quite a few mullet around, and occasionally something large would blow up on them. I tried my 3″ shad, a DOA Bait Buster, and what is for me a new lure, the 4″ Culprit Mullet. I fooled a juvenile snook with the shad and got a ladyfish on a Clouser Minnow, and missed a couple half-hearted bites. Whatever was blowing up on that bait ignored my offerings completely.

After pulling the kayak out (it got pretty windy, a theme that continued through the week), I drove down Route 3, checking spots for future reference. At one, I couldn’t help but notice what looked like baby tarpon rolling. I pulled out the fly pole, put on a little Crease Fly (thank you, Joe Blados!) and proceeded to catch three baby tarpon in succession, then missed several more. A fun (for me, not the fish) 30 minutes that salvaged the day. But I did not find any spots that looked more fishy than anything I’d seen earlier that day.

The Crease Fly, invented by Joe Blados. Mine look somewhat less polished.

Something I re-observed about tarpon-
Tarpon of any size that have not been fished are very aggressive. It doesn’t take them long to smarten up! The three I caught were my first three bites. After that, the bites were more hesitant, and then they stopped altogether. All in about 30 minutes! I’ve noticed this before in similar situations. Perhaps they communicate with each other somehow, possibly chemically, or perhaps you just catch the aggressive ones and the rest are more timid. Generally, if you move a short distance, the same pattern repeats.

Yeah, they were babies.

Wednesday

I launched at River Breeze. While driving over there, I was fairly enamored over the lovely, razor-thin crescent of the nearly new moon, just beautiful. Upon arriving at the lagoon, I was also struck by the richness of the bird life. But the water was high and brown. I paddled about five miles in four hours, only seeing a single redfish. The most exciting thing that happened was an osprey swooped down on that Culprit Mullet, thinking about diving on it, as I retrieved it. Fortunately he pulled up when he was about a foot off the water- I don’t want to have to unhook any birds of prey!

Sadly, no bites happened to disturb the bird-watching. When the wind started pushing near 20, I bagged it, a total skunking with nary a nibble.

Thursday

was blowing hard from the get-go. I did not fish.

Friday

found me paddling and wading at Mosquito Lagoon. I went to the shallowest place I could find, and unbelievably there were some fish there. The first fish I saw elicited both disbelief and elation, especially when it took the slider. The scene repeated twice, and I got another red and a beautiful, fat trout by blind casting with a Clouser Minnow. Then the wind started honking, and I loaded up after enjoying much better fishing than expected.

More than I expected…

 

…especially when he showed up.

The NOAA forecast for Monday through Wednesday here is east at 15-20 knots. May not be fishing much!

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 2024. All rights are reserved.

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

Some Fishing and a TAF Report

October 19, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

Some Fishing and a TAF Report

Thank you for reading this Some Fishing and a TAF Report. A couple days of azure skies and light winds allowed for a couple of delightful days on the water, and TAF got a bunch of donations!

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

A huge THANK YOU to all the donors, by name and in no particular order-

-Laura Rice
-Ed Perry
-Dean Altenhofen
-Anonymous
-Walt Sheppard
-Earl Gillespie
-Ken Shannon
-Emily Nelson
-Kelly Holz

What a great group of people!!!

The total raised so far is slightly over $775, 15 percent of my goal, and thank you, thank you, thank you again!

Click here for the fundraiser link if you’re motivated to donate (Please!)

As a reminder, the Assistance Fund helps underinsured people living with life-threatening, chronic, illness obtain treatment and medicine by providing financial assistance for their copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, and other health-related expenses.

The updates will continue every week until the fundraiser ends (at Thanksgiving), and of course if you’ve considered donating, it’s not too late!

———————————————————–

Fishing!

Monday the Bang-O-Craft plied the startlingly-clear-even-though-it’s-high water of the Mosquito Lagoon, carrying yours truly and Scott Radloff. We did not tear things up, piscatorially speaking. I got a nice trout on my favorite lure, the 3″ plastic shad, near Vann’s Island, and minutes later Scott got one, too. We saw a few handsome, surprisingly large snook. Not surprisingly, they wanted nothing whatsoever to do with us or our faux minnows.

I got a flounder, a decent one. Susan and I ate it for dinner one night. Scott got a redfish, blind-casting. Actually, such fish as we got all came by blind-casting. The water is deep enough to make sight-fishing difficult. We were out about five hours, saw the Falcon Heavy leave for Jupiter, and were impressed by the amount of bait in the water. Life for the gamefish must be pretty sweet right now!

Tuesday Caleb Vogl joined me for a Banana River Lagoon excursion. Caleb started the festivities by casting to an obvious wake with a Zara Spook. The fish, a crevalle jack, crushed it.

The water was not nearly as clear as Mosquito Lagoon is. And there’s not nearly as much bait. And that jack was it for a couple hours. The place honestly looked pretty dead.

I found a small spot where, in about 30 minutes, I got two juvie snook, a very juvie tarpon, and a ladyfish, all on the plastic shad. Then it quieted right down.

Around mid-day I decided that further searching was most likely futile, and turned the kayak around. On the way back Caleb spotted some breaking fish and I at least got a fish on the fly rod, another jack. Caleb also got one, still using the Spook. Boats were loaded about 3 PM.

The rest of the week was pretty breezy and I had doctors and honey-dos, so no fishing. See ya next week!

That’s my Some Fishing and a TAF Report. Thanks for reading it!

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 2024. All rights are reserved.

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

Ode to Mike Conneen- a Photo Essay

June 22, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

An Ode to Mike Conneen Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this ode to Mike Conneen, something a little different than my usual blog. I did not fish again this week, and thought of doing this photo essay about an amazing human being.

Mike and I got to know each other while paddling on the 2013 Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure. We have taken a paddle trip every year since, in Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, and the Carolinas. Mike added River the Dog to the equation a few years ago, which changed the dynamic some, but overall was an awesome thing. River is just as amazing as Mike is. Mike’s been an incredible fishing and travel partner, from who I have learned tons. I consider it an honor to be his friend.

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

Dawn at Jensen Beach, 2013 IRL Paddle Adventure.

 

The final crew at the 2013 IRL Paddle Adventure- Mike, Rodney Smith, Nick Colantonio, Mim Duncan, Bones Benton, John Kumiski.

 

Mike and snook, Peace River.

 

Among the crocodiles, Everglades National Park.

 

At Cockroach Bay, near Tampa.

 

On the Gulf of Mexico, Big Bend Paddling Trail.

 

Filming rampaging jacks, Manatee River.

 

Little Manatee River.

 

In the marsh near Venice, Louisiana.

 

On the Myakka River.

 

On the Suwannee River.

 

At Fellsmere Water Management Area.

 

Salt marsh along the Big Bend Paddling Trail.

 

On Rock Springs Run.

 

River and Mike, Jewell Key, Everglades National Park.

 

River and Mike, Everglades National Park.

 

A contrast in techniques, Manatee River.

 

Near Venice, Louisiana.

 

In Everglades National Park.

 

Mike’s first fish with fly tackle was this snook. Everglades National Park.

 

Loading up, 2013 IRL Paddle Adventure.

 

Paddling into the wind, Big Bend Paddling Trail.

 

On the Peace River.

 

At St. George Island.

 

Me, Mike, and River, Jewell Key, Everglades National Park.

 

Near Venice, Louisiana.

 

On the Peace River.

 

Near Venice, Louisiana.

 

In St. George Sound.

 

Shark Point chickee, Everglades National Park.

 

On Hillsborough River.

 

Outer Banks, North Carolina.

 

Bodie Island Light, Outer Banks.

 

Wright Brothers Memorial, Kitty Hawk.

 

Atop Bodie Island Light.

 

He got this rat red from his kayak, while it was on the trailer, from the western side of Pamlico Sound.

That’s the ode to Mike Conneen. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go for a bike ride! 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 2024. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Stories, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays · Tagged: , ,

The Meh Fishing Report

June 9, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

The Meh Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Meh Fishing Report. I’m sorry it’s not exciting. Summer is setting in, I can’t tarpon fish without a boat, and the fish have not been as bitey as when it was cooler. Hopefully that will change. Or maybe a horde of big tarpon will show up where I can paddle to them. Ha!

I did not carry a camera either day. The photos are from my files.

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

Tuesday

I went to the Econ. The gauge read 0.8 feet, so I launched at Snow Hill Road. There was still get-out-and-drag over some spots. I threw a gurgler for over an hour, with a single, modest bass to show for it. So, like last time there, I switched to spin tackle.

It was still work getting bites. In many spots I could see the fish, and they were just giving me the fin (the middle one, of course). The catch ended up being eight or ten bass, with one solid one. Beautiful river, beautiful if warm day- I’ll take it. As if there was a choice.

Friday

morning saw me paddling Mosquito Lagoon. Fish were hard to find. Blind-casting while wading, wondering if I’d get anything, the line came tight. Surprise! And it was a real nice fish! I really was surprised!

Turned out to be a red that was pushing 20 pounds, which, had I gotten nothing else, would have made the day. The fly was a black Redfish Worm. It would be nice to write that the fish kicked off a wild couple of hours, but a pinfish and a puffer followed. Again, tiring of casting practice, I picked up the spin pole with a weedless jig, which produced a nice trout in the 3-4 pound range, a modest jack crevalle, and another puffer.

Nice day, water looked great, and I got a couple fish. I’ll take it!

That’s the Meh fishing report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go for a bike ride! 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 2024. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , ,

The Caleb Vogl Fishing Report

May 31, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

The Caleb Vogl Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Caleb Vogl Fishing Report. Caleb and I fished together twice this week, all the fishing I did. So the photos have someone other than me in them.

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

Tuesday

We went down the Econ. The gauge read 1.1 feet- it was almost too low. There was a lot of getting out and walking the boat, and going over, under, or around obstructions. Caleb said, “I thought we were going on a float trip!” That’s what he gets for making assumptions.

I don’t often wish I shot video, but for this I wish I did.

 

 

 

 

I threw a gurgler for over an hour, with a single, modest bass to show for it. Then I picked up the spin rod and made one cast with a Culprit worm, and got this-

A short time later, Caleb got this, also on a Culprit worm–

 

Don’t know how he fooled the spotted gar. It was the first he’d caught, ever.

The fly rod stayed mostly put away for the rest of the trip, which was, in spite of the low water, quite lovely. We both got several bass, and it took all day!

Wednesday

We visited the Banana River Lagoon, starting just after sunrise. Lots of paddling to start, then I got three reds bang-bang-bang in quick succession, the last on an electric chicken-colored electric sushi streamer. It was pretty electric! That fly also produced a jack crevalle, a leatherjack Oligoplites saurus (a fish I dislike handling), and a fat seatrout. I got a few other reds sight-casting with a soft plastic shad. Caleb, a spinfisher, got some snook instead of a leatherjack. Other than that he got all the types of fish I did, making a slam for the lad- snook, trout, reds, with a jack crevalle chaser. Then a hard north wind came up and blew us back to the launch.

Caleb held the fish for me to photograph, but it jumped out of his hands before I could squeeze the shutter button.

Friday

my bride and I visited Playalinda. No fishing tackle or cameras! There were fishermen on both sides of us, ten rods out altogether. Only a few small fish were caught. A fresh east wind had the waves rolling in, but also kept us cool all morning, which was beautiful.

That’s the Caleb Vogl fishing report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go to the beach! 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 2024. All rights are reserved.

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

Two Econ Days Fishing Report

May 19, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

Two Econ Days Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Two Econ Days Fishing Report. This week we are in the Florida summer, including the lightning storms. Time to play Dodge the Lightning Bolts, always an exciting game!

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

Monday

This reporter floated the Econlockhatchee in his homemade canoe. The gauge was at 1.4 feet. I had to get out several times to drag over or around obstacles or low water. Fishing was, in spite of the algae bloom (which is still there but looks much better), pretty good.

Tuesday

There were 20 knot winds accompanied by a nice storm. I went to Tosahatchee and the Orlando Wetlands Park. No fishing was done, but there was a little photography.

Incoming!

 

Four-spotted skimmer male.

 

Whistling duck.

 

Take a guess!

Wednesday

It rained like it meant it for a good portion of the day. I stayed home and tied flies much of the day. Just what I needed- more flies! The Econ gauge currently reads (Thursday evening) 2.3 feet and the water is still rising. The rain has put the river up almost a foot, and it’s still going up. Is fly fishing there done for the year? Another week should tell.

Friday

Friends Dean and Phil Altenhofen, brothers from out west, came in for two days of fishing on Friday. We went to Mosquito Lagoon. The weather forecast could hardly have been more wrong. The sky had overcast, which got thicker and thicker until this happened-

Then it rained, of course, and the predicted 5 knot winds became 15. We bailed, with Phil having gotten a single puffer.

Saturday

With a 70 percent probability of thunderstorms, we floated the Econlockhatchee. It was a foot higher than it had been on Monday. Had the place to ourselves. We brought raincoats, so it didn’t rain. These guys don’t bass fish (Phil had never caught one), so it took them a little while to figure out where to put the gurglers and how to work them. But they did. We had a great time, and even saw a few alligators.

Dean.

 

Phil.

 

Phil again.

Thanks for coming, gentlemen! Let’s do it again!

That’s the Two Econ Days fishing report. Thanks again for reading!

This week’s cartoon!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go walking! 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 2024. All rights are reserved.

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

Take a Kid Fishing Report

May 10, 2024 by · Leave a Comment

Take a Kid Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Take a Kid Fishing Report. This week we got our first taste of Florida summer, which lasts into October. Daytime temperatures in the 90s. The only thing missing were the lightning storms. Honestly, it makes me want to stay in the AC. What a wuss.

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

Monday

This reporter has been known to preach, “Take a kid fishing!” It’s still good advice. Son Maxx has a high school friend, Danny, who wants to take up fishing. Mind you, this “kid” is 35. Still, it’s new blood. I took him and Caleb out of River Breeze.

Danny doing some paddling, plenty of it this day.

Danny is really at the beginning of the learning curve. I didn’t spare him on the paddling, and it got pretty windy. He not only survived it, he liked it- now, that’s a good sign! He got a dink trout and a ladyfish on the DOA Deadly Combo, and missed some bites. Caleb got a handsome red on a swimbait. I spent most of my time on instruction, and did not touch a fish. More to come- stay tuned.

Caleb and friend.

Tuesday

Mike Danagher and I walked the Econ, throwing soft plastics. It was not red-hot, but we each caught some bass and a gar. Mike had never fished the Econ before, and found it to be great fun!

Mickey D and his fish.

Wednesday

I started on the Indian River Lagoon. My heart jumped- a rolling tarpon! They were little ones, but still. I stuck two on the RipTide Sardine, putting one in the air. Total contact time was on the order of 1.37 seconds. I did not see or touch any other kinds of fish, and soon pulled the kayak and went to Mosquito Lagoon, where the water was clean and the reds and snook spooky.

After just chasing fish away with the fly rod, I stuck two reds, also on the RipTide Sardine. I landed the smaller and broke off the larger, with a contact time on that fish of 0.13 seconds. All-in-all a beautiful, windy, enjoyable, but not very productive fishing-wise, day.

Thursday

– everyone’s favorite, errands day!

Friday

Jorge Hidalgo and I went walking the Econ, bass fishing. For me, two stumpknockers and two warmouth crashed the party. It got hot, but we had a good time. The fish were fairly cooperative.

Didn’t touch a fish with the fly rod all week.

That’s the take a kid fishing report. Thanks again for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go walking! 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 2024. All rights are reserved.

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