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How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip- The Tackle Box

October 19, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip- The Tackle Box

The path of the Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure takes it the length of the most biologically diverse estuary in North America, the Indian River Lagoon system. This blog discusses How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip- The Tackle Box. The Fly Box will be covered in a separate blog.

We will find many species of fish. I want to keep track of how many different kinds we can catch. Redfish, snook, seatrout, snapper, moonfish, jacks, it’s a long list. Since it’s a paddle trip, you don’t have room to bring a ton of tackle. I hope the list below is an exercise in minimalism.

The spin rod I’m bringing will be a two piece, 6.5 foot light action rod with a Shimano Spheros 3000. On the reel will be Power Pro 10 or 15 pound braid. Most of the time there will be a section of twenty pound fluorocarbon on the business end.

A small box of lures is joining me. In the box are the following:

-three 1/8th ounce weedless jigheads and 10 matching soft plastic tails;

-three shallow running DOA Bait Busters;

-one dozen three inch DOA Shrimp, assorted colors;

-two Chug Bugs with single hooks;

-two five-inch Rebel jointed swimming plugs (couldn’t find a link for these) with single hooks*;

-two 1/4 ounce Johnson Minnows;

-about one dozen DOA CAL jigheads, 1/16th to 1/4 ounce;

-a 12-pack of Woodies Rattlers plastic worm rattles;

-a bag of 00 size split shots and a few DOA pinch weights.

*We drag a Rebel behind the boat as we paddle. If you stop paddling the plug floats instead of snagging on the bottom. I don’t know how it will work in the lagoon but it used to work well in the Everglades.

In a one gallon Ziplock bag are:

-one package each of 3/0 and 5/0 Daiichi D65Z hooks for jerk baits;

-a package  of 5/0 Daiichi D84Z circle hooks just in case;

-a quart-size Ziplock with a handful of DOA CAL 5.5 inch jerkbaits;

-a quart-size Ziplock with a handful of DOA CAL AirHeads and the DOA  longneck hook designed for these baits;

-a quart-size Ziplock with a handful of DOA CAL  three inch shad tails;

-a quart-size Ziplock with a handful of DOA CAL four-inch jekbaits.

And we simply MUST accessorize, dahlink:

-a Dr. Slick line nipper on a cord around my neck;

-a pair of Dr. Slick bullet head pliers in a holster on my belt;

-an orange grabby glove (couldn’t find a link for these) for lipping tarpon;

-one each Seaguar fluorocarbon leader wheels in 20 and 30 pound test.

That’s my tackle kit, and I’m sticking to it.

And that is the end of Packing for a Florida Canoe Trip- The Tackle Box blog.

As always please share any questions, comments, and suggestions.

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2013. All rights are reserved.

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How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip

October 15, 2013 by · 1 Comment

How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip

With our big paddle on the Indian River Paddle Adventure coming up I thought I would share how to pack for a Florida canoe trip. There are many ways that will work. Here are a few of them.

First of all, on a long trip there’s no ice. Don’t bring anything that requires refrigeration. For example, hard cheeses hold up better than do soft ones, although if it’s hot the hard ones don’t hold up too well, either. Instead of butter, bring margarine. Instead of a stick, get it in a tub. For milk you have a choice between boxed and powdered. Eggs, both raw and boiled, go in an egg carrier. Hopefully you get the idea.

Raccoons want your food and water, so you have to pack it such that their desires are frustrated. Food not in cans or bottles goes into a hard plastic cooler . The raccoons can open one of these so you must bring enough cord that you can tie it shut.

Cans and bottles can go in a crate if cooler space is at a premium.

Store breakfast, lunch, and snack items in a five gallon plastic bucket with a snap-on lid. I got mine at doughnut shops but the square ones kitty litter comes in look like they would be even better. You will need several of these. They double as camp seats, too. Use a marker to write the contents on the lid. This will make life in the canoe less confusing.

Raccoons will chew through the water bottles that bottled water comes in. You need something more durable, something on this idea…

Food going into the cooler will need to be repackaged in plastic ziplock bags. A bag of pita bread is already perfectly packaged. A box of pasta or crackers is not. At your house the pasta or crackers come out of the box and go into a bag. This way you’re not carrying trash with you, the pasta or crackers are protected from moisture, and the bag will come in handy for something else once the pasta or crackers get eaten. Do this with all your food, and stow it in the cooler (except for lunches and snacks, already mentioned). Bring extra ziplock bags!

The garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, hard squashes, and any fresh fruit also go in the cooler.

My cook kit is in another crate like the one already mentioned.

Your clothes go in a plastic bucket like the one already mentioned. Carry a large plastic trash bag for dirty clothes. Sneak a few clothespins in your stuff someplace.

Your pillow, sleeping bag, and bulky warm clothes have to go in a waterproof bag.  Carry straps are handy.

The sleeping mats, tent, tarps, extra cord, that kind of stuff goes in a big duffel bag . It’s nice if it’s waterproof.

Personal items can be carried in small waterproof bags.

This system of How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip may not be the best or most elegant but it has served me well over many canoe trips. If you have comments, questions, or other suggestions please let us know about them!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2013. All rights are reserved.

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Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report, Banana River Lagoon Fishing Report

September 22, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report, Banana River Lagoon Fishing Report

What a week! A Harvest moon and the autumnal equinox, too! Both have an effect on the fishing.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

A moon like this affects the fishing for better or worse.

Upcoming Events-

Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 26

Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar, October 27

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure starts December 1. Paddle the length of the lagoon!

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report– On Tuesday son Alex and I went to the Mosquito Lagoon, getting a late start because I had to see the hygienist first. While it was a beautiful day (the weather has been awesome) as far as catching fish went we might as well have stayed home. We saw maybe ten redfish, all a rod’s length away, and did not get a shot.

Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report– Thursday Scott Radloff and I went to the Indian River Lagoon. After a short boat ride we saw diving birds. Breaking fish, one of fall’s pleasures. Ladyfish, bluefish, and gafftopsail catfish were in the mix. Nothing too thrilling there but it was certainly a fun way to kick off the day.

The new power station in Port St. John is up and running now. There are lots of ladyfish there. Didn’t see anything else.

Went for a ride and ended up poling miles of shoreline. There were enough slot reds to keep it interesting. The fish were spooky and it was a long time before we convinced one to bite. We ended up getting four on DOA CAL shad tails rigged weedless on a worm hook. One was a gorgeous thirteen spot fish.

Banana River Lagoon Fishing Report– Friday I went to the Banana River Lagoon, breaking out the kayak to do so. I hadn’t been in a kayak in months and it was great to be paddling again. I learned (again!) that stupid stuff can happen to you at any time.

Two hours or so of paddling were under my belt before I saw anything other than lots of mullet. Excited for having seen a redfish, I anchored the boat and got out to wade. The wind was blowing a little too hard to fish effectively from the boat.

The fish were not thick, but they were good sized. I had several poor shots and two good ones. None of the fish took the fly, which got changed a few times.

Working my way back to the kayak, I tied the painter to myself and kept wading, towing the boat behind me. Shots at fish continued coming sporadically, and I finally fooled one with a small grizzly Seaducer. I photographed myself with the fish. I should have noticed at that point that my paddle was gone but it did not register.

Banana RIver Lagoon fishing report

The lone biter of the entire affair.

After wading another hour or so without any more bites the clouds got thick enough I couldn’t see any more. The atmosphere was telling me it was time to bag it. I ate lunch, reeled in the fly line, and went to paddle back. Now I noticed the paddle was gone.

Crap. I had three or four miles to go. At least the wind was out of the north-northeast.

Human hands make lousy kayak paddles.

The wind blew the boat along at about one mile an hour, putting me back at the chariot about 4 PM. Fortunately the weather was still beautiful, and other than losing a nice Aqua Bound paddle it had been a wonderful day with a nice redfish on fly as a bonus.

Indian River Lagoon fishing report

I think I will tether my paddle while wading from now on, though.

Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report, Again– Saturday fly fisher DJ Montigny joined me for a 3/4 day. He had never caught a fish in saltwater before, so we went to the power plant and knocked that right out. Two regrets- the ladyfish were dinks, and there were no tarpon there.

After 30 minutes DJ had had enough of the little ladyfish. We went looking for redfish. It took us most of an hour but we found big ones, enough to keep us entertained for the rest of the day.

We couldn’t find a fly they would bite.

They were exhibiting strange behavior, swimming quite rapidly most of the time, but circling through the same area repeatedly. We found and lost a sizeable school. Other than that they were in small groups, from pairs to a half dozen. We saw a lot of fish in the 20-30 pound range.

DJ had some great shots and by all rights should have had three or four bites. We also saw a big school of crevalle and in an almost-unheard-of situation did not get a bite from them either.

If it hadn’t been for those dink ladies we would have gone fishless.

I think the full moon boogered up the fish this week. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

That is this week’s exciting version of the Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report, and Banana River Lagoon Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2013. All rights are reserved.

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the everglades- an excerpt

March 12, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

the everglades

the everglades john kumiski

First Trip

My first trip to the everglades was a five-day canoe trip in March 1980. A friend from Massachusetts and I drove down for spring break. We dropped the boat into Coot Bay Pond and paddled to Cape Sable, then back to Flamingo. I think we saw four other boats during that time. It was a wild, unforgiving place- hot, no fresh water, bad bugs, hellish sun. There was no one around. If you had a problem you were on your own.

I loved it.

The birds were incredible. We caught a chunky fish with a big spot near its tail. We didn’t know what it was but we ate it. It was good.

the everglades john kumiski

the birds were incredible

We left the Joe River chickee at dawn one morning. We had to catch the last of the tide to the Gulf. We got to the mouth of Little Shark River just after sunrise, at almost dead low tide. Tarpon rolled everywhere. I’d never seen one before. Each fish we saw just added to the magic and excitement of the moment.

Three hit my Rebel. Of course, all jumped right off. It was a watershed moment for me in my fishing career, simply a spectacular, unexpected, amazing event.

In spite of all the fish we had to keep going. There were many miles left.

When we got to middle Cape Sable there was a small aluminum skiff beached there. The lone fisherman walked the beach, casting. Not much was said at first.

The moon must have been at the right phase because the current ran so hard off the point that a whirlpool had formed. You didn’t need to be Joe Brooks to know that fish were there. I cast a jig over and over but did not get a bite.

Read the rest at http://johnkumiski.com/the-everglades/

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John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2013. All rights are reserved.

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Trip Planning

February 26, 2013 by · Leave a Comment

Trip Planning

trip planning

Hopefully we’ll see lots of this on our trip.

Rodney Smith and I plan to paddle a canoe the length of the Indian River Lagoon come December. For those unfamiliar with Florida geography, we intend to start in New Smyrna Beach and paddle to Hutchison Island, a distance of 160 miles plus change. If we average 10 miles a day, a very makeable distance, it will take us 16 days, assuming no lost time to weather. Yes, that is a ridiculous assumption.

It’s Rodney and me, so yes, we might be crazy.

A minor expedition like this requires some trip planning. I’ve already started.

Unlike a wilderness trip, where you must bring everything you need, we’ll be travelling through a densely populated area. This frees us from having to carry close to three weeks worth of food, since we can re-stock our larder along the way. That’s huge.

The same goes for water. If we were taking an Everglades trip we’d have to carry every drop of fresh water we would need. There will be lots of places to refill our water jug on this trip.

Where will we sleep? The men who dug the Intracoastal Waterway left big piles of dredged material as islands all along the trench. Camping is allowed on most of them.

So what will we be bringing? Here are the headings on my list, in no particular order:

-house
-boat
-fishing
-kitchen
-personal
-first aid
-clothes
-miscellaneous
-menu

If there’s any interest I will post the complete list as a web page. The same goes for our route and projected camping areas.

Rodney wants to raise enough money to establish an educational trust fund for students who wish to study the ecology of the lagoon. So he is actively looking for sponsors. Old Town Canoe is our first, putting a new Penobscot 17 at our disposal. Hurray for Old Town!

If you have any interest in helping us reach our goals, or know someone who might, please have them contact either Rodney or me.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2013. All rights are reserved.

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A Float Down the Econlockhatchee

April 19, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

The river ran low and clear. Whoever designed the put-in was not a boater- a couple hundred yards separate the river from the parking lot.

Maxx pulls up. I give Cheryl my keys and they drive off to do the shuttle. I drag the boats down to the riverside.

The kayak feels wonderful, as it always does. Light and responsive, it’s a joy to paddle.

Every flood on the Econ drops trees. Of course they fall across the river, creating obstacles for boaters. Those obstacles start while the road is still within earshot. Fortunately, the kayaks are light and responsive. Fortunately, both Cheryl and I know how to paddle. In spite of that, several small river spiders soon share our boats with us.

We come to a deep hole. The fly line shoots out, dropping a foam spider near the bank. Again. Again. Bloop! The little rod bends. A redbelly comes to hand.

redbelly sunfish

“Cher! Come look at the colors on this fish!” They are one of the most beautiful fish you’ll ever see. Cheryl makes stained glass windows. This fish may be a model for one.

The redbellies are bedding. We see their bowls all the way down the river. In spite of not working it very hard, I catch many more, and some bluegills too. Strangely, the stumpknockers never put in an appearance. I wonder where they are.

sunfish beds, econlockhatchee river

We see many bass. They are not interested in my spider. I try a streamer, and soon lose it on a backcast to a riverside bush. Karma, telling me to enjoy the sunnies and ignore the bass. I put the spider back on.

Cheryl wants to know if we’ll see alligators. I’m surprised we haven’t seen any yet. We needn’t have worried- we end up seeing at least a dozen big ones.

alligator, econlockhatchee river

We have to get out and drag the kayaks, over logs, around fallen trees, again and again. In between we float over shallows, through deep pools. Songbirds call. We hear a barred owl. I call back. We converse briefly, then it tires of the game.

kayaking, econlockhatchee river

We travel leisurely, stopping to snack, to converse. I haven’t seen Cheryl in a long time. It’s good to be on the water with her.

coreopsis

I notice our shadows getting longer. I’m surprised it’s gotten so late so quickly. I put my fly rod away, and we start paddling like we mean it. We still have several miles to go.

wildflowers, by econlockhatchee river

I hear voices before I see the speakers. Some teens are enjoying the afternoon. One does a spectacular flip off a rope swing. I can hear cars in the distance.

We load the boats onto my van. Our paddling is done. A float down the Econlockhatchee River is a wonderful way to spend a day.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2012. All rights are reserved.

 

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An Awesome Week- Mosquito Lagoon and Port Canaveral Fishing Report

March 4, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

The Orlando Area Fishing Report from Spotted Tail 3.4.12

Spring is breaking out in central Florida! Azaleas are blooming, trees are leafing out, oranges perfume the air with their blossoms.

Fishing has been fantastic.

Monday’s trip was a family affair. Pastor Louis Schulz, his son Chris, and the pastor’s brother Chris, joined me for a day’s fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon. It was overcast almost all day, and a soaking rain lasted for at least an hour. Fortunately there was very little wind.

We wanted redfish. With the exception of a school of maybe two dozen fish that did not hang around very long, we did not see any. But the trout were really on.

I don’t know how many they caught. It was a lot. Most were caught on DOA Shrimp, but at the end of the day we found a hole full of trout and short reds and they used live shrimp there. All of the reds and many of the trout were short, but eight trout were in the slot and two were over 20 inches. It was a wonderful day.

 

On Tuesday Mike Webber, his girlfriend Judy Votta, and his friend Mike from New Orleans joined me for a day’s fishing on the Mosquito Lagoon. It was cloudy and windy, not nice at all, although in the afternoon the sun finally broke through.

It was almost a repeat of the previous day. The DOA Shrimp produced a lot of trout, some short, some in the slot. Live shrimp produced a few more, and some short reds. The one slot red they got came on a mullet chunk.

seatrout Mosquito lagoon

Judy had the hot rod all day long.

The sun finally came out. It turned out to be a lovely day.

 

Wednesday Father Rick Voor and his long-time friend Steve joined me for some kayak fishing, launching at River Breeze. It was a search mission, as I hadn’t been there in weeks.

The weather was awesome, the water was low, and conditions were great. We did not see any fish for about an hour. Then we found a school of reds in a large white hole.

Father Rick had never caught a red on a lure before. Steve had never caught a red at all. They got quite a few- most on the DOA Shrimp, one on a Johnson Minnow. With the exception of a couple shorts, all were in the slot. It was a blessed day.

steve's first redfish

steve's first redfish

father ricks's doa redfish

redfish doa

This redfish wanted the DOA Shrimp.

 

Thursday son Maxx and I launched the Mitzi at Port Canaveral. Winds were SW at close to 15, almost at the limits of the Mitzi’s ability to handle on the open ocean. But there were no clouds at first.

We ran down to Satellite Beach, then went out a couple miles and started to idle back. Close to two uneventful hours passed before Maxx said, “There’s a fish!” He fired a jig out towards it and the fish was all over it. It was close to 20 pounds.

cobia

Maxx's first cobia in quite a while...

That gave us more confidence, although another long lull followed. Then I spotted a tripletail. I fired a live shrimp out in front of it. How could it say no? It was around five or six pounds.

tripletail

The tripletail- lover of shrimp.

A while later I spotted a cobia, coming in fast. He ate the jig but in spite of my striking him three times he came right off.

A while later Maxx spotted another cobia. He followed, but did not eat, the jig. I tossed a live shrimp and he was all over it. We released that one.

We bagged it shortly after that, but ran another cobia over on the way back. The boat was back on the trailer before 2 PM.

Saturday 10 fine folks attended the Show and Tell seminar. We drove all  around the Merritt Island NWR and talked fishing at every stop. We didn’t finish until almost 6PM. Great group of guys, great day.

The weather blew out Sunday’s on the water show and tell. We will hold it next week instead.

And that is this week’s Mosquito Lagoon and Port Canaveral Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

 

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2012. All rights are reserved.

 

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Hot Fishing This Week- Mosquito Lagoon- Banana River Lagoon Fishing Report

February 18, 2012 by · 2 Comments

The Orlando Area Fishing Report from Spotted Tail 2.19.12

Upcoming Events Dept-
-Merritt Island NWR Show and Tell Seminars- March 3 and 4. Read More Here… 

Four days were spent on the water this week.

On Monday Pat Macginn and Richard LongItalianName (no, I can’t do any better than that) joined me for some paddling on the Banana River Lagoon. Actually they mostly pumped their legs with the Hobie kayaks. We got to the first fishing spot and there was a big redfish.

Kayak charters can be difficult. If you lead the anglers so they know where to go you get all the first shots. If you have them go first they don’t know where they’re going. So- there was the big fish, right in front of me. I fired a black bunny leech out and it inhaled it.

Pat passed me and spotted four reds. He fired a jerk worm out and one of the fish inhaled it. It was by far the biggest red he’d ever caught. So we’ve been fishing for thirty minutes and have two pushing-twenty-pound reds photo’d and released already.

Big redfish, banana river lagoon, florida

Pat was real happy with this redfish!

I would like to report it stayed that way but that would be a large exagerration. However, at least a half dozen reds in the slot were caught, as well as a dozen or so trout that were mostly over the slot. The lures of choice were a 3 inch DOA Shrimp, and a Skitter Walk. All the fish were released.

It was an awesome day all in all.

Tuesday I spent hundreds of dollars at the auto repair shop. 🙁

Wednesday John Pusateri joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. The weather was incredible. The fishing was not. I hadn’t been out there in 10 or 12 days and the fish have mostly moved. The first two spots did not show a single fish. Then we had some fly shots (a black bunny leech) at a big school of black drum. They just gave us the fin. We tried for almost an hour without a sniff and gave up.

At the last spot we tried John was tossing a 3 inch DOA Shrimp into sandy potholes and got a couple nice trout and a couple reds, salvaging an otherwise very slow day.

spotted seatrout, mosquito lagoon

This trout got the skunk off us.

I filleted one of the reds and did a stomach autopsy. It had three or four small blue crabs in there.

Thursday found me in the Banana River Lagoon again. In my canoe was Ed Redman, a fly fisher from North Carolina. In the kayak was Todd Redman, official son of Ed, likewise a fly fisher.
We gurgled up a few trout, then went on the hunt for redfish. It is not uncommon for anglers who attempt wading in the mucky lagoon mud to fall down. So it happened with Ed. I walked him around in the canoe and talked him into the biggest redfish of his life, which took a wool crab.

Big redfish from the banana river lagoon, florida

Big Ed got this redfish to take a faux crab.

Then it was Todd’s turn. Using the same fly he threw to a pair of reds. One swam off, one swam over and inhaled the fly. It was also the biggest red he’s ever caught.

big redfish from banana river lagoon, florida.

Todd fooled this fish with the same fly that his dad used.

We had shots more or less all afternoon but those were all the bites we had.

Friday Ed joined me in the canoe again. Todd was in Roger Cook’s canoe. Again, we gurgled up a few trout and then looked for redfish. Roger scored first. It was (are you ready for this?) the biggest red he’d ever taken on fly.

big redfish from banana river lagoon, florida.

Roger carefully releases his best fly-caught redfish ever.

Ed then hooked one on the crab fly. He got a little too impatient and straightened the hook. He soon had another bite but missed the strike.

spotted seatrout, banana river lagoon, florida

He missed the redfish but gurgled up some seatrout.

I saw what I thought was a huge herd of fish, and poled over their as fast as I could. If we’d had a lettuce fly we could have thrown to a half dozen manatees that were my “fish.” Not the first time that’s happened to me…

Todd and Ed switched boats. It took a while but Todd stuck a red that took a wool crab. I grabbed the leader but the fish wasn’t ready to be grabbed and I had to let go Then the fish came off, so no photo of that one.

Then Todd and I went gurgling again and got a half dozen trout before bagging it for the day.

spotted seatrout, banana river lagoon, florida

We ended our day by gurgling up a few more trout. They're not as exciting as the big reds!

Altogether a wonderful two days, lots of fish, real nice weather, awesome people. This is why life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2012. All rights are reserved.

 

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

Kayak Fly Fishing the Flats- A Primer

January 20, 2012 by · 2 Comments
Redfish-from-Kayak

Good kayak fishing technique consistently produces fish like this.

While fishing from my skiff I often see kayakers out on the water, fishing the same areas. Although there’s nothing wrong with this, it doesn’t play to the kayak’s major strength- silently accessing areas that the skiffs cannot.

Finding these areas requires kayakers to do homework, searching for fishing areas they previously had not considered. Time spent researching on Google Earth will lead to some wild goose chases. It will also lead you to spots where the fish are not used to seeing fishermen, where they’re happy and relaxed. If part of the enjoyment of fishing is the joy of discovery, a computer and a kayak can lead to plenty of it.

When folks ask me what I look for when I go kayaking, my response is always, “Water that’s eight inches deep or less.” The areas where I fish are mostly non-tidal, but no matter where you live there are areas that a kayak can bring you to where the competition simply can’t follow.

 The Learning Curve

Like most other skills, you will find that learning to kayak fish the flats effectively requires some dues paying. You won’t just hop in and start catching fish. You must learn how to use the boat to its best advantage. You’ll have to learn how to handle the boat, as well as how best to fish from it. Casting from a sitting position will require some practice if you haven’t ever tried it before.

You have to handle the boat and fish simultaneously. Both need to be completely second nature before you begin to have consistent success.

The most important thing to remember? You must get to and stay in a good position from which to cast when you find a target. Flailing doesn’t work, and merely scares the fish away.

Kayaking Tackle

Look at kayak fishing the flats as an exercise in minimalism. One rod (bring a spare, unrigged and put away), a box of flies, some leader material, some food and water, the required boating and safety gear, and you’re good to go. For saltwater fly fishermen a seven- or eight-weight outfit is generally advised. Pare your gear ruthlessly- it’s easy to bring too much.

 Fishing Strategies

In most flats fishing you need to first find fish, then try to catch them. Kayak fishing the flats is no different. Paddle fairly quickly while in the “search” mode. Once you find some slow down and silently fish while in the “fishing” mode. The two are integrated but separate aspects of fishing from a kayak. You can’t catch fish where they aren’t! Finding them must always be the first order of business.

On days when I don’t find any fish I won’t make a single cast. It’s a sight fishing business. You gain nothing by wasting time fishing where there are no fish.

Be relentless in your search, and if fish are to be found you will find them.

If it’s too windy to control the boat, stake it out and wade (assuming the bottom is firm enough for this). Wading can turn what might be a frustrating, fishless day into an enormous success.

There will be fishless days though. Learn to love them. You’ll see workings of nature while paddling that you would never get to see any other way.

Catching fish from a kayak is more rewarding than catching them most other ways. Take the time to learn how and you’ll be a kayak fisherman for life.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2012. All rights are reserved.

 

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

Keep Your Expensive Gear Dry!

December 27, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Boats float on water. Water in general and saltwater in particular ruins our stuff, especially stuff like sandwiches, cell phones, and cameras. If your sandwich gets soggy you’re out a lunch, but if your phone or camera gets wet you’re out a hundred or more dollars and perhaps an important safety device. Keeping things dry aboard any boat, and especially a small boat like a canoe or kayak, is not just an academic exercise. It’s important.

You’ll find a variety of things to keep your belongings dry, particularly if you use some imagination, and what you choose will depend on your budget, your boat, what you need to keep dry, and how long you intend to stay out. Just to keep this piece manageable, we’ll only discuss day trips here. Camping trips, especially long ones, require a separate treatment.

We can divide portable dry storage containers into three main categories: waterproof bags, waterproof boxes, and waterproof packs. The easiest bag to use is any kind of plain plastic bag. The main advantage to these is they’re cheap and readily available. Their main disadvantage is a simple one. They don’t work very well. Water has soaked things I’ve had in ziplock bags many times. They’re not to be trusted except to keep minor splashes off of things.

A proper waterproof bag is a rubberized cloth or heavy plastic sack with some combination of a folding top and snaps or straps. You put your items in the bag, fold the top over two or three times, and strap or snap it down. These bags come in various sizes and they work well. I imagine if the bag was completely submerged they would leak, but I’ve used them for years in all kinds of boats without a problem. They take the shape (more or less) of the items inside and the space they’re given, and are a good choice for any small boat applications.

Waterproof boxes also work well, and are fairly inexpensive. The classic waterproof box is similar to an ammo box, except the waterproof boxes are made of plastic and usually have a gasket to seal the water out. A cam-action latch closes the box firmly. These boxes are fairly small but easily fit items like car keys, wallet, phone, and a small point and shoot camera.

A cooler is a type of box, but is only moderately good as a dry box. When it rains, coolers get water in them, and your stuff gets wet. A small, six-pack sized zip-top soft cooler may work well if you give an added layer of plastic like a ziplock bag. If this combo gets dunked though, it may fail to keep your belongings dry.

If you have larger items you might consider a bucket with a snap-on lid. For years I have used a bucket picked up at a Dunkin Donuts store to carry my cameras, sometimes several thousand dollars worth, on all kinds of boats. It was a very good investment, not too stylish perhaps, but very functional. It doesn’t fit well in a lot of places, though.

Most photographers use a specialized camera box called a Pelican Case to carry their equipment. Pelican Cases are professional devices and work exactly as they are supposed to. Their only disadvantages are the initial expense, and they are a little pricey, and the fact that they look and carry something like a briefcase. You can’t carry a Pelican Case and fish at the same time. But you could back your pickup truck over one and your cameras would still be fine.

If you fish out of a boat and like to wade, carrying a camera with you and keeping it dry becomes a problem. The Dry Creek Backpack from Simms solves it. This excellent piece of equipment is the size and shape of a standard daypack, and has the daypack’s shoulder straps so you can carry it on your back, but has the material and tie down straps and snaps of a waterproof bag. You can put whatever you want in this pack, and even if you fall down in the water your stuff will stay dry. As with all of Simms products it’s made to the highest quality standards and will last for years. You can see the Dry Creek Backpack at www.simmsfishing.com.

The fact is, most of us need and will use a variety of the methods used here. If you spend much time around the water in small boats, it can’t be helped.

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, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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