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Fished Around Central Florida Report

March 10, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

Fished Around Central Florida Report

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

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

Saturday

 

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

Bob, average-sized Econ bass.

 

Monday

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

The fish threw saltwater all over my camera.

Tuesday

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

Thursday

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

 

Friday

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

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

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

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

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

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There and Back, to California

January 13, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

There and Back, to California- a photo essay

First off, happy new year to everyone. Thanks for reading this There and Back, to California, report.

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

Susan and I spent three weeks in California over the holidays, seeing our children and their wives, relatives, and friends, and watching rain fall. And a few other things. And I hate flying coach. Almost hope I never do it again.

I went fishing one day when I got back.

And Jeff Beck died on Wednesday. Guess I’ll start with that.

I have loved Jeff Beck’s music since I was in high school. Truth. Beck-Ola. Rough and Ready. The Orange Album. Blow by Blow. Wired. So many more. He just kept getting better, reaching heights of guitar virtuosity most of us can’t even dream of, no matter what we do.

Fortunately for all of us, he’s left a large collection of audio and video recordings. Here’s a personal favorite-

If you want to blow your brains out, plug a set of headphones into your computer, put them on, turn up the volume, and play this- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL17nxvBtBY

Mr. Beck, thanks for providing me with so much listening pleasure. I hope you’re still rocking it, wherever you now are.

OK, soggy California!

Our boys wanted us to come out for the holidays. We and the Briolas watched Maxx and Catalina get married on our phones during COVID. They renewed their vows with all of us there.

It was WAY better in person!

 

 

The happy couple and parents of the bride, Mike and Rosa.

 

Cat, rocking some bling!

 

Master of Ceremonies, Brian Jaye, and the younger Jaye, Tripp.

 

Brother and sister-in-law of the groom.

 

Christmas presents!

 

More Christmas presents!

 

Yours truly with more Christmas presents!

 

The gang went mini-golfing.

We went to Lake Chabot Park and the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden during breaks in the rain. And we watched it rain!

The nightmare that is California highways.

 

Lake Chabot. Chabot, an engineer,  invented hydraulic mining.

 

There are fish, and fishermen, there.

 

Rosa and Cat.

 

Agave at the gardens.

 

Manzanita tree, botanical garden.

 

 

We went to the Winchester House.

 

One of many exquisite windows there.

We went to wineries, of course.

We went for a walk at Turtle Bay Park and the Sundial Bridge.

Sundial Bridge. Not sun dialing this day.

 

Alex, Susan, and I, on the bridge

 

One view from the bridge. That’s the Sacramento River.

 

Another view from the bridge. The fish he had was a rainbow/steelhead, easily two feet long.

Alex and I were going to go steelhead fishing- rained out. So the reader has an idea of the rainfall amount, Lake Shasta, which was quite low prior to the current rain event, went up 21 feet while we were there. Yeah, it rained.

We got home Tuesday night. Thursday I took the kayak to Mosquito Lagoon. The water was clear- not as clean as I’ve ever seen it, but clear like it’s supposed to be. Fishing was good, all blind-casting, too. Hope it stays like that for a while!

That’s the There and Back, to California, report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

Filed Under: Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , ,

An Everglades Retrospective

November 10, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

An Everglades Retrospective- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post, An Everglades Retrospective. Couldn’t fish this week because of the weather. Since “official” camping season (to me) kicks off at the end of this month, I thought I’d pay some homage to my favorite Florida place to camp- Everglades National Park. My first trip there, a six-day canoe/camping trip, was in 1980,

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

Got my kids started early. Maxx with a Snake Bight seatrout.

 

Maxx running the Bang-O-Craft.

 

Alex in the mud at Lake Ingraham. Hey, he wanted out of the boat!

 

Me at Lostman’s Key. This photo ran in the very first magazine article I had published, around 1985.

 

Tarpon on fly, Coot Bay.

 

Maxx, Matt Van Pelt, and Alex, in Lake Ingraham. Matt was one of my students, back when I was a public school teacher.

 

Maxx, Pavilion Key.

 

Anhinga, on the Anhinga Trail.

 

Alex got this trout on the Middle Grounds, near east Cape Sable.

 

Don Causey paddles across Coot Bay.

 

Put-in at Hell’s Bay.

 

Maxx going mano-a-mano…

 

…with this guy, Mud Lake.

 

Alex, different day, same place.

 

Campsite on New Turkey Key.

 

The beach at Cape Sable.

 

Paddling on the Buttonwood Canal.

 

A dragonfly, a Halloween Pennant, sits on a mangrove leaf.

 

Waiting for the storm, Jewell Key.

 

Maxx, Jewell Key.

 

Alex, Bear Lake.

 

Nesting ospreys near Tiger Key.

 

Fish on, Garfield Bight. Courtesy Mike Conneen.

 

Rabbit Key.

 

This guy came up right next to the boat, checking us out long enough for me to get a shot.

 

Mike Conneen and River, somewhere near Everglades City.

 

American crocodiles, behind Cape Sable.

 

Campsite, Tiger Key.

 

Where are we??? Mike Conneen tries to see his phone screen.

 

Hand propelled craft only.

 

Mike Conneen and River, Jewell Key.

 

Along the Anhinga Trail.

 

In a tiny creek…

 

Where are we??? Behind Cape Sable. Courtesy Mike Conneen.

 

Mike Conneen and River, Jewell Key.

 

If memory serves, this is the south Joe River chickee.

 

One of the reasons I go!

 

Mike Conneen on the Shark Point Chickee.

 

Campfire on Cape Sable.

 

One of the reasons I go!

 

Campfire on Jewell Key.

 

Jack Radloff, Bear Lake.

 

This snook swam right past our boat.

 

Hooked up, Whitewater Bay. Photo courtesy Maxx Kumiski.

 

Got ’em! Maxx holds the beast.

 

Little blue heron, Anhinga Trail.

I’m looking forward to my next visit! Anyone want to go???

That’s An Everglades Retrospective. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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

Three Mosquito Lagoon Days Fishing Report

November 5, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Three Mosquito Lagoon Days Fishing Report

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Three Mosquito Lagoon Days Fishing Report. Fished four days this week, all with spectacular (if a little breezy) weather.

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

Monday

Met Dave Caprera at Spruce Creek. Tide was low falling when we started. We paddled around Strickland Bay. It was real quiet as far as the fish went. I saw two redfish, got a shot at neither. No fish breaking. No jacks. No rolling tarpon. The tide turned, but nothing else changed. Blindcasting with a plastic shad, I got a bite near the island cluster, a seatrout about 18 inches long, chasing the skunk. Spruce Creek has been good to me through the years, but it will be a while before I go back.

One of the several colors of the plastic/rubber shad that I use.

Tuesday

Having heard about seagrass growing and some clean water in Mosquito Lagoon, I towed the Bang-O-Craft over and went on a search mission. The Haulover gauge was at 1.8 feet, so I could go anywhere I wanted to. The wind was out of the east. Tin boats are noisy, so I stayed in lees as much as I could.

I did find some seagrass, and some clean water. As always, there was no logical pattern to why one place was clear and another murky. I saw some dolphins, and some manatees, and two bald eagles, and a sea turtle, and two sizable sharks, and a single redfish (no shot). I got a single redfish that may have been a slot fish by blindcasting the plastic shad. Seeing the grass was very encouraging.

Wednesday

This is a file photo that in no way implies that this is what the fishing was like on Wednesday.

Tom Van Horn picked me up. We went to Mosquito Lagoon to further the search for seagrass and clean water. We went to the north end of the lagoon and started blindcasting, using the Deadly Combo. Tom released a half-dozen trout before I got a bite. Unfortunately they were all running pretty small. Then I started catching them, too. We did manage to get a few decent trout.

The Deadly Combo. It is not illegal to replace the shrimp with a jig.

Cruising along with the trolling motor in the lee of an island, I spotted a redfish right against the bank. I got a shot at it, and, using the plastic shad, actually caught it! I figured it was about 32 inches long, but the ruler on Tom’s boat said it was 21. I think the ruler was defective!

This is what I thought I had, but really? It was only 21″.

I followed that up with a snooklet, finishing up a pretty weak slam, but these days you’d best be happy with what you get.

For anyone who might be wondering, a snooklet is merely a very juvenile snook.

Thursday

Twenty knot winds forecast. Didn’t fish.

Friday

The forecast was for fifteen knots out of the east. After looking at next week’s forecast, I went anyway. Fifteen beats 20!

This is a file photo that in no way implies that this is what the fishing was like on Wednesday. Mine was about a pound-and-a-half.

My first fish on the fly this week was a jack crevalle. I haven’t gotten one of those in the Mosquito Lagoon in at least five years, it was pretty awesome. Then I got a mangrove snapper! Fly was a Polar Fiber Minnow. Then I put the fly rod away- fighting the wind got to be too much.

On the spin rod I got several trout and hooked and lost two snook. Saw a few reds, either didn’t get a shot or pooched it if I did.

Saturday

Volunteered at Secret Lake Park’s Hook Kids on Fishing event. The kids were excited, but fishing is more fun if the fish participate. Great event, though!

That’s the Three Mosquito Lagoon Days Fishing Report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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

Three Lagoons Fishing Report

October 28, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Three Lagoons Fishing Report

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Three Lagoons Fishing Report. Fished three days this week- one day for each lagoon! The three lagoons are on the east coast of Florida, wrapped around and extending north and south from the Kennedy Space Center. The length of the system is about 160 miles, so three days in a kayak is likely to leave a few spots totally unexplored…

October historically has the highest water levels of the year. A hurricane passed recently, dumping LOTS of rain. The water is high and dirty brown everywhere I went. Sadly, dirty brown has replaced crystal clear as the new normal.

I like the gauge to read below 0.5. Maybe after New Year’s…

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

Monday

Sight fished with a fly.

The idea was to try and sightfish with fly tackle on Mosquito Lagoon. This required finding areas that are often dry during normal water levels. I wouldn’t say the trip was a resounding success, but it was a spectacular day, I had five or six shots, and actually hooked and released two fish. Mission accomplished!

Wednesday

This guy didn’t know it was a tarpon fly.

Indian River Lagoon was on the menu this day. I knew where there were baby tarpon, and had tied some new flies for the attempt. Regular readers may recall when last I fished these guys, I had a bite on the first cast and then nothing but one ladyfish afterwards. A classic tarpon fly called a Cockroach was tied onto the end of my leader. I saw some fish rolling, so cast it into the area (no seeing these guys in that water). A bite and I had… a redfish! A beautiful, nine-spot fish it was.

It had four more spots on the starboard side.

A while later the line came tight again. The fish finally jumped, and it was a tarpon. Small, five or six pounds. I was able to photograph it. It was the last fish the Cockroach would catch.

I went a long time without a bite.

I ran into another fly fisherman. He’d gotten a variety of fish on a weighted streamer, just chucking it. I kept tossing a Polar Fiber Minnow at rolling tarpon, and got a seatrout, a decent one.

I went a long time without a bite, again.

Changing tactics, I tried the spin rod with a DOA Shrimp. A bite! A snook! Another bite! A redfish! Tried a Closer Minnow, and got another redfish. And then, to complete my Indian River Lagoon Super Duper Fly Rod Grand Slam, a snooklet!

I went a long time without a bite, again. I tried the tarpon again- they all said no. I paddled back, loaded up, and went home.

Thursday

I tried Banana River Lagoon, launching at KARS Park. The gate guard told me no one had fished the previous day, and I was the first one there at 8 AM. So clearly the fishing wasn’t very good. Hurricanes have knocked a lot of trees into the water along the shoreline, and it looks extraordinarily fishy. Looks can be deceiving. I paddled all the way to Buck Creek, getting a trout while trolling, a snook while casting the shoreline (both on the rubber shad), and spotting one redfish and three black drum in all that distance, maybe four miles. Mind you, there was no wind. You could have seen a fish move from a quarter mile away.

You would think there would be oodles of fish here. How many does it take to make an oodle, anyway???

At Buck Creek, two or three tarpon rolled in almost an hour. Blind casting a streamer got me casting practice.

I got another trout dragging the shad behind me as I paddled back to the launch, at which point I loaded up, having gotten plenty of exercise. But I wasn’t skunked once in three days.

That’s the Three Lagoons Fishing Report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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

A Fishing Smorgasbord Report

October 22, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

A Fishing Smorgasbord Report

Thanks for reading this week’s post, A Fishing Smorgasbord. Definitely fished around this week.

Please check out Patrick Young’s guest post on how to turn a business trip into a vacation here…

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

Last week I ended my post with this- “Might have to try fishing somewhere else.” I did. Sunday I drove up to Little Talbot Island State Park, to do some fishing in the spectacular salt marshes around there. Last time I was there it was borderline fantastic.

A tiny piece of the spectacular salt marsh around Jacksonville.

When I reached my campsite, I stepped out of the car, and thought maybe I’d gone to Flamingo by mistake. Yeah, the mosquitos were bad. Immediate gratification from the bugs, not what I wanted.

In the morning I launched the kayak at close to dead low tide, going straight to my best spot. I worked it hard, getting a single bite, a fine enough seatrout. Thought I should continue down the creek and see what was to be seen.

My one trout on fly. Got a twin on the rubber shad, too.

Nothing was to be seen, at least in the way of fish.

Floated back up to the Good Spot, tossing the shad now. Got one more trout.

Continued floating up the creek. Found a spot thick with bait. Heard a fish pop here and there in the marsh grass. Actually saw a redfish near some oysters, but it disappeared into the murky water before I could act. Now at the top of the tide, I paddled back to the put in and put out.

Went to the beach, brought a fishing rod. The water was really dirty, didn’t make a cast. A big storm was on the horizon. The bugs were awful, so was the fishing, and a big storm was on the way. Cutting my losses, I got on I-95 and headed home.

Tuesday was clean-up and put things away, other errands, some writing.

Wednesday saw me tow the Bang-O-Craft to Port St. John. A cold front had come through. There ought to be some fish at the power plant.

Wind was supposed to be northwest. It was stronger than I expected, but I thought I’d be OK and launched anyway.

Second power plant fish, on fly.

Joke was on me. Power plant is shut down, undergoing some kind of construction. I went around the end of the berm, figured the back side would be calm. Not only was it calm, but there were some fish there too!

Third power plant fish, on fly!

On a Clouser Minnow I got a brace of slot trout, a slot red (if reds were open, which they are not), a snooklet, and a fat, ugly sailcat. Then I got a bigger redfish and several skater trout with the spin rod.

Another power plant fish, on fly! Note the heavily slimed leader.

 

And a final power plant fish, this one with a spin rod.

Then I had to get back to the ramp. The wind had shifted more north and gotten stronger, and there was solid, white-cappy chop. A rolly, spray-y and slow ride back to the ramp. If two guys at the ramp hadn’t helped me load the boat onto the trailer, I’d probably still be there. Thank you, good samaritans!

Thursday I got an hour or so in at the retention pond near my house. Bluegills, four of them, on a foam spider. When the bass hit, I popped it off. That was it!

One of several.

Friday I tried the Indian River Lagoon again. I saw a few redfish by running them over (no shots). I found some rolling tarpon. Thought myself blessed to be fishing for bass one day and tarpon the next. Got one to bite on the first cast, on an Electric Sushi. Changed flies three or four times in the next two hours I threw to them, could not get another take. Got a ladyfish to chase the skunk, though.

That’s the A Fishing Smorgasbord post. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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

Ode to Paddle Craft- A Photo Essay

July 20, 2022 by · 4 Comments

Mike Conneen, River the Dog, Banana River Lagoon.

Ode to Paddle Craft- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this Ode to Paddle Craft. Once again, no fishing this week, or paddling, for that matter. But I am reading John McPhee’s “Survival of the Bark Canoe.” It inspired this ode to paddle craft.

My paddling career started on Maine’s Little Sebago Lake. A friend’s parents invited me to go with them to their cottage up there. They had a wood-and-canvas canoe. I liked it much better than the motor boat, in spite of, or because of, my young age? I may have been 12.

Putting this post together reminds me again of what an extraordinarily blessed individual I have been!

What follows are a couple dozen photos taken between 1976 and recently. They are captioned as well as memory allows.

Maxx on a trip down Maine’s Saco River. Three years old at the time, he just turned 33! Boat is an Old Town Tripper.

 

Mike Conneen and I await the pummeling this storm gave us while we were on a kayaking trip in Everglades National Park.

 

Your blogger paddling across Maine’s Third Machias Lake, 1978? Boat was an Old Town Tripper.

 

Alex paddled a kayak into the Banana River Lagoon to find this fish.

 

Mike Conneen and I were paddling on the Hillsborough River when he caught this one.

 

Maxx and I were in the backcountry of Everglades National Park in the Old Town Camper when he got this snook.

 

Mosquito Lagoon redfish. Boat was an Ocean Kayak Drifter.

 

Tim Deveau and Ward Thrasher tend the campfire at Cape Sable, Everglades National Park. We were on a nine-day canoe trip, early 1980s.

 

Nick Colantonio pulls in at dusk after a long day during the 2013 Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure, a nineteen-day paddle trip from New Smyrna Beach to Jupiter.

 

BC (before children) Susan naps in the Old Town Tripper while on a paddle trip in Everglades National Park.

 

Vic and Alex with a flyrod, seatrout double in the Banana River Lagoon. One canoe, one kayak used to get the three of us in there.

 

Mangrove tunnel, Everglades National Park, Ocean Kayak Drifter.

 

My buddy Ricky with a fat black drum on fly. Banana River Lagoon. My boat was a 17′ Dagger Reflection canoe.

 

Mike Conneen paddles down the Suwannee River.

 

Mike Conneen in Louisiana’s Barataria Marsh. The cabin boat is wrecked, courtesy of Hurricane Katrina.

 

Your blogger about to drop through Nantahala Falls, North Carolina. Boat is an Old Town Camper.

 

The manatee just wanted to say Hello. Chassahowitzka River, Ocean Kayak Drifter.

 

Me, Mike Conneen, and River the Dog watch the sun set while on a kayak trip in Everglades National Park.

 

Mike Conneen, St. George Sound.

 

Rodney Smith, Banana River Lagoon.

 

Mile Conneen, Peace River.

 

Barbie and Tammy go fishing, I think on the Mosquito Lagoon.

 

Poling the Dagger Reflection, Banana River Lagoon.

 

Susan, Alex, Maxx, and Ken Shannon swim while on a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Wilderness in Minnesota.

 

Jim Tedesco getting ready to shove off, Maine’s St. John River, circa 1976. Boat is an Old Town Tripper.

 

Maxx’s first fly-caught redfish, Indian River Lagoon. We reached the spot by canoe.

 

Jim Tedesco paddles on East Bay, a chilly morning just after sunrise.

 

Tammy negotiates a blowdown on the Econlockhatchee.

 

Alex with a fly-caught tarpon, Everglades National Park. Boat is an Old Town Camper.

 

Peter Camuso (not happy!) and I on Massachusetts’ Westfield River, 1979? Boat is an Old Town Tripper. Note the plentiful snow on the banks.

 

Jim Tedesco rests at a cabin we found while on a canoe trip on Maine’s St. John River, about 1977.

 

Mike Conneen, Gulf of Mexico, during our eight day paddle along the Big Bend Paddling Trail.

 

White pelicans flock along our route on the 2013 Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure.

 

Mike Conneen paddles among crocodiles in the Everglades National Park backcountry.

 

Maxx. Snook. Dagger Reflection. Everglades National Park.

Question- Which images are your favorites? Please let us know!

For more on paddling in New England, see The Maine Book.

Bonus- I just had an article titled “Fishing with Lefty” published at Rivers and Feathers.

Bonus- if you want to see some incredible fish videography, watch this-

That’s the ode to paddle craft. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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

One-Day Central Florida Fishing Report

July 8, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

One-Day Central Florida Fishing Report

Thanks for reading my one-day central Florida fishing report. Due to circumstances largely out of my control, I only got out once this week.

Monday

Independence Day! I crawl into my burrow and hide, because of people like this…

Man’s hand blown off in Florida fireworks accident

Tuesday

Susan was sick, so I was home tending her. I learned I need to tie up some pigeon flies by watching this video-

Wednesday

Good morning!!! Mosquito Lagoon.

Got up early and put the “Gone Fishin” sign on the door. Did not have any flies that imitated pigeons. A thunderhead greeted me, along with various types of annoying biting insects. Annoying bugs are part of the wilderness experience! I would like to thank that cloud for not zapping me. It was quite a spectacular morning.

A few fish were tailing. I caught two, with the fly pole! Handsome specimens they were, too. Flies ware unweighted slider types, one black, one white. Equal opportunity fly caster here.

 

And off it goes.

 

Quite an incredible day. Glad I noticed!

Thursday

The late Sam Behr.

New tires on the chariot. Had to leave the car at the shop, which pretty much anchored me at the house. “Tiahrs ain’t pretty, but everybody needs tiahrs!”

Friday

Susan and I went to Orlando to visit an Asian market. We have plenty of curry paste and fish sauce now! But I didn’t go fishing…

That’s the one day central Florida fishing report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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

My Summer Solstice Central Florida Fishing Report

June 24, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

My Summer Solstice Central Florida Fishing Report

Thanks for reading my summer solstice central Florida fishing report. Hopefully all you pagans partied down! Personally, I just went fishing. I think I enjoyed a single bottle of carbonated malt beverage this week, too…

I visited three old friends this week- the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River Lagoon, and the Indian River Lagoon. I also spent two days dealing with insurance and car shtuff, such fun!

Monday

Found me kayaking at Mosquito Lagoon. Hadn’t been there in a while. Water is kind of gross, but in spite of that saw a few redfish. Had shots at four, two fled in terror. I caught the other two. Why can’t I always be that good??? See the photos for the fly patterns.

 

The water was kind of gross.

Took some time for wildlife observation, and to smell the ironweed, too. Always good ideas, both.

 

Tuesday

I tried the Banana River Lagoon. I go there so seldom any more that every trip is a search mission, even more so than everywhere else I fish.

The fish of the day.

I stood up and worked down the shoreline. In five minutes I’d seen a snook, a redfish, and two tarpon. I got out of the boat, tied the painter around my waist, and started wading, casting a rubber shad. In five minutes I had the fish of the day, a snook of maybe 20 inches. An hour later I got its twin. Kinda slow.

I tried the fly pole for a while. I got more bites from much smaller fish, eight or so snook and a redfish. Taken all together they would have made a decent sandwich-and-a-half.

Off the shoreline the water is dazzlingly clear. The bottom is covered with green stuff, an exotic plant whose name I can’t recall and am too lazy at this moment to look up. I hope it supports native invertebrates, but I’d be real surprised if it does.

Thursday

OK, a story here. A few years ago, I accompanied son Maxx on his move from Connecticut to California. We drove across the country, stopping at particularly interesting places along the way. One of them was the Meteor Crater in Arizona. Kind of pricey, but totally amazing.

Anyway, while there I was talking to a woman who travels and blogs about it (What a great thing to do!). I told her I lived in Florida. She said, “You should move out here! Isn’t this better than Florida?” Mind you, you could see forever, and it was all dry, brown desert. I said, “I’m a fisherman, lady, so no, it’s not!”

View from the Meteor Crater’s edge. Not a fish in sight.

Thursday I fished a place in the Indian River Lagoon where I had never fished before. I have been fishing here since 1984, and if I work at it, I can still find places I’ve never been. For fishermen, Florida is way better than Arizona!

Shoo that skunk!

That having been said, I hardly saw anything, and did not get a shot. I did catch a black drum blind-casting the rubber shad, a skunk-shooer for sure! We ate it for supper. Thank you, fish!

That’s My Summer Solstice Central Florida fishing report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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

A Crabby Week on the Indian River Fishing Report

June 18, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

A Crabby Week on the Indian River Fishing Report

Thanks for reading a crabby week on the Indian River fishing report. Visited the Indian River Lagoon every day I fished. I don’t often fish for crabs, but…

Read the post!

Hey, all you dads. Happy Father’s Day! Take your kids fishing!

Before I get to this week, let’s go back to last week for a bit, just a photo or two. As you might recall, we were in North Carolina.

Yours truly at work, Nantahala River. Photo courtesy Jim Tedesco.

 

Tammy and John being silly. Photo courtesy Jim Tedesco.

———————————-

It just might be summertime in central Florida.

Susan said one evening this week, “There’s a snake in the yard.” I went out immediately, stopping long enough to grab a camera. A small eastern rat snake it was, a spectacular creature. Surprisingly it was on the ground- they spend a lot of time in trees.

Ooo-kay, fishing.

Monday

Hoped for snook and tarpon, got three trout and a red, all blind-casting, all on fly. I could not get the tarpon (little ones) to bite, in spite of several fly changes. I could only see them when they rolled. They were more spread out than I like, that’s my excuse!

Tuesday

Tried a different area. Couldn’t get the tarpon to bite there, either. Actually, I didn’t get anything to bite, a pretty thorough skunking. But there were good numbers of beefy blue crabs.

The mangroves are in blossom, fairly buzzing with bees and other pollinators. Mangrove honey, anyone?

Wednesday

Susan and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary. No fishing.

Thursday

Susan and I visited Playalinda Beach. No fishing. There were lots of turtle nests, and very few fishermen.

Friday

Left the fly pole, and the flies, home. Actually, I didn’t bring any hooks at all. I brought a canoe, a cooler, two spin rods, some chicken backs, some string, and a landing net (?!) (yes, me), and went back to the crab place. My goal was a dozen crabs by noon. I did it! As soon as the rocket went up, I left.

We boiled them up, with corn on the cob, and boiled new potatoes, and a big green salad, and feasted. Anniversary! Father’s Day! And we had a few crabs left over for lunch on Saturday!

That’s the crabby week on the Indian River fishing report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

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