The Continuing Saga of the Bang-O-Craft- A Photo Essay

The Continuing Saga of the Bang-O-Craft

the Bang-O-Craft

Alex and Maxx in the Bang-O-Craft.

In my yard sits a 14 foot long MonArk jonboat. I call it the Bang-O-Craft. I have had it for a long time, since before my kids were born. Although I love the boat and we’ve had many awesome adventures together, it’s just been sitting there collecting leaves for way too many years now. Very sad.

the bang-o-craft

The late Joe Mulson, on an Everglades trip.

I am trying to get it water ready again. I had to replace the old rotten tires. There went a hundred bucks. When I was putting the new tires back on the trailer I discovered (to no surprise) that the starboard wheel bearings were shot. Further investigation revealed that the spindle on the axle was shot, too.

the bang-o-craft

Maxx runs the boat on the Gulf of Mexico in Everglades National Park. Brother Alex enjoys the ride!

I bought that axle at Tractor Supply. It’s about twelve miles from my house, pretty convenient. A phone call revealed that they no longer stock that length axle. No one locally does. WTF??? I had to order one from a place in Delaware. There went another hundred bucks. It’s now on the trailer, though, some of my work for today.

the bang-o-craft

Maxx’s first camping trip the Everglades National Park. He was two years old at the time.

I wanted to put the wheels and tires back on today, too. I went to Auto Zone to get bearings and seals. It’s easy to see why they don’t call it “Trailer Zone.” They had neither bearings nor seals. I had to order them. I don’t get it. Parts stores used to always have that kind of stuff in stock. Now you have to order them? It’s just another indication of the decline of western civilization. Along with the dust covers and an adaptor for my socket set, there went another fifty bucks, and, I was unable to finish the job today like I wanted to.

the bang-o-craft

In Lake Ingraham on the same trip.

This boating stuff could get expensive.

the bang-o-craft

Maxx running the Bang-O-Craft on the Indian River Lagoon.

I found a new motor for the beast, a 9.9 hp Suzuki. It’s “previously owned,” a two stroke. I hope to go over to Pinellas County this week and pick it up. It’s $850. I need a new fuel tank and fuel line. There goes another hundred bucks.

the bang-o-craft

Dad and Alex with a redfish caught from the Bang-O-Craft.

The boat must be registered. I don’t know what the state of Florida is thinking. It only charges twenty-two dollars to register that boat.

I am lucky to already have a pushpole as well as oars and oarlocks, investments I made years ago. I plan to use the Bang-O-Craft as a St. Johns River fishing boat, with occasional use as a scouting vessel over in the lagoons. I know from past experience it works very well for that. We’ll see how it performs as a river boat. My guess is it will be better than a drift boat. The St. Johns River version of a Hyde!

Stay tuned for the continuing saga of the Bang-O-Craft!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

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Tsuktulik- A Photo Essay

Tsuktulik

tsuktulik

There are many things I will miss about the Goodnews River. The mountains surrounding the river are high on that “to be missed” list, and the one mountain I will miss more than any other is Tsuktulik.

It’s a tough hike.

You have to run up the river an hour from the lodge, to a place the lodge staffers call Toby’s Window. As you start walking toward the mountain you blow your whistle. You don’t want to surprise any bears. There is always lots of bear sign at the stream crossing, the one that gets your shoes all wet.

After crossing the stream you have to pass through the dwarf willow forest. You fall down, several times. You get up and keep going.

tsuktulik

If the stream weren’t there your shoes would get all wet anyway. Tundra is sponge-like. You hit many wet spots and sink in past your ankles. The grass you pass through is all wet, too. You look for game trails going your way. There is no path to the mountain.

The bugs are in your face, biting you. You apply spray. It puts them off, but only slightly. They will be with you most of the way, both up and back.

tsuktulik

Before you reach the mountain’s base you’re soaked from the waist down. You have fallen five or six times. But if you chose the right day you’ve eaten a pint of blueberries, and maybe some salmonberries, too. You’ve passed a field of Eriophorum, Alaska cotton.

tsuktulik

The base of the mountain is covered with alders. They are thick. You blow the whistle, again and again.

The going gets tough. It’s steep, maybe 45 degrees. There is no path through the alders. They impede your progress, grabbing at you and your pack. You can’t see where you are. Your world is branches and leaves, mosquitos, difficult ascension. You fall some more. You curse, but get up and keep going.

You break out of the alders. What a view! What a long way to go! But there are no more trees, just a long, steep climb. After a short rest and a snack you keep going.

tsuktulik

Where is the top? Your legs burn. The blood pounds in your head- boom-BOOM, boom-BOOM, boom-BOOM, boom-BOOM. You’re wet, but now it’s coming from you instead of the environment. You stop frequently, trying to catch your breath.

tsuktulik

The views keep getting better. You hurt, but you want the summit. You keep going, passing the old man on the mountain.

tsuktulik

You’re at the knife-edge now. Step carefully. It’s a long way down.

tsuktulik

Summit at last. Get the camera! Where are the snacks? Rest and enjoy the view. It’s indescribable. Photos don’t do it justice. That tiny speck down there at the river is our boat. We still have to walk back to it.

tsuktulik

This is the best picnic you’ve had in a long time, maybe ever. You’re on top of the world! You own this place! There are no other humans for miles, no trace of man’s works. What a place!

tsuktulik

 

tsuktulik

 

tsuktulik

 

tsuktulik

 

tsuktulik

 

For more information about the Goodnews River Lodge, please visit this link…

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

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The Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron

great blue heron

The Great Blue Heron glides through the shallows on stilt-like legs, poised, powerful, looking for any small creature unfortunate enough not to be mindful of its safety. They strike like a rattlesnake, swift and deadly. Any human fisherman would do well to emulate their silent, stealthy approach to catching fish. Watching a great blue heron feeding is a fascinating way to spend some time.

great blue heron

The great blue heron is a large, beautiful bird that will astound you with the size of fish they are capable of swallowing, whole and usually still wiggling, of course. Years ago my son Maxx caught a crevalle jack. The fish was about a pound and a half, and was deeply hooked. By the time I got the hook out, the fish was clearly not going to survive. There was a great blue heron nearby, and I tossed the fish to the bird, wondering how he could possibly eat it.

great blue heron

The first thing he did was spear the fish right through. Then he tossed it up and got it by the head, and started trying to swallow it. I kept looking at the girth of the fish, and the thinness of the bird’s neck, and thought to myself that there was no way that bird could swallow that fish.

great blue heron

The bird tossed the fish and re-positioned it again and again, for at least ten minutes. Finally he got it in just the right place, and the fish simply disappeared down the bird’s throat. The huge lump moved down the bird’s neck into the body and disappeared. I was flabbergasted.

Since then I’ve watched great blues eat a surprising variety of items. Many a giant mullet, a rat, a variety of snakes, a stingray (a small one), these are only a few of the items I’ve watched blue herons spear and eat. Their bill is rapier-like and strikes with astonishing speed. Once the bird is in range it seldom misses.

Great blue herons are common birds around ponds, rivers, and other bodies of water. Try taking some time to observe how this fascinating bird goes about its daily business.

 

great blue heron

Most birds have a nictitating membrane, which functions like an eyelid.

The great blue heron will make you darned glad you’re not a small fish.

 

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

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Neighborhood Walk- A Photo Essay

neighborhood walk

trees have spirits

Neighborhood Walk- A Photo Essay

When you haven’t been out in a few days and you’re sick of sitting and staring at a computer you need to take a neighborhood walk. I’m fortunate my wife is smarter than me and landed us in a nice place. So when I take my little Nikon AW-100 and go for a neighborhood walk the chances of my finding something to photograph are good. Perhaps after looking at today’s photos, the result of less than an hour’s work, you will agree.

The tortoises wouldn’t pose.   🙁

neighborhood walk

that’s a lotta bull

 

neighborhood walk

posted

 

neighborhood walk

pollen cones

 

neighborhood walk

trailhead

 

neighborhood walk

milkweed blossoms

 

neighborhood walk

ferns

 

neighborhood walk

fern

 

neighborhood walk

feathers

 

neighborhood walk

century plant

 

neighborhood walk

loquats

Delicious loquats are ripe. Other than me no one seems to eat them.

neighborhood walk

aloe flowers

 

neighborhood walk

Bougainvillea plus

 

 

neighborhood walk

an american mailbox

Thank you for looking at my neighborhood walk.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

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  • Spring Harvest
  • Lots of Loquats
  • Loquats

Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report and Photo Essay

Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report 32214

The Mitzi is still for sale! It’s just had an annual service, and at that time the hours were 984.

My contact at the Circle K store in Christmas told me last week he caught a seatrout so big its photo weighed 32 pounds.

Bumper sticker of the week-

fcat sticker

On Sunday Mr. Derek Wensky, from San Francisco, found himself riding over the surface of the Indian River Lagoon in the Mitzi. He had never fished in Florida before. I can’t claim fishing was fabulous, or even hot, but he did catch a few. First came a redfish, a modest fellow that made the error of biting Derek’s DOA CAL Shad tail. After him quite a few fish laughed at our attempts. While we were eating lunch I soaked a piece of mullet. A handsome seatrout ate it. Lastly, we found a clump of black drum. Derek switched from the shad to a clear DOA Shrimp and one of those drum was fooled. Most of the fish we saw had too much sense to bite though.

indian river lagoon fishing report

Derek had never heard of black drum before this.

 

indian river lagoon fishing report

DOA Shrimp- deadly on anything.

Monday’s trip was blown out.

Tuesday’s trip was blown out.

Wednesday found me in a room at the Orlando VAMC with Dr. Tran. She said to come back next year. Can’t say the exam was anything more than cursory.

Thursday was the first day of spring! Brasileiro Kelven Lopes, a fly fishing fisheries biologist who lives in Brasilia, found himself riding over the surface of the Indian River Lagoon in the Mitzi. He was a real good angler and got a couple reds on my redfish bitters fly right out of the gate.

indian river lagoon fishing report

They don’t have redfish in Brasil. This was Kelven’s first.

Things slowed down then. We changed spots and he got a nice trout on a big black wooly bugger.

indian river lagoon fishing report

They don’t have seatrout in Brasil, either. Kelven prepares to release this one.

We found another clump of black drum that did not take anything we tried. But he got another redfish, the best of the day, on an ugly fly with a rubber hackle tail, a brown estaz body, and a rubber hackle wing.

indian river lagoon fishing report

Best fish of the day.

We went to another spot but there was nothing there so we returned to a place we had already fished. The fish were still laughing at us as we left, although we should not forget about nor discount the four quality puffers my flies cleverly fooled!

indian river lagoon fishing report

Recording the puffer for posterity.

I hadn’t used my Portuguese in a long time but it was better than his English so that’s how we communicated. Misquecindo todos todos todos!

On Friday Scott Townsend and his friend Brandon joined me for a day on the Indian River Lagoon. We were snakebit. Brandon got a redfish right away on a DOA CAL Shad. He then missed three strikes in a row, at which point the fish in that spot shut down.

indian river lagoon fishing report

A happy Brandon. Things went downhill from here.

 

indian river lagoon fishing report

The DOA CAL Shad gets yet another redfish.

We went trout fishing for a while, getting a lot of little ones on fly and on DOA Shrimp. When that got old we went looking for redfish again. We spooked several while Scott and Brandon got the hang of sight fishing. Then a big one showed up. Brandon made a perfect cast and hooked the fish, at least 20 pounds. I gave chase with the boat. I was getting ready to grab the fish when it dove under the boat, breaking the line in the process. Damn.

indian river lagoon fishing report

Brandon has a big fish on and he’s happy. Sadly it did not last.

We looked in three other spots. No fish in one, no bites in the next, one bite and a breakoff for Scott in the last, which is how our day ended.

Tip of the week- when a fly rod and a pushpole joust the fly rod always loses.

indian river lagoon fishing report

And the winner, by a landslide, is….

And that is this week’s Indian 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 2014. All rights are reserved.

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Flamingo Fishing Report and Photo Essay

Flamingo Fishing Report and Photo Essay

Monday morning Tom Mitzlaff came down and loaded his stuff into my van, then hitched his trailer to it. We drove off, heading to Flamingo.

Tom had never been there.

We started late, had a couple of stops, so got there late. We got a campsite and set up the tent. As we checked out the greater Flamingo metro area I was disappointed that no tarpon were rolling anywhere.

Early the next morning we launched our boats. Tom was in a Solo Skiff, I in an Old Town canoe.

flamingo fishing report

Tom preps the Solo Skiff for launching.

flamingo fishing report

And we’re off!

Tom towed me to the fishing area, which worked very well and saved lots of time.

flamingo fishing report

Tom used the Solo Skiff to tow the canoe.

We hadn’t been there long when I spotted a snook. It ate the fly, then cut me right off. We then expected great things.

flamingo fishing report

Looking for snook alone a lee shoreline. There were too few of these.

They did not materialize. The water was a touch too deep, the sky a bit too cloudy, the wind a bit too strong. We saw quite a few fish but did not have that many good shots. Fish that have been run over don’t bite real well. It was hard to see them before we were on top of them, hard to control the boats when we did.

I had a great shot at a pair of redfish. They looked at the gurgler closely, said no. Gurglers and redfish, not so good. I wished I had a small slider tied on. But I wanted the gurgler for the snook.

We got to the second spot. A 15-knot wind was blowing right into it, all whitecaps. We went back to spot number one.

I tried using the spin rod with the CAL Shad. After spooking two fish in spite of good presentations I went back to the fly.

I spotted an unsuspecting fish and dropped the fly in front of it. BAM! A nice snook, five pounds or so.

flamingo fishing report

A nice snook of about five pounds.

The gurgled is great for snook, not so hot for redfish.

The gurgler is great for snook, not so hot for redfish.

I got two more little ones blindcasting the CAL shad around some dead timber.

During the day we must have blown out at least two dozen snook. If we had just slightly better conditions I think it could have been great. The line between success and failure when fly fishing can be so thin…

Wednesday morning we awoke to discover someone had relieved Tom of his pushpole during the night. That was so considerate of them.

Without the pole we couldn’t fish, so we visited Mahogany Hammock and the Anhinga Trail. Except for losing the pole it was all good.

flamingo fishing report

A tricolor heron along the Anhinga Trail.

A resurrection fern along Mahogany Hammock.

A resurrection fern along Mahogany Hammock.

This anhinga looks ready for mating season.

This anhinga looks ready for mating season.

What would a trip to the everglades be without a little alligator action?

What would a trip to the everglades be without a little alligator action?

We stopped in Miami to visit Bob Stearns on the way home. He gave us some fishing stuff. Thank you so much, Bob!

The radiator on my van blew up at some point down there. At least it got us home! Thursday I bought a new one. Friday I had fun installing it. Saturday had a forecast high of 55 and was very windy. I wanted to fish but not in those conditions.

And that is this week’s Flamingo fishing report. Again, I hope to get out more this week!

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 2014. All rights are reserved.

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Third Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure Report

Third Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure Report

A Merry Christmas to All!!!

Blog Posts this Week:
Demand Clean Water Now!

In our last installment our Paddle Adventurers were at River Palms Cottages.

The remaining Paddle Adventurers ended up spending two nights at River Palms. The second day there we gave a talk at the Florida Oceanographic Institute on Hutchison Island. Ellie kindly gave us a $100 gift card for a local restaurant, so we got to eat once again.

Son Maxx and his darlin’ Sydney showed up to join the adventure that night. So did Nate Lemars, a friend of Rodney’s. Maxx came in a vehicle. Nate had been chasing us in a kayak for three days.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Stretching before paddling.

Sunrise was spectacular. A departing sportfisherman serenaded us for a while with Eminem at ear-shattering volume. Then we packed up and departed ourselves.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Mike Conneen watches as the sun rises at River Palms.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Eminem goes out to sea in this sportfisherman.

Our goal was modest- Long Island, near the St. Lucie Inlet. It was an easy paddle. Rodney and I spotted a couple of fish on Marcia’s flat. We stopped and fished it but nothing bit our offerings, so we continued to the island.

Long Island was one of the nicer spoil islands that we camped on, so much so that we spent two nights there (unused weather days). There was some seagrass on the ocean side of it where there were a few fish. Rodney got a seatrout, Nate got a legal-sized snook on the last day of the season. Most of us got a few jack crevalle, although they were all small.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

The peas grew around out campsite.

The next morning Nate got a nice flounder. Then we had some visitors (other than the rats).

First were Marcia Foosaner and her friend Ros. They gave us presents including a pair of pompano jigs (never did catch a pompano, though) and a pompano. They couldn’t stay long and were too soon gone. Thanks to them for being so gracious.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Sydney with a sea star.

Jim Moir, Disney Conservationist of the Year, was next. He did not bring gifts but invited us to camp in his yard. As it turned out we did, too.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Rodney takes a turn at the stove.

Dinner that evening was a fish-lover’s extravaganza- pan-fried flounder and snook, baked trout and pompano. Delicious and bastante!

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Dinner- delicious and plentiful.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Everyone was happy, feeding the beast.

After dinner we got the fire cranking. Mim and Sydney went to work with the palmetto fronds, making a fire visible from space. Yes, I’m exaggerating.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

The ladies were pyromaniacs. Who knew?

In the morning Mark Nichols and Ed Zyak came in. They had coffee and doughnuts- how to be popular when visiting campers!

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Coffee and doughnuts will make friends quick when offered to campers.

Mark invited me to go fishing with them, and I jumped at the offer. We stopped at a flat near the inlet and got out to wade. Almost immediately I spied a cruising fish and tossed a faux shrimp at it- BANG! A twenty-four inch snook was my reward. Other than a few small jacks it was all we got, but the wading was very pleasant and it’s always enjoyable being around Mark and Ed. Many thanks to both of them.

When I got back to camp everyone was gone to Jim Moir’s house but Rodney. The paddle was short and easy, an outgoing tide and north wind pushing us along. Then we got to the house. I had missed Maxx and Sydney, who had already left for home.

It’s on top of a cliff. Two telephone poles with a pulley system are used to move the boats up to the top. I wanted a photo of the operation but all able-bodied men were involved in moving boats and gear, so no time for photos.

The house was gorgeous. The fact it had hot showers and flush toilets made it that much more appealing. We shared our dinner with the Moirs and they shared theirs with us, quite lovely. Our most heartfelt thanks to them for their hospitality.

It was cold that night. For the first time on the trip I got inside of my sleeping bag.

An early start greeted us the next morning. We had a long paddle, a tide to beat, a program to give at the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, and had to find a place to camp. We slid the boats down the “ramp” with the help of the pulley, loaded up, and headed out.

We paddled south through the Narrows. Aptly named, in spots it was barely wide enough for the Old Town. I thought we should see fish and wildlife there but it was very sparse.

We came back out to the ICW. A north wind pushed us along nicely. We came to the Hobe Sound refuge and beached our craft. Mike volunteered to stay with the boats while we did our talk.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

A dredging operation along the ICW.

In the middle of the talk a woman stuck her head into the room and said, “You guys have a place to stay tonight at the Jupiter Pointe Marina.” She came in a woman but left as an angel. What great news that was! As it turned out Mike was not only watching the boats, he was looking for a place for all of us to sleep.

A little after 3 PM we left the refuge, with three and a half miles to paddle to reach the Marina. We got there about 30 minutes before sunset. What a place! A beach for the boats, a big grassy area for us, a bar and restaurant, flush toilets, running water, picnic tables, firewood- they really did us right! All the Paddle Adventurers send Jupiter Pointe Marina their deepest appreciation.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Jupiter Pointe Marina by moonlight.

In the morning we took our time. It was our last day and we did not have far to go, so no need to hurry. That last paddle took us past some plush properties to the north of Jupiter Inlet, and Rodney even caught a crevalle jack. We came to Jupiter Light and the light keeper came down to yell at us- “You can’t stay there, you have to go on the other side of the fence!” What a jerk. We just left.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Jupiter Light was nice, the keeper, not so much.

We got to the River Center on the Loxahatchee River, at Burt Reynolds Park. It was kind of a weird feeling. We were done paddling! What an anticlimax! Jim, Mim’s friend, showed up with some sparkling cider and champagne for us and we all had a toast. We took a few photos. Rodney and I had a presentation to give at the River Center, so we headed off to do that.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

Photos were taken.

When we were done our friends were still waiting for us so everyone could say goodbye. I don’t know if there were any tears but there were plenty of hugs. Then we all loaded our gear into vehicles and got in. That was that.

That wasn’t that, though. I have the most wonderful new friends, new brothers as Bones would say. I had been blown away all along the lagoon by the kindness and generosity of strangers. I have new hope that the people who had been so kind, so generous, so concerned, can all get organized and fight to preserve, to restore this fabulous place we call the Indian River Lagoon.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

The core group. We grew on each other.

It would be a tragedy to do anything less. Demand Clean Water Now!

My most sincere thanks to everyone who paddled with us, especially the core paddlers- Nick, Mike, Bones, and Rodney.

Indian River Paddle Adventure

That is this week’s exciting version of the Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure 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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Second IRL Paddle Adventure Report

paddle adventure

Second IRL Paddle Adventure Report

Gray sky, howling wind. The whitecaps were breaking over the gunwales of the canoe. The shoreline was only inching closer. The “adventure” part of the IRL Paddle Adventure made its presence felt in an all-too-real way.

The IRL Paddle Adventurers left Samson’s Island after a pleasant two night stay. A pair of great horned owls serenaded us to sleep each evening while we were there. We observed that they were a mating pair. Apparently the actual act of mating occurs very quickly in great horned owls, taking approximately three seconds in this particular case.

paddle adventure

These owls serenaded us.

I thought I might find owl pellets at the base of the tree they were in. What I found was an active beehive. I left the area as quickly as possible.

The Trip to Lagoon House was uneventful. There was not a lot of camping space there and several of us were literally at the water’s edge, But the Lagoon-Palooza was well attended and MRC garnered several new members. The IRL Paddle Adventurers would like to sincerely thank everyone who came out to see us.

On the next day’s paddle we stopped at Honest John’s Fish Camp and ate our lunch. Honest John’s represents the finest of what’s left of old Florida- funky, laid-back, gracious, a cool place. We chatted with Elliot, who worked there, and Barbara Arthur, a wonderful lady, one of the owners. She has several IGFA world record seatrout to her credit, quite the woman.

paddle adventure

Honest John’s Fish Camp

Our next stop was Long Point Park, near Sebastian Inlet. The park graciously donated two campsites to us for our stay. It was sad getting there in a way because that’s where Dee Kaminsky was leaving us. Mike Conneen’s brother Matt came by with two pots of vegetarian chili with all the fixin’s and fed the lot of us, the sort of kindness that has made this trip so outstanding. The IRL Paddle Adventurers would like to sincerely thank Matt Conneen for his delicious contribution.

paddle adventure

The storks hoped for handouts that never came.

On the bright side of this particular stop, Karen of Karen’s Kayaks joined us for the overnight and the next day’s paddle and Brian the kayak fisherman joined us for three days.

paddle adventure

Brian brought a cheering section.

A half-dozen wood storks hung around waiting for handouts. Since we had hardly caught any fish (a recurring theme on this trip) we had nothing for them. Feeding the wildlife is never a good idea anyway.

We paddled through miles of stinky water the next day. The seagrass has been replaced by a red alga that collects in depressions on the bottom where it rots. The rotting algae stinks. It was like that for miles.

paddle adventure

This stuff collects and rots, raising quite the stink.

We thought we would catch some fish in the vicinity of Sebastian Inlet but no one did. Nearing Wabasso Rodney managed to get a slam- redfish, two snook, seatrout, and a crevalle thrown in for good measure. All the fish combined maybe would weigh two pounds.

paddle adventure

The larger of Rodney’s two snook.

paddle adventure

Our best redfish of the trip- so far.

Evening found us at the Environmental Learning Center at Wabasso, the nicest of this type of facility that I’ve seen. They allowed us to camp there, take showers, and wash our nasty clothes. Then, Lou and Laurie of Chive in Vero Beach came out with a portable kitchen and cooked us an amazing dinner- steak, shrimp, three-beans and rice, condiments, sauces, truly amazing stuff. The IRL Paddle Adventurers would like to sincerely thank Lou and Laurie for their delicious contribution.

I got confused navigating the next morning and missed the route I wanted to take. Because of that error we got to meet Dr. Grant Gilmore, who had come out to see us. We stopped and conversed about IRL fisheries and their protection. Apparently the county wants to put in a boat ramp at the location of the best seatrout spawning habitat remaining in the south end of the Indian River Lagoon. Dr. Gilmore does not think this is a good idea, and I agree with him.

paddle adventure

Dr. Grant Gilmore makes a point.

Just north of the north causeway in Vero Beach the most amazing thing happened- we began seeing seagrass again. With the seagrass came all kinds of bait, too. Crabs, no. Large fish, no. Rays, no. But there was still grass there, and we’ve seen it more or less all the way to Jensen Beach.

Rodney’s son James and two of his friends joined us on the south side of Vero beach. They camped with us that night on the best spoil island of the trip. There was a pocket of deep water on the north side of it and we caught jacks and ladyfish there, most of us catching at least a few. I even broke out the fly rod and caught a ladyfish.

paddle adventure

James was happy to see us too.

Sunset was spectacular, a gorgeous, calm evening.

paddle adventure

James photographs the sunset.

 

paddle adventure

Dusk at Home Sweet Home.

Morning broke gray and windy, a solid 15 from the north. Mim, a kayaker from Sebastian, joined us for the duration of the trip.

paddle adventure

Mim truly is epic.

Rodney and I tied our canoe to Nick’s and we put up sails. We made great time to Fort Pierce and without thinking it through too well kept right on going. We stopped at a speck of dirt south of the causeway. Suddenly the wind doubled in intensity, pushing up big, ugly whitecaps. We had to leave- our speck would be underwater at high tide. So we made for the nearest shore. It was a tense, scary ride but fortunately everyone made it safely.

But now we had to find a place to stop.

The entire shoreline there is mangroves behind which are mosquito impoundments. There is no place to stop, much less camp. We got to Little Mud Creek just before sundown and that’s where we spent the night, wind howling, surf crashing.

paddle adventure

There were miles of mangrove shorelines south of Fort Pierce.

We got going as early as possible the next morning. Our destination was Jensen Beach.

Both Caribbean Shores and River Palms Cottages offered us donated lodging. We ended up at River Palms, from where I type this. The IRL Paddle Adventurers would like to sincerely thank both facilities for their generous donation. My only regret is we couldn’t manage to stay at both places.

Mim bought all the Paddle Adventurers dinner last night. The IRL Paddle Adventurers would like to sincerely her for her generous donation!

Speaking of donations, you can still sponsor a paddler and donate to the MRC Education fund at this link…

We are scheduled to give a presentation at the Florida Oceanographic Institute in an hour. Tomorrow we recommence our adventure.

Life is short- go fishing.

Life is great and I love my work!

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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  • Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure launches Dec. 1
  • Paddlers heading out on 19 day Indian River Lagoon adventure

First IRL Paddle Adventure Report

First IRL Paddle Adventure Report

We had too much stuff. I looked at the mountain of gear and looked at the Old Town, wondering how it could all fit. Somehow it did. Looked ugly, load felt high, but we were off and headed to Jupiter. Like the sound of that, feels like we were off on a space exploration. In a way I suppose we were.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

We had too much stuff. We made it work.

Thirteen boats launched from JB’s Fish camp that morning. Some were only with us for the day. Others were going to Titusville or beyond, or all the way to Jupiter.

We looked for redfish from JB’s to ICW Marker 13, didn’t see much. The weather was gray, misty. We couldn’t see the east shore of Mosquito Lagoon. But such breeze as there was pushed us along beautifully. It was an easy first day’s paddle, the way you’d plan it if you had control over such things as the wind speed or direction. Perfect.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

A crown conch on black mangrove roots along the way.

 

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

Black mangrove seeds along a Mosquito Lagoon shoreline.

 

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

This is how hard we were looking for redfish.

The second night we camped on a spoil island west of Haulover Canal. Dee had gotten a redfish and Jay was cooking it up. One fish wouldn’t go far feeding ten. Jim Dyce was wading around the island casting a gold spoon. He said, “I have a big fish. I don’t know what it is.” It was another redfish. That fish was on people’s plates about 20 minutes later, hot and delicious.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

Jim Dyce got lucky, and we got dinner.

 

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

The fillets on the fire.

Another wonderful paddle (we’ve been blessed with the weather so far) put us on the spoil island just north of Parrish Park. We had a party to go to at Dixie Crossroads, time to bathe! It’s amazing how stinky you can get in only three days.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

Exploring a spoil pile along the Indian River Lagoon.

Capt. Mark Wright came out and picked us up, a very nice thing for him to do. He brought us to Parrish Park and also gave a ride to the restaurant. About 30 people were there to celebrate with us and feast on some of the seafood that Dixie Crossroads is famous for. Personally I concentrated on the oysters and shrimp, merely sampling the blue crabs and clams. After three days of paddling it was extremely delicious, and very kind of Lauralee to do for us. Thanks from all the paddlers to Dixie Crossroads for such a fantastic fete.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

People are having fun. Mike, coneening around.

The kayakers expressed surprise at how fast Rodney and I travel. we can exceed the speed of any of them. We have an Old Town Penobscot, a well-designed canoe. We have Bending Branches paddles, a bent shaft model for the bow and a straight shaft for the stern. Rodney is like internal combustion in the bow. We get a good rythym and the miles fly by.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

Nick is not making the speed Rodney and I are. With weather like this that’s not important.

Wednesday morning the mayor of Titusville came out to paddle with us for a while. While it was nice chatting, we had a long way to go. We decided to hit it while the weather was with us. As it turned out it was with us all the way, God smiling on fools and paddlers, apparently.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

Mr. Mayor, out for a spin.

We found a school of black drum south of the NASA Causeway. The one we had for dinner took a smoke colored DOA Shrimp.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

Pasta, pasta, pasta! Dinner while camping!

While paddling Thursday a flight of white pelicans flew over us. I had a brief glimpse of God. Take Him where you find Him…

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

The white pelicans are trying to earn a living on the lagoon.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

Spoonbills roosting on a spoil island, Indian River Lagoon.

 

The water has been high the entire way. We have not seen a blade of seagrass south of Rinker Canal. Fish have been scarce. While we are paddling more than fishing, we’re certainly looking for fish all along the way. We have not seen many.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

Fish have been scarce, but we have gotten a few puffers.

But we are having a marvelous time, partly because the weather has been perfect, partly because everyone in the group has been awesome. Bones Benton said this is the coolest thing he’s ever done. Mr. Benton has done some way cool things, too.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

Nick paddles the stars and stripes along the Indian River Lagoon.

We haven’t needed so much as a band-aid, either.

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

A tree snail in a red mangrove tree.

We’d like to thank Vince and Jim and the Mayor and the Crabman and everyone else who has paddled with us. We’d like to also thank those folks who have said, “Hey, we read about you in the newspaper!” And of course Laurie needs a huge thank you for the incredible cookies!

Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure

This is the worst weather we’ve had to deal with- a single passing shower.

Saturday December 7 we’ll be at the Indian River Festival at Pelican Beach Park in Satellite Beach. Sunday we’ll be at Lagoon-Palooza at the Lagoon House in Melbourne. Please come out and see us.

That’s the First IRL Paddle Adventure Report. I will do the second as soon as I am able.

Life is short- go fishing.

Life is great and I love my work!

John Kumiski

Home- Spotted Tail Outdoors and Travel


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Fishing Report, Goodnews River

Fishing Report, Goodnews River

To all my readers, my apologies for not posting for a month. My old Macintosh stopped communicating with the server at Goodnews and I could not get online.

If you have sent me an email since early August chances are it’s been deleted. I had almost 800 to deal with and many fell through huge cracks in my attention span. If it was important, please send me another.

This is the report from 8/13, the last one I wrote:

Unfortunately no crazy stories came out of Goodnews River Lodge this week. We must have a house full of normal guests! It has rained every day, however.

The river is high and discolored, and still rising.

The silver salmon and dolly varden are coming in like crazy, though. The dollies are still in their favorite spots. The silvers search for clean, quiet water. Finding them can require searching, but they eat well when discovered.

Gary Vasquez and Linda Martuch laid a hurt on a couple dozen silver salmon, using poppers while fishing with me the other day.

Ray-Ray and Mike tuned up dozens of dollies way up the main stem of the Goodnews on a variety of flies. The bigest was 24 inches. I thought we had a real big dolly when Mike jumped a nice fish using a gurgler. It turned out to be a silver salmon though. Ray also got a nice rainbow trout on a dolly lama fly. Both of them got fairly hooked sockeye salmon, nice red ones, too.

Generally, I take men out fishing here. This week I had the good fortune to have two lovely young women as my anglers.

The girls, sisters, were novice fly fishers. We worked on casting some, then proceeded to fish. Their casting skills weren’t great (they would have a rough time on Mosquito Lagoon) but this is Alaska. They caught some silver salmon. While they did not want to export any, we had a bleeder. We kept it for camp.

Rachel wanted to learn how to filet the fish, so I gave her a lesson. For a first one she did a fine job.

Fishing report, goodnews river

Rachel fillets her first fish. Apparently she’s enjoying it.

As it turns out Michelle is a student at Tufts University, about five miles from the house where I grew up. We talked about Medford, about Boston.

Fishing report, goodnews river

Sister Michelle takes a break from Tufts U.

We went fishing for dollies after lunch. The fish, as usual, were cooperative. The girls caught a bunch by using gurglers.

For one of us at least it was a delightful day, a welcome change of pace from grumpy old men (sorry, guys). Thank you, Rachel and Michelle.

Since then, silver season was again incredible. I had the pleasure of fishing so many fine people, I was blessed in that way. As the season neared its end the feeling became decidedly autumnal- shorter days, the willow leaves turning gold and falling everywhere, the silver salmon turning red, the constant honking of migrating geese. Bears made their appearance, finally. Some of our guides went hunting. The ptarmigan and ducks were delicious. A native gave one of us a big chunk of moose meat. My last night I camp I had a moose steak, quite the toothsome piece of protein, I must say.

Here’s a short photo essay that hopefully puts some of the season in perspective-

Fishing report, goodnews river

Capt. Souza with a 23 inch rainbow trout.

 

Fishing report, goodnews river

Leili is happy with this dolly varden.

 

Fishing report, goodnews river

Don Kane caught this nice dolly with a bead.

 

Fishing report, goodnews river

Maio, again with a dolly.

 

Fishing report, goodnews river

Brittany adds another silver salmon to a load already caught.

 

Fishing report, goodnews river

Joe Levin tosses a salmon carcass.

 

Fishing report, goodnews river

Full circle, with Jessi and Ross.

One’s readers can show up anywhere. We were out fishing one day and some rafters floated by. One of them yelled to us, “Are you the guide Kumiski?” “Yes I am,” I called back. “I read your blog!” he said. Needless to say my head swelled like a beach ball. Susan should have been there to keep me humble. She does that well.

It was with both relief and melancholy that I left Goodnews this morning. God willing I will be back next year.

And that is the last Goodnews River Fishing Report of this season. Back to central Florida waters reports next week, assuming the Mitzi will start.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Get out and live!

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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