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The Bassheaven Report

May 7, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

The Bassheaven Report

Thanks for reading this Bassheaven report. I returned to Ocala National Forest this week. I can assure you that summer has made its way into central Florida, despite what the astronomers might say.

Last week I was all excited about my Squirmles flies. The fish eat them. Then the Squirmles fall apart. Failed experiment. Stick to rabbit strips, John.

Tuesday

A bit of loveliness at Cowpen Pond.

In the morning I made my way up to the Forest. First fishing stop was Cowpen Pond, a beautiful place. Dropped the kayak in and began a short reconnaissance. Because the fish weren’t hitting like a pack of starving piranhas, I only stayed there an hour or so. I suspect it deserves more attention- it was my first time there, after all!

Lots of water lilies all through the Forest.

From there I went to Echo Lake. This one was real small- five acres! I took a few casts from shore, didn’t see anything or get a bite, so I left.

Went to Sellers Lake. Cast a few times from the shoreline, wasn’t feeling it, left and went to Farles Lake. It gave up quite a few bass, all small, and danged few on the fly.

From there I made my way to Alexander Springs Recreation Area. Checked in, and met Nick Colantonio at the campsite. We dined, and chatted, and watched it get dark, and crashed, Nick in his tent, I in the van. It was warm. Glad I have fans!

Wednesday

Alexander Springs Run.

We went to Alexander Springs Run. The bass, all small ones, bit well in the morning on both flies and plastic worms. They were still on beds there, the only ones we saw. As the sun climbed, the action shut down. We paddled up to the spring. It’s such a pretty creek! Fished most of the way back with two dinkers to show for it.

Why do I call it bass heaven??

It was still pretty early. Nick wanted to hang out. I went to Sellers Lake. I did not get any monsters but action was good on both fly and plastic. I found schooling fish and missed five strikes on as many casts. I checked the fly- broken hook. Put a new one on, got a couple fish, started missing them again. Checked the fly- broken hook. I don’t think I’ve ever broken two hooks on a trip before, much less in ten minutes. I’m in a boat- it’s not like I’m hitting rocks on the backcast.

Sellers Lake sunset.

Thursday

Nick wasn’t feeling well. I went to Sellers Lake alone, with the idea of paddling through the canal to Chain-O-Lakes. The trip through the canal was about a mile long, the cranes giving a Jurassic feel to the spectacular morning. Got fish immediately upon arrival, first on plastic, then on the bug. Schoolies were chasing bait, exciting fishing although the fish were small.

The lake had a small beach, rare in my brief Forest experience. I went there to have lunch and spend some time not sitting in the kayak. I waded and fly cast without result to a grassline. Reeled in to wade back and take lunch. A five-pound bass swam right past me- I swear it was checking me out, sensing it was safe, perhaps?

Landing the beast.

While eating I was tossing crumbs to the sunnies and guppies, watching them jockey for position to get the cheese. I look up, and sitting fifteen feet away is a four-pound bass, just watching me. Knowing it wouldn’t work, I bent down, picked up the spin rod, and tossed the worm out five feet beyond the fish. To my utter astonishment the fish went right over and sucked it in. I caught it! Best fish of the trip!

The photo doesn’t do this fish justice.

Returned to camp to check on Nick. He wanted to try the late shift. We went to Grasshopper Lake, a beautiful piece of water. We got a few fish but it was slow…

The bug in question, in the maw of the fish.

Friday

The dragonflies were plentiful and colorful.

We went to Sellers Lake. A few schoolies on fly, a few fish blind-casting plastic. I was to drive home afterwards, so quit when the action slowed.

Nick makes his way out on the lake.

It was great seeing Nick, and Ocala Forest truly is bass heaven. But I won’t be camping in Florida again until about November. It’s getting to be dawn patrol time of year for anglers.

Flycasting to schoolies.

Nick, thanks for joining me!

That’s the bassheaven 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 destinations, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , ,

The Fishing Was Mostly Blown Out Report

April 22, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

The Fishing Was Mostly Blown Out Report

Thanks for reading this Fishing Was Mostly Blown Out report. Yes, we had a small craft advisory every day but Monday, the day I had to go to the doctor. Tough fishing when it’s blowing 15-20 every day.

Monday

evening I went to a retention pond, maybe a new favorite? I was throwing the mouse fly and got three very aggressive, and fat, bluegills. I also got three bass, the biggest of which was maybe a pound. So we’re not talking big fish, but it’s close to home, the water looks decent, and I get bites. Not gonna complain about that! Need to dig out the three-weight.

Tuesday

found me first go to Bitter’s to buy some stickbaits, then shore fishing at the pond in Christmas, using a light spin rod with one of my new lures. I got three bass, all small, one ridiculously so. I stopped at Tosohatchee. The biologists put 30 unmarked fish attractors in Lake Charley last week. They told me, “Go find ’em.” A future project for me, maybe.

Wednesday

I took a walk with a camera at Orlando Wetlands Park. There were lots of wildflowers.

Pickerelweed.

 

Fleabane.

Found a spot where the bass were partying, including an easily four-pound fish. Fishing is not allowed at Orlando Wetlands Park.

Thursday

I took some advice I got from Duane De Freese about 20 (maybe 30?) years ago and went for a walk with my camera at the Enchanted Forest in Titusville. It’s nice, perhaps not quite enchanted, but nice. Certainly beats apartment complexes and strip malls.

Dragonfly, order Odonata.

 

Roseling.

 

Zebra butterfly (genus Heliconius) feeding on Texas sage.

 

Coral bean.

 

Bastard indigo-bush.

Afterwards, I went to the Fox Lake Sanctuary. I need to launch the Bang-O-Craft there at the lake and do some exploring…

Friday

This is the type of bluegills I was catching.

I had errands to run, and cooking to do. In between I did something I have not done in a long time. I got the three-weight out and went bluegill fishing. It was fun! I got ten or so in a couple hours, with that many missed strikes, too. And it can still be done under a small craft advisory!

A bonus bass, the size of all my bass this week!

Monday next I get cataract surgery on the left eye, which means I’m pretty laid up all week while it heals. Since I’ll have little to report, probably no report next week!

That’s the Fishing Was Mostly Blown Out 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 destinations, Fishing Reports, Photo Essays · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

St. George Island Report

April 2, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

St. George Island Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the St. George Island report. It was nice having a week off from posting!

I had to lay low after my cataract surgery. To fill some of the time, I built myself a kayak cart using these plans- https://palmettokayakfishing.blogspot.com/2011/04/diy-bulletproof-kayak-cart-build.html . I’m very happy with the resulting cart!

While cruising the internet, I ran into the Scottish Nature Photography awards. I particularly like the image below, which wasn’t even a first-place winner. The work is of the highest quality, well worth a visit- https://scottishnaturephotographyawards.com/index.html

This image, one of my favorites, wasn’t even a first place winner. © Mick Durham.

OK, the report.

Sunday,

Susan and I rode the Sienna all the way to St. George Island. We had a ron-day-voo planned with Jim and Kathy Tedesco, with a week-long stay at a beach house involved. The “beach” house was actually on St. George Sound, complete with a lighted dock, where by far our most consistent fishing happened.

Monday

Jim and I went fishing at the state park. We started almost at low tide, moving a few unidentified fish. We came to a distinct point on an oyster bar. I suggested we abandon the boat and work the point.

There were some fish there.

I hit first, with a slot red on a Clouser Minnow. I called Jim over, who hit next with a black drum on a slider. When the tide was too deep to wade that spot anymore, we had gotten seven of eight black drum and a couple redfish. Which was a good thing, because we didn’t touch another fish that day.

That night, though, we got a half-dozen slot trout off the dock, using my old friend the 3″ plastic shad.

Dawn on the beach at St. George Island is worth losing some sleep for.

Tuesday,

we went back to the same place looking for the drum. I hoped they would be in the same place on the same tide. Sadly, wrong, John! We fished around the oysters for a while without success, then went to another spot that’s been good to me. We worked it for at least an hour, for an undersized red and a single, 19-inch trout, both on the plastic shad.

We poled a mile or so of great-looking flats. They were wet, but fishless.

Tuesday night, the dock produced two trout and two redfish for us, on the shad.

Wednesday

Some marvelous engineering on the beach.

Susan and I went for a walk on the state park’s East Slough Nature trail, then walked about a mile of beach. I chatted with a couple other fishermen, both snowbirds. One told me he’d spent the last eight winters fishing the Florida coast from Pensacola to St. George Island. This year’s fishing was the worst he’d experienced, although he could offer no explanation as to why. The other was from Michigan. He spent a week this time of year every year for the last thirteen, on St. George Island. The fishing this year was the worst by far, although again, the reason was unknown.

The sunsets weren’t too shabby, either.

It seems our timing might have been better, but we had no way of knowing that until we got here. The dock produced a limit of trout that night, though.

Thursday

In the morning a strong cold front came through. We did exciting things like washing laundry and writing blogs. In the afternoon Jim and I went to the state park to fish. We got a half-dozen reds between us, all out of the slot on the low end. Got some trout off the dock after dark, using a Sting Silver.

Friday

we went on a tourist excursion to Apalachicola, which fortunately was uncrowded. The weather was spectacular! We had a great lunch at the Seafood Grill. I used my phone to take some (mostly bad) pictures around town.

 

 

I was looking forward to a hot evening of fishing off the dock. The fish did not get the memo- they never showed.

Saturday

was a clean-up and pack up day, as lightning flashed, thunder grombled, and rain fell off and on. A blog got posted. Our trip is ending…

Many thanks to Jim and Kathy Tedesco for making this wonderful week possible!

That’s the St. George Island report. Thanks for reading!

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

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, Photo Essays · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

A Visit to Cedar Key- A Photo Essay

November 13, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

A Visit to Cedar Key- A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s post on our visit to Cedar Key. I did not wet a line this week. Monday was too windy, Tuesday I had things to do, and Wednesday Susan and I started our little trip. Of course, you could fish at Cedar Key of you had a mind to…
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For Sale- Orion 45 Cooler

See this link…
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Thanksgiving is less than two weeks off. For central Florida anglers, that means it’s time to break out the waders and get into the winter fishing pattern! See below…
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Cedar Key

Susan and I rolled out of Chuluota about 0915 Wednesday morning. Our first stop was the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. I wanted to show her the fishbowl. I had no idea how many snook, and big ones, were over there. That tiny, larcenous part of my brain saw possibilities for paddling in with a fishing rod under the cover of darkness…

Big snook, in the fish bowl.

Leave the fish alone, John! (insert face slap here)

Looking down on a school of snapper.

 

Getting silly!

It was awesome, well worth the visit. And, they have a full-sized hippopotamus there, likely the only real one I’ll ever see, along with many native Florida animals. A visit to this park is highly recommended.

Lu the hippo.

 

She can be messy.

 

As close to a night heron as I’m likely to get.

We then stopped in Crystal River at the State Preserve and the State Archeological Park. The state preserve has a kayak launch (bring a dolly) on a canal that leads to the river, and many hiking trails. No compelling reason to visit here unless you’re a walker, though.

On a shell mound, archeological state park.

The archeological park has a path that snakes around several Indian mounds. The mounds variously hold discarded shells and pottery, or human remains, or who knows what? The small museum they have there was closed (COVID, still). People were living in Florida, without polluting it, for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. This walk gives a little insight on how they existed.

Final stop was Cedar Cove Hotel on Cedar Key, room 209. Nice place, clean, with a good view of the Gulf. Walked about town, dinner at Steamer’s (good stuff here).

There’s some nice art around the island.

 

 

 

 

Thursday, got our coffee at the Daily Grind, then walked about town, checking out the shops and art galleries, had a bowl of world champion chowder at Tony’s. Did some reading and took a nap. Very relaxing day! Dinner at Steamer’s again, again good.

 

The manatees, sitting on the bottom.

Friday morning we checked out, stopped at the Daily Grind again, then headed to Crystal River to visit the national wildlife refuge’s Three Sisters Springs boardwalk. The springs are beautiful, but the manatees were cowering on the bottom. The photo might explain why.

The spring had throngs of people in and on it!

Then we drove home!
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Winter Fishing in the Lagoons- A Tiny Memoir

It ain’t the same as it used to be, but we’re not done yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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That is this week’s post on our visit to Cedar Key, and my short memoir on winter fishing in the lagoon. Thank you again for reading! Life is great and I love all my readers!

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

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Saint George Island Fishing Report and Photo Essay

November 5, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

Saint George Island Fishing Report and Photo Essay

Gulf sunrise, St. George Island

Thank you for reading this week’s Saint George Island Fishing Report. I left home at 0645 Sunday morning with a kayak on the van, got home 1500 or so Thursday, three and a half glorious days of little other than fishing. It was everything a fishing trip should be.

Fish around the oyster reefs.

I realized about two hours from home that I’d left all the food that needed some refrigeration in the refrigerator. I mostly lived on oranges, boiled eggs, and nuts and berries. It was good- no weight gain.

Home, sweet home.

The photos are a mix of new and file photos. Was more interested in fishing than photography this trip.

The island is losing to St. George Sound, and the saltwater is killing the pine trees.

Upon reaching the put-in, I found Mike Conneen and River Dog ready and waiting for me. Sorry, it takes time to get here- like six hours or so!

After sunrise on a windy morning.

We paddled to the campsite and set up. Let’s fish! In my exuberance I paddled quite a distance, wanting to visit last time’s hot spot. That spot was so eight or so months ago. I got some trout there, but not like it was then. What a surprise.

The water was almost crisp.

I had to call Mike on my way back. I didn’t know where camp was (big ERROR on my part), and it was nearly dark. He was kind enough to brave the bugs and shine a flashlight to give me an approximate location. In the meantime, redfish started tailing. I got two on a white slider, the second almost by starlight. It was so cool! And I managed to find camp.

You can wade and sight fish with fly tackle here.

Shunning the known spots, we explored new territory the next day. We caught a few reds and trout, but had to work for every one. We had clouds a good part of the day, and the water was not as clear as on previous trips. It was hard to see all day.

Mike and River combined to get this redfish.

The seagrass there is still healthy. That in itself was enough reason to make the trip.

River failed to opine about the release.

Those clouds caused a stunning sunset. The redfish did not tail, though.

Stunning? Methinks so.

Mike had to leave on Tuesday. We slowly paddled together, fishing our way back to the put-in. Mike got a redfish and a nice trout, too.

Fishing around the oysters. Photo courtesy Mike Conneen.

After he left, I went wading around oyster bars. Fish, mostly reds, came through in little clumps. I was able to sight-fish them with a variety of flies. The best of a dozen or so was about ten pounds, again on the white slider.

Flounder will hit flies! Kind of hard to sight fish them, though.

Being able to wade, with a fly rod, in water that was clean enough for me to be able to see the fish take, was thrilling! I remember when where I used to fish all the time (Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons) was like that.

More dead pines…

Went looking for tailers after sunset. Did not see any. The water was still too deep, and low tide was now a couple hours after dark.

Looking for trailers at sunset.

Went wading near camp the next morning, somewhat sheltered from a stiff breeze. The water was startlingly clear (almost crisp), but I only threw to a single fish. He said no.

Sunrise over the Gulf. Different morning.

After breaking camp, I went back to the previous day’s spot, hoping for a repeat. The wind had caused waves, which stirred up the bottom. I could not see my feet. I cast a jig into the now-muddy water with the spin rod, hitting three fish in about that many hours.

Then the tide changed, the wind changed direction, and the water cleared. I fished through again. this time with a white Clouser minnow, blind-casting as I went. I only saw two fish, getting a shot at neither. But I got two reds and seven or eight nice trout on that fly, which was in tatters at the end of the day.

I did not look for tailers that evening, opting for a shower and some beach time.

My last morning, with an overcast sky.

Thursday morning, I again visited the beach under an overcast sky, where I watched someone else catch a nice bluefish. Almost as good as getting it myself! Then I hopped in the van and drove home, well satisfied!

In other news, the Braves won the World Series!

Not wanting to let the mushroom thing go, you can watch a fantastic program on them on netflix here… 

That is this week’s Saint George Island Fishing Report. Thank you again for reading! Life is great and I love all my readers!

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

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Visiting in Wisconsin

August 21, 2021 by · 2 Comments

Visiting in Wisconsin

Thank you for reading this week’s post, Visiting in Wisconsin. I got to do some fishing this week!
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Readers may know I’ve been writing a travelogue for Global Outdoors. You can see some of those posts here- https://blog.globaloutdoors.com.
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The Mississippi River, from Great River Bluff.

After a long drive through Iowa and Minnesota, we got a campsite at Minnesota’s Great River Bluffs State Park. There were views of the Mississippi River valley from the park. The river here was already large enough to have wing dams and significant barge traffic, as well as advisories against eating the fish. I did not fish here. The campground lacked privacy, so we left after one night.

The Mississippi River, from Great River Bluff.

 

Fall is on the way- the goldenrods are blooming.

From there we went to Wildcat Mountain State Park in Ontario, Wisconsin. This park had bluffs overlooking the Kickapoo River valley. Although the Kickapoo is a trout stream, I did not fish here, either. We did take a three-hour paddle trip, renting a boat from Drifty’s Canoe Rental.

The Kickapoo Valley from Wildcat Mountain.

 

Cliffs along the Kickapoo.

The river, although muddy from rains, was lovely. Fish were rising steadily during the first half of the trip. I wished I had my rod…

We paddled the ‘poo!

After two nights there, we drove to West Bend, where long-time friends Dave and Beth Olsen live. We had not seen them in a long time, and it was so good to pick up right where we’d left off! We were visiting in Wisconsin!

Beth and Dave have beautiful gardens.

I bought a Wisconsin fishing license, and went wade fishing in the Milwaukee River. Had the fish been big I would have rated it a ten. The fish were mostly small though, so even though I caught bass after bass (smallmouth), I can only give it a six. I tried a variety of flies- wooly bugger, bunny leech, Son of Clouser- and caught fish on all of them. I did not get a bite on a surface fly. A small pike relieved me of the bunny leech. It was a pleasant day fishing a nice stream. I wish a couple three- or four-pounders had been in the mix.

Best smallie I got. Unfortunately the camera focused on the river.

Dave took me fishing in a friend’s farm pond the next day. Jim, the owner, was so gracious that he rowed out to where we were fishing to deliver a couple cold brewskis. I don’t get that kind of surface very often!

Dave Olsen, bass master.

 

Before he began fishing, Jim brought us some beer!

I was fly fishing, Dave used a spin rod. I got some fat bluegills and some largemouth bass- bunny leech, odd bass streamers, and finally a gurgler mouse. Dave used spinner baits, buzz baits, and a weedless bass frog, and caught bass after bass, all largemouth. The fish ran a pound and a half, two pounds, all cookie-cutter fish. A solid day of fishing, though.

The pond had large bluegills!

Dave brought me to Little Cedar Lake next. We got there at the crack of 10 AM, already hot and sunny. Water skiers and jet skis were zooming around on a lake surrounded by homes. In the lake are bluegills, crappie, perch, walleyes, bass, and pike. We got two small and one decent bass between us. As the heat and the boat traffic increased, I could see our chances of fish decreasing. We bagged it about two o’clock.

The traveling couple.

And that’s the report for this week. Thank you again for reading the post, Visiting in Wisconsin. Life is great and I love exploring the USA!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go hiking! Take a walk! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Exploring in South Dakota- Photo Essay

August 14, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

Exploring in South Dakota

Thank you for reading this week’s post, Exploring in South Dakota. This week again has been phenomenal!
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Readers may know I’ve been writing a travelogue for Global Outdoors. You can see some of those posts here- https://blog.globaloutdoors.com.
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A last sunset from Missoula.

What we wanted to see after leaving Missoula was the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. I’ve always been way more sympathetic to the Indians than to Custer, and wanted to see where this last major battle in the inevitable defeat of the natives happened.

The National Cemetery at the Little Bighorn Battlefield site.

We didn’t realize it’s a national cemetery, too.

Memorial marker where a Sioux warrior fell.

 

Memorial marker where a US trooper fell. The Little Bighorn River is below in the distance.

 

Part of the Indian memorial at the battle site.

In the recent past the Indians have been able to add their side of the story to the monument- they were fighting for their homes and way of life. Although there’s a tragic undertone to the site, physically it’s magnificent and the realness of what happened here makes it a very worthwhile visit. We were both glad we went.

Sunset, Hardin Montana.

We stayed at a campground in Hardin that night, where the sunset, always a miracle, was close to spectacular.

They need no introduction.

Our next stop was the Black Hills, in southwestern South Dakota. Every year for the past 81, there’s a motorcycle rally in Sturgis in August. There had to be 20,000 motorcycles there. We walked right into the middle of it. I’m not a big crowd guy, and when the crowd is motorized loud, well, let’s just say I thought my timing awful. Plus, all the prices were jacked up.

Sunset, Belle Fourche, South Dakota.

In spite of that we took a scenic if loud drive through the gorgeous Black Hills, terminating our first day in South Dakota at Mt. Rushmore. The scale of the sculpture makes it worth seeing. But again, sympathizing with the Indians, the Black Hills were sacred to the Sioux. Putting that sculpture there was a giant “up yours.”

 

 

 

We had been advised to visit Custer State Park. The wildlife drive is like an African safari, although ours had thousands of motorcycles. Even with that- incredible. Hundreds of bison, antelope, deer, and hordes of prairie dogs greeted us. At the end of it we entered Wind Cave National Park, and bought tickets for a Wind Cave tour.

According to their legends, the ancestors of the Sioux came from under ground through this small hole.

The Sioux creation story involves their ancestors coming out of a small hole in the ground, in the Black Hills. The site was, and is, their most sacred place. Now it’s where our tour was- into the very same cave, one of the world’s largest cave systems.

The cave is narrow inside.

 

Tourists look at the “box” formations on the ceiling of the cave.

 

Susan poses for an informal, in-cave portrait.

It’s not Carlsbad, but it was still awesome. I’ve only been in three caves, all on tours, but I can see each cave has its own unique personality. This one is highly recommended!

A bighorn sheep on a ridge at Badlands National Park.

 

Susan and the fantasticness.

That left Badlands National Park. An hour’s drive put us in this park. Bison greeted us immediately, followed shortly by prairie dogs and bighorn sheep. And almost unbelievable rock formations. The rock there is strange, like highly compacted mud. Water erodes it pretty easily, and carves it into grotesque and fantastic shapes. The layers of sediments from which these shapes are carved have different colors, adding to the fantasticness, to coin a word.

Susan points to “my” fossil, well above her. It’s still there!

Lots of fossils are discovered in the park. Susan and I went for a hike, and I found one.

Photographing the sunset.

 

Sunset, Badlands Park.

We were fortunate enough to get a campsite at the park’s campground. It was Perseid meteor shower time, so we got to see some meteors while I photographed the Milky Way. Then we wake up to the Badlands in the morning. I am so blessed!!!

Milky Way, Badlands Park.

A drive across the state followed. The speed limit on I-90 in South Dakota is a cool 80 MPH. You can cover some ground! From the state park where I type this, Iowa is one mile distant, and Minnesota maybe 35. We’ll be in another state tomorrow night.

And that’s the report for this week. Thank you again for reading the post, Exploring in South Dakota. Life is great and I love exploring the USA!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go hiking! Take a walk! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Dash Across Idaho

August 9, 2021 by · 2 Comments

A Dash Across Idaho

Thank you for reading this week’s post, A Dash Across Idaho. This week again has been just awesome!
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Readers may know I’ve been writing a travelogue for Global Outdoors. You can see some of those posts here- https://blog.globaloutdoors.com.
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A last photo of the stunning Oregon coast.

After leaving the Oregon coast (one last photo!), we spent a couple days around Portland. Went into the city one day. It doesn’t take long to understand, “Keep Portland Weird,” is taken to heart by the people living there. We didn’t know where to go (poor research on my part) and parking was a nightmare, so after walking a bit, visiting the world’s largest independent bookstore, and getting something to eat we returned to our hotel.

Lots of these coming off the Columbia!

We drove through the Columbia River Gorge. You can see where salmon might have trouble returning to their natal streams, what with all the dams. The gorge still has great beauty, though. I can hardly imagine what the Lewis and Clark party must have thought as they descended, and later ascended, the river!

As we drove inland, the berries were past their prime.

We had intended to spend a few days in western Washington and several days in Idaho. Triple digit temperatures and thick smoke from wildfires changed that plan, right now! We got on the interstate and drove four hundred miles in one day, from the Columbia River Gorge to St. Regis, Montana, where I just ran out of gas. What a dash across Idaho it was! We found an RV park, booked two nights.

Two sports and their guide, drifting the Clark Fork.

The next day I broke out my tackle, went to the local fly shop for some advice and a fishing license, and went wading in the St. Regis River, starting at its confluence with the Clark Fork of the Columbia. This was to be my very first fishing in Montana. It did not disappoint.

Rainbow on dry fly, awesome catch!

On my third cast I hit a beautiful cutthroat trout (15-16 inches, best guess) that took a drifted nymph. No, I did not use a bobber. I could hardly believe my luck! Until, not having a net, I leadered the fish. It surged and popped the 5x easily. I was out the fly, fortunately barbless, and did not get a photo.

Same fish, different angle.

I’d love to say it got better, but that would not be true. However, it did not really get worse, either. In four hours, I unhooked eight or nine fish, all cutts but one feisty rainbow. That fish nailed a Purple Haze (basically an Adams with a purple body), and jumped a half-dozen times! I got several other fish on dries too, not to mention all the hooked and lost and missed strikes. It was pretty awesome!

We drove to Missoula and booked two nights in an RV park. While checking out town and an art gallery, we were advised to visit the National Bison Refuge. An hour later we were literally on a bison safari there- un-bee-lee-va-bull! Can’t recommend it highly enough.

 

Don’t know what these are called, but suspect they are invasive.

 

All the smoke made for a blood red sunset.

The next day we visited Garnet, a gold mining ghost town. Different than I expected (I was thinking of the OK Corral), it was a worthwhile delve into history made real. The town had a school, but it also had thirteen saloons. I guess mining is thirsty work.

It’s a ghost town, but she is quite real!

 

Suspect this beautifully colored thistle is invasive, too.

We switched campgrounds and ended up on the bank of the Jocko River. I wanted to fish immediately but another camper told me I needed a reservation permit.

One of the few photos I shot at Glacier National Park. Note the smoke.

Dean Altenhofen texted me, telling me he and his wife had a Glacier National Park Pass for the next day, and did we want to go? We met them in Polson, and went with them to the park. It was a lot of car time, but the park is amazing. The only problem was that there was so much smoke in the air, photography was a wash. Thank you, Dean and Sunday, for an amazing day!

Didn’t fish this, but sure would like to!

 

Dean works the Jocko.

Dean and I planned a fishing trip for the next day, fishing the Jocko. It’s a small stream but one of the prettiest I have ever seen. The gravel was awesome, lots of red and pink and orange. The fish ran small, but they were plentiful and eager. We caught many. The best was about 12 inches long, a cutt that took a wooly booger. Most fish were caught on dries, though. Another great day, and thank you once again, Dean!

Typical Jocko cutthroat.

 

A lovely pool gets a line.

 

And that’s the report for this week. Thank you again for reading the post, A Dash Across Idaho. Life is great and I love exploring the USA!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go hiking! Take a walk! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

US 101 in Oregon- A Photo Essay

July 31, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

US 101 in Oregon- A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s post, US 101 in Oregon. This week has been just awesome!
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Readers may know I’ve been writing a travelogue for Global Outdoors. You can see some of those posts here- https://blog.globaloutdoors.com.
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Bumper Sticker of the Week (been too long since I did this!)-

Flowers are ubiquitous along the coastal road. So many are invasive exotics, though.

Everlasting pea, an invasive exotic.

 

Crocosmia, an invasive exotic.

 

Fennel, another invasive exotic, growing under the US 101 bridge over the Rogue River.

I love all the blackberries, but they’re another invasive. A very delicious invasive.

Susan picks blackberries from the van!

 

Handful of delicious.

Famous fishing rivers split the coast into sections- the Rogue, the Umpqua, the Columbia. You see lots of fishing activity, and lots of seafood restaurants. I haven’t fished, but I’ve certainly eaten seafood!

Trolling for salmon on the Rogue River.

 

This commercial fishing boat reminded me of my son.

 

These guys are tougher than me. That water is REAL cold.

 

Sea lions get some fish!

 

A wall mural in Reedsport.

 

One of the places we “caught” some fish.

We went to an elk viewing area outside of Reedsport.

 

The Oregon coast has lots of lighthouses, lots of fog, and lots of sand dunes. The diversity continually astonishes.

A paddle boarder at Sunset Bay.

 

Lighthouse at Yaquina Head.

 

In Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.

 

Fog over the Umpqua River, Gardiner, Oregon.

 

Susan explores a caboose at the railway museum.

 

Sometimes, you just need to relax!

 

Low tide meets dusk at Nehalem Beach.

Thank you again for reading this week’s post, US 101 in Oregon. Life is great and I love exploring the USA!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go hiking! Take a walk! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

On The Road (again)- A Photo Essay

July 24, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

On The Road (again)- A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s post, On The Road (again). In our indirect way, Susan and I are headed back to Florida. We have some concerns about the hot weather, but we have not run into it yet.
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Readers may know I’ve been writing a travelogue for Global Outdoors. You can see some of those posts here- https://blog.globaloutdoors.com.
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Just one of an infinite number of views from Highway 1.

 

This is another.

We left the California Kumiskis Sunday morning, headed for CA Hwy 1 and Salt Point State Park. Like Hwy 1 south of San Francisco, Hwy 1 north of the city has the same stunning, jaw-dropping, and terrifying views. Part of the time we were in fog, so the most terrifying areas were blanketed from view, both a good and a bad thing.

Susan records an image at Salt Point State Park.

 

This is one I got. The rocks are fantastic!

 

There were fishermen trying their luck.

We reached Salt Point SP and went down to the water. OMG! The most amazing rock formations, all very mysterious too, because of the fog. We hiked along the coastal trail a couple miles. I ran into two fly fishermen who had been fishing the surf for rockfish, not without success. They were using 8-wt outfits with 300 grain sink lines, #20 leaders, and white Clouser minnows, #1 and 1/0.

Brown pelicans over the Pacific.

At sunset we went back. Sue stayed in the car while I burned film (so to speak- I shoot digital now). She was ready to call a search party, since I stayed until it was too dark to shoot any more.

The waves come in…

 

Another view, same area.

Our next adventure of note was the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Avenue of the Giants. A thirty mile drive through groves of some of the biggest trees on the planet. We took a few short hikes and I tried to photograph the trees, failing fairly miserably. Redwood trees in actuality make a mockery of images of redwood trees. I had plenty of chances and got nothing I liked. But the walks! Incredible!

Redwoods in the Stout grove. Susan adds some perspective.

 

Darlingtonia pitcher plants.

 

This may be some kind of lily, but I could not identify it.

Next stop was the Smith River National Recreation Area. Somehow the Smith River was spared dams- it’s the longest free-flowing stream on this part of the coast. It hosts a legendary run of steelhead, of course not while I was there. But we visited a couple bogs full of Darlingtonia pitcher plants, and hiked through the Stout redwood grove, again amazing. I got a couple photos here which almost begin to do justice to the trees.

The blackberry bushes here were heavy with fruit. My fingers and lips got stained purple, and my legs and arms got well-scratched by the briers. I may have eaten five pound of berries- it was awesome!!!

Near sunset at Myers Creek Beach, Oregon.

I write this from Gold Beach, Oregon, at the mouth of the Rogue River. I’ve looked into fishing the Rogue, don’t know that I will. We’ve been to the beach, and some shops. I hope to get some beach pictures this evening. Cross the fingers!

After sunset, same beach.

Thank you again for reading this week’s post, On The Road (again). Life is great and I love exploring the USA!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Take a trip! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,
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