Everglades City Report
Hi everyone, thanks for reading this Everglades City report. Got some fishing in this week!
But first, something out of the ordinary for this blog. While watching musicians on youtube, I ran across a woman by the name of Jackie Venson. This lady can lay down some tasty guitar licks! I’ve never seen a woman play guitar like this. Not surprising, she’s a Berklee School grad. Anyway, check it out. If you don’t like it, just turn it off!
Her guitar work on this cut sends shivers down my spine!
If you like it, she’s got a couple concerts recorded on youtube. One of them is at this link… If you like her, spread the word. She’s relatively new and could use the support…
Monday, went to the eye doctor. I have a bad cataract in the right eye, needs surgery. My Uncle Leo always told me, gettin’ old ain’t for sissies. Sadly, he is spot on.
When I got home, I packed my stuff and drove to Everglades City ranger station, got a backcountry permit for two nights on Jewell Key.
Tuesday morning, I packed the gear into the kayak and caught the outgoing tide all the way there. It was kind of windy. Before I even stopped to make camp, I went to the gulf side of the key and started fishing. I had to wade- it was too windy and rough to fish from the kayak.
I started with a spin rod, three-inch shad, trying to find out if anyone was home. Jewell Key has been good to me, but last time there, there were no fish. Before long I got a ladyfish, then a trout. I put the spinner away and started tossing a Clouser Minnow.
In this file photo from an earlier trip, Maxx holds a typical sized Jewell Key trout.
I worked my butt off. Did get a few more trout, though, and one diminutive snook. In the meantime, the water was rising, and I was getting hungry. I went to the campsite – no one else there! – and took care of all that camping business.
I laid around for a while, watching clouds and ospreys. Watching the clouds is an exercise in creativity. I see some strange things in those clouds!
I saw a chicken’s body with a seahorse’s head in this cloud. No chemicals involved.
I picked up the spin rod and started casting from camp. A Bite! A Puffer! Then I got a ladyfish, and then the best snook of the trip, not saying much. Maybe three pounds? I just let it go. A few hockey-puck-sized jacks attacked my lure, too.
Any day you catch a puffer is a good day!
Did a little kayaking on the lee side of the island. One trout, another dinker snook. Slow fishing. Watched three guys in a Boston Whaler, in the wind and current, not far off. I wasn’t going out there. They kept making the same drift. Fair amount of hollering going on in that boat. Good for them!
In this file photo from an earlier trip, Alex holds a snook of the size that I caught on this trip.
Back to camp. Pulled the boat up onto the island, got ready for night. Clouds made me think there wouldn’t be much in the way of stargazing, so I lit a campfire. First time in a couple of years. It was nice, watching the flames in their sameness and infinite changes, thinking about the chemical reactions going on in there, feeling the heat.
Built a campfire, first time in a long time.
Watched it get dark. I love watching it get dark. I love dark! Civilization’s fear of darkness makes me sad. I was at least 80 miles from Miami, but it lit up the night sky like a beacon.
The clouds cleared some, so I put out the fire and stargazed until I was almost too cold to get up. Some of my favorite constellations were almost straight overhead. Any Tauruses out there, reading? Geminis? Leos? On the US east coast, your stars are up there right now, as soon as it’s dark.
I crawled into my tent, my sleeping bag. It felt awesome! Checked my phone- 8:30! I’d catch up on some sleep tonight! I wish I had a video camera that could record my dreams. I could make such bizarre movies…
Wednesday was almost a carbon copy of Tuesday. I waded the entire gulf side of the island, fly casting in the wind. Hope springs eternal in the heart of a fisherman. I hit trout fairly regularly, the best being 19 or 20 inches. Never did get the killer strike, though. Got a small pompano. Did get to watch the sun make a complete arc across the heavens, too.
Got a small pompano.
Fished from camp again – nothing. Kayaked the lee side of the island – one trout. The guys in the Boston Whaler were back at the same spot, still hollering. Still good!
No clouds this night – stars should be out. As it got dark, Jupiter and the slimmest of crescent moons followed the sun to the sea in the west. Orion and all his friends came out. I saw a single satellite, pretty odd for the couple hours I laid out there to only see one, especially the way Elon Musk has been tossing them up there.
Jupiter and the crescent moon followed the sun into the sea…
The learned observer can find Orion, Taurus, Gemini, and Canis Minor in the photo. Leo was lost in Miami’s glare.
Went to bed, wanted to get up early. A little after eight…
Thursday, there were still stars out when I got up- the Great Bear and Scorpius were easily recognized. Packed everything into the boat, ate a simple breakfast (all my meals this trip were simple- no cooking), and hit it. I caught the tide getting out there. I’d have to fight it to get back. Then I had to drive home. So, no fishing this day. Hardly saw any fish, anyway.
That was the theme this trip – there was no bait. The water was cold! I was glad I had waders. But no bait, no fish. And it’s not like there were no fish, I got six species, but there were not many. Nonetheless, I had two full days of getting my nature on, and anything more than that is just a bonus at this point. I might just be a biophiliac…
That’s my Everglades City report. Thanks for reading!
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 2022. All rights are reserved.
Speak Your Mind