The Orlando Area Fishing Report from Spotted Tail 4.7.12
Fishing team of the week:
Upcoming Events/Volunteers Needed
In celebration of Earth Day 2012, Anglers for Conservation are coordinating a series of Hook Kids on Fishing programs throughout the week of April 14-22. Volunteers are needed. This is the perfect opportunity to work within the fishing community while having a very rewarding experience. All volunteers’ will received a free Anglers for Conservation fishing hat! Contact Rodney Smith at 321-750-3374 or rodney@anglersforconservation.org.
Monday required a trip to the lab. The Coast Guard wanted some body fluids for drug testing. Yuk.
Tuesday return angler Austin Warmus and his father Paul joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. The weather was awesome, bright and sunny with very little wind. It took a little while but we found quite a few tailing reds. They were very spooky. Every time they would hook one all the other would flee, pushing wakes as they changed locations. Also every time they hooked one it came unbuttoned, every time but one. Austin put one in the boat that was about 25 inches long.
We also spent some time trout fishing and got several on DOA Shrimp, but nothing of consequence.
Wednesday son Alex, Scott Radloff, and I launched at Port Canaveral. We were thinking big. We ran south of Cocoa Beach pier and netted some menhaden, then went looking for big fish, going out as far as three miles.
We did not find any. We could have done without the bait. It did not produce a single bite.
What we did find north of Cape Canaveral was an almost mullet-run-like number of ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish. I used a DOA CAL jig with a shad tail. The other guys used Gotchyas. If not for the treble hooks I would say the Gotchyas made more sense for those toothy critters than did soft plastics.
I broiled some Spanish mackerel fillets for dinner Wednesday night. They were delicious.
I smoked several bluefish fillets on Thursday. They are very delicious!
Friday afternoon I went to the Econlockhatchee River for a couple hours of fly rodding for sunfish. Before I left I went on a major search mission to find my bluegill flies. I couldn’t find them. I used some orange gurglers I use for dolly varden in Alaska.
I’d like to say I slammed them but that would be an exaggeration. I got a few red-bellies and a few stumpknockers, missed a few strikes. I watched and listened as the trees rocked back and forth in a fierce wind. It was a very pleasant couple of hours.
And that is this week’s Mosquito Lagoon and Port Canaveral Fishing Report.
Life is great and I love my work!
Life is short. Go Fishing!
John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com
All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2012. All rights are reserved.
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Capt. John,
Under the “and now for something completely different” file – I’ll never look at a merkin crab without busting out laughing again!
RE: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/743/what-is-a-merkin
And here I thought it was somebody named Bob Merkin who developed it!
-Chris
i had a friend who named his dog merkin. I laughed like crazy, and told him to look it up on dictionary.com. he called me and said, “thanks a lot john, now i have to change his name.” hey, i didn’t make the word up.
jk
Wikipedia has a photo of a merkin “in action” so to speak. Would a big red go for that? A shark probably would!
-Chris