8 Great Gifts for Your Adventurous Child

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8 Great Gifts for Your Adventurous Child

Guest Blog by Patrick Young

Having a kid who’s extra active is a good thing. Kids who are adventurous or athletic are given excellent opportunities to develop skills like leadership, sportsmanship, and basic social skills. Being active can be educational, too, especially when taking place outside, such as doing a little storm watching and teaching them meteorology in the convenience of your own backyard. If you have a child who’s always raring to go, look no further than this guide to 8 great gifts for your adventurous child, from Spotted Tail Outdoors and Travel.

1. A dirt bike

If your kid loves exploring the outdoors, a dirt bike could be the perfect gift. Dirt bikes are an excellent way to develop physical strength and muscles which aren’t typically used in day-to-day activities. Make sure you research online before making a final purchase. You’ll need a bike with the right design and features for your child, as well as education on how to operate the bike. Of course, your child will need protective gear as well, including goggles, gloves, and a helmet.

2. An archery set

Have your child get in touch with his inner Robin Hood by getting him an archery set. Archery can help children learn to focus and build upper body strength, plus it’s an activity that can be enjoyed by anyone at any time of the year.

3. Roller blades

Rollerblading is a rite of passage for every kid. It never gets old and gives you good cardio while still gaining distance. Trailrunners will often use rollerblading as a supplementary workout because of its ability to help participants develop better balance and cardio strength.

4. A basketball hoop

Expert basketball players develop a remarkable predictive memory and pattern recognition ability that is honed through practice. A basketball hoop and ball are a great way for your child to get a high-intensity workout while also learning reflexes. Basketball is fun to play alone and on a team, which is great if you have multiple children who enjoy the game. They’ll learn how to take turns and have fun getting out some of their extra energy.

5. A softball set

A softball set can be useful for learning hand-eye coordination and building self-esteem. Your child will learn how to throw, catch, and hit a ball. They can practice with you or with friends, learning teamwork in tandem.

6. Fishing net or pole

If your child is into the great outdoors, a fishing net or a pole is a great way to share a new sport they can get hooked on. Fishing can help kids manage stress and is simply good for the soul. Fishing teaches patience and how to work with your hands. Plus it’s a hobby that can last a lifetime.

7. Hammock

The popularity of hammocking is growing rapidly and gives kids a reason to go outside and unplug. Hammocking is great for your child who wants to go for a hike and hammock in the woods, but he can also set it up in the backyard or in a nearby park.

8. Slackline

Slacklining is pretty much modern-day tightrope walking. It helps with balance, patience, and works core muscles. The best place to start is the backyard with a slackline kit made for kids or beginners.

Researchers at the American Academy of Pediatrics highlight that playing is an important part of helping kids develop in a healthy way. Children need play to grow. Playing outside is even better, and giving them the tools and opportunities to boost their interest paves the way for an active lifestyle.

And that wraps up our guide to this guide to 8 great gifts for your adventurous child!

Guests All Week Report

Guests All Week Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the guests all week report. Been busy!

Saturday

Youngest son Alex married the fabulous Allison Bowman in a lovely outdoor ceremony, followed by one of the nicest parties I’ve been to in a long time. Congratulations to the happy couple! My wish is that you will be as happy as Susan and I have been…

Elder son Maxx and his bride Catalina stayed here while attending the wedding festivities.

Monday

Alex, Maxx, and I all went fishing in the Christmas pond. It wasn’t great, but everyone caught at least one bass, even if they were all small. Alex got bragging rights with a whopping 14-incher.

Maxx, Cat, Alex, and Allison all flew out Tuesday evening. However, Dave and Beth Olson arrived from Wisconsin Tuesday afternoon. We have had house guests for over a week now. It’s been a little hectic!

Wednesday

Dave and I took a canoe to the Indian River Lagoon. In about six hours, Dave got a single trout on a twisty-tail. I did not get a bite. Ouch.

Thursday

in spite of the rain, we launched the canoe at River Breeze. We went to lots of my favorite spots. In about six hours, we caught a few trout and one redfish on the twisty-tail and the three-inch shad. All were undersized. Ouch.

Friday

We tried a different area on the Indian River Lagoon. We had fair trout fishing, with several slot fish boated, on three-inch shad, three-inch twisty-tails, and the DOA Deadly Combo. We took some home and ate them.

Dave and Beth just left, on Saturday morning, so the house is quiet, strangely so. I’m sure we’ll adjust quickly!

That’s the guests all week 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.

Shads and Otters Report

Shads and Otters Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the shads and otters report.

The astute reader may remember that last Thursday I picked up the Bang-O-Craft from its obedience training session. Sunday morning I had time to take it out for a spin on the St. Johns, CS Lee Park. Although I had a spin rod, I didn’t intend to fish. Ran up to the mouth of the Econ. There was fishy activity there. I got a shad, on a Road Runner, on my second cast.

I put the boat up on the bank and commenced to casting. Yes, I forgot all about the intent not to fish. Fish were breaking all around, but no bites were forthcoming. I cut off the Road Runner and the crappie jig (I was using a tandem rig) and replaced them with two Creme Spoiler Shad 1.5 inch. It was a stroke of unadulterated genius. Or some fortunate happenstance. Pick one.

I started hitting shad almost every cast, and three times got two at once. I thought I was back in 1985. No one else was there. That went on for well over an hour. Then the Fishing Gods flipped the switch and that was that. I ran the boat a little bit and then loaded it up, quite pleased with the way the morning played out.

Monday morning found me driving to Mosquito Lagoon, Bang-O-Craft in tow. The motor started right up. Ran great to the fishing spot. Worked the fish hard, was rewarded with two undersized seatrout. When I’d had enough, I tried starting the motor. It wouldn’t start. I tried over and over. No start.

I was pissed. I had unkind things to say about Ahoy Marine. The wind was howling. I put the anchor out so I could try to troubleshoot the problem without blowing away.

After taking the cowling off, I examined the motor closely. It was then I noticed that on-off switch was in the “off” position. Prior to the recent carburetor rebuild, when I wanted to kill the running motor, I’d just pull the choke out and the motor would stall. This day, that didn’t work, so I switched the motor off. Since I didn’t switch it back on, it refused to start hours later, when I had forgotten all about it. I flipped the switch, pulled the cord. It started immediately.

Sometimes I am so dumb… I apologize to Ahoy Marine for all those unkind things I said!

Thursday morning Rodney Smith and I hooked up at Tosohatchee. Our intent was to hike, in hope of finding the virgin cypress trees. We started wandering through the woods, enjoying the other trees.

We came to a cypress tree that was bigger than the others. Debate ensued as to whether or not it was in fact what we were looking for. The tree was growing at the edge of a wide spot in a creek. We spotted an otter in the creek. The otter also spotted us.

The otter acted like it hadn’t ever seen anything from genus Homo. It swam back and forth, stopped in front of us, climbed up on the bank, and generally examined us closely. Having seen quite a few otters through the years, its behavior amazed me. They don’t usually hang around after spotting you!

The camera I had was equipped with my landscape lens, of course. It was the best opportunity I will ever have to photograph an otter and I had the wrong equipment. That didn’t make the experience any less incredible.

 

 

We found a still bigger cypress tree afterwards. It was anticlimactic. We hiked back to the car and went our separate ways. On the way home I called Alex, who met me at the house. We hooked up the Bang-O-Craft and drove to the St. Johns.

We went to Sunday’s hot spot. There were two boats there, but no fish. Alex has a spot he likes. We went there, found some fish breaking. We got a few crappie on a crappie jig and the Spoiler Shad. I couldn’t get one on a fly.

We went up the Econ to a spot I like. Alex got two shad and a few crappie. I got a few crappie and a shad, everything on the crappie jigs. By this time it was pushing 5 PM, so we called it good and packed it in.

Congratulations to Alex and Allison, who are getting married Saturday!

That’s the shads and otters 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.

Lots of Fishing Report

Lots of Fishing Report. And M-M-Manatees!

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the lots of fishing report. Got out Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (twice), and to the beach on Friday.

Sunday-

Sunday usually finds me home. The weather was nice and nothing pressing was going on, so I went shore fishing with a light spin rod along a mile-long stretch of the Econ. I worked it hard for about four hours, tossing plastic shad and plastic worms. I got three small bass. Did not see any kind of fish in the water other than a few guppies- no tilapia, no gar, no plecostamus, no sunfish, certainly no bass. Shore fishing the Econ is a full-body workout!

Monday-

The DOA Shrimp found this puppy redfish.

Not learning my lesson, because hope springs eternal in the heart of a fisherman, I tried another spot on the Indian River Lagoon. When I got there, the birds were singing like it’s spring or something! Blackbirds, grackles, coots, and other birds whose calls I don’t know. It was awesome! And, I didn’t get skunked! I saw a few redfish and two (yes, two) snook. I got shots at none of them. The water was discolored enough that I was on top of them before I saw them. Blind-casting, four or five dinker trout and one small red hit my spin lures. I hardly touched the fly rod. A beautiful if breezy day.

Tuesday-

I had a favorite spot on the St. Johns River. Thick with weeds, it was hard for motorboats to fish, and there were lots of fish there. Then the state started contracting folks to spray herbicides, thousands of gallons of it. Most of the turtles got a “virus” and died. The shad stopped coming. The fishing went completely to hell, including my favorite spot.

So much vegetation was killed off that the manatees in the St. Johns, which should at this point be the chubbiest in the state, have to be fed lettuce –https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/feb/22/florida-has-fed-manatees-25-tons-of-lettuce/ ,

https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/jan/21/officials-florida-manatees-eating-lettuce-in-pilot-program/ ,

https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/feb/01/manatees-in-florida-need-greater-protection-lawsuit-says/ ,

https://www.savethemanatee.org/how-to-help/take-action/floridas-algae-blooms/

-because they have no food. Nice work, Florida.

Orlando Sentinel photo.

Anyway, I went to the former favorite spot on Tuesday. There are still no weeds, other than water lilies and cattails. I worked it hard, getting a half-dozen sub-adult bass and three crappie.

Crappie on the 3″ shad.

The crappie hit, in order, 1) the 3″ shad, 2) a 7 1/2 inch Culprit worm (?!?!), and 3) a 3″ chartreuse soft plastic curly tail. If I were fishing for crappie, I certainly would never pick any of those lures, but there ya go.

Wednesday-

Trout! Gurgler! It’s a beautiful thing!

Tried another area in the Indian River Lagoon. I found a hole that had a few nice trout, and I actually got one on a fly rod gurgler. There was a redfish busting along the shoreline. Got him on a 3″ shad! WOW!! Got a couple more trout on the spin rod. It felt like a career day.

Redfish on the shad!

 

And another trout!

On the way home, I stopped at a new (to me) spot off SR 50, first time there. I started throwing a fly rod mouse. Got a bass on the second cast. Yes, it was small. I was there about 90 minutes and caught more fish than I had all day the previous day, with the best about three pounds. Nice find.

Thursday-

Susan asked me to stay home – she was having a chair delivered. After the delivery it was too late to fish. I went and picked up the jonboat – Cha-CHING! – and bought a new fuel tank for it. Hopefully it will stop getting me stuck now.

Friday-

Wanted to run the jonboat, but Susan asked me to go to the beach. It was a beautiful day! The water at Playalinda was kind of dirty. There were relatively few surf fishermen. I talked to one of them. She and her husband had gotten four small whiting and a catfish, using shrimp for bait. Did not see anything that compelled me to go back to the car and get my fishing rod.

That’s the lots of fishing report. Thanks for reading!

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

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

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

Another Central Florida Week Report

Another Central Florida Week Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading the Another Central Florida week report. I fished, I hiked, I paddled- nice week!

Guest blogger Patrick Young has another post this week, about buying gifts for campers. Some good tips in there!

I am selling off many of my lures. The ones that I have put up for sale first can be seen at this link…

On to the report-

Monday-

Valentine’s Day! Spent some time with my valentine!

Last week, talking about the Bang-O-Craft motor, I wrote, “Stupid motor. It needs professional help, I’m afraid.” I brought it to Ahoy Marine in Sanford. I’m tired of getting stranded. Other errands most of the day.

Tuesday-

More errands in the morning. In the afternoon I walked a stretch of the FT from Barr Street in Oviedo to Lockwood Boulevard.

I met a couple, through hikers who had come from Pensacola. Yes, from Pensacola, walking the whole way. They had met 20 years earlier at an AA meeting. Didn’t work for him- he was drinking vodka from the bottle when I encountered them. He was a piece of work. He said he knew everything, and was never wrong. He had also, earlier that day, almost been arrested by the Oviedo police for driving a motorized shopping cart from the Publix store at the corner of Lockwood Blvd. to the trail head. There’s more, but you get the idea, I hope. I got away from them as fast as I could.

Florida waterfall along the FT.

 

On a bluff overlooking the Econlockhatchee.

Wednesday-

Took a kayak to the Indian River Lagoon in spite of the small craft advisory. I figured I could wade, just using the boat for conveyance. The plan worked great, except there were hardly any fish. I saw six in five hours. Had two good shots, both of which should have worked. Neither did- the fish spooked off the shad (first shot) and fly (second shot). The water was pretty clean! Found a dead manatee, went to the FWC office there at the causeway to report it. The dispatcher told me, “Yeah, they’re everyplace.” “They” being dead manatees. That’s sad. No grass, no manatees.

Thursday-

That’s a small bass!

Took a kayak down the Econ, starting at 419. Brought a fly and a spin rod. Got one small bass on fly. Got several bass on the spin rod, along with a couple redbellies. Got a picture of one of the several mammoth gators I saw, too. Met Ben, the chef at Mission Barbeque. Beautiful day, not long enough!

A little larger…

 

They got bigger as the day went on. I lost the best one, of course.

 

And Godzilla!

Friday-

Boring stuff, including writing this. Hopefully I’ll at least get a walk in this afternoon.

That’s my Another Central Florida Week 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.

Find Deals on Great Camping Gifts

Image via Pixabay

How to Find Deals on Great Camping Gifts

Guest Blog by Patrick Young

This post is about How to Find Deals on Great Camping Gifts!

In case you hadn’t heard, camping is in style. The stresses of modern life make retreating to nature more appealing than ever. Plus, thanks to modern technology, campers can enjoy the wonders of the great outdoors without giving up the creature comforts of modern life. Camping equipment can often be pricey, but that doesn’t mean that new equipment is out of reach, financially speaking. If you’re looking for a gift for the outdoor enthusiast in your life, here are some great options that won’t break the bank.

Tents as Gifts

When it comes to staying in the great outdoors, comfort is paramount. That’s why good camping gifts put function over form. The tent is arguably the most important part of the camping experience. Even though tents can be expensive, there are plenty of ways to find affordable and comfortable outdoor lodgings.

Walmart has a few options for under $300, including a four-room tent, with spots for electronic storage and extension cords. The tent can sleep up to 14 and is big enough to accommodate a queen bed. There are ways to find offers and sales at big retail stores online. These coupons make even big camping gifts, like tents, affordable. REI is known for its great camping gear and has a deal section right on its website. Many stores, big and small, have a clearance section online, just like in the store. This makes finding great deals easier.

Keep Things Cool

One of the most difficult things about camping is the food. Yes, you can pack a lot of food that doesn’t need to be refrigerated, but most campers need refrigeration. That means they need something to keep things cool at the campsite.

The Yeti Tundra is the gold standard in coolers. Their top-of-the-line insulation can keep ice from melting for days. Of course, the gold standard doesn’t come cheap. Dicks Sporting Goods sells YETI coolers, but they start at around $200. There are discounts available often, so don’t assume that they’re out of reach. There are also portable refrigerators available, but they’re not recommended for all campers. They don’t hold a lot, and some use a lot of power. However, campers who need to refrigerate medication may find portable ‘fridges useful.

Electronics Are Always a Hit

Every camper needs a power source. Even more austere outdoors enthusiasts who choose to forgo electronics while in nature will need electricity for other things, like reading lamps, mini-fridges or recharging phones. Campers are always in need of power banks. The good news is that power banks usually aren’t cost-prohibitive. A higher-priced power bank may be able to charge more items, but not all campers need to power a lot of electronics.
For campers who only need to charge up a few devices, a simple power bank can help you keep everything powered. Or, you can also invest in a portable solar charger for your smartphone; this way, you won’t need to worry about your power bank running out of power before the end of your camping trip. If you’re looking for options, Good Housekeeping has a great list of solar power chargers to check out.

Camping gifts are perfect for the nature lover in your life. They can be affordable, or lavish. Just remember, when it comes to camping, comfort is key! And that’s How to Find Deals on Great Camping Gifts!

For more advice and expert insight on travel and fishing, be sure to check out Spotted Tail Outdoors and Travel and bookmark our page today!

My Week Around Central Florida Report

My Week Around Central Florida Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading My Week Around Central Florida report. Again, got some fishing in this week!

Monday

Susan and I went to Merritt Island NWR, went hiking on the Oak Hammock and Palm Hammock trails, a grand total of two-and-a-half miles. A very nice two-and-a-half miles!

Lunch at Sunrise Bread, then off to the Enchanted Forest. Whoever heard of an Enchanted Forest being closed??? There ya go, this one is closed on Mondays. We went home.

Tuesday

Cold, overcast, windy. I went looking for new places to fish, ended up on Tosahatchee. Then it started raining, too. There’s an old borrow pit they call Lake Charlie, no motors allowed. I caught a bass there once about 40 years ago. Could warrant further investigation.

That’s such an awesome piece of property. I need to spend more time there.

Wednesday

Ended up going to CS Lee Park and launching the Bang-O-Craft to make my first shad fishing trip this year. I did not find any shad. The one bite I got was from a striper hybrid, on a Road Runner. Then, Bang-o-Craft motor wouldn’t start when I had enough. I started poling back. After 30 minutes or so I tried the motor again. It started. I left. Stupid motor. It needs professional help, I’m afraid.

Thursday

I took a kayak (on which the motor, while slow, ALWAYS works) out of River Breeze Park. Beautiful day! Found clean water for the most part. Found some fish, too. All tiddlers. Got six or seven reds, all less than 12 inches.

Got six or seven trout. A couple maybe would have held batter. Got a floundah, too, a little one. The water was low and I did not see another boat until I started back, always a nice thing.

Friday

After morning errands I went back to Tosahatchee, kayaked on Lake Charles, where I got skonked. I went for a walk in the woods and took some pictures. It was the first day of Hogs with Dogs season- lots of trucks with dogs and cages out there!

 

 

That was My Week Around Central Florida. 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.

Everglades City Report

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.

No Fishing This Week Report

No Fishing This Week Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading this no fishing this week report. I did get out and walk along the Econ on Thursday, and if truth be told, cast for shad for about 30 minutes under the Snow Hill Road bridge. Didn’t touch one.

Anyone who was interested in the flies, three minutes after my posting last week’s blog, someone called me and bought them. Sorry to everyone who didn’t get them.

Two weeks ago I wrote, “Tuesday was even more exciting search for tile, orchestrated by Susan!” Needless to say, that story did not end there. The installers came Monday, ripped out the carpet, and installed the the-tile-will-sit-better-on-this-stuff stuff. Tuesday they came back and installed the tile. Wednesday, I moved my stuff back in, an almost all-day chore.

The newly re-designed office. The hurricane panels are no longer in the window!

It do look good, though. And hopefully this is the last time I’ll be writing about it.

While all this was going on, I was feverishly working on one of my websites. I (think I) finished it Friday evening. I’d be honored if you would visit and check it out. I’d really appreciate feedback, especially if you find mistakes. There are lots of photos- I’d like to think there’s some solid entertainment value there! The URL is https://johnkumiski.com.

That’s my no fishing this week report. Hope to fish this week! 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.

Two Days Out of River Breeze Report

Two Days Out of River Breeze Report

Hi everyone, thanks for reading this Two Days Out of River Breeze report. Thanks to everyone who bought some fishing rods! I’ll be donating the unsold rods to some charity, I suspect.

The talented Patrick Young has sent me another guest blog piece, about kids and camping. Read it here…

Last week I wrote, “Tuesday was even more exciting search for tile, orchestrated by Susan!” Needless to say, that story did not end there. I also wrote last week, “Thursday, more car maintenance.” That story did not end there, either.

Monday and Tuesday I started emptying everything out of my office to prepare it for the tile installers. There is no better way to clean a room, or a house, than by completely emptying it. My office is not completely empty yet, but it’s getting there. The installers come Monday, so I know some of what I’ll be doing over the weekend.

I botched the maintenance job I attempted on the van. The gents at Pep Boys made it right on Tuesday. As long as the van was there, I had them do the other job, too. Car should be good to go for a while.

Wednesday, a beautiful, crisp, cloudless day, I put the kayak in the water at River Breeze and paddled to Marsha’s Pond, where I intended to fish. When I got there, there were already two boats there. I pulled up on a shoreline anyway.

A small black drum on a white slider fly.

I was pleasantly surprised how clear the water was. I was also pleasantly surprised to see some fish! The water was cold and clear, there were other boats around, and the fish were not biting very well. I got a small black drum on a white slider, then spooked fish occasionally for a couple hours.

Then I saw something I never expected to, perhaps never again, in the Mosquito Lagoon- a school of redfish.

Granted, it was a small school, maybe two dozen fish. And unfortunately, I moved them by not-quite-running them over. I circled around, staked out the boat, grabbed the fly rod, and went wading, hoping they sat right down again.

They did not. After 30 minutes of looking, I gave up and got back in the boat. Standing with the spin rod in my wader belt, I went looking for them again, now standing in the kayak. Pretty amazing, I found them. A good cast with a DOA Shrimp garnered an immediate strike. This caused the school to vaporize, but I sight-cast to a school of reds and got one, by gar!

Redfish on DOA Shrimp.

Later, I got a rat red on the DOA Shrimp by blind-casting. That was it for the day.

Thursday I went back to River Breeze. Lots of trailers were parked there. I decided that Marsha’s Pond might be too crowded- the water is still high enough for skiffs to go anywhere.

When I got to the first spot I wanted to fish, there were three kayaks there.

When I got to the second spot I wanted to fish, there was a boat anchored there.

When I got to the third spot I wanted to fish, there was a boat anchored there.

When I got to the fourth spot I wanted to fish, there was no boat anchored there. Yay! There were no fish there, either. Boo!

I worked my way into a small tidal creek. Good current was flowing, and this place has been good to me. I got were two redfish which, laid to end, may have made one legal-sized fish. Yes, they were small. But they did take that white slider.

Yes, it defines “dink”.

There were no fish at the next spot. I crossed an empty flat to another small creek, deeper than the first. Good current, again. Wadable. I staked out and went wading, after tying on a Clouser Minnow. I’d cast to the far bank and swing the fly, like fishing for salmon. I kept getting “pinfish bites.” I finally stuck one, a small ladyfish. There were lots of them- I probably caught fifteen. I wore out three Clousers in that creek. The ten-inch reds were in there, not thick, but enough I got ten or so. So I was getting bites, if all small fish.

This was a real one, though.

Then a real fish took. It actually pulled drag! It was the first of a pair of five-pound trout I got. Made my day! Got four or five smaller, in-the-slot trout, too.

The barb on all my fly hooks is crushed down, so I’d like to think I didn’t hurt any of the fish too much. I did not take either of those big trout, beautiful fish, out of the water. Better a live fish and a crappy photo than a great photo and a dead fish!

The weather was awesome, I found a place that had fish, I had it to myself. Fantastic! When the current stopped running the bite stopped. It took me an hour and a half to get back to River Breeze. Aye, ’twas a full day, laddie…

Friday Susan and I went to Blue Spring State Park. The sign at the entrance said there were 431 manatees there that day. I thought one of the rangers had a weird sense of humor (something I know quite a bit about), but there were actually that many there. Incredible, beautiful.

Plenty of beef in the spring run!

The spring run looks great. The water was almost limpid. There were loads of fish in there, including tarpon and snook. There were also tilapia and Plecostamus. There were many hominids on the bank, too.

The entire run comes from this boil.

 

I could not tell what these were.

 

Knew this one, though!

 

 

Kayak tours and rentals available.

After walking to the spring and back, we had a little picnic, trying to plot our next move. We decided to go to nearby Hontoon Island State Park, somewhere we had never been.

We walked three miles.

 

A short ferry ride (free!) took us out to the island. We took a three-mile loop, walking to an Indian mound at the far end of the island. It was a fine day for a walk, partly cloudy, not too hot. And after all that, we hopped in the van, and were home for supper. Another fantasmalyshtical day!

That’s my Two Days Out of River Breeze Report. Thanks for reading!

OH! I have a box of flies (a couple hundred at least) that belonged to the late Bob Stearns, many tied by Bob. It’s a mixed bag of saltwater streamers and poppers, with lots of classic Keys-style tarpon flies! I’m offering them for sale, $25 for the batch. If you can’t come get them, I’ll mail them if you pay the shipping. Contact me if you’re interested, please. home phone- four zero seven nine seven seven five two zero seven

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.