Spring Equinox Fishing Report
Thank you for reading this Spring Equinox Fishing Report. I try to fish on all the pagan holidays- the equinoxes and solstices. This particular equinox happened just before midnight on Tuesday. I fished Wednesday and Thursday.
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On yet another glorious central Florida day, Wednesday saw me paddling solo on Mosquito Lagoon. My first fish encounter was with a small group of snook. When I cast to them, they spooked. Then they came back. I cast. They spooked. I cast and left the fly out there, waiting. They came back. I gently stripped the Clouser Minnow through them, and one ate it. The fish was cold and didn’t fight real hard, but it might have weighed four pounds. Not wanting to risk hurting the fish, it was released without a photo. Nice start to the day.
There was no one home at the next several spots. The thought came to me- If there’s no one at the next place, I’m going back to the car. Paddling is fine, but catching fish was the objective.
Approaching the next place, I spotted a red. I made a bad cast with the spin rod and spooked the fish. Before any berating could happen, there was another red. This cast was a touch too accurate, and the fish jumped. But it came right back to see what the disturbance was, and then ate the plastic shad. Aye, ’twas a handsome fish.
Put the spinner away, picked up the fly rod. There are a few fish here! Made a cast to one. It ate the Clouser Minnow! Black drum, seven or eight pounds. Nice. Release. Repeat. Release. Repeat. Release.
The blacks all looked like this one.
Say, this is some good fishing! Next fish was a fine red, even photographed it. Then, just for good measure, another black drum.
Equinox red on fly.
Looked hard for a trout all day, greedily hoping for that grand slam, but never saw one. Still, quite a satisfying outing.
Thursday, Caleb Vogl joined me for a sight-fishing mentoring session, in the Bang-O-Craft. Due to the east wind and small craft advisory, we went to the Indian River Lagoon. I honestly think it’s harder to catch fish from a motor boat than a kayak. You’re up so much higher, the fish see you coming. Caleb got three undersized trout to start the day. Then there was a long dry spell.
He’d never poled a boat before, so after a couple hours it was time for Poling 101. He picked it up fast. He was poling when I spotted a red, ridiculously far away, and made one of my best casts in a long time. The fly landed about 14 inches away from the fish, who immediately went over a took it. The fish was only four pounds or so, but still, a very satisfying catch because of the cast.
We switched places and he got a similar-sized red on a soft plastic shad, one of mine, actually. And that ended up being our tally for the day, which I was fine with.
That’s the Spring Equinox fishing report. Thanks again for reading!
Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go walking! Stay active!
John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog
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