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Indian River Lagoon and Econlockhatchee Report

May 19, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

Indian River Lagoon and Econlockhatchee Report

Few things in life get a fly fisher more worked up than seeing tarpon rolling all over the place. Except hooking a couple, of course! Welcome to this week’s Indian River Lagoon and Econlockhatchee Report.

A walking, bank-fishing Econ trip with a spin rod started the week. I’d love to fish that stretch of river with a fly pole, but I lack that kind of skill. The fish were biting well, the song birds were singing, the Cooper’s hawks were shrieking, and I got some photos of otters. Fantastic day!

 

 

 

Next, Mike and River joined me for some Indian River Lagoon quality time. Redfish, black drum, and seatrout fell for our offerings. Water looked pretty good. That invasive exotic, grassy-looking stuff is taking over the bottom, though. We have a new exotic mussel, too. If they were larger, I’d eat them.

 

I returned to the scene of the crime a couple days later, hoping to cash in on what I’d learned from the day with Mike. That’s when I found the tarpon rolling! I hooked two, one on a streamer that jumped off, one on a gurgler that I unhooked and released. I got five other species (seatrout, jack crevalle, ladyfish, black drum, and redfish) for a total of six altogether. What was weird is, I got only one of each! All but the red were caught on fly.

 

Some serious jacks were showering mullet. It looked like the good old days! I love the jacks, I hope they stay around until after the mullet run.

Our governor and legislature keep passing one horrible, hateful, hurtful, and un-Christ-like law after another. It’s making me sick.

That’s the Indian River Lagoon and Econlockhatchee 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 2023. All rights are reserved.

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Fished Around Central Florida Report

March 10, 2023 by · Leave a Comment

Fished Around Central Florida Report

Thanks for reading this Fished Around Central Florida Report. Was fortunate enough to get out four days, and visited the dermatologist again. The weather maintains a fantastic level between fabulous and awesome.

Subscribers, if the photos don’t load, please visit my blog at https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/

Saturday

 

Bob Hosking and I went to the Econlockhatchee. It being Saturday, I was expecting a plastic horde, but we had the place to ourselves. We got quite a few fish, and while there were no monsters, a couple four-pounders came to hand. Bob used a plastic worm. I used a fly rod mouse and a Senko. It didn’t seem to make much difference.

Bob, average-sized Econ bass.

 

Monday

noting the water was low, I visited the Banana River Lagoon. The water makes up for its low level with a distinct lack of clarity. I got a nice trout blind-casting the Senko, and a couple shoreline redfish (the only way I could have seen them) on a black Clouser Minnow. Don’t need to go back for a while.

The fish threw saltwater all over my camera.

Tuesday

I tried Mosquito Lagoon again. I could copy and paste what I just wrote about the Banana River Lagoon. Low, dirty water, the only fish I could see were on the shoreline. Incredibly, managed three reds on fly. Took zero photos, somewhat of a relief, actually.

Thursday

Took a solo Econlockhatchee trip. It’s been good, the water is at the right level. Flies and soft plastics are what I’ve been using. Saw lots of gatorsaurusses.

 

Friday

my PA (I feel like we’re developing a relationship at this point) at the dermatologist froze another pre-cancerous lesion off my face. That’s what I get for spending so much of my life in the sunshine.

That’s the Fished Around Central Florida Report 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 2023. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

An Everglades Retrospective

November 10, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

An Everglades Retrospective- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post, An Everglades Retrospective. Couldn’t fish this week because of the weather. Since “official” camping season (to me) kicks off at the end of this month, I thought I’d pay some homage to my favorite Florida place to camp- Everglades National Park. My first trip there, a six-day canoe/camping trip, was in 1980,

For subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

Got my kids started early. Maxx with a Snake Bight seatrout.

 

Maxx running the Bang-O-Craft.

 

Alex in the mud at Lake Ingraham. Hey, he wanted out of the boat!

 

Me at Lostman’s Key. This photo ran in the very first magazine article I had published, around 1985.

 

Tarpon on fly, Coot Bay.

 

Maxx, Matt Van Pelt, and Alex, in Lake Ingraham. Matt was one of my students, back when I was a public school teacher.

 

Maxx, Pavilion Key.

 

Anhinga, on the Anhinga Trail.

 

Alex got this trout on the Middle Grounds, near east Cape Sable.

 

Don Causey paddles across Coot Bay.

 

Put-in at Hell’s Bay.

 

Maxx going mano-a-mano…

 

…with this guy, Mud Lake.

 

Alex, different day, same place.

 

Campsite on New Turkey Key.

 

The beach at Cape Sable.

 

Paddling on the Buttonwood Canal.

 

A dragonfly, a Halloween Pennant, sits on a mangrove leaf.

 

Waiting for the storm, Jewell Key.

 

Maxx, Jewell Key.

 

Alex, Bear Lake.

 

Nesting ospreys near Tiger Key.

 

Fish on, Garfield Bight. Courtesy Mike Conneen.

 

Rabbit Key.

 

This guy came up right next to the boat, checking us out long enough for me to get a shot.

 

Mike Conneen and River, somewhere near Everglades City.

 

American crocodiles, behind Cape Sable.

 

Campsite, Tiger Key.

 

Where are we??? Mike Conneen tries to see his phone screen.

 

Hand propelled craft only.

 

Mike Conneen and River, Jewell Key.

 

Along the Anhinga Trail.

 

In a tiny creek…

 

Where are we??? Behind Cape Sable. Courtesy Mike Conneen.

 

Mike Conneen and River, Jewell Key.

 

If memory serves, this is the south Joe River chickee.

 

One of the reasons I go!

 

Mike Conneen on the Shark Point Chickee.

 

Campfire on Cape Sable.

 

One of the reasons I go!

 

Campfire on Jewell Key.

 

Jack Radloff, Bear Lake.

 

This snook swam right past our boat.

 

Hooked up, Whitewater Bay. Photo courtesy Maxx Kumiski.

 

Got ’em! Maxx holds the beast.

 

Little blue heron, Anhinga Trail.

I’m looking forward to my next visit! Anyone want to go???

That’s An Everglades Retrospective. 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: Fishing Stories, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Three Mosquito Lagoon Days Fishing Report

November 5, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Three Mosquito Lagoon Days Fishing Report

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Three Mosquito Lagoon Days Fishing Report. Fished four days this week, all with spectacular (if a little breezy) weather.

For subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

Monday

Met Dave Caprera at Spruce Creek. Tide was low falling when we started. We paddled around Strickland Bay. It was real quiet as far as the fish went. I saw two redfish, got a shot at neither. No fish breaking. No jacks. No rolling tarpon. The tide turned, but nothing else changed. Blindcasting with a plastic shad, I got a bite near the island cluster, a seatrout about 18 inches long, chasing the skunk. Spruce Creek has been good to me through the years, but it will be a while before I go back.

One of the several colors of the plastic/rubber shad that I use.

Tuesday

Having heard about seagrass growing and some clean water in Mosquito Lagoon, I towed the Bang-O-Craft over and went on a search mission. The Haulover gauge was at 1.8 feet, so I could go anywhere I wanted to. The wind was out of the east. Tin boats are noisy, so I stayed in lees as much as I could.

I did find some seagrass, and some clean water. As always, there was no logical pattern to why one place was clear and another murky. I saw some dolphins, and some manatees, and two bald eagles, and a sea turtle, and two sizable sharks, and a single redfish (no shot). I got a single redfish that may have been a slot fish by blindcasting the plastic shad. Seeing the grass was very encouraging.

Wednesday

This is a file photo that in no way implies that this is what the fishing was like on Wednesday.

Tom Van Horn picked me up. We went to Mosquito Lagoon to further the search for seagrass and clean water. We went to the north end of the lagoon and started blindcasting, using the Deadly Combo. Tom released a half-dozen trout before I got a bite. Unfortunately they were all running pretty small. Then I started catching them, too. We did manage to get a few decent trout.

The Deadly Combo. It is not illegal to replace the shrimp with a jig.

Cruising along with the trolling motor in the lee of an island, I spotted a redfish right against the bank. I got a shot at it, and, using the plastic shad, actually caught it! I figured it was about 32 inches long, but the ruler on Tom’s boat said it was 21. I think the ruler was defective!

This is what I thought I had, but really? It was only 21″.

I followed that up with a snooklet, finishing up a pretty weak slam, but these days you’d best be happy with what you get.

For anyone who might be wondering, a snooklet is merely a very juvenile snook.

Thursday

Twenty knot winds forecast. Didn’t fish.

Friday

The forecast was for fifteen knots out of the east. After looking at next week’s forecast, I went anyway. Fifteen beats 20!

This is a file photo that in no way implies that this is what the fishing was like on Wednesday. Mine was about a pound-and-a-half.

My first fish on the fly this week was a jack crevalle. I haven’t gotten one of those in the Mosquito Lagoon in at least five years, it was pretty awesome. Then I got a mangrove snapper! Fly was a Polar Fiber Minnow. Then I put the fly rod away- fighting the wind got to be too much.

On the spin rod I got several trout and hooked and lost two snook. Saw a few reds, either didn’t get a shot or pooched it if I did.

Saturday

Volunteered at Secret Lake Park’s Hook Kids on Fishing event. The kids were excited, but fishing is more fun if the fish participate. Great event, though!

That’s the Three Mosquito Lagoon Days 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.

Filed Under: central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Three Lagoons Fishing Report

October 28, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Three Lagoons Fishing Report

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Three Lagoons Fishing Report. Fished three days this week- one day for each lagoon! The three lagoons are on the east coast of Florida, wrapped around and extending north and south from the Kennedy Space Center. The length of the system is about 160 miles, so three days in a kayak is likely to leave a few spots totally unexplored…

October historically has the highest water levels of the year. A hurricane passed recently, dumping LOTS of rain. The water is high and dirty brown everywhere I went. Sadly, dirty brown has replaced crystal clear as the new normal.

I like the gauge to read below 0.5. Maybe after New Year’s…

For subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

Monday

Sight fished with a fly.

The idea was to try and sightfish with fly tackle on Mosquito Lagoon. This required finding areas that are often dry during normal water levels. I wouldn’t say the trip was a resounding success, but it was a spectacular day, I had five or six shots, and actually hooked and released two fish. Mission accomplished!

Wednesday

This guy didn’t know it was a tarpon fly.

Indian River Lagoon was on the menu this day. I knew where there were baby tarpon, and had tied some new flies for the attempt. Regular readers may recall when last I fished these guys, I had a bite on the first cast and then nothing but one ladyfish afterwards. A classic tarpon fly called a Cockroach was tied onto the end of my leader. I saw some fish rolling, so cast it into the area (no seeing these guys in that water). A bite and I had… a redfish! A beautiful, nine-spot fish it was.

It had four more spots on the starboard side.

A while later the line came tight again. The fish finally jumped, and it was a tarpon. Small, five or six pounds. I was able to photograph it. It was the last fish the Cockroach would catch.

I went a long time without a bite.

I ran into another fly fisherman. He’d gotten a variety of fish on a weighted streamer, just chucking it. I kept tossing a Polar Fiber Minnow at rolling tarpon, and got a seatrout, a decent one.

I went a long time without a bite, again.

Changing tactics, I tried the spin rod with a DOA Shrimp. A bite! A snook! Another bite! A redfish! Tried a Closer Minnow, and got another redfish. And then, to complete my Indian River Lagoon Super Duper Fly Rod Grand Slam, a snooklet!

I went a long time without a bite, again. I tried the tarpon again- they all said no. I paddled back, loaded up, and went home.

Thursday

I tried Banana River Lagoon, launching at KARS Park. The gate guard told me no one had fished the previous day, and I was the first one there at 8 AM. So clearly the fishing wasn’t very good. Hurricanes have knocked a lot of trees into the water along the shoreline, and it looks extraordinarily fishy. Looks can be deceiving. I paddled all the way to Buck Creek, getting a trout while trolling, a snook while casting the shoreline (both on the rubber shad), and spotting one redfish and three black drum in all that distance, maybe four miles. Mind you, there was no wind. You could have seen a fish move from a quarter mile away.

You would think there would be oodles of fish here. How many does it take to make an oodle, anyway???

At Buck Creek, two or three tarpon rolled in almost an hour. Blind casting a streamer got me casting practice.

I got another trout dragging the shad behind me as I paddled back to the launch, at which point I loaded up, having gotten plenty of exercise. But I wasn’t skunked once in three days.

That’s the Three Lagoons 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.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Week on My Own in Maine

September 24, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

A Week on My Own in Maine- A Photo Essay

Happy autumn! The equinox was this week. Thanks for reading this week’s post, A Week on My Own in Maine. I fished four days this week. It would have been more, but the weather… I don’t like fishing in cold, or the rain, or least of all, the cold rain.  Subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

Maryann left on Sunday. I suggested Susan go with her, and I’d meet them the following Sunday. After they left, I thought I’d try to do some trout fishing. Off I went to the Wild River, hoping for a crack at some native brookies.

No fish here, other than guppies.

 

The river resembled an irrigated rock garden. I found what’s probably the deepest pool in the river- no sign of fish, and I could see every pebble on the bottom. The Wild flows into the Androscoggin. I was only a few miles away, so…

I met a local guy there who convinced me to gear up. I spent a couple hours swinging a streamer in a stretch about a quarter mile long, not a touch. The two other local fly casters there had just as many bites as me.

The fallfish, scorned by anglers all through New England. There’s no such thing as a bad fish.

I drove past Lovell to try my luck at Swan’s Falls on the Saco. I caught two fish there, fallfish, the largest specie in the minnow family. Not a trout or a bass, but a fish that took a fly and pulled drag- I’ll take it.

An old favorite, the chain pickerel.

Monday

The forecast was for a high of 54, with rain. Not a day I want to be out paddling, so I wadered up and fished the old channel of the Saco with a spin rod. Two more fallfish and a chain pickerel, and two pickerel cut me off. I was not skunked. The heavens opened up around 1400, so I bagged it.

Tuesday

The Saco went up four feet.

The rain continued all night. The Saco went up four feet! I probably should have gone whitewater paddling, but decided to go to Kezar Pond. At the old Saco, the current had reversed and was flowing hard into the pond. With visions of hordes of fish waiting for the smorgasbord, I rode the current the mile there, knowing getting back would be hard.

Hemlock Bridge, where I put in.

 

Kezar Pond. I’d like to fish it when conditions are good!

Fifty-two degrees and cloudy does not good bass fishing make. The hordes of fish weren’t there. I got two pickerel bites, missed one and was cut off by the other. On the windy side of the lake, with rain threatening and the river continuing to rise, and not much fish action, I decided discretion was the better part and paddled the mile back.

Kezar River Mill Pond.

I went to the Kezar River Reserve to check it out. Ended up going for a long walk and picking some boletus mushrooms that I ate for dinner.

Yummy stuff here!

Wednesday

Horseshoe Pond.

 

Same place, different view.

 

Best fish I got there.

 

We’re a little aggressive, aren’t we??

 

Sign at the boat ramp.

 

Snake at the boat ramp.

I found my way to Horseshoe Pond. A more scenic body of water is hard to imagine, but the fish weren’t on. I fished the entire way around, getting one small smallmouth and three tiny ones, all on surface flies. No bites on any soft plastics.

After wrapping it up at Horseshoe, I tried Kezar Lake. The biggest chain pickerel of the trip struck a Culprit worm on the first cast. I badly wanted a picture, but didn’t want to hurt the fish, or end up bleeding, so no photo. I fished hard until after a spectacular sunset, getting only one small bass on a popping bug.

Thursday

Moose Pond, near Bridgton.

 

Turkeys playing in the rain.

 

Rainbow rather than sunset.

The equinox fell on Thursday. It dawned raining hard. I did some writing, packing, fly tying, and cooking. The rain stopped about 1500. After returning the kayak to its owner, I put the solar panel back on the roof. There was heavy mist in the mountains- pictures were taken. Instead of the sunset pictures I wanted, I got a rainbow!

Friday

View on the hike.

 

Walks in the woods are good for the soul.

The wind howled around the house all night. It was 43 degrees when I got up. Susan was supposed to come back this day. I went for a light hike. When I got back to the Pond House I learned that she’d been delayed, so I went for a different light hike.

Boletus.

 

Coral mushroom.

 

Chanterelle.

 

Amanita muscaria. Don’t eat this one!!!

It quickly turned into a foraging trip when I found some chanterelles. Boletus, puffballs, and coral mushrooms were added to the bag. I’ll be eating them for breakfast with some eggs in a few minutes.

That’s the A Week on My Own in Maine post. 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: Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The I Sock at Trout Fishing Fishing Report and Photo Essay

June 10, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

The I Sock at Trout Fishing Fishing Report and Photo Essay

Thanks for reading the I sock at trout fishing fishing report. The fish in North Carolina are all still there after four days of my mostly unsuccessful attempts to catch them. This blog will be fairly long- you might want to save it for the office!

This is what we fantasized about…

Note to subscribers– some of you have been emailing, telling me the photos are not going through. They appear in your email back to me! At the bottom of the blog email you get are links to my websites and the blog, www.spottedtail.com/blog. Hit the link, see the original blog.

Back to business…

Left Friday morning on my way to Flat Rock. Stayed off the interstate. Hated driving near Jacksonville, hope to go home a different way. Went through Folkston, stopped at Okefenokee NWR headquarters for a lunch stop and a bit of walking (and dragonfly photography).

I believe this is an eastern pondhawk, a female.

 

Looks like the raccoons got into the turtle eggs again!

Continued to Ohoopee River Campground. Spent the night. OK place, a little trashy. Sixteen cigarette butts at my campsite- I don’t like cigarette litter at all. The river was small, looked pretty nice though. They have kayak rentals there, and bass, and redbellies.

Saturday

morning I finished the trek to Flat Rock (home of the Flat Rock), to the Tedesco’s house, still avoiding the interstate, and met Jim and Kathy there. Jim and I planned our food and tackle needs and packed up his Honda for the trip to Bryson City.

Sunday

 

 

In the morning we headed out for the two-hour trip. Check-in at Nantahala Cabins wasn’t until 1500, so we went to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and took the two-mile hike through these never-logged woods. AMAZING trees. I am so glad someone left us a few!

We checked in, met up with Tammy, ate a couple vittles, and went fishing in the Nantahala River. I raised a fish to a #16 caddis dry on my first cast- missed it. Raised another. Missed it. It must have been softball- two strikes and I was out. Jim caught three troutlets, the largest of which was eight inches. Like me, Tammy got blanked. Tammy’s sock and my sock react synergistically to give us way more sock than the sum of our individual socks.

Monday

We went to the Tuckaseegee. The gauge was at 3.3, running at about 2000 cfs. I looked at the water flow and depth and said, I’m not wading in that, I’ll get swept away. We ended up on the “Trophy” section of the Oconaluftee River. My trophy brown, caught on a nymph, was perhaps six inches long, and still had parr marks. I made an attempt to photograph it but it squirted out of my hand while I fumbled for the camera.

Although we could have had multiple hookups on tubers, the season on them was closed. Tammy got a junior league “trophy”, too, but we were not near each other, so no photo.

After dinner Jim and I again tried the Nantahala. Not a bite did we get.

Tuesday

Casting in the rain.

We went to a different section of the Oconaluftee. In the rain. I elected to bring a camera instead of a fly rod. Jim raised and missed one fish, but I did get some photos of them fishing.

More casting in the rain.

 

Yes, it’s still raining.

 

We did catch some elm, though.

Tuesday evening we again went to the Nantahala. The water was higher and dirtier than the previous two evenings. Again, I took photos. Even Jim’s attempt to fish was half-hearted.

On the Nantahala River.

 

More Nantahala.

 

Yes, still more!

Wednesday

The forecast was for an inch of rain. You just can’t trust weather forecasts. The rain did spatter a bit but there was no inch of rain. We hardly fished, choosing instead to look for elk and other critters in Cataloochee Valley. There was a creek there and in a deeper spot I saw a fish rise. I got my rod, cast the caddis out there, raised a fish and missed it, raised another one and missed it, too. Then no more rises. Jim tried, too. All he attracted was an audience.

Jim raised an audience.

 

A Cataloochee Valley butterfly.

We did see a cow elk, and some wild turkeys, and various bees and butterflies and flowers. The Cataloochee Valley is lovely. It was a good way to spend the day.

Mountain laurel was blooming.

We did not try the Nantahala Wednesday night, even knowing that to catch a fish, one must venture his bait. Sometimes it’s better to admit you’re licked…

Thursday

morning Jim and I visited the Nantahala yet again, just at one of the pullouts along the section that the rafters use. There were two men spin fishing there. I chatted with one of them, who admitted to using sophisticated bait- doughballs. He caught a trout while I watched, and added it to the six already in his creel. I thought, wow, I really do sock.

We got our rods. I cut off the fly and tied on a gummy worm. Of course it worked, although the rainbow trout it fooled was only about seven inches long. Still, it was a trout after several days of catching nothing.

Not exactly like the fish in my fantasy!

After lunch we went and got Tammy, then headed to Cades Cove for some wildlife viewing. So did 250,000 other car owners. It was stupid traffic.

That having been said, we saw several black bears (they caused most of the traffic problems), several deer, some lovely, big draft horses, and various other plants and animals. Then we went to see the fireflies.

Bears with ear tags- what is the world coming to??

I figured fireflies would be hard to photograph, and they were, but I’ve never seen as many anywhere. Tammy’s friends Mike and Jeanette told us that we missed the peak firefly nights, which are completely unpredictable. I would like to see that, but am certainly glad we witnessed what we did! Pretty danged amazing it was!

Fireflies are hard to photograph.

 

Shut your car off when you’re in a parking lot!

Friday

was checkout day. We took our ball and went to the Davidson River. I had my first fish in five minutes, a small rainbow trout.

Not exactly my fantasy fish!

and my second a few minutes later, a brook trout that was almost a foot long. WOW! A small beadhead nymph did the trick.

The best fish of the trip.

A while later I got another small rainbow trout, then missed a strike. No brown trout, no slam. We wrapped it up and returned to Flat Rock.

Saturday

morning I’m starting the trek back to Chuluota, hope to be there by noon on Sunday.

—

That’s the I sock at trout fishing Fishing report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Ride a bike! 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: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Another Econlockhatchee Fishing Report

June 2, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Another Econlockhatchee Fishing Report

Thanks for reading another Econlockhatchee fishing report. We’re early this week because I’ll be on the road.

Not a dragonfly, a black swallowtail works pickerelweed blossoms.

Sunday morning found me at Orlando Wetlands Park to chase dragonflies with a camera. Although the website says they open at 0800, the sign on the gate says they open at sunrise. In case you want to get there for the morning light. Anyway, there were loads of dragonflies.

Needham’s skimmer, male.

 

Needham’s skimmer, female. Viva le difference!

 

Four-spotted pennant, male.

 

Last one, four spotted pennant, female.

Memorial Day I did what I usually do- stayed home and hid. The plan worked perfectly.

Tuesday morning Susan dropped me, a fly rod, a camera, and the kayak off at the Econ, a little after 0800. The gauge read 1.9 feet. I mostly just floated and enjoyed the day, doing lots of wading, catching a few bass (no big ones) on a mouse fly, and taking pictures, until 1300. Then, supposed to meet Susan at 1500, I paddled like I meant it, for two-and-a-half hours. I was a little late…

Ebony jeweling, female. Didn’t see any males.

Wednesday I dropped myself off at the Econ, same kit as the previous day. I only took a few pictures though, mostly spending my time fly fishing. I lost the mouse in a bush, lost another surface fly on a strike, had a popper body come off the hook (need to talk to my fly tyer about that), and tried a streamer for a while.

The disintegrating popper. Next fish blew it up.

The streamer was tied for the Ocala trip, was supposed to imitate a golden shiner. I don’t think it looked at all like a shiner. Neither did some of the bass I saw follow it without taking.

The “golden shiner” electric sushi streamer.

But quite a few bass (no big ones) did take it, and the redbellies loved it. You wouldn’t think a redbelly could get a size 1 hook in its mouth, but there ya go.

Amazing cypress tree, probably the most unusual one on the river.

 

Buttonbush blossom. Smells the roses!

Thursday (as I write this) I ran errands and packed. I’ll be off in the morning, going to chase some trout with Tammy. I’m not a good trout fisherman, but I am bringing some camera gear.

That’s the early another Econlockhatchee Fishing report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Ride a bike! 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, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , ,

Indian River Lagoon Slams Fishing Report

May 27, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Indian River Lagoon Slams Fishing Report

Thanks for reading this Indian River Lagoon slams fishing report. There’s also an ode to odonata in here.

And while you’re out enjoying yourself this Memorial Day weekend, be safe, and spend some time thinking about all the people who have made so many sacrifices so that we can enjoy our way of life. The beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944 jump to mind…

Odonata are one of 28 orders of insects.* Included in this order are the dragonflies and damselflies. You’ll find (if you’re looking) six families of dragonflies and three families of damselflies in Florida, over 100 colorful, insect-eating species all told.

Female four-spotted pennant.

These insects eat other insects, especially insects humans find annoying- gnats, no-see-ums, mosquitos. They do so energetically and colorfully- odonates are beautiful creatures and dragonflies are amazing fliers! Everyone who spends time in the outdoors should be thankful for the work the odonates do for us.

Male blue dasher.

I would like to be able to identify all the Florida species. Right now I can identify three or four. I am what is called a work in progress!

Don’t know the family, never mind genus and species. Anyone know?

* The taxa go Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus species.

Sunday

Found me at Orlando Wetlands Park, looking for dragonflies (and other stuff) to photograph. It’s a great way to get out and observe nature without having to compete for limited weekend fishing spots.

Needham’s skimmer, female.

Monday

Honey-dos. Move along folks, nothing to see here!

Monday evening found me looking at google maps, looking for new fishing spots, something I probably spend too much time doing. That having been said, I noticed something I never had before.

Tuesday

Found me in my kayak with a camera, a fly rod and a spin rod. First I tried to get dragonfly photos, which was somewhat frustrating. When the wind blows, the dragonfly’s perch waves around- very hard to focus. The frogs were a little easier!

Then it was time for checking out my “new” discovery. After only a few minutes I got a small snook with the spin rod. It was the only snook caught, although several handsome specimens were observed. The fly rod accounted for two redfish and a tarpon, all by casting blindly. Best of all, the place was reasonably easy to fish, even with a 15-knot wind. I’ll be back.

The water in the IRL isn’t crystal clear, but it’s not filled with algae either. Sight fishing is still possible if there’s good light.

It may be small, but it’s a snook!

 

The black-and-purple was the ticket this week!

Wednesday

Met Mike Conneen and River at 0615, different place on the IRL. It was not hot fishing by any means, but it was fairly steady. There was a fly rod in my kayak, which never got touched. WHOOOOOSSHHHHHH said the wind! We both got slams of trout, reds, and snook. Most of the fish were small, but there were a couple decent ones.

Odd observation- when we first got out onto the water, a string of pelicans flew over, 14 or 15 birds. The pelican in the middle of the string looked odd. Because it was in fact a spoonbill. Never noticed that before!

Thursday

Went to the IRL, different spot. It was blowey again, so my plan was to use the kayak to access the area I wanted to fly fish, and then wade.

Plans often get modified, but I did walk in the water for a couple of miles. For the sake of symmetry, I’d like to say that I brought a spin rod and it never got touched, but it got used. There goes the symmetry.

I fly fished for about three hours. The first fish was a dinker snook. At least it only took an hour of casting to get! Then a fat, picture-worthy trout nailed the streamer. Two species! A redfish laughed at my fly- I thought the presentation was spot on. I changed the fly. A red in the slot nailed the streamer on a blind cast. Three species!

It’s hard to be stealthy when tied to a kayak that the waves are slapping off of. Several fish were spooked this way. I picked up the spin rod.

Two more reds, one only a few months old, and a very fat trout hit the shad. After about six hours of wading, I loaded the boat onto the car roof, calling it a day well lived.

Friday

Errands and planning. Got to get ready for the weekend!

Three different species were caught every day I (and Mike) fished this week. It ain’t the old days, but there is some fishing out there, at least at the moment. That’s the Indian River Lagoon Slams Fishing report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Ride a bike! 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, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The MINWR Fishing Report

May 20, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

The MINWR Fishing Report

Sea turtle tracks on Playalinda.

Thanks for reading this MINWR Fishing report. Disclosure- Some of the action happened at CNS.

Monday

My first choice of fishing spots on the Indian River Lagoon turned out not to be an option- the road was closed. So, on the fly, I chose an alternate site.

The morning was beautiful- birds, bugs (dragonflies, not the biting kind), and a few redfish showing.

Fly casting only, I scared every fish I threw to, setting new records for incompetence. To be honest, the fish weren’t doing much to help me out. That’s not their job, I suppose. Didn’t get a bite, and drove home reeking of skunk.

Tuesday

Tried a different spot on the Indian River Lagoon. The water was clear, and the wind was light. There were some mullet around. But it was quiet- no fish showing. A search mission was in order.

There was some blind casting with the spin rod, unproductive except for a dinker snook. Spots that had been good to me in the past were visited, no results.

Worth the trip right there.

Finally, a bust along the shoreline. I paddled over and tossed the plastic shad. A strike! It turned out to be a nice snook, instantly making the trip worth it. We weren’t done, though.

While standing in the kayak, working along the shore, I moved a few fish. I staked out and started blind-casting the shad. Bang! Nice trout, in the slot. Next cast, Bang. Pulling drag, a real fish! It was a large, slimy, gafftopsail catfish. It pulled hard, but I’m not a fan.

Sailcat, everyone’s favorite catch.

A few minutes later, moving again, another strike on the shad. Big, beautiful trout! Again, worth the trip right there.

A few minutes later some tarpon rolled, small ones. A small streamer was tied on the fly leader, and tossed out for an opinion. Bang! Fish in the air! He jumped off, though. Moments later, Bang! Fish in the air! He jumped off, too. Third time was the charm, also the smallest of the three. But I got a (bad) picture of it before releasing it. Worth the trip right there.

First tarpon of the year for me.

It turns out my catching was done, even though over an hour more was spent fishing. When I finally accepted reality, time was spent trying to photograph birds and dragonflies and frogs, with limited success. It was a spectacular day, though- I wasn’t ready to go home quite yet.

A reddish egret chases minnows.

 

Blue dasher dragonfly. Probably.

 

Another blue dasher.

 

Another dragonfly, this one not a blue dasher!

 

Bullfrog, acting coyly.

Wednesday

The plan was to meet Rodney et. al. at parking lot 13 at Playalinda at around 6 AM, then walk north up the beach a mile or two. NASA did not get the memo.

I got near the gate into Playalinda to find traffic stopped. The gate was locked. No surprise, they open it at six. Six came and went, and we sat there. Folks got out of their cars and were milling around. The police were there. NASA employees trying to get to work couldn’t- all the Playalinda-bound vehicles were blocking the road. It was a mess.

The tiny speck to the left of the sign is a rocket going up.

Finally, at 7 AM, a rocket was launched. A few minutes later the gate was opened and we finally got to the beach. Rodney’s friend (and maybe my new one) David brought a big cooler and didn’t want to make the walk, so we fished among the nude sunbathers.

Tom and whiting.

Rodney got a few bluefish. Tom Rastican got a couple whiting and ladyfish. David got a Spanish mackerel. I got a broken rod- twice. Another skunking for me. No big deal, it was awesome seeing Rodney and Tom and meeting David, a great morning on the beach.

Rodney gets into his work.

 

He gets his reward!

Thursday

Honey-dos. Move along folks, nothing to see here.

Friday

Susan and I visited friends.

That’s the MINWR 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.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, central florida fishing report, Fishing Reports · Tagged: , , , , ,
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