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Thanksgiving Florida Keys Fishing Report

November 23, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving Florida Keys Fishing Report

This is a Thanksgiving Florida Keys Fishing Report, 11/23/16. I wish all of my readers the happiest of Thanksgivings.

Friday last week son Alex and I hitched up the Mitzi to the Sienna and pointed that baby south. Our destination? Little Torch Key. Son Maxx has temporary duty there.

Friday evening we hooked up with Capt. Mike Gorton (owner of Alaska’s Goodnews River Lodge) at the Tiki Bar on Sugarloaf Key. Some reminiscing went on over a couple of malted beverages, as well as some discussion of water quality problems throughout the state of Florida. He may have given us some advice on where to fish, too. Mike, it was great seeing you!!

Saturday we went riding in the Mitzi, searching for denizens of the shallows. Due to my impeccable sense of timing, not one but two cold fronts had come in back-to-back, dropping the water temperature over 12 degrees and chasing most fish off the flats. We found a variety of little fishies, and some juvenile tarpon (five bites on DOA CAL shad and not a single fish boated), as well as some sharks and barracudas (could not get any big ‘cudas to bite).

The weather, although breezy and a little chilly, was outstanding. We did not get stuck or break anything and did not need the first aid kit. So from a fishing standpoint it may not have been wildly successful, but it was a beautiful day out on the water.

Heading out to the reefs, Key West behind us.

Sunday at 11 AM found us at Hurricane Hole Marina, where we met Capt. Jack Walker. We ended up fishing over some patch reefs off of Key West, for snapper, grouper, and a variety of other fish. Action was pretty steady, although all the biggest fish just put us into the rocks. Again, it was cool, windy, and wavey, but we had an outstanding day. Thank you Capt. Jack! Great seeing you, too!

Maxx with one of several bar jacks we got.

I got this outstanding grouper! Poor little fish!

Jack, having done this before, outfished us.

Monday we decided not to take Mike’s advice and instead went oceanside along Big Pine Key. First we fished a few patch reefs. Alex hooked a couple fish, lost one in the rocks, and caught a just-short grouper. Then I poled the boat for miles.

Alex got this beauty from a patch reef.

We saw exactly two bonefish but did not get a shot at either. We got numerous barracuditas and some needlefish, hooked a shark, and that was about it. Still windy, still cool, still a gorgeous day on the water, but not terribly fishy.

Early Tuesday we loaded the boat onto the trailer and negotiated the wilds of the south Florida highway system back to beautiful Chuluota.
—————————————————-
FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
—————————————————-

And that is the Thanksgiving Florida Keys Fishing Report! And again, happy Thanksgiving!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports · Tagged: adventure fishing, capt. jack walker, DOA Lures, florida fishing, Florida Keys, florida keys fishing report, key west fishing report

Port Canaveral Fishing Report

November 19, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Port Canaveral Fishing Report

This is a Port Canaveral Fishing Report, 11/19/16.

Two days of fishing this week, one of which was in a retention pond. The other, on Monday, was out of Port Canaveral.

Scott Radloff and I went. At the ramp Fred Cisneros told us there were Sargassum weeds with tripletail on them. We found some weeds pretty quick, but did not see any fish. We later realized we were not out far enough, but it would be hours before that realization occurred. We ended up not getting a shot at the ‘tails.

Searching the weeds.

What we did do was go off of the Cape. Fish were busting, one here, one there. At first I was tossing a DOA CAL jig. A couple decent seatrout and a couple of nice Spanish mackerel came aboard. I wanted the macs with an eye to smoked fish dip. So into the cooler they went.

A toothy fish relieved me of the jig. My other rod was rigged with a Deadly Combo. I’d never used it for Spanish, but it seemed like a good idea. Oh Yes, it certainly was. We caught mackerel and bluefish steadily until we had enough, then went back toward the weeds.

Fish were blowing up in the weeds. Perhaps foolishly I grabbed a six-weight and tossed a bouncer bucktail out there. WHAM.

The fish is trying to teach me a lesson.

The tunny were solid, over ten pounds. It took me 15 or 20 minutes to get that beast in. In the meantime Scott had hooked, boated and released one on a Sting Silver.

A fat tunny on fly!

By this time it was well into the afternoon. We were discussing whan we should leave when we spotted an incoming submarine. Immediately the motor got cranked and we headed back to the dock. Don’t want to deal with the security for one of those!

The fly was nothing special, but the fish certainly was!

All in all fishing was pretty darn good. If I hadn’t been so busy I would have called Aubrey.

The fish got smoked the next day, two batches, an all afternoon undertaking. They came out quite deliciously. I hope my Thanksgiving guests enjoy them!

Wednesday afternoon after finishing errands the chariot took me to a pond in Oviedo. A couple hours yielded seven bass, mostly small ones. The best is shown below.

A lovely little bass, perfect for an autumn afternoon.

—————————————————-
FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
—————————————————-

And that is the Port Canaveral Fishing Report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, port canaveral fishing report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bass fishing, DOA Lures, orlando fishing report, Port Canaveral

Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report

November 15, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report

This is the Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report for November 14. My apologies for all the selfies.

With a kayak fishing charter coming up on Saturday, all my fishing this week was paddle-based fly fishing.

Tuesday‘s trip was on the Mosquito Lagoon. Yes, it sounds like a broken record. High, dirty water makes fishing tough there. I found one redfish all day. Remarkably, I had a good shot at it and caught it. One cannot with reasonable expectation see one fish and hope to catch it. Someone gave me a huge dose of luck.

It was quite a handsome redfish, though.

Wednesday Mike Conneen and I went to the Banana River Lagoon. The water was cleaner than Mosquito Lagoon, but still pretty dirty. All the grass there is gone. I ran over a small school of fish and set up camp while Mike kept going. A couple hours of casting a wool crab netted me three bites that resulted in a black drum, a redfish, and a hooked and lost fish of unknown specie.

Black drum selfie. Not the monster black drum, but it’s a fish.

This redfish was a pretty nice one.

I imagine the fish feels a great deal of relief when it gets returned to the water.

And off it goes!

Unfortunately Mike did not get a fish. There wasn’t a lot of cheese (not many fish) around for us.

Thursday

In spite of that I went back to the Banana River Lagoon the next day, to a different spot. The good news was the water, although of course still quite high, was clean. Like it’s supposed to be. There was no grass at all, though. Only a handful of fish were seen all day, resulting in a single shot and a small redfish that took the wool crab.

Another case of converting the single shot I got.

It is painful to see what’s happened to that fishery.

Sunrise over the St. Johns River on Saturday morning, at 70 mph.

Saturday fly fisher Steve Marsden, from the wilds of northern Wisconsin, joined me for a day’s kayak fly fishing. He had a few shots at tailing reds. Sadly there were no conversions. He did get what was by far the largest pinfish I have ever seen, and a handful of trout that probably would not have “held batter.” The weather was awesome, the birds spectacular, and we enjoyed the day.

If the IGFA kept pinfish world records, this fish would be in the book.

Sunday Tammy had a birthday. She spent it with friends on the Econlockhatchee. I hope she had fun. I think she did!

Fishing on the Econ was less than stellar.

Tammy’s birthday crew. Birthday Girl is hot and pink.

And that is the Orlando Kayak Fly Fishing Report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Banana River, Black drum, fly fishing, kayak fishing, mosquito lagoon fishing report, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish

Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report

November 5, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report

This is the Election Week Central Florida Fishing Report.

Rain and the Lagoons

Back a few weeks we had a near-miss from Hurricane Matthew. Several people asked me if the storm’s heavy rains would have a clearing effect on the lagoon. The short answer- no, it won’t.

The drainage area of the Indian River Lagoon system has increased three-fold since Henry Flagler built his railroad around the turn of the 20th century. That increase in watershed size has come mostly from drainage ditches that drain sugar fields, orange groves, and cattle pastures, drainage ditches that drain subdivisions and shopping areas, storm drains, etc. All that freshwater draining into the lagoon carries loads of nutrients and pollutants. So the rain, rather than increasing the water quality in the lagoon, actually decreases it.

If the water were pure rainwater it would be great. But it’s polluted storm runoff. It won’t be clearing the lagoon, ever. Rather than solving the problem it just makes it worse.

Outside Reading

Reid Bryant has a brilliant essay about social media’s blurring effect on fly fishing reality in the November/December issue of American Angler. It’s worth getting the magazine just to read it.

Blog Posts This Week

Go Macro Macrobars Review- http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/gomacro-macrobars-review/
CEP Merino Socks Review- http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/cep-outdoor-ligh…ino-socks-review/
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FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html
—————————————————-

Yes, we did go fishing this week.

Mr. Conneen works the Lox.

On Monday Mike Conneen drove and I rode along to Jupiter, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, to fish the Loxahatchee River. Beautiful mangroves lined the river with pine trees right behind them. The water was dark but pretty clear. High water. We saw a half dozen or so tarpon, no takers. We did not see any snook, the main reason we went. We did not see much else in the way of fish, and rare in a Florida waterway, no manatees.

We saw lots of birds of various water kinds of species, and some alligators, and caught maybe ten crevalle between us. Mike got the lion’s share of those.

It was a pleasant enough day to be paddling on a lovely river. Fishing was disappointing though.

Tuesday errands called, not the least of which was early voting. Man, I’ll be glad when the election is over, regardless of what happens. I digress. A small retention pond lies near the polling place. Thirty minutes of casting a red shad culprit worm netted me one small bass. Then the errands continued. Thank you, little fish! Please discharge your civic responsibility by doing some research and then voting!

You may have pieces of water you drive by all the time on your way to fish elsewhere. Thursday found me undecided about where to fish. High, dirty water in the lagoon makes me not want to fish there. The Econ is still very high. The St. Johns is still high. Some time looking at maps gave me an idea. “You drive past here all the time and have never stopped. Go check it out.”

I hooked up the Bang-O-Craft to the chariot and rode off to joust with windmills at the new spot (two in one week!). The new spot was beautiful, near SR 46 but surrounded by marshes. There were fishies breaking all over the place. I could not catch one on spin or fly and never figured out what they were.

Deciding to ignore them I started tossing a Culprit worm (same one as on Tuesday). Boom! Boom! Boom! Three yearling bass in quick succession. A long dry spell followed. Looking at the place you just knew there were fish there. But I couldn’t find any more.

Three yearling bass in quick succession…

I stumbled into a small creek with a little bit of current. The fish were “stacked up like cordwood” in there (I have waited a lifetime to honestly use that old cliche.) The Culprit worm got torn apart. The the DOA CAL worm I put on got torn apart. Then the DOA CAL shad I put on got torn apart, although what was by far the biggest fish I hit (three pounds, maybe a little more?) took that and tossed it, heartbreakingly, on the first jump.

It finally dawned on me that I had a fly pole and this might be a good place to use it. For close an hour I caught a bass on almost every cast on a cream-colored Matuka Bouncer. Yes, the fish were small, 12″ ones. But it was a bass on every cast. It has never happened to me before. It was fun. It was fabulous. It was by far the most bass I ever caught in one day in a lifetime of fishing.

The place was Loughman Lake. It must have some bigger fish and I’ll be going back.

Friday George Allen joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. Speaking of little fish…

We got numerous trout on DOA CAL jigs, only one fish in the slot. We went looking for redfish. We found some spooky tailing fish and never really got a good shot at one. We poled some shorelines. Shortly before we left George hit one while blind casting. That fish maybe went 18 inches, took a DOA CAL shad tail, and was the only red we got.

Redfish on the DOA CAL Shad, an awesome little bait.

The manatees are still everywhere. Please navigate with caution- GO SLOWLY!

You may have restaurants you drive by all the time on your way to eat elsewhere. There’s a relatively new place on US 1 in Titusville called Loyd Have Mercy. Soul food, seafood, and Bar B Cue. Susan and I went there Firday evening, not really knowing what to expect. I got garlic butter crabs with cole slaw and carrot souffle. Sue got shrimp with the same sides. OUTSTANDING! My only complaint concerned crab size- they were kind of small. But as far as the quality of preparation, everything was wonderful. We’ll be going back. Do your taste buds a favor and check it out.

What’s left of the crabs after I got going…

And that is the Election Day Central Florida Fishing Report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bass fishing, DOA Lures, florida fishing, fly fishing, kayak fishing, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing report

Bahia Solano Fishing Report and Photo Essay

October 28, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Bahia Solano Fishing Report

This is this week’s Bahia Solano Fishing Report and Photo Essay.

Flying over Medellin.

Any doubt about us being in the tropics was shattered when we got off the turboprop in Bahia Solano. Soldiers, heat, mud, dogs, chickens, the smell of meat charring over charcoal, lush vegetation, trash, vultures, beautiful, hospitable brown-skinned people, conversations at the speed of light. I was back in the jungle and it was awesome!

View from my balcony at Playa de Oro Lodge.

We took a truck to a boat to the Lodge Playa de Oro. Our hostess was the gracious and charming Isabel Palacio. The rest of the group consited of Rodrigo Teixeira, a production coordinator for FishTV, Ricardo Canali, owner of Real Pesca, Johanna Garavito of ProColumbia, and our guide, Alejandro Linares, who also owns the El Pez fishing tackle store in Medellin. As an English speaker I was linguistically challenged.

From left clockwise: Isabel, Ricardo, Rodrigo, me, Johanna

We ate a delicious lunch- fried wahoo steaks with fixins. As wonderful as it was, the birds stole the show. One hundred five species of birds have been identified on the lodge property alone. They are beautiful, brilliantly colored, and not at all shy. I hadn’t even touched my tackle yet, but everything was fantastic.

The birds stole the show.

A two hour boat ride straight out into the Pacific under a sky threatening rain started our first day of fishing. We planned on trolling for sailfish, tuna, and mahi at what Alejandro told me was the Panama Current. We trolled without success long enough that I took a nap on the boat’s deck.

The boat ride out.

Alejandro finally gave up on the trolling. We went to a point of land where huge boulders pierced the surface of the sea, providing habitat for frigatebirds, boobies, and other seabirds. Alejandro handed me a large spinning rod with a giant popper attached. When I asked what we were fishing for he said, “Pargo. Atun.” Cubera snapper and tuna. OK. I’d never caught either so it was fine with me.

We fished around these rocks.

This plug weighed four ounces. Tossing and working it was WORK.

Using that outfit was serious work. After a while it was rest time for me. Ricardo had a bite, something that screamed line off against a very tight drag. But the hooks pulled lose and we never saw the creature.

Alejandro battles a pargo.

Alejandro was like a machine, tossing the popper a mile and working it back with powerful sweeps of the rod. A fish finally came up and ate it- what a fish! Pargo, muy grande! The snapper weighed close to 70 pounds, the biggest one Alejandro had ever gotten. After we photographed it, to my surprise and relief, he released it.

It was a beast.

It wasn’t my fish!

Even after that it was a bit of a shock when a fish nailed my plug. Against a tightly set drag the fish made a powerful run. It was a tuna, not even a very big one. Man, such power!

The tuna weighed less than 10 pounds, but they were all business.

That fish was not released. Nor was the next one I got. Alejando got a third.

One of Alejandro’s tackle boxes.

We had tuna sushimi and tuna ceviche as appetizers at dinner that evening. They were both heavenly.

The weather the second day could have been better.

Inclement Weather

Rain greeted us the next morning. Near the lodge we cast lures for tarpon and roosterfish. An hour’s work netted no results, so we went back to the pargo spot. The rain just got heavier, the wind windier. I broke out the ten-weight. Carrying it to Colombia would have been stupid had I not used it. I got one blue runner, not exactly the fish I had in mind. But it was a fish on a fly in a country that was new to me. Score!

Johanna had never caught a fish before.

Although there were three tuna caught with plugs, there were no pargo this day. With the weather deteriorating and the fishing slow we decided to bag it early in the afternoon. The ride back to the lodge was memorable for all the wrong reasons- big seas, heavy rain, everyone soaked and miserable.

Atun! Johanna is a happy girl.

Last Day at Bahia Solano

The next morning I had some time before our flight back to Medellin. I used it to photograph some of the birds and sights around the lodge.

My trip to Bahia Solano was way too short, unfortunately with uncooperative weather and fairly uncooperative fish. I’d made some new friends and had a chance to catch some new species, an altogether great trip. February is supposed to be the best month for fishing there. I’m looking for a way to clear my calendar for a couple of weeks.

For more information on Bahia Solano and the Playa de Oro Lodge, visit http://www.hotelesdecostaacosta.com/bahia-solano. Find the English link for the site at the top left.

———————————————————

FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html

===============================

And that is this week’s Bahia Solano Fishing Report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing News, Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: adventure fishing, bahia solano, fishing, fishing in Colombia, Fishing tackle, Pacific Ocean

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality

October 5, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

The fly in question? A black redfish worm.

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality

Mosquito Lagoon was long justly famous for its clear water and abundant fish- redfish, seatrout, black drum, and several other species. Anglers used a variety of techniques to catch these fish, but for kayaking fly fishers the main draw was the ability to sight fish the critters, even while sitting in a kayak.

The landscape began to change in 2011.

During the summer of 2011 an algae bloom appeared. It quickly spread. Soon the water in the lagoon became a sickening brown color. If you put your hand in the water, it disappeared. Unless a fish stuck a body part out of the water, you had no idea it was there.

Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon redfish

You can see the shallow water is not crystal clear. Again, the fly is black.

Winter came, and the bloom cleared.

It came back during the summer of 2012, and cleared again when winter came.

It came back during the summer of 2013, and cleared again when winter came.

It came back during the summer of 2014. Winter came. The water did not clear. It has been disgustingly dirty ever since. Friends of mine have said, “I can’t wait for the water to clear.” Well, yeah, but I think they’re being optimistic. None of the conditions that led to these blooms has been changed (and it’s a complex set of circumstances), so why should the water clear?

Perhaps I’m being pessimistic, but I think brown, dirty water is the new norm here. Adapt or get skunked.

The dirty water has had a cascade effect. Light cannot penetrate the water, so a lot of the seagrass has died. Seagrasses fed the entire ecosystem, so my fear is that the productivity of the system, its ability to produce finfish, has been seriously compromised. There ain’t as many fish, because there ain’t as much fish food.

If you kayak fish with a fly rod, there are fewer fish to find, and it’s gotten much harder to find them. What to do? What to do???

You could, of course, take your game elsewhere. Undoubtedly some fishermen have. Those of us who live here are loathe to take such a drastic step. No, we adapt. This piece examines how to do so.

In a nutshell, what the entrepid paddling hackle heaver needs to do is concentrate his (or her) effort at shallow spots that have lots of light-colored bottom. If you can wade there that’s a huge plus. Places that fit this description include Tiger Shoal, Georges Bar, and many of the spoil islands. There are many other places, and some time spent studying Google Maps will pay dividends when you’re out paddling.

If the water is low (0.5′ or less on this gauge http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?02248380) that’s a really huge plus. The deeper the water is, the tougher seeing the fish will be. The converse is true, too. Low water is one of your biggest allies.

What you look for has not changed.

What you’re looking for hasn’t changed. Tails, wakes, busts, laid-up or finning fish, concentrations of birds or bait, all can lead to a pay-off. My preference is to find an area that has fish, then abandon ship and do my hunting on foot. Your conversion rate will be higher by doing this.

If there’s any silver lining to the dirty water situation, it’s that the fish can’t see you either. On a recent trip I got three reds. My longest cast was about 20 feet.

For reds and drum you still want flies that sink. My favorite color is basic black. It seems to be visible in the murk.

Black flies work well…

Your casts will have to be more aggressive. Any fly not in the immediate vicinity of the fish’s head will just not be seen, much less taken. Don’t be afraid to lay it on them!

Seatrout, frequently tough to sight fish even when the water was clean, seem much less abundant now. I have yet to figure them out. When that happens I will write another article.

While this piece is about the Mosquito Lagoon, the Indian River and Banana River Lagoons have the same problems. Indeed, the problems may be worse in those lagoons. Last winter the Banana River Lagoon had an enormous fish kill between SR 528 and the Pineda Causeway.

In the Mosquito Lagoon that hasn’t happened, and in the Mosquito Lagoon there are at least some seagrass beds that remain. All that having been said, there are still fish in both those lagoons, and they can certainly be caught on fly tackle. Again, look for shallow areas with light colored bottoms so you have a chance to see any fish that may be present.

…but other colors will work too.

So while we can hope that the good old days of plentiful fish and clean water aren’t gone, hoping does not put fish on the end of the line. Get paddling, look for fish in those shallow spots, and some good things will happen. That’s Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- A New Reality.

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Stories, Fishing Tips, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, opinion · Tagged: adventure fishing, Artificial fly, fishing story, fishing tips, florida fishing, florida fishing tips, fly fishing, kayak fishing, Mosquito Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon redfish

July Whale Pass Fishing Report

August 2, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

July Whale Pass Fishing Report

Please enjoy the July Whale Pass fishing report, and accept my apologies for not getting the reports out more regularly. I can’t do much about the lack of internet service here.

The biggest news as concerns the fishing here is that the silver salmon run has been sad. There have been very few silvers compared to past runs. Lots of time has been spent by lots of people speculating on why so few fish have showed up this year. The fact is that no one really knows. What we do know is that silver fishing has been close to terrible.

Trolling for king salmon out by the Triplets has been producing a legal sized fish and several “shakers” most every trip. Son Alex has been running his downriggers as deep as 100 feet for these fish.

Fishing for cutthroat trout up in Sweetwater has been excellent when we’ve been able to get up there. Small minnow patterns have worked well.

Daniel with a Sweetwater cutt.

While in Sweetwater, if the trout aren’t biting you can kiss a sea star.

The pink salmon are starting to run up into 108 Creek. Daniel spent 50 minutes up there yesterday and hooked five fish, landing two. Small pink flies work best. Trollers out by the Triplets have been getting limits of pinks every trip.

Lastly, bottom fishing has been consistently good. Halibut and black cod have been mainstays, with Pacific cod and rockfish rounding out catches. As always, sculpins are very dependable!

All that having been said, this reporter has not been fishing much. My days have mostly been spent transporting guests to the LeConte Glacier, a fantastic if somewhat chilly place. There is no doubt that the glacier is receding. The change in the position of the glacial face from last year’s position is obvious.

Nate at the glacier.

I don’t understand how they don’t get cold.

The amount of ice there is enormous.

I love to photograph the icebergs.

So do the other visitors!

A few weeks ago I got to do a fly-over of the glacier in a float plane. Wow! That added an entirely new dimension to my glacier experience, getting the big picture. The glacier stretches back into the mountains for over 20 miles and reaches a thickness of over 4000 feet.

The glacier by air.

Where the glacier meets the sea.

I love doing the glacier trips.

I got to take a trip to the west side of Prince of Wales Island, the Pacific side. I operated the boat, chef Rhys did the cooking, and Rowen and Eliza, two guests from Australia, intended to do some wildlife watching, including whales.

Rhys did the cooking, a bang-up job too.

We stopped on a little island out in the bay, where I negligently let the boat dry up. Our two hour stop out there ended up taking four hours, since we had to wait for the incoming tide to float the boat again.

High and dry.

I can think of worse places to be stuck than on a beautiful, deserted island along Alaska’s coast, with seals, otters, and whales swimming by!

Not such a bad place to be stuck!

Were they curious, or laughing at us??

Another job I’ve had is running the whale watching excursions. The word incredible fails, as do any other adjectives, to adequately describe the magnificence of humpback whales. “PHOOOOoooo!!” On a calm day you can easily hear them blow from a mile away. You see the spout and five seconds later hear the blow.

Whaleage!

Of course it’s much more exciting when they’re 100 yards from the boat. And it gets really exciting when they start doing tail slaps, fin slaps, bubble net feeding, and breeching! Again, it’s hard to describe the thunderous crash a 40 ton animal makes when hits the water after leaping clear of the surface. And through it all they manage to look utterly dignified.

This one was close!

Since they spend most of their time underwater, and guessing where they will appear is an inexact science at best, photographing whales is hard to do. When not running the boat I keep trying. I love doing the whale watching trips too.

Another whale, complete with barnacles.

The whales kept me awake all night!

And that is the July Whale Pass Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, Whale Pass Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, Whale Pass Fishing Report

Independence Day Whale Pass Fishing Report

July 12, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Independence Day Whale Pass Fishing Report

Yesterday was July 4th, so this is the Independence Day Whale Pass Fishing Report. Some fly fishing, at last!

All of the guests we had at the Lodge at Whale Pass left en masse yesterday morning, leaving us with only minor maintenance items to take care of. I asked lodge owner Kevin Ryter if I might take the jet boat up into Sweetwater for some scouting. Not only did he say yes, he also told me to run the rapids that line the shortcut to Coffman Cove to explore the feasability of using that route as a trip option for guests.

When I thought the tide was right we left. Passengers were son Alex, Miss Allison Bowman, and Mr. Dean Savage.

When we got to the first rapid on Indian Creek the flow had already reversed. We were a little late on the tide, although that proved to be of little consequence.

We came to the first fishing spot and disembarked. Alex and I began casting. It took all of two minutes to hook the first trout, a cutthroat of 12 inches or so, which Alex did using a pink streamer.

Alex with a nice cutthroat. File photo.

I hooked and lost a couple of fish, then stuck what at first we assumed was a big trout. It turned out to be a Dolly varden of about 20 inches. We killed it, with an eye to our dinner that evening. The fly was a chartreuse over pink Clouser Minnow.

Dolly varden. File photo.

The bites continues steadily until the spot got flooded out by the rising tide. Dean got a trout, his first ever. Alex got several more. Then we went further up the creek to spot number two.

It was not as productive as the first spot. I got a small trout. Alex and I both stuck and lost a hefty fish. Then the tide flooded this spot too. While we had a high and still rising tide we decided to head through the as yet unexplored rapids to Coffman Cove.

At the water level we encountered the rapids were mostly flooded out. My understanding is that at lower tide stages they are impassable. At any rate we cleared the stream, entered the Clarence Strait, and made our way to Coffman Cove. Burgers and milkshakes danced in my passenger’s heads.

We tied the boat to the dock and entered town, all decked out in our waders. The Fourth of July Parade was going on- trucks of all sizes (some towing boats), ATV’s, a lawnmower, and a strange-looking tracked vehicle, driving the route, honking horns. All were decked out with banners and bunting, stars and strips in red, white, and blue being the dominant theme. Drivers and passengers had painted faces, outrageous hats, and many threw candy at onlookers. Fun stuff!

We made our way to the restaurant. It was closed for the holiday. My hungry passengers were very disappointed. A kindly resident told us to make our way to the float plane dock, where the greased pole was, and where we could get a reindeer sausage. Food! We were on our way.

We had no idea what the greased pole was about, but we found the weiners and each bought one. They were spicy and delicious, all decked out in mustard and relish. The pole, yet to be greased, was attached to the dock by its base. It extended out over the water, parallel to its surface. At its end was a small American flag. The entire population of Coffman Cove was there. Beverages were flowing freely.

We learned from the locals that the greased pole was a contest. Participants took turns, each attempting to slide to the end of a wooden telephone pole that was coated with Crisco, to capture the flag. The person who did so won a cash prize. The cash was collected from the onlookers, who donated toward the prize. A cheap investment in some live and fun entertainment!

Needless to say, most of the folks who tried, crashed. Some of those crashes were quite spectacular. Some looked pretty painful. All the time this was going on the cash prize kept growing, reaching and exceeding $1000.

Finally, during the fourth round, a young man named Eric, working as a fishing guide for the summer in Coffman Cove, made it to the end of the pole and snatched the flag. His prize was a handsome 1091 US dollars, not a bad take for getting greasy and falling into the water a few times.

At this point the party moved to the ball field for a potluck. The Whale Pass contigent had to return to Whale Pass, so we missed that portion of the festivities.

The return trip went through the South Entrance of the Whale Passage and was uneventful. No rapids!

At the Lodge the barbeque had been fired up. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and oysters were on the menu. We added a fresh Dolly varden, grilled over charcoal and very delicious. Peter fired off the requisite fireworks. This reporter, quite exhausted, retired before the festivities ended. I trust nothing of import was missed!

This morning found me on a solo quest for silver salmon on fly. A school was quickly located. The first cast of the day, using a chartreuse bunny leech with chartreuse rubber legs, resulted in a boated fish. The second cast of the day, to a different school of salmon, using the same chartreuse bunny leech with chartreuse rubber legs, resulted in another boated fish. I should have quit then. Three more shots came my way, but none of them resulted in a strike. The caught salmon, filleted and vacuum packed, are now in the freezer.

And that is the Independence Day Whale Pass Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Whale Pass Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Alaska fishing report, halibut fishing, salmon fishing, Whale Pass Fishing Report

Summer Solstice Whale Pass Fishing Report

June 23, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Summer Solstice Whale Pass Fishing Report

To such fans as I have, my apologies for the lack of fishing reports lately. My current location lacks internet and I have been working too much to get to where there is a connection. I’m in Whale Pass, Alaska again, at the Lodge at Whale Pass.

The Lodge at Whale Pass

In my last report I asked for prayers for Steve Baker and T.C. Howard. Please add Rodney Smith to that list.

Buttercups (Ranunculus) at Ketchikan.

The halibut fishing here as been excellent, lots of fish with some fairly large ones in the mix. Although the big boys are a catch and release deal, they still make for great fish stories.

Halibut fishing with Don Askew.

A small eater halibut.

We have had some wonderful guests so far, and some awesome trips to the LeConte Glacier, Petersburg, and Wrangell.

Sandy battles a halibut.

Steve poses with a top of the slot ‘but.

The salmon fishing has been slow across the board. Neck Lake Outlet has only seen a few fish. Mooching and trolling in the Inside Passage has produced very few salmon. I’ve yet to pick up any of my fly rods. At least they are together and ready to go!

Dall porpoises put on a show in the Inland Passage.

Sorry for the lack of meat in this report, but that’s really all I’ve got to this point. I have no doubt the salmon fishing will improve in a quantum leap.

A sea lion scratching an itch.

On the way to Wrangell.

And that is the Summer Solstice Whale Pass Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Photo Essays, Whale Pass Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, halibut fishing, salmon fishing, Whale Pass Fishing Report

Memorial Day Orlando Fishing Report

May 28, 2016 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Memorial Day Orlando Fishing Report

This weekend try to take a few moments to consider all those people who made the ultimate sacrifice defending our way of life. Because Monday is Memorial Day, we have the Memorial Day Orlando fishing report this week.

If you have a few extra moments in there, please say a prayer for both Steve Baker and TC Howard, both of whom are battling illness and could use a spiritual hand. Steve was a mentor to me when I first got to Florida and taught me a ton about fishing here. TC is the master rod builder, retired firefighter, and Viet Nam vet. Good men, both.

Still trying to sell that EZ Loader- Details at this link- http://www.spottedtail.com/sale-rebuilt-aluminum-ez-loader-trailer/

OK, Fishing!

On Monday long-time friend Tammy Wilson joined me out on the Atlantic. Our goal was to hook into a couple of those mongo jack crevalle with flies. Last week when all those fish were out there the wind was from the west. Monday it was from the northeast. Not only was the Mitzi at or slightly beyond its design capacity for the waves, most of the fish were gone. We saw two small groups of fish, got one lame shot that did not work, and got a good, solid, old-fashioned skunking. Ouch.

The wind was out of the east the remainder of the week, making the ocean an impossibility for the Mitzi.

Thursday Scott Radloff and I went kayak fishing on Mosquito Lagoon. The east wind was not our friend, but we managed four redfish between us, me with a fly and Scott with a jerkbait. I even selfied myself with one that got fooled with a black bunny leech. The water is still brown and disgusting looking.

Gotta love the selfie!

Scott does quite a bit of work in Sarasota. He asked me not to disclose the place we kayak fished on Friday. While the fishing was not red-hot, we did get some nice fish. I even managed to fool a snook on a redfish worm, and selfied myself again! Can’t say the water looked much better there, either.

Still selfie-ing!

Still have open days this month. Give me a call if you want to go fishing!

And that is the Memorial Day Orlando fishing report from Spotted Tail. Please enjoy the weekend safely!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, port canaveral fishing report · Tagged: adventure fishing, kayak fishing, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Port Canaveral, redfish

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