You are here: Home / Archives for DOA Lures

The Mullet Run Kick-Off Port Canaveral Fishing Report

October 4, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

The Mullet Run Kick-Off Port Canaveral Fishing Report

swimming mullet2

All Hail the Mighty Mullet!

First, upcoming events-

-October 11th-18th Third Annual SPACE COAST SURF FISHING TOURNAMENT. Learn more by going to: www.scisft.AnglersForConservation.org.

-October 25, Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar. Learn more at http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

-October 26 Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, learn more at http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

Although they are coming in fits and starts, the mullet appeared along Brevard County beaches this week. There are two mullet flavors-

-The silver mullet (“finger” mullet) are the smaller species, rarely reaching 12 inches long. These fishies are cold intolerant and migrate south, like snowbirds from New York, along the beach and through the lagoons every year at this time. These are the mullet that we who use such things use for bait.

-The black or striped mullet are the larger species, reaching weights in excess of five pounds. I have used these for bait but you need a LARGE hook, and it’s real hard casting a bait that weighs over a pound. These fish can be filleted and fried, or broiled, or smoked, and are quite good if eaten when very fresh. They are more tolerant of cold water than the silvers, but are aggregating to spawn now.

port canaveral fishing report

You can imagine a mullet like this might be hard to cast.

Predators love both types, and both types are easily caught with a cast net when they are in the giant schools we find at this time of year.

To have maximum mullet run success, find a school of mullet that has an obvious escort of large predatory fish. You’ll be able to see the evidence, believe me! Cast the lure of your choice or your live baits into the mullet school, either live-lined or on an egg-sinker rig.

port canaveral fishing report

This is an example of a large predatory fish.

Things change real fast from day to day along the beach at this time of year, depending on air and water temperature, wind speed and direction, and bait movement.

On Monday Joe Bak and I did some scouting out of Port Canaveral for my Tuesday charter. The charter wanted tarpon and redfish so that’s what I was looking for. We found a few tarpon down by Patrick AFB, hanging around the menhaden schools that were there. I managed to catch one about 80 pounds using a live menhaden for bait.

There were lots of sharks there and after losing a half-dozen hooks we decided to try something else. There was Sargassum in the water so we went looking for tripletail. We found lots of weeds, but no fish at all.

We ended up in Canaveral Bight. Silver mullet were working down the shoreline and were being mightily harassed. We got ladyfish, bluefish, crevalle jacks, and Spanish mackerel of DOA CAL jigs and Chug Bugs. No redfish were seen.

port canaveral fishing report

A modest sized ladyfish, one of the rod-benders along the beach right now.

Approaching weather chased us off the water at about 1 PM.

Tuesday at 7 AM I launched the Mitzi at the Port, joined by Sherman Harris and his brother-in-law Brent. A toss of the cast net at the boat ramp yielded a day’s supply of mullet for bait. Then we went fishing.

A 45 minute stop at the north jetty yielded jacks, bluefish, and ladyfish, although nothing of any size. We then headed south.

port canaveral fishing report

There are LOTS of bluefish around.

Before we reached the pier we found a school of hundreds of seven and eight pound crevalle. Chug Bugs, jigs, and of course live mullet all worked, with Chug Bugs being the most fun.

South of the pier fish were breaking all along the beach, mostly small jacks with bluefish and ladyfish mixed in. Chug Bugs and DOA CAL jigs accounted for many fish.

We finally got to where the tarpon had been the previous day. Although the menhaden were still there, the tarpon were gone. Keeping an eye on the building clouds we went further south.

Schools of big mullet were working down the beach at Patrick AFB. Tarpon and sharks were exploding on them. We hooked a few sharks and one big tarpon, landing none of them.

A shrimp boat was working about a mile off the beach. We went out to investigate. No pelicans, no dolphins, and no fish, very disappointing.

Rain showers were now appearing all around us. I headed back north up the beach.

We ended up in Canaveral Bight. Silver mullet were working down the shoreline and were being mightily harassed. We got ladyfish, bluefish, crevalle jacks, and Spanish mackerel of DOA CAL jigs and Chug Bugs. No redfish were seen.

port canaveral fishing report

The Spanish mackerel is a personal favorite. They are delicious broiled or grilled.

Back at the boat ramp we ran into Capt. Rick Banks, who I had not seen in years. Rick makes a unique line of high quality lures. See them at this link…

Thursday son Alex and John Napolitano joined me for some beach fishing. After netting some mullet we headed south, and found what were probably the same school of eight pound jacks I’d found on Tuesday. They were not quite as cooperative, but we did get a couple, one on a mullet and one on a Chug Bug.

Again there were some breaking fish along the beach- jacks, ladyfish, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel, but not as many or as widespread as on Tuesday.

We got to south Cocoa Beach and the menhaden were all gone. Sorry boys, no one is home.

We went further south, hoping to find them. We did not. We did find a massive school of black mullet, which was being harassed by sharks and tarpon. We hooked one of each, losing both.

The mullets were big and thick.

The mullets were big and thick.

We went down along Satellite Beach, finding nothing. There was a lot of Sargassum, so we went out looking for tripletail.

The weeds were thick in places. The only tripletail we found were on things other than the weeds- a board, a plastic jug, a couple crab trap buoys. All the fish were very small. We caught one about a foot long on a chartreuse DOA Shrimp. We let the fish go of course.

We ran north again, ending up in Canaveral Bight. There were no mullet along the beach. There were some menhaden and we got some bluefish around them on jigs and Chug Bugs.

The mullet will be along the beach for a few more weeks, after which the run will be over until next year. Get out there and take advantage of this long, live chum line!

And that is the Mullet Run Kick-Off Port Canaveral Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

 

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |
Related articles
  • Feeding frenzy for large tarpon off Lake Worth
Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

The Ode to Little Tunny Port Canaveral Fishing Report

September 19, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

The Ode to Little Tunny Port Canaveral Fishing Report

That’s right, you heard right. The secret word for tonight is mudshark little tunny! This is the Ode to Little Tunny Port Canaveral Fishing Report!

First though, the bumper sticker of the week–

DSCN0817

Next, upcoming events-

-October 11th-18th Third Annual SPACE COAST SURF FISHING TOURNAMENT. Learn more by going to this link… 

-October 25, Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar. Learn more or register at this link…

-October 26 Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar. Learn more or register at this link… 

I got out on the Atlantic out of Port Canaveral three times this week and two of those days the tunny were going off like I’ve never seen anywhere- not off Jupiter, not off Cape Lookout, just insane numbers of tunny going off on little anchovy-looking fishies. The birds loved it.

port canaveral fishing report

Tunny going of outside of Port Canaveral.

 

port canaveral fishing report

There were LOTS of them!

 

port canaveral fishing report

This is such exciting fishing!

OK, so what are tunny?

Properly called Euthynnus alletteratus, tunny are the most common tuna in the Atlantic Ocean. Occurring in large schools and weighing up to 36 pounds (the current IGFA all-tackle record), it is the smallest member of the tuna family, and is one of the finest small game-fish in the Atlantic.

It’s commonly called a false albacore or, here in Florida, bonito. It is sought-after as a sport fish due to its line-stripping 20+ mph runs and hard fighting ability when hooked.

They are absolutely fantastic on a light fly rod and tons of fun with a light spin rod. There were lots of them off Brevard County beaches this week.

On Tuesday son Alex and I put in a half day, launching at the wonderful new boat ramp at Port Canaveral. The wind was light out of the west. The tunny were going CRAZY, diving birds everywhere over large schools of breaking fish. We got a bunch on craft fur minnows and DOA CAL jigs, doubling up several times. Even got a selfie of us fighting fish.

port canaveral fishing report

Alex and I doubled up, he on fly, me on spin.

We finally tore ourselves away to look for other targets. We found a large school of Spanish mackerel doing their best little tunny imitation and got several of those. They weren’t too exciting after the tunny.

Then we found some tarpon rolling. We doubled up, using live menhaden. When Alex’s fish made its first jump, at least 15 sharks came flying out of the water, all through the school of menhaden, one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen while on the water.

We could not get a bait through the sharks to the tarpon after that.

We hit a couple more tunny on the way back, and had the boat on the trailer at 1 PM.

On Wednesday my good friend Tom Van Horn joined me on the Spotted Tail, again launching at the Port. Tom had never caught a tunny on fly and wanted to get one. The fish were just as crazy as the previous day. The wind was still west but blowing with more gusto, waves slopping over the gunwales as we chased fish around. We hooked a bunch of tunny. Although we lost a bunch of flies (craft fur minnows, some tied like Clousers), the mission was accomplished.

port canaveral fishing report

Tom hooked up to a tunny. His fly rod had never had such a workout.

 

port canaveral fishing report

I made him boat his own fish so I could get this photo.

 

port canaveral fishing report

The first of several fish Tom got.

We went to where the tarpon had been the previous day. They were still there. I hooked and broke off two, then the sharks ate everything we threw out there.

We both had errands to run in the afternoon, so again were off the water at 1 PM.

Thursday morning I had my annual physical, and was not intending to fish. When I got home though, Mr. Damien Kostick had called and wanted an afternoon half-day charter. Hey, the fish are off the Port, why not?

At 11:30 we launched the Mitzi. The wind was out of the east. It was light at first but it kept increasing in velocity. It got real sloppy out there.

The tunny had apparently vacated the premises. Crap.

We went to where all the tarpon and sharks had been the past couple days. Gone. Double crap.

We ran south all the way to Satellite Beach. We saw a single tarpon free-jump. We spotted a free-swimming tripletail. Damien got one cast at it. Then it spooked and dove. Other than that and the menhaden there were no signs of fish of any kind.

Heading north again, we spotted birds working to the east. We headed out to sea. The tunny were working out there, although nothing like the previous two days.

There were enough that by being patient and working it hard we got a half dozen or so. By now it was rough enough that the waves were washing over the deck pretty freely.

port canaveral fishing report

Damien with one of his tunny.

We went back towards the beach, still hoping to see some tarpon roll. We looked well up into Canaveral Bight and saw nothing at all. The boat was on the trailer at about 530 PM.

And that is this week’s Ode to Little Tunny Port Canaveral Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |



Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ponce Inlet and Port Canaveral Fishing Report

September 13, 2014 by · 1 Comment

Ponce Inlet and Port Canaveral Fishing Report

You know, if you’re gone from your home for three months, when you get home you might have some work to do. Yard work, painting, a new garage door opener, and more, all lots of fun. I’m not complaining. Really. ‘Cause now my garage door works and my wife is happy with her newly redone kitchen. Happy wife…

In spite of all the fun around the house, I managed to get out a few days this week. On Tuesday Scott Radloff and I launched the Mitzi near the north causeway in New Smyrna Beach. When we got to Ponce Inlet there were lots of ladyfish busting over the shoals (it was high tide) inside the inlet. We caught four and kept them for future reference. This time of year a ladyfish or two can come in real handy sometimes.

There were giant balls of glass minnows in the inlet. Nothing was molesting them that we could see.

There were birds diving all over the place outside the inlet, along with a couple of shrimp boats. There were very few fish under the birds, which I thought odd. We checked the shrimp boats. One was not under way. The other was being followed by troops of dolphins and phalanxes of sharks. We wanted to find tarpon, so we left the vicinity of the inlet and ran south down the beach to the beginning of the national seashore. We saw nothing.

We went out to sea and ran back north, to the vicinity of the inlet. Along the way we saw nothing. A couple miles out of the inlet there were diving birds, and breaking tunny under them. It was run-and-gun fishing, and many of the runs were fruitless. However, enough worked that we had a couple tunny doubles, and boated eight or so. I was using a six-weight, quite sporting. Even broke one off. Scott was using a DOA CAL jig, I a craft fur minnow.

once inlet fishing report

The tunny stretch the string…

ponce inlet and port canaveral fishing report

ponce inlet and port canaveral fishing report

This is an incredible light tackle fish.

One of the shrimpers was still there, so we hooked a couple of sharks for some savage amusement.

ponce inlet and port canaveral fishing report

Scott putting the finishing touches on a 50 pound shark.

We fished the length of the north jetty with no meaningful results, then ran through the waves in the inlet and loaded the boat. Great weather, beautiful day.

So we got tunny on our last four trips. Of course if you have a charter and he wants one you can’t get it done. On Thursday fly fisher Dr. Aubrey Thompson of Jacksonville was my guest. We went out of Port Canaveral. Based on the number of fish we caught last Friday I thought it would be a better and certainly a safer bet.

The bait was still there. A lot of the fish were not showing themselves. The ladyfish, jacks, and bluefish were all MIA. We saw quite a few and caught a few Spanish mackerel, using craft fur minnows. We saw very scattered tunny breaking, not that we ever got a good shot at them. We followed weeds for miles, and saw four tripletail, the largest of which might have gone 12 inches. Then a northeast wind freshened and blew us off the water. The whole day was about being a minute late and a dollar short. The boat was on the trailer at about 1 PM.

And that is this week’s Ponce Inlet and Port Canaveral Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

 

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |



Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Back in Orlando Saltwater Fishing Report

September 6, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

The Back in Orlando Saltwater Fishing Report, featuring ALEX!

The trip home from Alaska started at 4 AM one morning and ended at noon on the following day. Not only did we make it home just fine, but we got to visit with a dear friend along the way, and meet Ray Troll besides. Does getting from point A to point B get any better?

SO, Sunday Alex and I took the Mitzi out of Port Canaveral. We headed south along the beach. The water was muddy. The menhaden were scattered all along the beach, hard to net. Lots of glass minnows, though, and the occasional mackerel blasting through them. We got about halfway down Patrick AFB before turning out to sea.

We hadn’t gone very far out to sea when diving birds and busting fish told us the tunny were partying. We joined in, using DOA CAL jigs and tails as favors. The fish received them enthusiastically, and we caught ten or twelve. They are such awesome fish on light tackle!

orlando saltwater fishing report

Alex goes toe-to-fin with a tunny.

orlando saltwater fishing report

I shot the first one we got, but we got some significantly larger than this beauty.

Still, we wanted tarpon, so left the tunny behind and kept looking. Once we got north of the Cocoa Beach pier we started seeing sargassum, and started thinking cobia/tripletail. We found a lot of weeds but only saw one junior-sized tripletail, eight or so inches long. I was surprised and disappointed at the same time.

We looked all the way to Cape Canaveral, and did not see any tarpon. We did find three schools of jumbo crevalle, though, hooking two and boating one. We also found lots of bait with regular sized jacks, ladyfish, and bluefish blowing up on it. There are loads of bait of all kinds in Canaveral Bight.

orlando saltwater fishing report

It turned out to be pretty hefty.

 

orlando saltwater fishing report

 

orlando saltwater fishing report

Do you like your fish photos vertical or horizontal?

 

orlando saltwater fishing report

And then there’s the classic close-up. It was a real nice jack.

So we did not find any tarpon, but we did catch some fish. It was a great day out on the Atlantic.

Thursday at sunrise found Scott Radloff and I launching kayaks in the Banana River Lagoon. We were out five hours on a slick calm lagoon and had a pretty slow morning. I got two slot reds, one by blind casting and one by casting to an obvious push, both on an Electric Sushi fly. I jumped one very small tarpon on a gurgler. Scott caught a very small tarpon on a DOA Shrimp. We did not miss a strike.

The grass is all back like there was never a problem and the amount of bait is approaching mind-boggling proportions. The water is pretty dirty in most places we fished. But we did not see very many fish. It may be a few weeks before I go back.

Friday Vincent Serra joined me for a day of searching for tarpon out of Port Canaveral. My plan to run south, to Satellite Beach if necessary, fell apart as soon as we cleared the jetties. The sea was already a bit worked up, and I didn’t trust the weather to make such a long run. As it turned out we could have done it, since the weather got better during the day. When I’m responsible for someone’s safety I can’t count on that happening.

We ran north, along the beach in Canaveral Bight. Lots of bait, but no fish did we see for a while. Around Canaveral Shoals all kinds of birds were working over breaking fish. We ended up with bluefish, blue runners, little tunny, ladyfish (BIG ones), jack crevalle, and Spanish mackerel, using DOA CAL jigs, Sting Silvers, and Chug Bugs. But we only saw a solitary tarpon, which we did not hook. We went through a few lures, as you might imagine. It was good, clean fun, and another great day out-of-doors.

And that, gentle reader, is the Back in Orlando Saltwater Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |



Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

St. Johns River and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

May 2, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

St. Johns River and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Blog Posts This Week-

-Saturday on the ‘Goon

-The Continuing Saga of the Bang-O-Craft

-Casting for Recovery and Typhoon Tackle Join Forces to Fight Breast Cancer

This week we feature a joint St. Johns River and Mosquito Lagoon fishing report. It’s pretty rare to hook a seatrout and have it go on a hot run that peels line off the reel. That happened this week. But I get ahead of myself…

Monday I went back to the chiropractor. When I left he still had not fixed my back. I don’t think I will be visiting that particular chiropractor again.

After I left the doctor’s office I went to the St. Johns River system to do a little bass fishing. When I got there it was slow. No bites on a couple different surface flies. Did not see any activity. I switched to a streamer. It wasn’t hot fishing, but I got two decent fish.

St. Johns River fishing report

Two bass were caught on this fly.

I saw a couple fish pop something on top, so I switched to a white gurgler. You know, gurglers are kind of stupid-looking flies, real easy to make. They work like crazy for everything. I got about a dozen bass to three pounds and three bluegills on this one before it was time to leave. Turned out to be a real nice day, even with the back problem.

st. johns river fishing report

I got more fish on the gurgler, and it’s more fun to use.

Tuesday a number of things happened, none of which directly involved wetting a line. I put a new axle on the trailer of the Bang-O-Craft. I wanted to get the wheels on too, but nowhere I looked had the parts I needed.

I found those parts Wednesday at Tractor Supply, and got the wheels on. Then I took the boat to the car wash and blasted it. Although a huge improvement it will need another major cleaning before it’s ready to use. The new fuel tank came on Wednesday, too. Now all I need is a motor and the Bang-O-Craft will be back in business. I am so looking forward to using that boat again.

Thursday son Alex and I went to Mosquito Lagoon to do a little scouting, getting somewhat of a late start, almost 9 AM. There were lots of clouds and quite a bit of wind, AND the water is already at summer levels, 1.3 on the gauge .

mosquito lagoon fishing report

Alex was hot, getting eight or ten trout like this one.

What does all that mean? It means sight fishing was real difficult. However, fish were biting. We got about a dozen trout. While none were big, only one was short. They were running about 18-20 inches, decent fish. We got them on DOA CAL jigs and also on 5.5 inch jerkbaits. I also got two reds on a RipTide weedless jighead with a four inch DOA CAL jerkbait affixed to the hook.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

The jig-and-jerkbait combo works well.

Tammy was supposed to join me for Friday’s scouting but couldn’t make it, something about her windshield having Montezuma’s revenge? So I went by myself.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

Cloudy, windy, high water. Tough to see, so I blindcast a 5.5 inch DOA CAL jerkbait. The first bite was the trout that ripped the line off the reel, a fat, beautiful fish that was every bit of seven pounds. I selfied us and let it go.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

This is by far my best trout this year.

The second one was a bit smaller, but the hook tore one of the gill arches loose and the fish was dead when I brought it into the boat, which made me sad. I did not want to kill it, but that’s what happened.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

Aye, ’tis a handsome fish!

I checked a spot that had the occasional tailing redfish so I broke out the fly rod. After using the eight foot three-weight for bass fishing that seven-weight was like a rocket launcher. I had three shots and blew all three by casting too far. I cast blindly for about 20 minutes while I watched the weather coming, hoping to get a trout before I had to leave. Didn’t happen. Rain and lightning drove me back to the dock, where the boat was trailered at noon.

And that is this week’s St. Johns River and Mosquito Lagoon fishing report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |



Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Another Orlando Area Fishing Report

April 11, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

Another Orlando Area Fishing Report

Blog Posts This Week- The Peruke Fly

orlando area fishing report

Last Saturday I accompanied my bride to the Home and Garden Show. It was not very good, BUT, there was a booth (the proprietor was not there) that had fish art made from stainless steel, very cool stuff. The artist’s name is Armando Hevia, his website is metalfish66.com. Check it out.

Didn’t fish Monday. Went for a walk on the Florida Trail. it was lovely. However I got about 15 chigger bites and a single tick, not lovely at all. Pulled the tick off on Friday, when I found it. Think I’ll stay out of the woods until October or so.

Tammy Tuesday got rained out. It poured.

Wednesday I went bass fishing on the Econ, something I’d never really done before. I was such a dumass. It was good, once I figured it out.

I had this demented idea I was going to catch the biggest bass of my life so I brought a five-weight and threw a big bunny eelworm for two hours. I got exactly one bite from a twelve inch bass. I finally lost the fly on some submerged lumber.

orlando area fishing report

The eelworm bass.

I switched to a hideously ugly foam frog I tied, and the bites just kept coming. I don’t know what a redbelly is thinking when it hits a three inch long frog but I got a couple that managed to impale themselves on the stinger hook. And I got about ten bass to three pounds or so, not great but definitely entertaining. The strikes are just awesome!

orlando area fishing report

If anyone out there knows what this guy was thinking I would love to hear from you.

orlando area fishing report

This is more like what I wanted.

Thursday son Alex was supposed to go fishing with me but he wouldn’t get up (after 9 am, I wasn’t trying to smoke him or anything) so I went back to the Econ. I got 20 or so fish, a few redbellies and the rest bass. The biggest was maybe three pounds, but again, quite fun with surface flies, which was all I tried.

orlando area fishing report

These fish will smack some ugly flies…

Friday Dr. George Yarko joined me for some R&R on the Indian River Lagoon. He hadn’t been out for months! We found a school of redfish almost immediately, and got five on DOA CAL shad before they gave us the shake, nice fish, 24 inches or so.

orlando area fishing report

Then a few trout fell to the Deadly Combo. Then we went back to the place where the reds had been caught hoping to find them again. George got five blind casting the CAL Shad, unbelievable. As the east wind pushed us toward the edge of the manatee zone I tossed a Chug Bug, got a couple strikes, and got a nice trout of three pounds or so.

orlando area fishing report

So ended our day, and my week.

A couple weeks ago I showed a photo of the result of jousting against a pushpole with a fly rod. I got the new rod today- sixty bucks! Ouch.

And check out the link below between fly fishing and sex. Great stuff!

And that is this week’s Orlando Area fishing report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |



Related articles
  • Fly Fishing and Sex
Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Orlando Area Fishing Report

April 5, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

Orlando Area Fishing ReportOrlando Area Fishing Report

The Mitzi is still for sale!

Blog Posts This Week– Poppers for Seatrout

It’s April and I’m thinking about tarpon. Friends on the west coast have already seen some.

On Monday I went bass fishing. I threw the same bluegill popper I threw last time I went, with much the same result- three or four bluegills and about 20 bass, mostly little ones with a couple decent specimens thrown in for variety. It was a beautiful day and a very enjoyable several hours.

orlando area fishing report

 

 

orlando area fishing report

Tuesday was Tammy Tuesday, so let me just copy her facebook post:

“Yesterday’s original plan was to fish the lagoon. Last second change had us going offshore. My faithful companion and mentor and friend John Kumiski had some issues getting across the bridge to port because of a bad accident.
“Change of plans again. He called and we decided to fish the IRL instead. So I left the port and headed to Port Saint John and we launched. Got into some jacks and trout and talked about what a beautiful day it was. As we could see the bridge from where we launched we saw traffic moving again. Next thing I know John is motoring to the ramp. Boat back on trailer and off to the port we go.

orlando area fishing report
“It was a long day of hunting for anything out there. A whole lot of nothing until a lone undersized tripletail appeared. We finally caught and released it. We looked everywhere and found nothing. Finally john decided to pull a Hail Mary and head to a spot a good bit away but likely unbothered yet for the day.

orlando area fishing report
“The lone tripletail on that structure was dinner last night. Just as we were giving up and admitting to and accepting the suck, though…. Divine intervention in the form of a huge ray leaping from the water 100 yards away.
“One rod set up and one cast made. A few minutes later there was much celebration aboard the Mitzi. We looked for that ray again hoping to pull another cobia off of it but it was not to be. So glad john never gives up! Another adventure toosday with John Kumiski in the books.”

orlando area fishing report

In spite of the beautiful weather, did not fish Wednesday.

Thursday Brad and Greg joined me as part of a two boat trip on Mosquito Lagoon. It was slick when we got there and although we saw a decent number of fish we could not get near them. In the third spot we tried Brad got a bluefish on a DOA CAL Shad. We then tried the DOA Deadly Combo out at the edge of the flat and got a few trout, small ones. At the last place we looked we found a school of big reds. In spite of having cut mullet in them numerous times over the next 45 minutes we did not get a bite. Stomachs growling at us, we gave up, ran up to Goodrich Seafood, and had quite the delicious lunch, after which we returned to the dock and pulled the boat.

Friday Scott and Ryan joined me for a half day on the Indian River Lagoon. Ryan got a rat red right away of the CAL Shad. Then we just spooked a bunch of fish. Ryan wanted to try fly fishing so I took them to the small trout spot and gave him a lesson. He was good enough to get two or three while Scott railed them with a barb-pinched-down DOA Shrimp.

We changed spots and saw some nice, spooky reds and trout. Ryan got a hit on the CAL Shad from a nice red but missed it. On the way back to the dock we saw birds diving. Breaking fish, how lucky was that? Ladyfish and bluefish, we got a few of each before the frenzy stopped. We were happy to have run into a bunch of fish to end our day.

And that is this week’s Orlando Area fishing report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |



Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Poppers for Seatrout

April 2, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

Poppers for Seatrout

poppers for seatrout

Lovely when alive, tasty on the table, spotted seatrout are one of Florida’s favorite saltwater fish. The problem is, unless you find a really big one (not easy to do) trout are weaklings at the end of your line. They just don’t get the adrenaline going. But you can make trout fishing more fun by using poppers for seatrout.

There’s the visual aspect of using the plug. You can see the lure, and you can see the fish hit it. There’s the very satisfying “Smack!” sound when a good fish takes it. Believe it or not, the missed strikes are fun, and sometimes a fish will hit it four or five times in a row until the hook finally sticks, or doesn’t.

As in all things in fishing there are a variety of plugs on the market that will work. For most of this type of work I like a popping plug, and the Chug Bug (made by Storm Lures) is probably my favorite. Not only does the “pop” of this lure attract the fish, but it has rattles inside for extra attraction power. It calls the fish to it from quite a distance and there’s something almost magical about its appeal to seatrout. Of course, redfish, snook, tarpon, and crevalle will whack it too. I’ve even caught snapper with them.

poppers for seatrout

Storm’s Chug Bug comes in three sizes. All are effective lures for seatrout.

Another excellent surface lure for seatrout is the DOA Shallow Running Bait Buster. This soft plastic mullet imitation features a single hook, great for when floating grass or other debris makes using a lure with gang hooks impractical. While you don’t get the “bloop!” of a Chug Bug you fish it much the same way.

Seatrout on DOA Bait Buster

The Bait Buster is a great lure for any mullet-eating fish.

During the summertime (coming right up!) your best strategy is to get out early (before sunrise) and find a flat that’s about two feet deep with a bottom that has a mixture of sand and grass. Lots of mullet in the vicinity are a definite plus. Working around the edges of bars or docks is also a very good idea. If you’re in a boat you can drift, use a trolling motor on slow speed, or push the boat with a pushpole. Waders can have good success too, though.

Cast the lure as far as you can, and work it back to you. How fast should you retrieve? How hard should you pop it?

Only the fish can answer this question, and experimentation with your retrieve is the best course of action. When you find what they like best, keep doing it until it stops working.

One time when I had Michael Grant out in my boat we were both tossing Chug Bugs. I was using small, steady pops, reeling at a moderate rate, and was getting the occasional bite. Michael was using great, loud pops, reeling slowly. He was getting bites every second or third cast. Of course I changed my retrieve to imitate was he was doing and my success rate went right up.

So if you want to make trout fishing more entertaining, try to using poppers for seatrout.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |



Related articles
Filed Under: Fishing Product News and Reviews, Fishing Stories, Fishing Tips · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

When to Use Small Lures

March 24, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

When to Use Small Lures

When to use small lures presents problems to the fisherman.

Small lures don’t cast well. The hooks are weak and prone to failure. You need to use lighter line and leaders. However, sometimes the fish don’t give you a choice. Use smaller lures or don’t get a bite.

Let’s look at four situations where small baits are necessary.

The fish are keying on small baits. In the southeastern saltwaters the bay anchovy, commonly called a glass minnow, is an important baitfish. These baits are small, frequently two inches or less. Certain gamefish species will feed on them selectively, ignoring other, larger baits.Whenever you find gamefish selectively feeding on small baits of any kind you need to “match the hatch.” Failure to do so will lead to frustration.

Haw River Tackle makes a great lure called a Sting Silver which many fish species will accept as a glass minnow imitation. Find them at www.hrtackle.com.

Orlando Saltwater Tarpon Fishing Report

The Sting Silver is the hot tip for tunny. Doesn’t look like much but they do like it!

Cold water– unlike humans, fish are cold blooded. Their metabolism slows as the water temperature drops. Consequently they are much less interested in eating large meals when the water is cold. For this reason winter fishing often requires the use of smaller lures than used during other seasons.

Heavily pressured fish– in areas where fishing pressure is heavy the fish have seen all the commonly used baits over and over again. The fish learn to avoid these commonly used baits. By using small lures the fisherman gains a competitive advantage. The fish haven’t seen a lot of small baits, and the bait itself is not perceived as a threat.

My current favorite for this situation is the DOA CAL Shad. At three inches in length it qualifies as a small bait. You can rig it with a 2/0 hook , which will hold most any fish likely to eat it.

orlando area fishing report

The lure is a DOA CAL Shad.

Some gamefish just like small baits. Tarpon come to mind. One wouldn’t think a 100 pound fish could derive much nutrition from a two or three inch long minnow. But tarpon often key in on small baits even when larger prey is available. I’ve watched tarpon swim through schools of glass minnows with their mouths open, just filtering the baits out of the water. Again, match the hatch or go fishless.

The DOA TerrorEyz is a small lure which is deadly on tarpon (and other fish). Find them at www.doalures.com.

I’m not suggesting that you toss all your large baits overboard. But you should carry a selection of small baits and be prepared to use them when condition require. If you want to catch more fish, know when to use small lures.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |



Filed Under: Fishing Tips, opinion · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report and Photo Essay

March 22, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report 32214

The Mitzi is still for sale! It’s just had an annual service, and at that time the hours were 984.

My contact at the Circle K store in Christmas told me last week he caught a seatrout so big its photo weighed 32 pounds.

Bumper sticker of the week-

fcat sticker

On Sunday Mr. Derek Wensky, from San Francisco, found himself riding over the surface of the Indian River Lagoon in the Mitzi. He had never fished in Florida before. I can’t claim fishing was fabulous, or even hot, but he did catch a few. First came a redfish, a modest fellow that made the error of biting Derek’s DOA CAL Shad tail. After him quite a few fish laughed at our attempts. While we were eating lunch I soaked a piece of mullet. A handsome seatrout ate it. Lastly, we found a clump of black drum. Derek switched from the shad to a clear DOA Shrimp and one of those drum was fooled. Most of the fish we saw had too much sense to bite though.

indian river lagoon fishing report

Derek had never heard of black drum before this.

 

indian river lagoon fishing report

DOA Shrimp- deadly on anything.

Monday’s trip was blown out.

Tuesday’s trip was blown out.

Wednesday found me in a room at the Orlando VAMC with Dr. Tran. She said to come back next year. Can’t say the exam was anything more than cursory.

Thursday was the first day of spring! Brasileiro Kelven Lopes, a fly fishing fisheries biologist who lives in Brasilia, found himself riding over the surface of the Indian River Lagoon in the Mitzi. He was a real good angler and got a couple reds on my redfish bitters fly right out of the gate.

indian river lagoon fishing report

They don’t have redfish in Brasil. This was Kelven’s first.

Things slowed down then. We changed spots and he got a nice trout on a big black wooly bugger.

indian river lagoon fishing report

They don’t have seatrout in Brasil, either. Kelven prepares to release this one.

We found another clump of black drum that did not take anything we tried. But he got another redfish, the best of the day, on an ugly fly with a rubber hackle tail, a brown estaz body, and a rubber hackle wing.

indian river lagoon fishing report

Best fish of the day.

We went to another spot but there was nothing there so we returned to a place we had already fished. The fish were still laughing at us as we left, although we should not forget about nor discount the four quality puffers my flies cleverly fooled!

indian river lagoon fishing report

Recording the puffer for posterity.

I hadn’t used my Portuguese in a long time but it was better than his English so that’s how we communicated. Misquecindo todos todos todos!

On Friday Scott Townsend and his friend Brandon joined me for a day on the Indian River Lagoon. We were snakebit. Brandon got a redfish right away on a DOA CAL Shad. He then missed three strikes in a row, at which point the fish in that spot shut down.

indian river lagoon fishing report

A happy Brandon. Things went downhill from here.

 

indian river lagoon fishing report

The DOA CAL Shad gets yet another redfish.

We went trout fishing for a while, getting a lot of little ones on fly and on DOA Shrimp. When that got old we went looking for redfish again. We spooked several while Scott and Brandon got the hang of sight fishing. Then a big one showed up. Brandon made a perfect cast and hooked the fish, at least 20 pounds. I gave chase with the boat. I was getting ready to grab the fish when it dove under the boat, breaking the line in the process. Damn.

indian river lagoon fishing report

Brandon has a big fish on and he’s happy. Sadly it did not last.

We looked in three other spots. No fish in one, no bites in the next, one bite and a breakoff for Scott in the last, which is how our day ended.

Tip of the week- when a fly rod and a pushpole joust the fly rod always loses.

indian river lagoon fishing report

And the winner, by a landslide, is….

And that is this week’s Indian River Lagoon fishing report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2014. All rights are reserved.

Share |



Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, Photo Essays · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »