Another Orlando Area Fishing Report

March 15, 2014 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Another Orlando Area Fishing Report

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

Blog Post This Week– How to Fish All Day Without Hurting Your Back

The week started out with a bang that had an unexpected twist. On Monday I took the three-weight out to go bluegill fishing. I only got two. But the bass were on fire, eating my little bluegill popper like great white sharks eating seals. I got twenty or so.

They ate this bug like they were starving.

Lots of little ones, but several decent ones and a fatty that anyone would be happy to get, close to five pounds. They gave that little rod a workout, I know that. It was a wonderful day.

This chunky guy was the fish of the trip.

This is a 60s fish- psychedelic.

Tuesday I went scouting in the Indian River Lagoon for my trip on Wednesday. The weather could not have been nicer and holy cow, I found some fish! I had written a blog a few weeks back about the Lunkerhunt Swim Bentos Bait. The packages were still unopened and I wanted to try one, so the Dace was put on a hook and showed to some prospective clients. They ate it as well as they eat anything else.

This fish did not say no.

This is how I rigged the bait, now beat up from catching fish.

Some said no, of course. I missed a couple of strikes, but got three 20 inch plus trout and one red on the dace. The last fish to eat it was a five pound trout- he actually ate it, was hooked in the gills, and was mostly bled out by the time he was boated.

The suicidal fish. I was sorry it died.

Getting the hook out ruined the lure, so I switched to the old reliable DOA CAL Shad, which nailed the best fish of the day, a 28 inch red. I broke my rod getting pictures of it. I saw a bunch more fish after that but missed the only eater. It was a wonderful day.

This is the fish that broke my Loomis rod…

…and so is this…

…and so is this. The lure is a DOA CAL Shad.

Wednesday’s trip was postponed until Friday due to the weather. I took the opportunity to visit the lab at the Orlando VAMC, always an interesting trip. The afternoon was spent doing taxes. It was not such a wonderful day.

Thursday had a high of 59 degrees with 20+mph winds. Didn’t fish.

Friday found me out on the Indian River Lagoon with fly fisher Will Zobel and his buddy from school days, Roger. The weather was a bit breezy and there were rather a lot of clouds that made sight fishing difficult. That being said, we were in fish most of the day- fussy, uncooperative fish. Some fine presentations were made. In spite of that only one small red was caught, and that on a DOA CAL Shad. It was a beautiful day, but tough and frustrating from an angling standpoint.

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.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: Bluegill, DOA Lures, fishing photography, florida fishing, fly fishing, Indian River Lagoon, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Orlando Florida, redfish, seatrout fishing, St. Johns River

Orlando Area Fishing Report

March 10, 2014 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Orlando Area Fishing Report 31014

Upcoming Events-

-Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, March 15. Visit this link http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/ for more information or to register. Registration closes on Thursday 3/13.

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

The computer tells you the number of total hours, as well as the number of hours in each RPM range.

Tuesday Tammy and I went kayak fishing in the Indian River Lagoon. I ran over a few trout, so I tried blind casting with a gurgler. There was no response from any fish. We paddled up the shoreline for a couple miles. I only saw five redfish, but got good shots at two of them and caught both, using an unweighted slider. Fish were pretty scarce though.

A nice fly-caught red!

The fly that did the deed. The eyes are plastic beads.

Wednesday I rode my bike to a small pond for some reconnoitering, carrying my waders in a daypack. The pond looked great. I put on the waders and boldly stepped into it. The bottom was goosh. I couldn’t go very far. But in the twenty minutes I fished I got three fat bluegills and hooked and lost a bass, all on a small popping bug.

I wanted to fish Thursday but the tornado warnings and small craft advisory deterred me. I should have gone.

I wanted to fish Friday bit the 20 mph winds deterred me. I’m glad I didn’t go.

Saturday I went out with Shane Shearer on the Mosquito Lagoon. We toured the south end of the lagoon looking for fish, again with a 20 mph wind out of the north. Tossing DOA CAL Shad we got a half dozen trout to about five pounds and four small reds.

Sunday Jerry Wang, a fly caster from California, joined me for a day on the Mosquito Lagoon. The weather was spectacular, the water crowded with boats. We actually saw a lot of fish in the morning, mostly reds. There were several schools of high speed fish racing around on a flat. When they behave like this these fish are almost impossible to catch. They did not disappoint. Other than that we saw a fish here, a fish there. The fish seemed to be more numerous in dirty water, where they were hard to se. Where the water was clean we hardly saw any. So, Jerry ended the day with a small trout and a small red, not an impressive day, catch-wise.

I was encouraged by the numbers of fish, though. Maybe things are finally picking up.

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.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: DOA Lures, florida fishing, Indian River Lagoon, kayak fishing, Mosquito Lagoon, mosquito lagoon fishing report, mosquito lagoon fishing seminar, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish, seatrout fishing

Orlando Area Saltwater Fishing Report 12514

January 24, 2014 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Orlando Area Saltwater Fishing Report

Upcoming Events-

-Floridians for Clean Water Rally in Tallahassee, February 18
-Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, March 15. Visit this link for more information or to register…
-Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, March 16. Visit this link for more information or to register…

Monday Capt. Tom Van Horn and I took the Mirage out for a test drive, launching at Haulover Canal and exploring the Mosquito Lagoon. The water temperature at launch time was a brisk 54 degrees. We did not catch a fish at either of the first two spots we checked. The third, however, produced a lovely red for Tom, an out-of-the-slot fish that tried to wolf down a DOA CAL shad.

Capt. Tom in battle.

Tom was victorious, although the fish was released.

Once the water temperature started to climb fishing steadily improved, enough that we even got a double.

Tom has his hands full…

Not everyplace we looked had fish but enough did that we ended up with about a half dozen apiece of reds and trout. The water temperature when we loaded the boat was 58 degrees. It was a good way to break in the new boat.

Speaking of which, the Mitzi is still for sale. Visit this link for more information…

Wednesday found me at the Floridians for Clean Water Rally in Orlando. If you want to sign the Clean Water Declaration, and if you’re a fisherman you should, visit this link http://www.wewantcleanwater.com . There will be a rally in Tallahassee on February 18. I hope to attend and hope you will too! More information to come!

Thursday found the kayak strapped to the roof of the chariot. Speed laws may have been broken as we zoomed to KARS Park on the Banana River Lagoon. It was cold when I got there and remained so all day. The forecast high was 61 (my sympathies to all living in the near-arctic zones up north)- I do not think we got there. The wind was 10-12 out of the nnw and bone-chilling. But the sun was out and I found decent numbers of fish. In spite of my shivering I even managed to get a few, some on a crab pattern, some on a redfish worm, a mix of redfish and black drum. I saw a few of the school bus-sized fish I was looking for but did not manage to connect.

This drum took a redfish worm.

This one, the best fish of the day, fell for a merkin.

Of greater concern was the lack of seagrass up there- the bottom is almost denuded of vegetation, although the Rhodophyta algae sure is plentiful.

This red algae is growing like crazy now that the grass is all gone.

And what fly caster could fail to be thrilled by a trophy puffer fish like this one???

My guide schedule is much too empty- if you want to get out of the frozen wasteland and do some fishing please call or email me! I need the work!!!

And that is this week’s Orlando Area 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.

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Studies: Indian River Lagoon Facing Uniform Mortality Event’
Troubled Water: Pollution Brings Toxic Algae to Indian River Lagoon System

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: Banana River, Black drum, DOA Lures, Mosquito Lagoon, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish, seatrout fishing

The Last 2013 Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

December 30, 2013 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

The Last 2013 Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

A happy, healthy, and prosperous new year to all. If I may be so bold as to suggest a a couple resolutions, resolve to get outdoors more often, and to have more respect for man and nature.

Blog Posts this Week:
–Cleanwaste Go Anywhere Portable Toilet- A Review
–Brothers, a guest blog by Darryl Benton
–Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure Epiblogue

This is the time of year to do inventories. Actually, they should already be done. Then you could have added what you need to your Christmas list. The paddle adventure set me back, though.

Inventories needed to be done around Kumiski’s stuff include:
-fly-tying materials, including hooks;
-flies;
-leader material;
-line, including fly lines;
-conventional lures and hooks;
-rods and reels.
Inventory your fishing gear, get what you need, and be ready for the new year.

Several reporters have indicated shad are in the St. John’s River. I will be checking that out this week.

OK, fishing. Got some done this week.

Last Saturday (12/21) son Maxx needed a fish to take to someone’s house for Christmas dinner. We went to Mosquito Lagoon. I did not know what to expect.

We found a few tailing fish right away. I got one on a DOA CAL shad tail.

We looked in several spots without seeing anything alive. Then we found a place where there we saw a few fish. After anchoring the boat we were pleasantly surprised to see the reds swimming all around us. Maxx got a couple by sight fishing with mullet chunks and I got another on a DOA CAL jig. Mission accomplished, we put the Mitzi on the trailer and went home.

Sunday Dr. Todd Preuss, a long-time and favorite angler of mine (“Where did you get this brain?”), joined me for a day’s fly fishing on the lagoon. The weather was pretty nice and the tailers were there again. Sadly, we did not convert what turned out to be our best chance of the day. We covered water from Haulover Canal to Eldora. While we saw fish here and there, nothing was strong. Our shots were fleeting and none were converted. Todd never had a strike. Merry Christmas.

On Monday Jesse Hill, a fly caster from Colorado, joined me out of River Breeze for some fly fishing by canoe. It was a little breezy but the sun was shining.

I poled the canoe a long way. We did not see many fish.

We came to a junction. I wanted to go right but there was a boat down there already, so I went left. We came to a big white spot in the grass and anchored the boat. The plan was to wade and blind cast.

I got two dink redfish, then cast my fly to Jesse. He cut it off and tied it onto his leader. A few minutes later he had his first-ever saltwater fish, a seatrout. He ended up getting three trout, including a decent slot fish, and a couple redfish besides. Hardly hot fishing but it certainly beat off the skunk.

last 2013 mosquito lagoon fishing report

This certainly qualifies as a dink redfish.

Friday morning I went to Mosquito Lagoon for some scouting before my afternoon charter. Using the DOA Deadly Combo I found trout in several locations, then went to visit a flat. It was windy and overcast and not much was expected. I was pleasantly surprised to find some tailing redfish and got one on my first cast with the CAL Shad, quite a nice fish. Then I went back to Haulover to pick up my sports.

This fish, however, was anything but dinky. Too bad he wasn’t thee when my anglers were.

Jed Simmons, his son Zander, and his cousin Anne graced Spotted Tail for an afternoon of Mosquito Lagoon fishing. We went back to the tailing fish spot. Of course an hour later we saw exactly none.

We spent the rest of the afternoon using the Deadly Combo and got about 30 trout. Most were dinks but we did get a few slot fish, and a good time was had by all. Jed emailed me, “Thanks for yesterday. We really enjoyed it. Anne and David cooked up the fish and it was really very good. Zander even tried it and liked it.” So that was a good thing. Thank you, sir- the pleasure was all mine.

Saturday Steve Campbell and his son Seth found themselves on Spotted Tail for a full day’s fishing. The weather was not nice, overcast and windy, although after a morning shower at least it didn’t rain any more.

We fished from south of Haulover Canal all the way up to Eldora. At the last spot we fished we saw five redfish, all singles. We did not catch one. We used the Deadly Combo all day and got about 40 trout. Every one was short.

Steve got a flounder on the Deadly Combo (!). It was also short. I got a whiting on a four inch CAL jerkbait. It was the first whiting I’ve caught in Mosquito Lagoon in at least 15 years. While it was decent size for a whiting, a giant whiting is only a couple pounds.

So we caught a load of fish and did not catch one over eight ounces.

That is the last 2013 Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report. I certainly hope 2014 fishing starts like gangbusters! Hope springs eternal from the heart of a fisherman…

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 2013. All rights are reserved.

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Troubled Water: Momentum Is Hoped To Lead to Solutions

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

Third Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure Report

December 22, 2013 by john kumiski · 1 Comment

Third Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure Report

A Merry Christmas to All!!!

Blog Posts this Week:
Demand Clean Water Now!

In our last installment our Paddle Adventurers were at River Palms Cottages.

The remaining Paddle Adventurers ended up spending two nights at River Palms. The second day there we gave a talk at the Florida Oceanographic Institute on Hutchison Island. Ellie kindly gave us a $100 gift card for a local restaurant, so we got to eat once again.

Son Maxx and his darlin’ Sydney showed up to join the adventure that night. So did Nate Lemars, a friend of Rodney’s. Maxx came in a vehicle. Nate had been chasing us in a kayak for three days.

Stretching before paddling.

Sunrise was spectacular. A departing sportfisherman serenaded us for a while with Eminem at ear-shattering volume. Then we packed up and departed ourselves.

Mike Conneen watches as the sun rises at River Palms.

Eminem goes out to sea in this sportfisherman.

Our goal was modest- Long Island, near the St. Lucie Inlet. It was an easy paddle. Rodney and I spotted a couple of fish on Marcia’s flat. We stopped and fished it but nothing bit our offerings, so we continued to the island.

Long Island was one of the nicer spoil islands that we camped on, so much so that we spent two nights there (unused weather days). There was some seagrass on the ocean side of it where there were a few fish. Rodney got a seatrout, Nate got a legal-sized snook on the last day of the season. Most of us got a few jack crevalle, although they were all small.

The peas grew around out campsite.

The next morning Nate got a nice flounder. Then we had some visitors (other than the rats).

First were Marcia Foosaner and her friend Ros. They gave us presents including a pair of pompano jigs (never did catch a pompano, though) and a pompano. They couldn’t stay long and were too soon gone. Thanks to them for being so gracious.

Sydney with a sea star.

Jim Moir, Disney Conservationist of the Year, was next. He did not bring gifts but invited us to camp in his yard. As it turned out we did, too.

Rodney takes a turn at the stove.

Dinner that evening was a fish-lover’s extravaganza- pan-fried flounder and snook, baked trout and pompano. Delicious and bastante!

Dinner- delicious and plentiful.

Everyone was happy, feeding the beast.

After dinner we got the fire cranking. Mim and Sydney went to work with the palmetto fronds, making a fire visible from space. Yes, I’m exaggerating.

The ladies were pyromaniacs. Who knew?

In the morning Mark Nichols and Ed Zyak came in. They had coffee and doughnuts- how to be popular when visiting campers!

Coffee and doughnuts will make friends quick when offered to campers.

Mark invited me to go fishing with them, and I jumped at the offer. We stopped at a flat near the inlet and got out to wade. Almost immediately I spied a cruising fish and tossed a faux shrimp at it- BANG! A twenty-four inch snook was my reward. Other than a few small jacks it was all we got, but the wading was very pleasant and it’s always enjoyable being around Mark and Ed. Many thanks to both of them.

When I got back to camp everyone was gone to Jim Moir’s house but Rodney. The paddle was short and easy, an outgoing tide and north wind pushing us along. Then we got to the house. I had missed Maxx and Sydney, who had already left for home.

It’s on top of a cliff. Two telephone poles with a pulley system are used to move the boats up to the top. I wanted a photo of the operation but all able-bodied men were involved in moving boats and gear, so no time for photos.

The house was gorgeous. The fact it had hot showers and flush toilets made it that much more appealing. We shared our dinner with the Moirs and they shared theirs with us, quite lovely. Our most heartfelt thanks to them for their hospitality.

It was cold that night. For the first time on the trip I got inside of my sleeping bag.

An early start greeted us the next morning. We had a long paddle, a tide to beat, a program to give at the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, and had to find a place to camp. We slid the boats down the “ramp” with the help of the pulley, loaded up, and headed out.

We paddled south through the Narrows. Aptly named, in spots it was barely wide enough for the Old Town. I thought we should see fish and wildlife there but it was very sparse.

We came back out to the ICW. A north wind pushed us along nicely. We came to the Hobe Sound refuge and beached our craft. Mike volunteered to stay with the boats while we did our talk.

A dredging operation along the ICW.

In the middle of the talk a woman stuck her head into the room and said, “You guys have a place to stay tonight at the Jupiter Pointe Marina.” She came in a woman but left as an angel. What great news that was! As it turned out Mike was not only watching the boats, he was looking for a place for all of us to sleep.

A little after 3 PM we left the refuge, with three and a half miles to paddle to reach the Marina. We got there about 30 minutes before sunset. What a place! A beach for the boats, a big grassy area for us, a bar and restaurant, flush toilets, running water, picnic tables, firewood- they really did us right! All the Paddle Adventurers send Jupiter Pointe Marina their deepest appreciation.

Jupiter Pointe Marina by moonlight.

In the morning we took our time. It was our last day and we did not have far to go, so no need to hurry. That last paddle took us past some plush properties to the north of Jupiter Inlet, and Rodney even caught a crevalle jack. We came to Jupiter Light and the light keeper came down to yell at us- “You can’t stay there, you have to go on the other side of the fence!” What a jerk. We just left.

Jupiter Light was nice, the keeper, not so much.

We got to the River Center on the Loxahatchee River, at Burt Reynolds Park. It was kind of a weird feeling. We were done paddling! What an anticlimax! Jim, Mim’s friend, showed up with some sparkling cider and champagne for us and we all had a toast. We took a few photos. Rodney and I had a presentation to give at the River Center, so we headed off to do that.

Photos were taken.

When we were done our friends were still waiting for us so everyone could say goodbye. I don’t know if there were any tears but there were plenty of hugs. Then we all loaded our gear into vehicles and got in. That was that.

That wasn’t that, though. I have the most wonderful new friends, new brothers as Bones would say. I had been blown away all along the lagoon by the kindness and generosity of strangers. I have new hope that the people who had been so kind, so generous, so concerned, can all get organized and fight to preserve, to restore this fabulous place we call the Indian River Lagoon.

The core group. We grew on each other.

It would be a tragedy to do anything less. Demand Clean Water Now!

My most sincere thanks to everyone who paddled with us, especially the core paddlers- Nick, Mike, Bones, and Rodney.

That is this week’s exciting version of the Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure 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 2013. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Fishing Stories, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays · Tagged: adventure fishing, DOA Lures, florida fishing, Indian River Lagoon

First IRL Paddle Adventure Report

December 7, 2013 by john kumiski · 1 Comment

First IRL Paddle Adventure Report

We had too much stuff. I looked at the mountain of gear and looked at the Old Town, wondering how it could all fit. Somehow it did. Looked ugly, load felt high, but we were off and headed to Jupiter. Like the sound of that, feels like we were off on a space exploration. In a way I suppose we were.

We had too much stuff. We made it work.

Thirteen boats launched from JB’s Fish camp that morning. Some were only with us for the day. Others were going to Titusville or beyond, or all the way to Jupiter.

We looked for redfish from JB’s to ICW Marker 13, didn’t see much. The weather was gray, misty. We couldn’t see the east shore of Mosquito Lagoon. But such breeze as there was pushed us along beautifully. It was an easy first day’s paddle, the way you’d plan it if you had control over such things as the wind speed or direction. Perfect.

A crown conch on black mangrove roots along the way.

Black mangrove seeds along a Mosquito Lagoon shoreline.

This is how hard we were looking for redfish.

The second night we camped on a spoil island west of Haulover Canal. Dee had gotten a redfish and Jay was cooking it up. One fish wouldn’t go far feeding ten. Jim Dyce was wading around the island casting a gold spoon. He said, “I have a big fish. I don’t know what it is.” It was another redfish. That fish was on people’s plates about 20 minutes later, hot and delicious.

Jim Dyce got lucky, and we got dinner.

The fillets on the fire.

Another wonderful paddle (we’ve been blessed with the weather so far) put us on the spoil island just north of Parrish Park. We had a party to go to at Dixie Crossroads, time to bathe! It’s amazing how stinky you can get in only three days.

Exploring a spoil pile along the Indian River Lagoon.

Capt. Mark Wright came out and picked us up, a very nice thing for him to do. He brought us to Parrish Park and also gave a ride to the restaurant. About 30 people were there to celebrate with us and feast on some of the seafood that Dixie Crossroads is famous for. Personally I concentrated on the oysters and shrimp, merely sampling the blue crabs and clams. After three days of paddling it was extremely delicious, and very kind of Lauralee to do for us. Thanks from all the paddlers to Dixie Crossroads for such a fantastic fete.

People are having fun. Mike, coneening around.

The kayakers expressed surprise at how fast Rodney and I travel. we can exceed the speed of any of them. We have an Old Town Penobscot, a well-designed canoe. We have Bending Branches paddles, a bent shaft model for the bow and a straight shaft for the stern. Rodney is like internal combustion in the bow. We get a good rythym and the miles fly by.

Nick is not making the speed Rodney and I are. With weather like this that’s not important.

Wednesday morning the mayor of Titusville came out to paddle with us for a while. While it was nice chatting, we had a long way to go. We decided to hit it while the weather was with us. As it turned out it was with us all the way, God smiling on fools and paddlers, apparently.

Mr. Mayor, out for a spin.

We found a school of black drum south of the NASA Causeway. The one we had for dinner took a smoke colored DOA Shrimp.

Pasta, pasta, pasta! Dinner while camping!

While paddling Thursday a flight of white pelicans flew over us. I had a brief glimpse of God. Take Him where you find Him…

The white pelicans are trying to earn a living on the lagoon.

Spoonbills roosting on a spoil island, Indian River Lagoon.

The water has been high the entire way. We have not seen a blade of seagrass south of Rinker Canal. Fish have been scarce. While we are paddling more than fishing, we’re certainly looking for fish all along the way. We have not seen many.

Fish have been scarce, but we have gotten a few puffers.

But we are having a marvelous time, partly because the weather has been perfect, partly because everyone in the group has been awesome. Bones Benton said this is the coolest thing he’s ever done. Mr. Benton has done some way cool things, too.

Nick paddles the stars and stripes along the Indian River Lagoon.

We haven’t needed so much as a band-aid, either.

A tree snail in a red mangrove tree.

We’d like to thank Vince and Jim and the Mayor and the Crabman and everyone else who has paddled with us. We’d like to also thank those folks who have said, “Hey, we read about you in the newspaper!” And of course Laurie needs a huge thank you for the incredible cookies!

This is the worst weather we’ve had to deal with- a single passing shower.

Saturday December 7 we’ll be at the Indian River Festival at Pelican Beach Park in Satellite Beach. Sunday we’ll be at Lagoon-Palooza at the Lagoon House in Melbourne. Please come out and see us.

That’s the First IRL Paddle Adventure Report. I will do the second as soon as I am able.

Life is short- go fishing.

Life is great and I love my work!

John Kumiski

Home- Spotted Tail Outdoors and Travel

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Paddlers heading out on 19 day Indian River Lagoon adventure
Packing for a Florida Canoe Trip- The Fly Box

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: adventure fishing, Banana River, Black drum, DOA Lures, Indian River Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon, Paddle, redfish

Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

November 15, 2013 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Upcoming Events-

The Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure kicks off on November 30. Paddle a section or the length of the lagoon with us!

My Mitzi Skiff 17 is for sale. For information, visit this link…

On Sunday Tammy and I went to the Indian River Lagoon for some rare Sunday fishing for me, and part of her ongoing birthday celebration. Hope it was a good birth month, Tammy! Anyway, we visited to power plant first to get a few ladyfish. In what proved to be a bad omen we did not get a bite there.
We crossed the lagoon and went on a search mission. We did not have to search very hard. There were lots of fish there- black drum, redfish, seatrout. In one of the most serious cases of fish lockjaw I have ever seen we did not get a single bite.
Tammy had been up most of the previous night fishing at Sebastian Inlet and was low on gas. The lack of cooperation from those lagoon fish pushed her right over the edge.

This is how great the fishing was.

We were off the water about 130 PM.

Monday morning found me launching the Mitzi (it’s for sale!) at River Breeze for my first look-around up there since getting back from Alaska. I did lots of fruitless searching. In the last spot I looked the fruit showed in the form of some tailing reds, and trout in potholes.

Nice trout on a DOA Shad Tail.

After getting a couple on a DOA Shad Tail I switched to fly and got a nice top-of-slot redfish. Some more investigation is warranted.

Aye! ‘Tis a handsome fish!

Wednesday my new sunglasses came! Smith Optics has awesome customer service.

I also put the almost-final-finishing-touches on the sailing rig for the Old Town.

Wednesday night Susan and I went to the University for Light Up UCF, a good thing to bring the kids to. There are a few rides, an ice skating rink, a saucer run, a showing of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a light show, and faux snow. I couldn’t help but notice a few attractive co-eds, too …

Light Up UCF. Can you see the ghost of Christmas present?

You can ride the ferris wheel.

The Tornado is good if you enjoy regurgitation.

Thursday morning the weather forecast did not look promising. But it looked better than Friday’s. So I tossed the kayak on the roof of the van and drove to River Breeze.

The water was too high. It was windy. It was cloudy. There were hardly any cars in the parking lot. I launched the boat and went a-paddling.

No fish were visible. I blindly fished a hole which has produced while fishing blindly in the past. It did not produce today.

I went to a second hole and fished it blindly. It did not produce either.
While standing on the bank eating a tangerine two redfish swam by, giving me the fin as they passed. I could hear them laughing at me.

I fished a third hole. A bold, eight-inch redfish got between me and the skunk.

The day was awesome. Didn’t see another hominid the entire time I was out.

While paddling back I came up with a new mathematical equation which rivals e=mc² in simplicity and elegance. OK, I’m exaggerating. But here it is:

For the non-mathematically inclined-

Clouds plus wind plus rising water plus falling water temperature equals no fish.

Argonaut Publishing Company is having a big Christmas Sale on all of its fishing books by one Capt. John Kumiski. Visit this link to do some holiday shopping!

That is this week’s exciting version of the Indian River Lagoon 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 2013. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: DOA Lures, florida fishing, Indian River Lagoon, Mitzi, Mosquito Lagoon, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish, seatrout fishing

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

November 9, 2013 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Upcoming Events-

The Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure starts December 1. Paddle a section or the length of the lagoon with us!

My Mitzi Skiff 17 is for sale. For information, visit this link…

Blog posts this week:
–Eating Cannonball Jellyfish
–Spotted Tail Christmas Giving Guide

On a rainy, windy Monday I went to Jacksonville to speak to the First Coast Fly Fishers about Winter Fly Fishing in Central Florida’s Lagoons. What a great club they have up there! The talk went well and I managed to stay awake for most of the drive home.

The weather stayed windy and rainy on Tuesday and Wednesday. The boats stayed in the yard. Much of my time was spent getting ready for the paddle adventure. Tuesday night some punk went into my car and took my new Smith Optics sunglasses. Why would you take a pair of prescription glasses??? So I got to meet a Seminole County sheriff’s deputy.

Thursday Scott Radloff and I went to Mosquito Lagoon, where I hadn’t been in a couple weeks. It was cloudy and windy, but at least there was no rain. The water is still high but as the temperature drops it’s getting cleaner.

We went to Tiger Shoal and fished for a couple hours without success. The search mission was on.

Working our way south we picked up a fish here and a fish there, all on DOA baits. Scott was throwing a jerkbait, I a shad tail. Scott caught what may be the smallest redfish I’ve ever seen taken with hook and line, hardly more than a guppy. He graciously allowed me to photograph it.

Is this thing tiny or what?

We ended up with two reds in the slot and two nice trout. Scott took a fish home for supper, and the boat was on the trailer about 2 PM.

Yesterday an 18-wheeler pulled up in front of my house and delivered a beautiful, brand new Old Town Penobscot for the Paddle Adventure. I can hardly wait to climb into my sleeping bag that first night.

Ah yes, a thing of beauty. I can’t wait to get it wet, to cover it in fish slime.

Speaking of the first night, we may well be watching a comet, especially with the moon close to new. Check it out here…

That is this week’s exciting version of the 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 2013. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: DOA Lures, Mosquito Lagoon, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

October 26, 2013 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

There’s not a lot of fishing to report in this week’s Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report.

Upcoming Events-

First Coast Fly Fishers meeting, November 4
The Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure starts December 1. Paddle the length of the lagoon with us!

My Mitzi Skiff 17 is for sale. For information, visit this link: http://www.spottedtail.com/mitzi-skiff-sale/

the mitzi is for sale- fisherman not included

How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip- The Tackle Box

October 19, 2013 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip- The Tackle Box

The path of the Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure takes it the length of the most biologically diverse estuary in North America, the Indian River Lagoon system. This blog discusses How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip- The Tackle Box. The Fly Box will be covered in a separate blog.

We will find many species of fish. I want to keep track of how many different kinds we can catch. Redfish, snook, seatrout, snapper, moonfish, jacks, it’s a long list. Since it’s a paddle trip, you don’t have room to bring a ton of tackle. I hope the list below is an exercise in minimalism.

The spin rod I’m bringing will be a two piece, 6.5 foot light action rod with a Shimano Spheros 3000. On the reel will be Power Pro 10 or 15 pound braid. Most of the time there will be a section of twenty pound fluorocarbon on the business end.

A small box of lures is joining me. In the box are the following:

-three 1/8th ounce weedless jigheads and 10 matching soft plastic tails;

-three shallow running DOA Bait Busters;

-one dozen three inch DOA Shrimp, assorted colors;

-two Chug Bugs with single hooks;

-two five-inch Rebel jointed swimming plugs (couldn’t find a link for these) with single hooks*;

-two 1/4 ounce Johnson Minnows;

-about one dozen DOA CAL jigheads, 1/16th to 1/4 ounce;

-a 12-pack of Woodies Rattlers plastic worm rattles;

-a bag of 00 size split shots and a few DOA pinch weights.

*We drag a Rebel behind the boat as we paddle. If you stop paddling the plug floats instead of snagging on the bottom. I don’t know how it will work in the lagoon but it used to work well in the Everglades.

In a one gallon Ziplock bag are:

-one package each of 3/0 and 5/0 Daiichi D65Z hooks for jerk baits;

-a package of 5/0 Daiichi D84Z circle hooks just in case;

-a quart-size Ziplock with a handful of DOA CAL 5.5 inch jerkbaits;

-a quart-size Ziplock with a handful of DOA CAL AirHeads and the DOA longneck hook designed for these baits;

-a quart-size Ziplock with a handful of DOA CAL three inch shad tails;

-a quart-size Ziplock with a handful of DOA CAL four-inch jekbaits.

And we simply MUST accessorize, dahlink:

-a Dr. Slick line nipper on a cord around my neck;

-a pair of Dr. Slick bullet head pliers in a holster on my belt;

-an orange grabby glove (couldn’t find a link for these) for lipping tarpon;

-one each Seaguar fluorocarbon leader wheels in 20 and 30 pound test.

That’s my tackle kit, and I’m sticking to it.

And that is the end of Packing for a Florida Canoe Trip- The Tackle Box blog.

As always please share any questions, comments, and suggestions.

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2013. All rights are reserved.

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How to Pack for a Florida Canoe Trip
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Filed Under: Fishing Product News and Reviews, Fishing Reports, Fishing Tips, opinion, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: adventure fishing, DOA Lures, fishing tips, florida fishing, florida fishing tips, Indian River Lagoon, kayak fishing

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