Solo Skiff Review

March 23, 2013 by john kumiski · 1 Comment

Solo Skiff Review

The chance came along today for me to “test drive” a Solo Skiff in the Mosquito Lagoon. I jumped on it.

The fertile boating mind of Tom Mitzlaff gave birth to the Solo Skiff. Tom brought us the Mitzi Skiff (I own one and could not be happier with it) and the Inshore Power Boat. So I was expecting wonderful things.

The boat delivered.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, it looks cool. It’s tiny (14 feet, 40 inch beam), with very clean lines. There’s no transom. When (and it’s when, not if) a wave comes over the bow, it just runs right off the stern.

Tom carries the boat rigged and ready in the back of his pickup.

The boat weighs a whopping 120 pounds and drafts a mere one inch of water when empty, maybe two with someone on board. For those who think this has to be BS, Tom poled his skiff through places where my kayak ran aground. It literally draws less water than the kayak. If you can’t get there in a Solo Skiff, you need a bicycle.

Tom has a 3.5 HP Tohatsu on the boat we used. He assures me you can easily push it with an electric motor. He carries the spare fuel for the Tohatsu in a one quart bottle. The gas in the fuel tank combined with the spare quart gives him a running range of 10 miles, more than adequate for a day’s fishing in most places.

The motor sits on a motor mount forward of the stern, which has two sponsons (Tom calls it a “split tail”). The boat really has a clever, well thought out design.

The split tail of a Solo Skiff.

Tom launched the skiff unassisted out of the back of his Frontier. Watch the video launchsoloskiff! We tied the kayak painter to the stern rail. Then I got in the skiff with Tom, cranked the Tohatsu, and off we went.

So immediately we maxed out the load capacity of the vessel, running the Solo Skiff down the Intracoastal Waterway with the two of us aboard and with my kayak in tow. It worked fine. We didn’t set any speed records but it was lots faster than paddling.

The author running the skiff with kayak in tow.

When the water got too shallow for us to run I trimmed up the Tohatsu, then used my kayak paddle and paddled it. We were both still in it, and the kayak was still being towed. It did not paddle as easily as my kayak does. No surprise there- I ride in the kayak by myself. It was paddle-able, though.

I wanted to pole it, so we untied the kayak. Tom got in the ‘yak and off I went in the skiff.

The Solo Skiff poles more easily than my canoe. It poles more easily than anything I’ve ever poled. It was easier to pole the Solo Skiff than paddle a paddleboard.

Wow.

You could effortlessly pole it all day. You almost have to make a conscious effort to not go too fast. And it is silent as it moves through the water. My kayak makes more noise.

Tom poles the skiff through a mosquito canal.

Tom wanted to show me it could be fished with two in a pinch, so I moved to the front of the cockpit and he stood in the stern and poled me. The sponsons were under the surface of the water. My feet were really too close together for me to feel comfortable. It could be done in a pinch, but the boat is not designed for two.

It’s a SOLO Skiff.

Storage space is more than adequate. A single, watertight hatch amidships gives access to the interior of the vessel. Required safety gear, spare fuel, water, tackle, phone, raincoat, etc., will all fit in here if packed carefully.

Tom’s skiff is anchored with a Wang Anchor. Stoppage is instantaneous.

So the vessel is beautiful, highly functional, and very affordable.

I told Tom I loved the boat today but will hate it in 10 years, when everyone is using one to get into my farthest-back, most secret fishing spots.

If you’re a fan of small boats you gotta check out the Solo Skiff. Visit their facebook page or their website at http://www.soloskiff.com.

And that is my Solo Skiff review.

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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A barge fishing kayak is not a microskiff
Paddleboard Fishing in Mosquito Lagoon

Filed Under: Fishing News, Fishing Product News and Reviews, opinion · Tagged: fishing tips, florida fishing, florida fishing tips, Mosquito Lagoon, solo skiff, solo skiff review

Paddleboard Fishing in Mosquito Lagoon

March 19, 2013 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Paddleboard Fishing in Mosquito Lagoon

An email led to my going paddleboard fishing in Mosquito Lagoon today.

My host, or I should say my gracious host, Tim Baker, is principal at East Coast Paddle. Before we went fishing Tim explained his company’s focus to me:

-first, they build the world’s highest quality paddleboards in Edgewater, supporting 15 families right here in central Florida;
-they build various types of paddleboards for fishing, surfing, and ecotouring;
-they are a paddleboard service company, providing guided fishing, guided ecotours, and rentals;
-they give paddleboarding instruction to everyone using their services.

Tim has a specially built pontoon boat he uses to transport paddleboards and paddleboarders to the destination at which their activity will take place. I stepped on and off we went.

Tim Baker with his paddleboard transport vessel.

As he was explaining the hows and whys of paddling a paddleboard, Tim took note of the fact that the wind (at 10 to 15 out of the south) was really a bit strong for paddleboard fishing. Having been forewarned, I hopped on the board.

I was a little shaky at first, for all of 30 seconds. Then it was fine.

Like any smart paddler, Tim went upwind first. He chugged right along. I got on my knees to lower my wind resistance.

Tim looking for fish from his paddleboard.

I saw a redfish tailing in a lee. On the approach I hit the board with the paddle. The fish stopped tailing. You still need to be quiet.

We paddled upwind a while. Tim told me ordinarily they drop the fishermen off with a guide, then move the big boat to a position downwind. That way the paddleboarders never have to fight against the wind.

It was windy, and we sailed. Always the sight fisher, I looked for fish to which I could cast. Tim opted to just cast into potholes. His strategy worked better, as he caught the only fish we got.

Tim got this trout from his paddleboard.

I could see the potential for stealthy fish stalking when weather conditions were favorable were enormous. A paddleboard is a quiet, maneuverable platform from which you can silently approach wary fish.

Tim said big tarpon from the board were his favorite target. I can only imagine how exciting that must be.

Tim has made a video about paddleboard fishing for redfish in Mosquito Lagoon which you can find here http://youtu.be/Q7y5sUOfRYs .

After watching it I’m more than ready to go try paddleboard fishing in Mosquito Lagoon again.

For more information about East Coast Paddle, or to inquire about a paddleboard trip, call Tim at 407.406.0742, or visit the website at East Coast Paddle.

Loading the board after the trip.

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 News, Fishing Product News and Reviews, Fishing Stories, Fishing Tips, opinion · Tagged: adventure fishing, florida fishing, Mosquito Lagoon, orlando fishing, Outdoors, Paddleboarding, Recreation, redfish

the everglades- an excerpt

March 12, 2013 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

the everglades

First Trip

My first trip to the everglades was a five-day canoe trip in March 1980. A friend from Massachusetts and I drove down for spring break. We dropped the boat into Coot Bay Pond and paddled to Cape Sable, then back to Flamingo. I think we saw four other boats during that time. It was a wild, unforgiving place- hot, no fresh water, bad bugs, hellish sun. There was no one around. If you had a problem you were on your own.

I loved it.

The birds were incredible. We caught a chunky fish with a big spot near its tail. We didn’t know what it was but we ate it. It was good.

the birds were incredible

We left the Joe River chickee at dawn one morning. We had to catch the last of the tide to the Gulf. We got to the mouth of Little Shark River just after sunrise, at almost dead low tide. Tarpon rolled everywhere. I’d never seen one before. Each fish we saw just added to the magic and excitement of the moment.

Three hit my Rebel. Of course, all jumped right off. It was a watershed moment for me in my fishing career, simply a spectacular, unexpected, amazing event.

In spite of all the fish we had to keep going. There were many miles left.

When we got to middle Cape Sable there was a small aluminum skiff beached there. The lone fisherman walked the beach, casting. Not much was said at first.

The moon must have been at the right phase because the current ran so hard off the point that a whirlpool had formed. You didn’t need to be Joe Brooks to know that fish were there. I cast a jig over and over but did not get a bite.

Read the rest at http://johnkumiski.com/the-everglades/

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John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

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

Trip Planning
Protecting the Everglades
Park targets boater damage

Filed Under: Fishing Stories, Fishing Tips, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays · Tagged: adventure fishing, Cape Sable, everglades, fishing, fishing everglades national park, fishing story, Florida, florida fishing

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

February 23, 2013 by john kumiski · 4 Comments

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Upcoming Events-

-Titusville Surf Fishing Workshop, Wednesday, March 6, 6-8 pm. There are several other surf workshops coming up along the Space Coast in the next two months. For more information please email Rodney Smith irlcoast@gmail.com

-Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, MINWR, March 2; On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar, March 3

What a week!

Sunday morning found me at Parrish Park holding a conversation with my potential fishermen as to whether to go out or not. Picture it- sun shining, no clouds, temperature of 39 degrees, wind howling along at 20-25, Indian River Lagoon covered in whitecaps- how could they fail to go?

They wisely decided not to, and I lost the day’s work.

Monday fly fisher Chris McGoldrick joined me on a still chilly but enormously nicer day for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. Chris is a middle school social studies teacher in Brooklyn. I hoped he would have a good day. Having taught middle school myself I know he deserved one.

He had lots of shots, at both trout and redfish. Only a single one resulted in a bite. The fly did not stick very long. Sadly, he did not get a fish.

Mr. McGoldrick enjoyed himself in spite of the visit of this critter…

…the dreaded skonk!!

On the way home something happened to the engine of the chariot. The “check engine” light has been on for a couple years now, but in addition to the running rough and loss of power it started flashing off and on. At least the van got me home.

Monday night I rented a Chevy Silverado to take out my Tuesday party.

Tuesday Bill and Mike Crochunas, father and son, joined me for a six hour Mosquito Lagoon trip. The fish were all over the first spot, by the hundreds. In an hour of trying we could not get close enough to any of them to reach them with a cast. Leaving fish to find fish is never a good plan but that’s what we did.

We didn’t find a whole lot else, and what we did find was not much more cooperative.

Mike ended up with a couple of decent trout he got on a DOA CAL jerk bait. The reds all finned their noses at us. That was it for the day.

Sometimes I think I should just switch to bait fishing, you know, get a party barge with a big cooler, etc.

A couple of trout like this was all we had to show for our efforts.

Wednesday morning found me at the service department of David Maus Toyota. The ignition coil on the number six cylinder had failed. For only $520 I got a new spark plug, ignition cable, and ignition coil installed on that one cylinder, which took most of the day.

Not as much fun as being out in a boat.

Thursday’s trip didn’t start until 930, at fly fishing client’s Harold Brown’s request.

We got to fishing spot number one. Schools of fish are moving all over the place. We get close enough to see, and cast to, some of them. They were black drum. They completely ignored the fly several times, and swam away rapidly after seeing us. An hour of that and I was ready for something else.

Spot number two had no fish.

I barely got the boat in to spot number three. At first we didn’t see much but then we started seeing big trout, good numbers of them. Harold had at least a half dozen take the fly. The hook never stuck any of them.

A rat red attacked the fly with gusto. We released him as a reward.

We fished those fish for about four hours and never got one of those beautiful trout, or anything besides that one red. In the meantime the water had dropped a couple inches.

Because we started late it was now into the latter stages of daylight. The boat would not float out the way I got in. I had to remove my pants, put on the wading booties, and slog through the mud for 150 feet to get it out of there. We did get out, though.

Friday I was part of a four boat charter, along with Chris Myers, Tom Van Horn, and Drew Cavanaugh. I had three guys in my boat, Mike, Derek, and Alan. I remembered why I charge an extra hundred dollars for that third passenger. At least I only got hooked once. I did have to re-rig a couple times after cutting out the tangles.

We got on a school of big reds first thing. We had some good chances. The fish did not cooperate. Not only that. they quickly vacated the area. Can’t imagine why.

Spot numbers two and three had nothing.

At spot four we got a few small trout and ladyfish. By now the wind was a solid 15, with lots of clouds. Sight fishing was out of the question.

In desperation I anchored along the whale tail and soaked bait. We were rewarded with a 22 inch trout and a fat little catfish, our last fish of the day.

So I saw a lot of fish this week, but did not catch very many of them.

We didn’t catch anything like this this week.

More repairs to the chariot on today’s agenda.

And 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, florida fishing, fly fishing, Mosquito Lagoon, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, seatrout fishing

Orlando Fishing Report

January 6, 2013 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Orlando Fishing Report

Upcoming Events-
-Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, January 23-28, 2013
-Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Clean-Up, February 9, 2013. Contact Nancy Corona, 321-861-0668 or nancy_corona@fws.gov
-Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, MINWR, March 2; Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar, March 3

Blog posts this week: Seven Must Have Lures for Winter Fishing in Florida’s Lagoons

New Website Department- http://johnkumiski.com -photography and a more literary writing sampler than I typically post here, even a few poems! Please check it out and tell me what you think. Thanks!

The coffee this morning is especially delicious.

On Tuesday Dr. Ken Unger, from Calgary, did some Mosquito Lagoon fly fishing with me from the Mitzi. Although the sky was overcast for much of the day, until about 1 PM the lagoon was slick calm. There were a lot of fish around, just lying around. I would have expected tailing everywhere but no, they wouldn’t do that. We ran over a lot of fish.

Ken did get a few reds on a crab pattern. We tried for trout. They had moved from some spots and were protected by copious amounts of floating grass in others. He got a few good strikes but none were converted.

Dr. Ken with a decent red.

It was a little frustrating but we had a good time and we did get some fish. Here’s what Ken said: “Wanted to thank you for the good day yesterday. Enjoyed the company. Learned a little which is something I always want to do in a new area. Caught some fish. A good start to the new year. I will be back. Thanks again.”

On Thursday morning I braved the fog, launching the kayak at KARS at about 730. I dared not get more than 150 feet from shore. There was no wind. I didn’t have a compass, or for you modern types, a GPS either. The sun hid behind the clouds. If I couldn’t see shore I would be utterly lost. It was very cool but very spooky at the same time.

Paddling steadily north I ran over the occasional trout. The object was to find big reds or black drum. Stopping at one place I cast a streamer for trout for a while but did not get bit. The quest continued.

The fog burned off around noon.

I went most of the way to the NASA causeway.

I did not find what I was looking for.

On the way back I saw a tail, as it turns out the only one found. I stalked the fish. It was a big black drum. It ignored my fly and swam off. I would not see another.

The final score was one shot, no bites, four fish seen- pretty disappointing. More searching needs to be done. It’s the right time of year.

Speaking of the right time of year, shad are being caught in the St. Johns River. I do not have any details. I wanted to go Friday but that 60 degrees and raining put me off. Too much like Alaska.

There are some shad in the St. Johns River!

Yesterday son Maxx and I went running along the Florida Trail, most of the way to Orlando Wetlands Park. Beautiful day, nice woods. Hamstring is kind of tight today, though.

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

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: Banana River, Black drum, florida fishing, Florida Trail, fly fishing, kayak fishing, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Mosquito Lagoon, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, orlando fishing report

Enjoying Life on the Indian River Lagoon

December 26, 2012 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

A Guest Blog by Rodney Smith

Enjoying Life on the Indian River Lagoon

James Smith with some fine Indian River Lagoon crab claws.

My oldest son, James, has been getting on me to write a blog entitled “Enjoying Life on the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Coast.” As much as I write, you’d think it would be an easy task, but at the end of the day, I felt like the task of writing a blog was about as exciting as being flogged with a soft-shell blue crab. Useless!

But then again, James reminded me why I should be communicating more frequently with other folks who also love and cherish the Indian River Lagoon coast. So, to restart my blog I have a question for you:

Why do you love the IRL coast in winter?

Please answer at irlcoast@gmail.com . If I get feedback on this question I’ll know some of you out there are reading this blog, and this will help me judge my course, blog-wise, moving into a new year!

Funny what a difference a month can make. It’s been the opposite of what you would typically consider standard conditions; in mid-November water temperatures along the entire Indian River Lagoon coast were in the mid-sixties in the north-central inshore ocean waters, well below normal. It looked like we were in for a long winter, but the weather flipped between Thanksgiving and Christmas and ocean temperatures rose nearly ten degrees.

The mild late fall weather guided thick schools of Atlantic menhaden toward the beaches along the north-central IRL coast. This, along with a steady stream of late season mullet still lingering near ocean inlets, attracted a smorgasbord of gamefish.

Because of the mild weather, tripletail, cobia, king mackerel and shark could be caught not far from where the Atlantic Ocean met the beaches. Tarpon by the hundreds flocked to Sebastian Inlet, snook packed the Ft. Pierce area and flounder and red and black drum roamed the beaches and inlets. Large schools of pompano, pushed south by the early cold and dirty water surged north, creating plenty of happy anglers from Sebastian to Hobe Sound.

Yes, December can be a fickle weather month along the Indian River Lagoon coast; tropical one day, winter-like the next. But as I found from going back to my twenty years of journals on the outdoor history of the IRL coast, much of the time the fishing and catching are above par this time of year.

If you’re interested in learning more about what to expect each month of the year along Florida’s IRL coast, check out my book Enjoying Life on the Indian River Lagoon Coast. It touches on a wide range of topics, from shrimping and crabbing, to fishing for snook, tarpon, pompano, spotted seatrout and a large number of ocean pelagics. This book is jam-packed with useful information concerning the IRL coast for every month of the year.

Visit rodneysmithmedia.bigcartel.com for more information, or to order.

Rodney Smith is a writer and author, and currently director of Anglers for Conservation. He lives with his family in Satellite Beach.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs · Tagged: Atlantic Ocean, Florida, florida fishing, florida fishing tips, Indian River Lagoon, Sebastian Inlet

Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

December 24, 2012 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Merry Christmas to All, and a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year to Everyone!

Upcoming Events-

–Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, January 23-28, 2013

– Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Clean-Up, February 9, 2013. Contact Nancy Corona, 321-861-0668 or nancy_corona@fws.gov

My bride had knee surgery. I spent most of this week taking care of her, as she can’t get around very well. She’s doing fine, thanks, and we expect a complete recovery.

Only three days were spent on the water this week but many other things got done.
-My website got hacked and crashed. It needed a complete re-build. That took some time.
-As long as I was at it I built a new website for my sister, the glass artist. See it at http://www.cherylkumiski.com

Blog Posts this week:

-A Christmas Gift to You

On Wednesday Tammy Wilson met me at Parrish Park. We spent four hours looking around the Mosquito Lagoon for fish. We did not see many, perhaps because we started late.

Tammy got a trout and a redfish, both out of the slot, while blind-casting with an olive colored bunny leech.

I got two smallish trout blind-casting with a DOA Shrimp.

A cold front came through Thursday night. The water level dropped six or seven inches, and the water temperature dropped by 10 degrees, between sunset Thursday and sunrise on Saturday. At that point I met Jason and Jonathan Brege, my fishermen for the next two days.

It was 38 degrees at the boat ramp and the flag was almost straight out. The Indian River Lagoon was covered with whitecaps. They wanted to go anyway so we launched the boat at Titusville Marina. That first boat ride was almost like the brain freeze you get when you eat ice cream too fast.

We fished in every dredge hole and canal I know. We came up with a grand total of three trout to 23 inches, all caught on jigs. Late in the day we found a bunch of fish, mostly trout but a few reds too, up on a flat. We could not get them to eat anything and didn’t get a bite there.

Sunday dawned much more placidly. With the winds forecast to be light and variable we went to Mosquito Lagoon with the intent of fly fishing. The first spot, which had been holding fish, was nearly barren. Playing a hunch I went to the spoil islands. Good call.

Both Jason and Jonathan got their first ever seatrout and redfish on fly. An imitation crab and a minnow pattern did the damage. They took turns fly fishing, so the “off” guy tossed a jerkbait, which also accounted for several trout.

The trout were running large…
Jonathan with a fine trout.

The trout were running large, between 20 and 25 inches. The best redfish was 26. We got enough of each that I lost track (three or four is enough for that to happen, though).

Brother Jason with trout on fly.

The weather was spectacular, the fish were cooperative, my fishermen were great guys, it was a fantastic weekend. Happy Christmas to me!

The brothers with a fat Mosquito Lagoon redfish.

And that is this week’s exciting version of the Orlando Area 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 2012. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, florida fishing, fly fishing, Indian River Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon, mosquito lagoon fishing report, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish, seatrout fishing, Space Coast

Wire Leaders for Toothy Fish

December 13, 2012 by john kumiski · 1 Comment

Wire Leaders for Toothy Fish

Regardless of how you fish or what you fish for, at some point you will need to use Wire Leaders for Toothy Fish. Bluefish, mackerel, barracuda, and sharks all require wire leader use. Or, you could donate lots of hooks, lures, or flies to the fish in question.

For a long time, leader wire came in two flavors, single strand and plastic coated cable. Single strand users used a haywire twist to attach the terminal tackle to the wire leader. At the other end they had a choice of again using a haywire twist to attach a swivel, or using an Albright special to attach the fishing line, usually monofilament.

Single strand’s advantages are that it’s inexpensive and relatively thin. It kinks though, and breaks where those kinks form. If, like me, you don’t use it very often, making a decent haywire twist is slow and hard to do. Making those twists well takes practice.

Cable doesn’t kink. But it needs sleeves and a crimping tool in order to make the connections. This type of leader lacks elegance.

Additionally, cable is more visible than monofilament or single strand wire, fish teeth or abrasion can shred the nylon coating, and saltwater can get inside the nylon coating and cause corrosion over a period of time. Cable is still the choice for most big game fishing, though.

A few years back a new type of plastic coated wire leader cable appeared on the market, sold under the names of Surflon and Tyger Wire. They were the first stainless steel knottable wire leaders for toothy fish. You can tie this stuff using the same knots you use with nylon or fluorocarbon. It’s a wonderful product for someone who doesn’t need wire very often. Needless to say, it was more expensive than other products available at the time it was introduced.

I carried Tyger Wire around for years without using it. On a recent trip to the Florida Keys we went fishing for cero mackerel. My having that wire was the only reason we caught any fish.

The teeth on this critter demand the use of wire.

Recently, a new wire leader product has appeared, made from titanium alloy. This new leader wire stretches and recovers to set hooks and prevent bite-offs. You can tie titanium wire to hooks and line using the Clinch and Albright Knots. Two manufacturers of this product are knot2kinky and American Fishing Wire. It sounds great! Of course it costs more. I haven’t used this product yet, but I am looking forward to doing so.

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2012. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Tips · Tagged: fishing, fishing tips, florida fishing, florida fishing tips

Orlando Area and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

December 8, 2012 by john kumiski · 1 Comment

Orlando Area and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Upcoming Events– Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, January 23-28, 2013

Monday, quite a beautiful day, found me paddling the Ocean Kayak on the Banana River Lagoon in the no motor zone, hoping to find big redfish and black drum. Six hours of paddling later I had found none. There was no seagrass at all. It was hard finding the spots- without the grass there was no frame of reference.

I saw three or four redfish and maybe thirty trout in two schools. Tossing a gurgler around where the trout were seen netted two strikes, both of which were missed.

There is no reason for me to go back there for a while.

The launch at the nmz. The “dock” is real wobbly. If you fall into that muck they’ll never find you. That’s where all the grass is- dead and stinky along the shoreline!

Thursday Tammy Wilson and I went out on the Mosquito Lagoon in the Mitzi. The weather was really nice, very little wind. Lots of clouds at first gave way to mostly sunny skies.
At the first spot there were quite a few redfish. They were quite nervous and didn’t want us near them. Tammy cast a streamer fly at some of them and got two nice fish, both seatrout. They apparently were swimming with the reds.

The fish did not hang around very long, so we went looking in some other places. As could be expected, some were barren and some were fairly fishy. We did not get another fish, though.

We were off the water by 3:00 PM.

Friday Dr. George Yarko joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. We started off boating by Braille, using the compass to find the spot in the fog, glasses all wet, unable to see. We did find it. There were fish there. We could only see them when they moved, pushing up a wake. They would not let us into casting range.

While poling out of there a redfish tailed in front of the boat. It was one of many fish that were there. Dr. George got one on a DOA CAL jerkbait, nice work on his part.

We couldn’t find any more fish at that spot so went to one other. It was good. George got four out-of-slot redfish and a 26 inch seatrout using cut bait, a solid hour of catching there.

When I went to load the pictures of the previous two days fishing into my computer I opened the camera to remove the memory card and it wasn’t in there. It was still in the card reader from the previous use. Well DUH! No photos.

A file photo of Dr. Yarko with a nice red.

And that is this week’s exciting version of the Orlando Area 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 2012. All rights are reserved.

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

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

November 25, 2012 by john kumiski · 2 Comments

Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Upcoming Events- Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, January 23-28, 2013

In this version of the Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, the water level in the lagoons is still unseasonably high. That, combined with the low angle of sun in the wintering sky, is making sight fishing in the lagoons difficult.

That having been said, on Tuesday Cheryl, the official sister of the Spotted Tail and famous stained glass artist, joined me for a redfish-for-Thanksgiving-dinner mission. The wind was screaming out of the north. The first spot we went I was tossing a Johnson Minnow. I didn’t get a bite but I did poke a redfish with my fishing rod. He bolted, as could be expected.

We anchored up on the lee side of an island and put two mullet chunk lines out. In 20 minutes I had gotten three reds to 32 inches, with one being a fine 25 inch dinner fish. Mission accomplished, we put the boat on the trailer.

Cheryl with the best fish of the day.

The fish, stuffed with a crabmeat and rice stuffing and grilled over an oak fire, was delicious.

On Wednesday fly fishers Andrew Peterson and his friend Terry joined me for a day’s fly fishing. Since the wind was again screaming out of the north my guess was any fish we got would be by the grace of God. He didn’t smile on us. In spite of working our butts off all day we got exactly one bite which was not converted. It was a beautiful day if you weren’t trying to fly fish, but next to impossible for a fly caster.

Thursday was a lovely day and the Kumiskis had 30-odd guests for a wonderful celebration. I hope all of you had a blessed day.

Friday long-time client Todd Preuss Ph.D. came down from Atlanta for some fly fishing. The wind was out of the north but uncharacteristically was only blowing about 10-12 mph. Using a slider Todd got two nice reds in the slot and a fat little killifish, more commonly called a mud minnow here in Florida. Never saw one taken with a fly before.

Late in the afternoon we found a bunch of seatrout on a sheltered shoreline and Todd got two on a Hot Head fly. All in all it was a real nice day.

Saturday Rob Ghini and Tammy Wilson joined me for another Mosquito Lagoon trip. The wind was still there, 10-12 out of the northwest. The slight direction change moved the fish.

We went to where the fish were on Thursday, first the redfish, then the seatrout. Neither were still there. So it was search mission time.

Rob got the first red on a Johnson Minnow while blind casting. Then I got one on a chartreuse DOA Shrimp. A while later Tammy got a trout on the DOA Shrimp.

While sight fishing across a large flat tammy spotted a small group of reds and Rob got the best fish of the day on a piece of mullet.

Tammy spotted it, Rob caught it, a true team effort. It was released.

We got a few more trout on jigs and DOA Shrimp.

It was a beautiful day but the fish were scarce. We had to work hard but we did get a few, and enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

Thanks to all my fishermen this week- you were all awesome.

I sure hope the water level drops soon.

And that is this week’s 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 2012. All rights are reserved.

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