florida fishing Archives - Page 7 of 27

Pine Island Sound Fishing Report

November 7, 2017 by john kumiski · 2 Comments

Pine Island Sound Fishing Report and More

Thank you for reading this Pine Island Sound fishing report.

Non Fishing-
The Butter Bike trip is awesome! Read about it here- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/bicycling-biologist-pedals-10000-miles-along-the-monarch-butterflys-migration-route/ar-AAukzJm

Monday

Karen got the best trout of the day.

Mark Wright and I fished six people from Sweden on Mosquito Lagoon. In my boat we worked it hard all day, tossing soft plastic baits (20 minutes of mullet chunking during lunch netted a couple hardhead cats).

Roger got trout, too.

We got a few trout and a couple redfish, and had many refusals from uncooperative fish. It was a beautiful day if a little frigid at first, and we had a good time. I’m now a brewski boys guide!

Yanne with his redfish.

JK is now a brewskis boys approved guide!

Thursday
I climbed into the new chariot and towed the Mitzi to Pineland Marina, where I met Jake Bishop. Jake and I worked together in Alaska during the past summer. I hoped to show him some Florida fishing. We loaded up the boat with camping and fishing gear and went to Cayo Costa State Park, where we set up our tent. Then we went fishing!

Our tent site on La Costa Island.

I don’t fish that area much, and we did not find any exciting game fish. We did find a load of ladyfish by Johnson Shoal, and spent about 40 minutes getting a fish on every cast, using ugly flies. We got cut off by mackerel or bluefish a couple times, and saw some healthy sharks.

A little go juice in the morning helped our motors start.

The snook that never bite are still where I left them 10 or so years ago.

Friday
We went out looking for fish again, poling miles of grass flats. We saw a couple redfish, one tailing. Jake hooked and lost a snook, the only one we would get to bite. We caught a lot of 15 inch seatrout, and more ladyfish.

We visited Barnacle Phil’s. It’s gone way upscale, and there wasn’t a table available when we got there. We left and ate what we had in the boat.

We saw a string of four or five tarpon over a shoal off the beach. Wasn’t ready for that!

Ladyfish were breaking on top of Johnson Shoal. We caught fish for 30 minutes or so.

It was a long, tough day, fishing-wise.

Saturday
We went out looking for fish again, poling miles of grass flats, checking sand shoals and oyster bars, mangrove shorelines, anywhere I could think of to look for fish. We saw a few but did not get them to bite. We found a good lizardfish hole.

The island boasts miles of spectacular beach.

Shells litter the beach.

Late in the afternoon we saw a couple fat redfish on a flat. The sun was low, the wind blowing. The fish spooked before we could react. While trying to recover we floated over a sandy hole and flushed out about 20 nice reds. They just fled to deep water.

Peeps probe the sand at the surf line.

I suggested that we return the next morning, hope they were there again, and wade-fish them. Then we returned to camp.

I think this is a willet. If any birders out there can confirm I’d appreciate it!

After dinner we went onto the beach and watched night fall, watched the stars blink on. By itself that was worth the entire trip. What a highlight!

We live on an incredible planet!

Jake and I watched night fall.

Sunday

En route to the redfish spot. The fish were no-shows.

We returned to the redfish spot, anchored the boat, got out, and waded around looking for the fish for about an hour. Although conditions were perfect, the fish weren’t there. Jake got a small snapper. I got a trophy puffer.

Eat your heart out!

We tried fishing from the boat for another 30 minutes or so. We saw and did not catch a couple fish. Then we returned to Pineland, loaded up the boat, and went our separate ways.

In spite of the tough fishing it was an awesome trip. The weather was great, the scenery awesome, the companionship sublime. Let’s do it again soon, Jake! The fish will come…

I’m sorry this report is late, but I was out of town.

And that, dear reader, is the Pine Island Sound fishing report. Thanks for reading!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Fishing Stories, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: adventure fishing, cayo costa state park, florida fishing, fly fishing, pine island sound, pine island sound fishing report, pineland marine

Explorations Fishing Report

October 21, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Explorations Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Explorations fishing report.

Happy Thoughts– apparently bored for a few minutes, I googled “happy thoughts”. This awesome page came up- http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/here-are-the-things-that-are-proven-to-make-y/

Monday- Wednesday

It was get the old car ready to sell (yes, the Sienna van that has served us so long and well is for sale. See the details here- https://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/d/for-sale-1999-toyota-sienna/6347466695.html) and get the new car (Susan’s old RAV4) ready for towing.

Lying on my back, trying to get it into position, I dropped the new trailer hitch for the RAV4 on my right elbow, mashing it between the hitch and the concrete. YOUCHIE!!!! Although bruised it seems OK. And now the RAV4 has a trailer hitch and it will pull the Mitzi. So everything is good.

FISHING! As reported last week, this writer has had a hard time of it in Mosquito Lagoon lately. It was time to do some exploration.

At the kayak ramp in Spruce Creek Park.

Thursday found me travelling to New Smyrna Beach to Spruce Creek Park, where an Ocean Kayak was launched. I used to fish Spruce Creek literally a generation ago, but hadn’t been in about 20 years. My preference for fishing there was a low outgoing tide, so of course I found high incoming water. That water was brown but clear. But there was so much of it- the entire marsh was flooded.

I think they want you to be careful…

Was that fish breaking? I cast a jig to where I saw what I assumed were mullet, and was rewarded with a solid strike. Ladyfish. There were quite a few of them. Getting action was a novelty and I enjoyed it until it stopped.

Splash! I missed the jump.

I floated with wind (plenty of that) and tide, catching the odd ladyfish, to the railroad bridge. I went ashore under the bridge for a leg stretch and some casting. Before long a freight train came.

I captured this one cartwheeling in the Spartina.

I don’t know that I have ever been that close to a speeding train. Superman I am not. The ground shook, the noise level was at jet engine afterburner loud. I was quietly terrified. And, I did not get a bite there. So I got back in the kayak and started heading back the way I had come.

It was small, but it’s still a redfish.

Someone in Volusia County promotes an event called Biketoberfest. Out on the water the noise from the Harleys riding up and down US 1 was almost as loud as the train. No offense to bikers, but it’s like a Biblical plague of motorcycle noise there.

One of the fishies I captured. I put him back.

After the tide turned I had steady action on the jig the whole way back- more ladyfish, including a couple in the 24 inch range, a nice crevalle jack, a half dozen trout to 16 inches, and a couple lovely if diminutive redfish. Considering what last week’s fishing was like, and due to incessant east winds I can’t get out on the Atlantic, it was entertaining if unspectacular fishing.

At the Tomoka State Park ramp.

Friday, encouraged by Thursday’s modest success, I tried launching at Tomoka State Park. Like Spruce Creek, the tide was high and still coming in, and the water was very brown. Also like Spruce Creek, the hum of Harleys filled the air. Unlike Spruce Creek I did not get a bite. I did see a couple baby tarpon roll and a few mullet jump. That was it.

The water was brown, but you can get an ice cream when you’re done…

Tomoka is bigger water than Spruce Creek. When I go back I will use internal combustion.

Show and Tell Seminar October 21

In spite of the small craft advisory, Mark Frank, my only attendee, and I toured the Mosquito Lagoon in my Mitzi. We started at Haulover, went as far south as the Biolab boat ramp. It was WAVY on the west side!

We crossed the lagoon and went north, all the way to River Breeze. The cleaner water is up north. Most of the boats were south of Haulover, fishing in the muddy water.

It was a challenging day for a boat tour. The manatees are still thick, like mines in the water. Be careful when boating out there.

I’m wondering if the east wind will ever stop.

And that, dear reader, is the Exploration fishing report! Thanks for reading!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: adventure fishing, florida fishing, kayak fishing, orlando fishing report

Three Lagoons Fishing Report

September 23, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Three Lagoons Fishing Report

Finally, a more-or-less full week of fishing. Our travels this week brought us to the Mosquito Lagoon (twice), the Indian Rver Lagoon (twice), the Banana River Lagoon, the Econlockhatchee River (no fishing though) and a brief stop at Port Canaveral. So we have a three lagoons fishing report.

The boats wait for us to finish the shuttle.

Sunday I joined Tammy and Mike Conneen for a kayak trip down the still-flooded Econ. It had peaked earlier at 18 feet and on Sunday was at 12 feet (https://waterdata.usgs.gov/fl/nwis/uv/?site_no=02233500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060), still mostly over its banks. The weather was awesome and everything was going fine until I took a “shortcut”, followed by everyone else.

Mike Conneen, navigator extraordinaire.

Off we go into the woods.

Don’t trespass!

Before long there was no current to follow and we were darn confused, paddling around in the woods. Mike got the phone out (GPS app). We followed him back to the river, losing about an hour in the process.

We’re definitely in the woods.

Still in the woods.

Tammy doesn’t care. She always enjoys herself.

When we got to the St. Johns there was no river, only a very large lake. It’s still lapping the sides of SR 46 and the CS Lee boat ramp is still closed.

Cheryl on the lake that once was the St. Johns River, near SR 46.

Remember to run at idle speed!

Monday Tammy and I went scouting on the IRL, launching at Parrish Park. The water is high (https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?02248380) and dirty in most places. We fished around some culverts and Tammy got snook, redfish, and ladyfish. She foul-hooked a trophy black mullet. She wanted a seatrout but we could not find one. The mullet may have weighed more than all the other fish combined.

We converted one redfish on a DOA CAL shad.

Tuesday Scott Radloff and I did a Mosquito Lagoon survey. This lagoon has by far the cleanest water of the three lagoons, and quite a few mullet too. We actually saw a handful of redfish, getting shots at two and converting one on a DOA CAL shad. I got six snooklets on a #6 Clouser minnow, beautiful little fish that would have looked great in an aquarium. We also got a half-dozen slot trout, one on a jig and the rest on a DOA Deadly Combo.

Scott got a trout on a jig.

Wednesday Miss Chellie Gentry joined me for a fly fishing charter on the IRL. In the morning we hit maybe ten culvert pipes. None of them had fish. She finally got her first saltwater fish, a tarpon, on a gurgler. It was a wonderful moment- I’m sorry I didn’t get a photo.

The magic pipe produced a couple dozen ladyfish…

Then we hit the pipe I had been looking for all day. The ladyfish were going crazy, and she got three redfish too. They were not very big but they were all on fly. We called the outing a success! Chellie, thanks for fishing with me!

…and several redfish!

Thursday Mike Conneen and I met to check out the Banana River Lagoon, the third lagoon in the three lagoons fishing report. The water was a soupy olive green. Nowhere could you see the bottom. There was a dearth of baitfish. Mike actually caught a slot trout by blind casting with a Vudu Shrimp. We had the kayaks back on our cars in a little less than three hours.

Mike battles a trout…

…which was actually a solid fish.

While in the neighborhood it seemed appropriate to check the ramp at Port Canaveral. They are operational, and in spite of the big seas there were several trailers in the lot. I didn’t see any mullet and asked a fisherman who had come in to the ramp if he had seen any. He said, “I fish here regularly. It was dead out there. I used mud minnows for bait all morning and did not get a bite. And no, there weren’t any mullet.”

The obvious question is, where are they? It’s certainly mullet time.

Friday found me back on Mosquito Lagoon with son Alex and his friend John. We fished a couple bars and caught a few trout on spin tackle, then went looking for redfish. We actually found a few (and a few black drum too) but did not convert, and did not get one. About noontime threatening weather caused us to race the storms back to River Breeze. We got the boat on the trailer just as the storms hit us, some darn close timing when lightning is involved.

That is this week’s three lagoons fishing report! Thanks for reading!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, Photo Essays · Tagged: adventure fishing, Banana River, DOA Lures, Econlockhatchee River, florida fishing, Indian River Lagoon, kayak fishing, mosquito lagoon fishing report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Port Canaveral, redfish, seatrout fishing, tarpon fishing

June Bug Orlando Fishing Report

June 3, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

June Bug Orlando Fishing Report

During my morning trips to the petrol station the June bugs have been thick. So we have a June bug Orlando fishing report, covering the Mosquito Lagoon and St. Johns River.

Tuesday

Spotted Tail was host to the Warings- Chris (grandpa), David (dad) and Alexander (son). The trout bite in Mosquito Lagoon continued strong, and a redfish managed to crash the party. There were a couple ladyfish, too. As one might expect by this point, the baits were soft plastic minnow imitations, the DOA CAL shad and the Riptide Sardine.

The Warings caught some fish.

Wednesday

Rodney Smith and I went to the St. Johns River to fly fish before the summer rains kick in too strong and raise the water level. Rodney had the channel cats’ number, getting three and a tilapia too, all on an egg-sucking bunny leech. John did not do as well, and overall he thought the bite had slowed from previous visits.

Thursday

Scott Radloff and I tried to fish out of Port Canaveral. Pass the jetties, turn around, return to the boat ramp. We got to Mosquito Lagoon at almost 10 AM. The fish punished us for the late start- one dink trout and one 19 inch redfish was all we could muster in three hours. Weather forced us to leave.

Friday

George convinced this drum to strike a fraud.

George Allen joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. The trout bite was better than the previous day’s non-bite, but it had slowed compared to from Tuesday. We spotted what I thought were redfish. They were black drum. George got one on a DOA CAL shad, nice fish it was, too. Weather forced us to leave.

The summer rains are kicking into gear.

As always, I would like to thank everyone who fished with me this week.

That is the Orlando fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

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

Memorial Day Orlando Fishing Report

May 27, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Memorial Day Orlando Fishing Report

Please take a moment right now for a small prayer for all the men and women whose sacrifices we should be remembering this weekend.

This Memorial Day Orlando Fishing Report details trips to the Mosquito Lagoon, St. Johns River, and Atlantic Ocean.

Sunday

Nile with one of the redfish he caught.

Matt and Niles Smith, father and son, joined me on Spotted Tail for a Mosquito Lagoon outing. Three tarpon rolled next to the boat as we idled through Haulover Canal, the first tarpon I’ve seen this year.

Not to be outdone, Matt got one, too.

We were happily fishing for trout when I spotted redfish tails. We got on them without attracting the attention of the many other boats around, getting five nice reds before they vacated the area. DOA CAL shad were the bait of choice. Oh yes, the trout fishing was pretty good, too.

Monday

Tammy shows off a mini-bass. It’s as big as they get that size!

Channel cat on fly!

Tammy Wilson led me on a St. Johns River excursion. The river is ankle-deep in many places. We did not get any big fish but got five different species of fish on mostly surface flies. We also found three dead cows. They stink is a most foul manner.

Got me sum bass, two!

The river valley has some exquisite places…

Tuesday

This silly fish ate an Alaskan fly.

John went back to the St. Johns River by himself in an attempt to capitalize on what he learned the previous day. He stuck to subsurface flies (a black egg-sucking bunny leech worked quite well) and got largemouth bass, bluegill and red-breasted sunfish, three channel cats (!), four bowfin, one spotted gar, and one tilapia. Didn’t get the crappie or Plecostomas.

The bowfin, a fish in need of some love.

A large, aggressive alligator get much too close for comfort. Something about that gar splashing attracted it. I left the area post-haste.

Bull bluegill on a purple bunny leech. I lost all of the egg-sucking leeches I had.

Speaking of gar, what they need is some good PR. From now on I’m referring to them as garlin in what might be a misguided attempt to make them more popular among anglers.

Mudfish need PR too. Anyone have a good, appealing, alternate name for the mighty bowfin??

Wednesday
Ray Rowe was my guest on Spotted Tail. Although it was windy the fish were biting well. We got a lot of slot seatrout, although the big ones eluded us.

Thursday
Ray Rowe was again my guest on Spotted Tail. It wasn’t as windy as Wednesday but it was colder. Fishing was tougher, but we still got about 20 trout, mostly slot fish. The best of the day measured 22 inches. Thank you again, Mr. DOA CAL shad. And of course Mr. Rowe, too.

Friday
Found John at the helm of Spotted Tail, searching the mighty Atlantic for denizens of the deep. In an ideal world he would have found gobs of big tarpon. As it was, eight hours of diligently searching turned up some northern sennet, a few bluefish, a couple ladyfish, the smallest little tunny I have ever seen, and to top off the day a mighty mongo jack crevalle. I tried to get one on the twelve-weight but they were not having that nonsense.

The jack crevalle, different from channel cats.

As always, I would like to thank everyone who fished with me this week.

That is the Memorial Day Orlando fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, Photo Essays, port canaveral fishing report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bass fishing, DOA Lures, florida fishing, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Port Canaveral, port canaveral fishing report, seatrout fishing, St. Johns River

Mother’s Day Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

May 13, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Mother’s Day Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Happy Mother’s Day to all those who have given birth. What a miracle, to be able to bring another being into the world, to nurture and teach it until adulthood! This is the Mother’s Day Mosquito Lagoon fishing report.

Summer just may have started here. The afternoon light has that blasting everything quality to it. It was 94 degrees this afternoon (Wednesday). The water in the lagoon is quite low, surprisingly so for this time of year. It’s also still quite clean. I expect that to change with this summer’s installment of Algae Bloom. Let’s all pray that John is wrong on this one.

There are stupid numbers of manatees out there. Boater’s don’t seem to be paying any attention. I found a dead manatee today, a small one. I reported it by telephone to Officer Jane Whaley.

The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge has apparently had enough of bank fishermen littering along the Haulover Canal, something that has been a big problem for years. This week these new signs were observed along the south side of the canal, in both English and Spanish:

SUNDAY
Fly fisher and New Yorker Anthony LaBarbera joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. It was hardly fish-slamming time. We got the first bite around 11 AM, a nice enough trout that took a streamer. The rest of the day yielded two more strikes and one more trout. We saw quite a few, but for a change it wasn’t windy. Of course the fish were spooky, a trend that continued for the rest of the week.

We worked hard for this baby!

MONDAY
Good friend Tammy Wilson and I went a-kayakin’ on the Indian River Lagoon. We ran over maybe a half-dozen fish before Tammy had a good shot at one, which she converted. You’re so professional, Howie! I later got one blind-casting a black bunny leech, a sure case of the blind pig finding an acorn. There were not a lot of fish around. But it’s always fun fishing with Tammy.

The woman, the fantasy…

TUESDAY
Brent Chapdelaine and his friend Tom joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. Throwing our old friends the DOA CAL Shad and the RipTide Sardine we hit trout pretty steadily if not exactly rapid-fire.

At one point my astonished eyes noted a school of redfish moving, with occasional busts and tailing happening. We moved to intercept. Brent made a perfect cast, and, as he should have been, was rewarded with a fine 26 inch red. He says it was the biggest fish he’s ever caught, and it certainly was the day’s most exciting moment.

WEDNESDAY
Ken Schanze and his friend Dennis joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. Throwing our old friend the DOA CAL Shad we hit trout sporadically, getting six in the slot and one over. We saw very few redfish.

For weeks I whined about the wind. It has not been blowing this week and conditions have been gorgeous if somewhat warm. But the slick conditions combined with the low water have made the fish very, very flighty.

THURSDAY
Rick Busch and his friend Seng from Cambodia joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. We had a light northeast wind. The trout bite was steady if not spectacular, all on DOA CAL Shad. Seng caught the largest fish of his life! Spotted Tail had that happen twice this week, awesome!

Rachel and a handsome trout.

FRIDAY
Matt Leonard and his lovely bride Rachel joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. We had a light northeast wind. The trout bite was steady if not spectacular, all on DOA CAL Shad. They caught a few fairly nice trout. We did not see a redfish, did not see one yesterday, did not see one Wednesday. I’d love to know what happened to all of them.

Same woman, different fish.

SATURDAY
My least favorite day to fish, this one wasn’t too bad because of the weather forecast. Josh and Cody joined me. We looked briefly and unsuccessfully for redfish, then fell back on the unspectacular but steady trout. They caught a few good ones.

Josh. Trout. DOA CAL.

Ordinarily cloudy, windy days are killer trout days. This one was pretty much like the rest of the week.

Cody. Trout. DOA CAL.

As always, I would like to thank everyone who fished with me this week.

That is the Mother’s Day Mosquito Lagoon fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

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

Solo Chokoloskee Fishing Report- A Photo Essay

May 5, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Solo Chokoloskee Fishing Report

We could have called this report, “Last White Man Without a GPS Goes to the Everglades.” I have been to Chokoloskee before of course, but not for a long time. I took my skiff and a kayak, by myself. Thus the Solo Chokoloskee fishing report.

No GPS. These are my navigational aids.

Last Saturday I checked the calendar for the coming week. Holy cow! I have no work! What to do?

“Go to the Everglades,” said a voice in my head. My bride said, “You’re going by yourself?!” “I don’t know anyone who could just take off for four days on the spur of the moment,” I replied. Sunday I packed my stuff. Monday morning about 4:30 I was on the road.

The ranger at Everglades City was a cute redhead with lots of freckles. I should have gotten her picture.

Kenny Brown is still behind the counter at the Outdoor Resorts, probably in his third decade there. Talk about a rock of stability!

That Kumiski guy about to leave the dock at Outdoor Resort in Chokoloskee.

I had a magnificent campsite, waterfront with a view of the sunrise, on the Gulf of Mexico. While there were mosquitos, they weren’t anywhere close to what I thought they’d be. Minor problem.

This was an awesome campsite, but there wasn’t much in the way of shade.

The Mitzi and the OK wait patiently to go fishing.

This black skimmer was one of my neighbors…

…and the terns were in the high rent district.

All of my Everglades camping has been during the winter. A solar day in May lasts much longer than one in December. Just sayin’. And it was hot at the end of the day, which was a bigger problem than the bugs.

Unloading the skiff in my temporary home in Paradise.

Construction of the Taj Mahal…

Monday afternoon I tried fishing. The tide was high. The wind was out of the west, blowing like it was in a hurry to get somewhere. The water was dirty. I wasn’t quite sure of where I was (no GPS), and certainly had some self-doubt creeping into my consciousness. Fatigue and lack of cooperation from the fish did not help.

Casting in high water did not work for me.

I took some time to smell the bay beans…

Beat up from the travelling, fishing, and heat, getting horizontal in my hot Taj Mahal of a tent felt heavenly. An extended rain shower cooled things off. I still love the sound rain makes on my tent fly!

A good night’s sleep and a good cup of joe made the morning much brighter.

Tuesday morning, newly optimistic, I headed for Lostmans’s, hoping to work out the 12-weight. Halfway there the sea was getting rough. Discretion spoke up. “If it gets any worse…” He didn’t need to finish the sentence. I pulled in to the nearest shore line and started looking.

First fish of the trip. Nice little fishy!

There’s a shark. Oh, there’s a snook! And another one! It’s a little pack of them! I managed to scare them all with a large hair bug. It got switched for a streamer that produced two strikes. The second fish was healthy and took the fly with him. A second streamer fooled several more snook. I was pleased with the start.

Streamers worked well.

Red mangroves, the unofficial plant of the Florida Everglades.

I ran to a spot closer to camp and started looking again. Pop! A snook hit some bait in really skinny water. “That’s why you brought the kayak, John.” I paddled over, saw the fish, and tossed a little foam popper at it. He had an argument with himself about whether or not he should hit it. Unfortunately I lost that debate.

I flushed at least two dozen snook in the half mile of shoreline I paddled, scraping bottom much of the time. I just could not see them first. But I knew where to fish the next day.

At one spot I stopped all I caught were some photos.

When the tide got right the next morning me and the fly pole went paddling again. The bite was good, producing several snook, a nice red, several missed strikes, and a couple of break-offs. Then the water got really skinny again, and the fish stopped biting.

Snook on a gurgler, always exciting!

This red was my first on a fly rod popper in several years.

Breaking down camp took minutes. On the way back to Chokoloskee I learned where to look for tarpon, for future reference. I felt my way through Rabbit Key Pass with a Top Spot chart, managing not to break anything, or even really hit the bottom. Slept in my own bed Wednesday night, after what was a really enjoyable, if somewhat short, trip.

The sun sets on my mini-vacation…

I enjoy fishing with that John Kumiski guy. He has a weird sense of humor, but he also has a good heart.

—————————————-
Last week I wrote, “One of Benjamin Ashworth’s birthday presents was a day with me (?!), fishing in Mosquito Lagoon. Girlfriend Chely was along too.”

I emailed Benjamin’s mom a thank you note. This was her response-

“They were so pleased with the fishing and had a wonderful time. They raved about you and how it was such a great fishing trip. As well as the bonus of seeing a good variety of wildlife! They felt you were a great and knowledgeable guide and would love to go fishing with you again. Thank you again for making it a special birthday gift for Benjamin and Chely.”

Once again, I would like to thank everyone who fished with me this week. John, thank you for fishing with me!

That is the Solo Chokoloskee fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Fishing Stories, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: adventure fishing, chokoloskee fishing report, everglades fishing report, florida fishing, fly fishing, fly fishing for snook, kayak fishing, redfish, snook fishing

Still Still Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

February 18, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Still Still Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

This week was not better than last week. But it was still pretty darned good! Thus the still still hot Mosquito Lagoon fishing report.

Upcoming Events-
– On-The-Water Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar March 4. Click this link for more information…
– River Breeze Paddling Show and Tell Seminar, March 5. Click this link for more information!

Steve Duckett asked me to get some pictures of his Bouncer Flies. So Monday, in spite of the winds and clouds, I went kayak fishing out of Oak Hill. This slob trout was my first bite. It hit like a freight train and went about 40 feet into my backing-

I got other fish after that, but who cared?

Tuesday I visited the St. Johns River, trying to get a nice bass on Duckett’s Bouncer Frog. Two small crappie on Electric Sushi, no bass, no photo.

Thirty mile an hour winds on Wednesday kept me off the water.

Thursday I ended up scouting by myself on Mosquito Lagoon. I had limited time, so I visited spots that had been holding fish (they still were) and a couple places I hadn’t checked in a while (they were not). Three beautiful seatrout and one redfish were caught and released.

Friday Brian Hussey and his son, the tastefully named Alex, joined me for some light tackle Mosquito Lagoon fishing. For starters we had to get out and push because of the shallow water. Then at the first fishing spot we chased all the fish away without getting one. Then spots 2, 3, and 4 had had a fish evacuation, apparently. Nothing at any of them but two smallish trout. A boat ride ensued.

Maine’s Brian Hussey with a nice Mosquito Lagoon seatrout.

Thank God for spot 5. Nice trout, lots of reds, they weren’t eating very good but we managed to get several of each on the 3″ plastic minnows. So we started slow and ended strong, always a good script.

Not to be outdone, Hussey the Younger with a redfish.

And the Husseys together with another redfish!

And that is the still still hot Mosquito Lagoon fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

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

Share
|

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

Still Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

February 12, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Still Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Incredibly, this week was even better than last week. Thus the still hot Mosquito Lagoon fishing report.

Upcoming Events-
-2017 Fly Fishing Film Festival, February 26, 4 PM. See the graphic below for more information.

– On-The-Water Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar March 4. Click this link for more information… http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

SuperBowl Sunday Fran and Christian Allen, fly fishers from Massachusetts, joined me for a cloudy half day on Mosquito Lagoon. We spooked all the fish off the first spot. We just could not see them.

Christian got this fish by casting blindly.

The second spot produced a handful of seatrout, some of which were decent if not huge. Fortunately my anglers did not object to casting blindly.

He followed the trout up with this fish.

At the third spot Christian got a bite. His response? “That’s not a seatrout!” He was correct, as a 26 inch red had taken the fly. It was a short, sweet trip, and that fish was the culmination.

Dave and Dan doubled up. Dan got to pose!

On Monday David Waring and his friends Ryan and Dan, all engineers from the Seattle area, joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon light tackle action. Redfish, seatrout, and black drum, all on either DOA CAL Shad or RipTide Sardines, came into the boat in spurts all day long. Dan posed with a couple of his fish!

Dan got this nice fish, too.

Tuesday I went scouting out of River Breeze. I did not find fish everywhere I looked, but I certainly found fish. The water is getting really low.

These three inch plastic minnows are deadly.

Wednesday Coloradoan Donald Nunn joined me, again on Mosquito Lagoon. It was the slowest day of the week fishing-wise, but he still got several redfish and a couple nice trout, all on my favorite artificial baits (see above).

Don Nunn with a respectable seatrout.

Took Thursday off.

Bill Vail with a nice trout caught on a bouncer fly.

Friday Billy Vail, a fly fisher from South Bend, and Billy Vail, a student in Jacksonville, joined me out of River Breeze. We got trout and reds more or less continuously all day, with the best fish coming on the last cast of the day. The fish was a lovely 27 inch seatrout. If I could script every day that’s how it would play out.

Billy Vail got the fish of the day, though.

On Saturday Mic Lauric and his friend Brian, fly fishers from Atlanta, joined me for a day of kayak fishing out of a busy River Breeze Park. Somewhat inauspiciously I got the first two fish just a few minutes from the launch, a fine trout and a slot red, on a Polar Fibre Minnow. On the rest of the way to the spot I had in mind we saw very little. Even my spot was slow at first- all the fish were at the far end of it.

One of the many redfish Mic got.

Without the gruesome details, they had at least three doubles. Mic sent me the following email- “Thank you. Can’t wait to do it again. Please send pics when you can. We want to braggggg…”

Brian certainly was not to be outdone.

Flies were synthetic minnow imitations. The fish were definitely on the feed. There goes that they don’t bite good on the full moon nonsense.

Brian got this beautiful trout, too.

Mic even got the elusive black mullet.

So, that is the still hot Mosquito Lagoon fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

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

Share
|

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Black drum, DOA Lures, florida fishing, fly fishing, kayak fishing, mosquito lagoon fishing report, mosquito lagoon fishing seminar, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish, RipTide Lures, seatrout fishing

Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

February 4, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

The year is young, but this week was the best fishing of the year. Thus the hot Mosquito Lagoon fishing report.

Upcoming Events-

2017 Fly Fishing Film Festival, February 26, 4 PM. Check the graphic below to get more information.

The week started last Saturday with a kayak fishing charter with Mic Lauric of Atlanta and his cousin Patrick, from Houston. The day began as a search mission, and the search paid off, especially for Patrick. He got numerous redfish and a couple nice trout too. Mic also got a few licks in. One was using the DOA CAL Shad, the other the Riptide Sardine. They seemed to work equally well.

Patrick found this fish tailing in Mosquito Lagoon.

A cold front came through on Sunday. Monday morning found me at AutoNation Toyota with my brides car. They got me out early (just after 9 am!) so I went looking for shad in the St. Johns, launching at SR 50. A couple crappie, a fat bluegill, an anemic redbelly, a beautiful day and boat ride, but no shad. This year’s shad run is shaping up pretty sadly for me.

Tuesday

Most of the fish caught on Tuesday fell for this silly fly.

The morning was cold but sunny. I paddled (and dragged) a kayak to the place where Pat and Mic caught their fish. For fly fishers redfishing and seatrout fishing doesn’t get much better than it was on Tuesday. Sightfishing big seatrout with a flyrod is tremendous fun. They pull drag!!!

We might have been wading. Wish there was seagrass.

Being a mullet must be awful.

After releasing three trout in the seven-eight pound range the mischievous part of my brain wondered if I could get one on a gurgler. Good shots at four fish resulted in one crap-your-pants take and another seven or eight pound trout. They were all bigger than the reds, beautiful fish, the first time I’ve been able to sightfish them like that in a couple years. —AWESOME—

Yes, I do realize I’m blessed.

Wednesday

Vince says he caught seven redfish on Wednesday.

Steve Bartek and his buddy Vince, local gentlemen, joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon skiff fishing action. The weather was perfect, cool and sunny, almost windless. We found a spot with a lot of redfish and stayed there all day. Again, they were throwing the DOA CAL Shad and the Riptide Sardine. They seemed to work equally well, and they worked real well, about a dozen redfish worth not counting missed strikes.

Maybe Steve got the biggest one, though.

Thursday

Tom was very pleased with this trout.

Another beautiful day found Mr. Tom Finger of Oviedo, FL in the Mitzi, again on the Mosquito Lagoon. Needless to say we started at the hot spot from the previous day. It almost goes without saying that it was not nearly as hot. After Tom got a red (DOA CAL Shad) the rest of the fish first got lockjaw and then vacated the area.

Tom was happy with this red, too!

We went looking at a number of other spots, working hard but picking up several more redfish and trout too. At only one place did we not see any fish. Altogether a good day it was.

Friday

morning I went scouting for a Saturday bass fishing trip. Wasn’t I surprised (not in a good way) when I could not get the Bang-O-Craft up the Econ. The water is too low.

My decision to check Lake Harney was foiled by the same problem- shoaling and low water prevented me from reaching the lake, too. I put the boat on the trailer, drove it home, dropped it off, threw a kayak on the van’s roof, and went to the Econ.

The water is low and clear, just gorgeous. For our friends in colder climes, the willow trees are leafed out and flowering, as are the red maples. With the quality of light now the river is Clyde Butcher picturesque.

Three hours later the kayak was returned to the van’s roof. I did not touch a fish in either place, yes, slapped upside the head by the dreaded skunk. Loved every moment of it.

So, that is this week’s hot Mosquito Lagoon fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

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

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

Share
|

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

Pine Island Sound Fishing Report

Pine Island Sound Fishing Report and More

Explorations Fishing Report

Explorations Fishing Report

Three Lagoons Fishing Report

Three Lagoons Fishing Report

June Bug Orlando Fishing Report

June Bug Orlando Fishing Report

Memorial Day Orlando Fishing Report

Memorial Day Orlando Fishing Report

Mother’s Day Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Mother’s Day Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Solo Chokoloskee Fishing Report- A Photo Essay

Solo Chokoloskee Fishing Report

Still Still Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Still Still Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Still Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Still Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Hot Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Upcoming Events-

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Categories

Archives

Subscribe to Our Blog!

If you found this article useful and would like to donate to Spotted Tail, please click here…

Recent Comments