North IRL System Report

North IRL System Report and a TAF Update

Thank you for reading this North IRL System Report and a TAF Update. I fished one day in the Indian River Lagoon and two days in the Mosquito Lagoon, by kayak. The Assistance Fund also got some more donations, thank you very much.

Also, Julia Mitchell has another excellent guest blog on Living as a Digital Nomad!

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

A huge THANK YOU to all the donors to The Assistance Fund, by name and in no particular order-

-Laura Rice
-Ed Perry
-Dean Altenhofen
-Anonymous
-Walt Sheppard
-Earl Gillespie
-Ken Shannon
-Emily Nelson
-Kelly Holz
-Curtis Duffield
-Michelle Wilm
-Anonymous
-Marcia Foosaner
-Nicholas Colantonio
-Stephen Truscott
-Stephen Butrym
-Jorge Hidalgo
-John Harrison

We have raised $1,650.60 over 18 donations, 33 percent of my goal, and thank you, thank you, thank you again! Great job!

The fundraiser link if you’re motivated to donate (Please!)- https://giving.tafcares.org/-/NVCCHJED?member=SPEXUGER

As a reminder, the Assistance Fund helps underinsured people living with life-threatening, chronic, illness obtain treatment and medicine by providing financial assistance for their copayments, coinsurance, deductibles, and other health-related expenses.

The updates will continue every week until the fundraiser ends (at Thanksgiving), and of course if you’ve considered donating, it’s not too late!

———————————————————–

OK, Fishing!

I wish I had better news.

Tuesday

found me paddling on the Indian River Lagoon. The water was high and brown. There were quite a few mullet around, and occasionally something large would blow up on them. I tried my 3″ shad, a DOA Bait Buster, and what is for me a new lure, the 4″ Culprit Mullet. I fooled a juvenile snook with the shad and got a ladyfish on a Clouser Minnow, and missed a couple half-hearted bites. Whatever was blowing up on that bait ignored my offerings completely.

After pulling the kayak out (it got pretty windy, a theme that continued through the week), I drove down Route 3, checking spots for future reference. At one, I couldn’t help but notice what looked like baby tarpon rolling. I pulled out the fly pole, put on a little Crease Fly (thank you, Joe Blados!) and proceeded to catch three baby tarpon in succession, then missed several more. A fun (for me, not the fish) 30 minutes that salvaged the day. But I did not find any spots that looked more fishy than anything I’d seen earlier that day.

The Crease Fly, invented by Joe Blados. Mine look somewhat less polished.

Something I re-observed about tarpon-
Tarpon of any size that have not been fished are very aggressive. It doesn’t take them long to smarten up! The three I caught were my first three bites. After that, the bites were more hesitant, and then they stopped altogether. All in about 30 minutes! I’ve noticed this before in similar situations. Perhaps they communicate with each other somehow, possibly chemically, or perhaps you just catch the aggressive ones and the rest are more timid. Generally, if you move a short distance, the same pattern repeats.

Yeah, they were babies.

Wednesday

I launched at River Breeze. While driving over there, I was fairly enamored over the lovely, razor-thin crescent of the nearly new moon, just beautiful. Upon arriving at the lagoon, I was also struck by the richness of the bird life. But the water was high and brown. I paddled about five miles in four hours, only seeing a single redfish. The most exciting thing that happened was an osprey swooped down on that Culprit Mullet, thinking about diving on it, as I retrieved it. Fortunately he pulled up when he was about a foot off the water- I don’t want to have to unhook any birds of prey!

Sadly, no bites happened to disturb the bird-watching. When the wind started pushing near 20, I bagged it, a total skunking with nary a nibble.

Thursday

was blowing hard from the get-go. I did not fish.

Friday

found me paddling and wading at Mosquito Lagoon. I went to the shallowest place I could find, and unbelievably there were some fish there. The first fish I saw elicited both disbelief and elation, especially when it took the slider. The scene repeated twice, and I got another red and a beautiful, fat trout by blind casting with a Clouser Minnow. Then the wind started honking, and I loaded up after enjoying much better fishing than expected.

More than I expected…

 

…especially when he showed up.

The NOAA forecast for Monday through Wednesday here is east at 15-20 knots. May not be fishing much!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go for a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2024. All rights are reserved.

Ode to Tarpon Fishing Report

Ode to Tarpon Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this ode to tarpon fishing report!

Tarpon Poem by John Kumiski

an ideal world
hot sun, blue sky, clear, slick water
sweat
a graphite wand, a sliver of steel, a wisp of feathers

a flash of silver breaks the mirror
then another, and another
feathers land in water
magically, they come to life

line tightens
mirror smashed
power

water flies, gills flare, body shakes, shudders
again, and again, and again
the beast tires
arms ache

hand grasps jaw
feathers removed
great fish swims free once more

tarpon
one of God’s gifts to fly fishers

Sunday
Last week I wrote, “…in a fit of optimism, I rigged up a 10-weight and a 12-weight.” Unusual for me (I dislike fishing on weekends), Sunday morning I got up early, launching the Mitzi at Parrish Park. On-board was the 10-weight in question, a white electric sushi tied to the end of the leader.

I went looking for tarpon. I was not expecting much.

I have been whining lately about the weather. No weather excuses Sunday morning- it was as perfect a May morning as one could ask for.

To my shock and delight I found a bunch of happy tarpon, laying at the surface, fins out of the water. My mouth went dry. My knees were shaky. Best of all, no one else was there.

My knees are shaking, and my hands are weak, and I can’t seem to stand on my own two feet! – Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart

My first cast got bit immediately. I missed it. I kept stripping and got bit again. The hook stuck and moments later 50 pounds of furious silver was flying through the air. The fish jumped at least 10 times, a spectacular fish. I leadered it and popped it off.

For all my optimism, I had failed to make extra leaders. Several minutes of rigging followed. I tied a green and white fiber minnow on, then again located the fish.

When the smoke cleared I had jumped eight fish, leadering two. The biggest was 80 pounds or so. I had tried white, green and white, grey and white, and black and purple flies, and hit fish on all of them. A trout, a ladyfish, and a sailcat had joined the fray. It was an amazing morning.

Monday– small craft advisory. I replaced the lost flies and tied up a dozen big-game leaders.

Tuesday– east at 20. Began research on something we should have done a long time ago- hurricane shutters. Tied a couple more flies. Was getting desperate to go fishing again. Tuesday evening I decided that on Wednesday morning I would go see if the tarpon were there.

Wednesday-  I awoke at 0230, thoughts of tarpon dancing through my axons. I could not go back to sleep. Been a while since I was that worked up about fishing.

The tarpon did not see the memo. Of course, the weather was different, so they weren’t there.

But, if you want hardhead catfish, the Indian River Lagoon is the place to be. There were schools of catfish everywhere, but those along the shoreline were most interesting. I could not tell if they were spawning, or eating, or what, but in a group they would stand on their heads and wave their tails out of the water. Very strange. An alligator took advantage of this behavior. I watched him catch and eat at least three of the whiskered revelers. They won’t be dancing any more.

I managed to catch a redfish by soaking a mullet head, the only real fish I got. On the bright side, the water is surprisingly clean, and there is lots of bait.

Thursday– didn’t fish, rainy and windy. Ran errands, tied flies, ordered the hurricane shutters.

Friday– didn’t fish. In the morning the dishwasher blew water all over the kitchen floor, so Mr. Fixit had to make love to it until lunch. Then, the hurricane shutters were delivered! I tied some more flies.

I need the hardware for the shutters, then there will be installation time. I hope I get to fish some next week…

Angling is extremely time consuming. That’s sort of the whole point.
– Thomas McGuane

Life is great and I love my work!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide
Purchase Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2020. All rights are reserved.