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No Fishing Report, and Things Change

October 31, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

No Fishing Report, and Things Change

Thank you for reading another no fishing report. And, things change! And, Happy Halloween!

Due to COVID, I worked as a charter captain perhaps five days since March. Given the current quality of the water where I fish, that is not necessarily a bad thing. It did hurt the bottom line in a huge way though.

The USPS brought my commercial use permit renewal form from the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. I’m not renewing it.

Last Wednesday I brought the Mitzi to Jam-Up in Sanford to get the gel coat nicks fixed. I picked it up Monday. Looks great! I’m getting the Yamaha painted and then I’m putting the rig up for sale. I will have details in a week or two.

The nature of this blog will change as a result. I will still be fishing, but not trying to sell trips. There will be more travel. Fishing from different places, should be great! Photos of mountains and deserts, I can’t wait!

Back to the present. Didn’t fish this week. Wednesday Susan and I had some errands to run. One of hers involved the Sewing Studio on 17-92 in Maitland. When we got there, I put my mask on and got out of the car. “You’re going in?” she asked, surprised. “Fly tying materials, babe!”

A small sample of the goods at the Sewing Studio. Those are all spools of thread.

I didn’t buy anything. But a creative fly tyer with some disposable income could have a party in there. Every imaginable color of thread, all kinds of metallic and holographic appliques, beads, sequins, etc. If you’re in the neighborhood it’s definitely worth checking out. And you’ll be the only guy in a store full of women.

Thursday I had to be domestic, and had more errands.

Friday I had an 8 o’clock with chiropractor David Demetree (HIGHLY recommended) to get my spine straightened out. And then it was prep time for my upcoming trip to St. George Island State Park. So there should be an actual fishing report next week! Redfish and seatrout and macks, oh my!

Redfish…

 

…and sea trout…

 

…and macks, oh my! All caught at SGISP on previous trips.

Going fishing where fish actually bite sometimes, should be GREAT!

Life is great and I love life!

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

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.

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Last Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report of February

February 21, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Last Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report of February

Thank you for reading this last Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report of February. Currently I am on a road trip with son Maxx and will send non-fishing updates from various places.

FISHING
Since my last report I got out three times, all on Mosquito Lagoon. The first was last Thursday, a kayak trip to a place I hadn’t been in a long time. I had no expectations, and it wasn’t killer, but I got a few reds and trout on both spin and fly, sightfishing a couple reds that were cruising the shoreline, sometimes with their backs out of the water, as they fed on Gambusia minnows. I was starting to think I would never see that again. It was wonderful to see it.

Monday
Went scouting by myself. Went to a spot I had never fished (yes, there still are a couple after all this time) and found fish there that took the plastic shad and DOA Shrimp. Saw some decent ones, and figured I might be back the next day so I left.

Other spots produced fish too- no big ones but we’re no longer in a position to be fussy in that lagoon. Had a fly rod, never touched it.

Oh yes- I heard but could not see due to fog the rocket go up, about 1000 hours.

Tuesday
Ron and Kent Oberly, father and son, joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. We went to the new spot first, where they both caught some fish, trout from medium to small. When it was time to leave, though, I couldn’t get out. When it was just me in the boat I could, but the extra weight in a place that was shallow wouldn’t work. It took about 30 minutes to get to deep enough water to run. Ouch.

Spot two also produced small fish. We could see big trout and slot reds but they would not bite.

We tried a couple other spots and got some small trout before calling it a good day. It was a pleasure having you aboard, gentlemen, thank you for joining me.

And that’s my Last Mosquito Lagoon fishing report of February. Thanks for reading it!

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.

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Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

September 29, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

We checked out some widely spaced fishing spots again this week, with some wild goose chases tossed in for good measure. So we have a Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report for you.

Upcoming Events–


–Aloha Protect Our Waters Fundraiser! It should be called th FUN-raiser- Mai-tais, tropical cuisine, and live music highlight this event. There might be some well-known fishing personalities, too. All funds raised help support Anglers for Conservation’s youth fishing education programs. Oct 14, 3-6 PM. For more information visit www.anglersforconservation.org/pow

–MINWR Show and Tell Fishing Seminar. Oct. 27, 830 AM. In this all-day seminar I SHOW you where to fish, and TELL you how to be succesful. For more information visit http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

–Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar. Oct. 28. In this four hour seminar I take you ut in my skiff and show you all my secrets. For more information visit http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

On to Fishing-natti!

Monday I took the kayak up to the Tomoka River, launching at River Bend Nature Park .

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

It’s a simple launch site…

The birds were beautiful but I was not impressed by the scenery. There was very little activity in the water, and most of the fishing was in people’s back yards. They were nice back yards, but still… One micro-snook and one mudfish graced my boat during my almost four-hour-long visit. A guy with a loud weed-whacker drove me out of there. Doubt that I’d go back.

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

This beautiful mudfish was my best catch.

Stopped at Spruce Creek on the way back for a three-hour tour. Got there after noon, tide was falling. Hit a flounder almost immediately. Should have quit right there- did not get another bite. All the fish were taken on a RipTide Sardine.

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

A Fabulous Flounder on the Sardine.

Tuesday I visited my old friend the Mosquito Lagoon for a solo paddle trip. The wind was from the east, the water was dirty. I expected nothing. The first thing I found was a dead manatee.

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

The vultures are happy about this.

Wasn’t I surprised when my first two fish were snook! They were small ones, but I don’t remember ever catching two in 20 minutes there before.

I found a single (?!) black drum tailing. Could not get a shot.

Got a trout about 18” by dragging the Sardine behind me while I paddled. It was almost a cheat. All fish were released hopefully unharmed.

I spent some time wading, sight fishing for redfish. The first one I saw hit the Sardine, but I missed it. Did not get shots at the other two because I almost stepped on them. It was hard to see!

Back in the boat, ran over several single reds. Got out to wade, and here came one down the shoreline, happy and stupid, its back out of the water. Switched rods, dropped the fly in front- BAM! Nice.

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

It was not huge, but it did take a fly!

I have a book called A Paddler’s Guide to the Sunshine State, by Sandy Huff. In it she describes a trip on Reedy Creek. I decided I wanted to go there.

Thursday we started late, “we” being Alex and I. We got stuck in a parking lot kind of traffic jam on 417 and could not make it to Reedy Creek. We hit several retention ponds in consolation, getting thrown out of one by local law enforcement and netting three bass to three pounds.

Friday morning I decided to try Reedy Creek as a solo. It’s down by Intercession City, so it’s a drive for me. I finally find the right spot, and all access to the creek is fenced off. Even though I’m 100 yards from the water, I can’t get there. Thoroughly disgusted at this point, I just drove home and wrote this report.

And that was how my fishing week ended. I may have an interesting report next week.

And that is the Paddle Fishing Central Florida 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 2018. All rights are reserved.

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Tough Week Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

October 14, 2017 by · Leave a Comment

Tough Week Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this tough week Mosquito Lagoon fishing report.

Show and Tell Seminar October 21

Hurricane Irma badly damaged many of the dike roads in Merritt Island NWR. The standard show and tell seminar can’t be held. We’re offering the On-the-Water Show and Tell Seminar on October 21. For more information or to register, visit this link: http://www.spottedtail.com/mosquito-lagoon-on-the-water-show-and-tell-fishing-seminar/

Save the Menhaden! Right NOW! PLEASE!!!

Menhaden (pogies, bunker, and many other local names) convert plant matter into animal matter by filtering the water (cleaning that water in the process). They are a vitally important baitfish for a large number of fish that anglers like to catch.

I attended the menhaden hearing in Melbourne on October 10. It was surprisingly well attended. Almost everyone there wanted a very conservative approach to menhaden harvesting. Leave the fish in the water!

The deadline for written comments was extended to October 24, 5pm EST.  I have written a letter to Florida’s ASMFC commissioners and to Megan Ware, the Fisheries Management Plan coordinator, expressing my thoughts about how this resource should be managed. I posted it here- http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/menhaden-letter/. Please feel free to copy and send it yourself, or use it as a jump-off point for composing your own letter.

Omega Protein harvests over 100 million pounds of menhaden a year for the reduction fishery. They had 150-200 allies at the hearing in Virginia, have lots of political power, and could easily take the day when it the ASMFC comes to final action November 13-14.

If you don’t write today, don’t complain tomorrow.

Please write and send a letter right now! This is important! Protect your fishing future!

——————————————————-

FISHING! (finally)

Monday was adventure Monday for Tammy and I. The original plan was to fish the ditches along Biolab Road. Couldn’t happen- the road is closed. So she took me to a drainage ditch through a neighborhood, somewhere on Merritt Island.

Almost immediately I caught a ciclid on a small pink Clouser minnow. I did not know they had gotten this far north.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

Cichlids on Merritt Island.

We launched kayaks and floated down the ditch. Baby tarpon rolled. I cast a tiny gurgler, got a couple bites, and stuck one.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

Tiny gurgler, tiny tarpon.

We ended up getting six tarpon between us and were finished at noon. Quite a lovely morning, and always a good time with Tammy.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

Tammy’s tiny tarpon.

Wednesday morning found Scott Radloff and I launching the Mitzi at Haulover. The water in Mosquito Lagoon, like everywhere else in central Florida, is high and in most places dirty. We found some clean water though, and actually saw a few fish. I cast a DOA CAL shad at one and was rewarded with the only bite we got, resulting in a 20 inch redfish. That fish was the only thing that stood between us and the dreaded skunk.

Thank you, little redfish.

Friday morning we met Bob and Andrew Dowgialo, a father-son team, at River Breeze. In addition to the 15-20 mph breeze, clouds dropped rain on us now and again. A long, tough day resulted in exactly one butt-hooked pinfish. Ouch.

Saturday morning we tried again. The rain was gone. The wind was not. A long, tough day resulted in one dink trout and one ladyfish. Double ouch.

In two days we saw maybe a dozen redfish, a handful of trout, a black drum, and three snook. Both Bob and Andrew worked very hard and did not complain, for which I was very grateful.

This reporter will be very happy when the water level drops.

And that, dear reader, is the tough week Mosquito Lagoon 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.

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Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report

October 15, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report

Since Hurricane Matthew passed us we have been under a small craft advisory for an entire week, with constant 20 knot winds out of the east-northeast. So we have the Small Craft Advisory Orlando Fishing Report.

BLOG POST THIS WEEK-
Kayak Fly Fishing Mosquito Lagoon Redfish- The New Reality http://www.spottedtail.com/blog/kayak-fly-fishing-mosquito-lagoon-redfish-new-reality/

FOR SALE
Still trying to find a good home for my old EZ Loader Trailer- http://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5764303987.html

I certainly don’t want to drag this blog into the quagmire of election politics, but this makes an excellent Bumper Sticker of the Week:

orlando fishing report

===============================

I’m looking for a publisher for my latest book. Much of Monday was spent working on that. I am also making an attempt to join the 21st century social-media-wise. Yes, I am kicking and screaming. But Tuesday morning found me working on that. After being in the house since last Wednesday cabin fever was building.

Tuesday afternoon two retention ponds in Oviedo helped dispel the urge, helped scratch the itch. Eight largemouthed black bass were caught on DOA CAL bass worms and Culprit worms from those two ponds, along with a single missed strike. Not exactly fly fishing in the wilderness, but it was fishing, and fish (although not particularly large fish) participated. Life is good.

orlando fishing report

BASS on CAL

 

Orlando Fishing Report

BASS on Culprit

The storm knocked some trees down in my neighborhood. Wednesday morning I collected some of that newly available firewood. After that I visited a ditch that drains into the St. Johns River. In ten minutes those same plastic worms that worked so well the previous day fooled five bass to three pounds who were hiding in that ditch! A brief spurt of hot fishing, indeed!

Orlando Fishing Report

BASS with some old guy

Continuing on to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, I discovered that:
-the water is very high, although it’s been higher;
-all the boat ramps appear to be operational;
-the dike roads are all closed; and
-I must postpone my show and tell seminar because the dike roads are all closed.
There were some trees down but all in all it could have been much worse.

With the intent of netting some mullet for future bait use I took the Mitzi to Port Canaveral on Thursday, knowing we were still under a small craft advisory. One thing I was forced to notice right away is that the storm has deposited tar balls along the beaches and in the port. I unknowingly stepped on one and tracked tar all over the deck of the Mitzi before noticing it. A rag dipped into my fuel tank and used to scrub all of the offensive areas removed it.

Before I reached the end of the jetty waves were coming over the bow. The boat nosed back into the port, which we circumnavigated.

Other than canvas awnings, hurricane damage seemed minimal. I am reluctant to say the mullet run is over, but I don’t think I saw two dozen in the port. The net never came out of the bucket. Rodney Smith thinks we’ll get another wave of bait coming through.

Friday I went to see Rodney. He, I, and Mike Conneen visited the Turkey Creek Sanctuary in Melbourne. On the way home I stopped and cast a line into a couple of pieces of open water. It would be great to report I found killer fishing in some new spots, but I did not get a bite.

And that is the Small Craft Advisory 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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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Home Again! Orlando Fishing Report

September 10, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

Home Again! Orlando Fishing Report

It’s great to be home! And because I’m home again, this is the Home Again Orlando fishing report!

UPCOMING EVENTS
Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 15
Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar, October 16

FOR SALE
EZ Loader Trailer, for 16-18 foot boat… 
17′ Old Town Penobscot Canoe…
Wurlitzer Spinet Upright Piano, in good condition…

Sunday was spent cleaning and stocking the Mitzi for fall fishing. Oh, she is dying to go. So are the paddle vessels and the johnboat. They’ll all get their licks in. Son Maxx left a small sailboat in my yard. I am going to teach myself to sail it. It’s more than past time that I mastered that skill.

Salmon fishing in Southeast Alaska this past summer was pretty much a bust. I need smoked salmon, though, so I bought some keta salmon fillets ($8 each) at the local market. “A chum by any other name would smell as sweet.” My apologies to Mr. Shakespeare.

Anyhow, I thawed them, brined them, and on Monday put them on the smoker. They turned out terribly. I don’t know if was the fish or the new recipe, but the product is pretty much inedible.

So I just bought a gift pack of smoked salmon from Great Alaska Seafood at this link: http://www.great-alaska-seafood.com/smoked-sockeye-special1.htm. Hope it’s dee-licious!

Monday was Labor Day! I know better than to go out of the house then.

The rest of the week I toured the local lagoons. Tuesday me and Mitzi went to Mosquito Lagoon. Water was brown, pretty gross. I wonder if I’ll ever see it clean again. I saw six or eight redfish, got four reasonable shots. The two spin rod shots were rejected. Two fly rod shots resulted in a bite and a release of a fish about 20 inches long.

orlando fishing report

Some time was spent chucking the best fish-finder made, the DOA Deadly Combo. There were three bites, none of which were converted. Two decent (20 inch or so) trout came right up next to the boat before shaking off. About five very warm hours were spent fishing.

Thursday me and Ocean Kayak went to Banana River Lagoon. The water wasn’t clean, but it wasn’t brown either. I could see my feet in knee-deep water. I saw a seatrout, a handfull of snook, and a dozen or so each of smallish redfish and small black drum. I also saw two blue crabs and two horseshoe crabs, and got some whiffs of a heavenly aroma that I hope was black mangrove flowers, although I did not see or hear any honeybees.

One black drum, two small reds, and a hardhead catfish fell for a black redfish worm in about six hours, with maybe three of four unsuccessful shots as well. It was pretty tough and very warm fishing.

orlando fishing report

But Friday was tougher. Tammy and I took the Mitzi out of Kennedy Point on the Indian River Lagoon. Following a hot tip we found a bunch of baby tarpon. We spent an hout throwing to them while they ignored us. Then it got worse.

I poled a mile or two of shoreline, saw some mullet and a single sheepshead. The water looks worse than Mosquito Lagoon. We tried the power plant as a last resort, where two small ladyfish attacked my jig, but both shook off before I could boat them.

Someone lit what I hope was a controlled burn in the vicinity of Pine Island, although it did not look very controlled to me. Breathing the smoke was the most exciting thing that happened to us. The boat was on the trailer at 1 PM.

orlando fishing report

This is controlled???

I hope the east wind quits soon so I can check the ocean!

And that is the Home Again 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 2016. All rights are reserved.

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North Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

November 8, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

North Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

Upcoming Events

Eau Gallie River muck dreding project public meeting Nov. 12- The St. Johns River Water Management District will host a public meeting on Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. to provide an update on the status of the Eau Gallie River dredging project. The meeting location is Melbourne City Hall, 900 E. Strawbridge Ave.

IRL Paddle Adventure 2015 – Paddle A Portion, November 14. Paddle a portion of the Indian River Lagoon!   http://www.irl-paddle-adventure.com

Ocean Reef Beach Festival- December 5. The ORB returns to Pelican Beach Park, Satellite Beach. Celebrate the ocean lifestyle with exciting conservation and recreation displays, activities and hands on learning!  Food trucks, local ocean artists, live music and more! The event is free and will be held from 10am-5pm. Proceeds to benefit Surfrider Foundation and Anglers For Conservation.

Fishing!

This is a North Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report. Only fished two days this week. I’m in the middle of a writing project and had the seminars on the weekend, so…

Wednesday found me on Capt. Chris Myers’s boat. He very kindly poled me around on the Indian River Lagoon for about seven hours. In that time we saw quite a few fish. They were not particularly bitey. Using DOA CAL Shad we got a few slot reds and trout. I was able to get a red of about 25 inches of a shrimp pattern with the fly rod, and followed that up with a 20″ trout on the same fly. The sea grass is disappearing again.

orlando fishing report

The Universe treated Chris and I to this.

Thursday I visited the Florida Historical Society in Cocoa to do some research. I found this image, a seatrout catch from the Banana River Lagoon. The rods look like they might be fiberglass, which means this was probably taken during the 1950s. Them there’s some Button Trout!

orlando fishing report

I was born too late!

Contest of the Week- First person to correctly tell me what a Button Trout is gets a free copy of Flyrodding Florida Salt. PLEASE USE THE CONTACT FORM BELOW.

Friday I thought I would try the no motor zone. The water had dropped a little bit. Maybe I could see some fish.

The water was horribly dirty. Moby Dick could have swum by and I couldn’t have seen him. It wasn’t good sight fishing weather but it would not have mattered. You could not see the bottom in eight inches of water. Heartbreaking, really, really sad. I got some pictures of the weather…

orlando fishing report

Clouds, rain, and dirty water. At least there was a rainbow (or two).

 

Same rainbow, different lens.

Same rainbow, different lens.

Saturday was the Show and Tell Seminar on the Merritt Island NWR. Four people attended. We spent the day driving around the refuge, discussing where to fish and how to get them to bite. Thanks to all the attendees! We talked to some kayak fishermen who had gotten a few redfish in spite of the dirty water.

Sunday was the Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Seminar. Dave Lair was the only attendee, and again, thanks for coming, Dave! The water in the Mosquito Lagoon looks horrible, at least as bad as the no motor zone. We watched a gentleman catch a black drum in the Haulover Canal. He already had three on a stringer.

And that is this week’s North Indian River 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 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Mullet Run Winding Down Orlando Fishing Report

October 16, 2015 by · 1 Comment

Mullet Run Winding Down Orlando Fishing Report

This is the Mullet Run Winding Down Orlando Fishing Report. It will have several parts!

Contest of the Week-

To the first person who can tell me 1) what this is…

orlando fishing report

What is it and what is it doing??

and 2) what it’s doing, goes a free copy of Flyrodding Florida Salt! Judges decision final. Hint- I encountered this while out fishing this past week. Please use the Comments Form below.

How Will Global Warming Affect You???

orlando fishing report

The water level may well be different in 2100.

While web surfing I came across a website that predicts the water levels on planet earth in the year 2100. You type in your zip code, and you get two maps- one in 2100 with pollution drastically curbed, and one in 2100 with things continuing the way they’re going now. It ain’t pretty. It will take an extraordinary run of luck for me to make it to 2100, and even if I make it and I’m in the same house I will still not have beach front property.

According to this prediction, the Indian River Lagoon will not exist anymore, the barrier islands all being submerged. It’s an interesting and sobering exercise. Check it out at http://choices.climatecentral.org/#12/28.7254/-81.0920?compare=scenarios&carbon-end-yr=2100&scenario-a=unchecked&scenario-b=extreme-cuts

Tips for Surf Fishermen

Rodney Smith has posted some great tips for surf fishermen. Read them here… http://rodneysmithmedia.com/ten-surf-fishing-fun-facts-2/

Show and Tell Seminars

For those who have enquired about the seminars, first, thank you! I have been working on it. The MINWR requires more paperwork than ever before, can you believe it? Hopefully they won’t make me raise the price to out of reality.

I wanted to run the seminars this month. At this point it looks like November at the earliest.

Orlando Fishing Report!

Sunday I layed around and watched the NFL all day. A complete waste of time, and yet glorious.

Monday– Boat Day! Minor repairs, cleaning, organizing, etc.

Tuesday– Scott Radloff and I ran out of the Port. The redfish were gone! 🙁  We found a few tarpon rolling, and Scott had a nice one on for 10 minutes or so, four or five jumps, the highlight of the day.

orlando fishing report

Can’t argue about its highlightness!

We did a lot of running and didn’t find too much. We did find a big ball of jacks near the beach. Evidently the jacks were being herded by numerous large sharks, because as soon as I hooked one all kinds of hell broke loose. The sharks appeared out of nowhere, all lit up. My jack ran right at the boat and six feet of determined shark ate it right along the gunwale, nearly smacking into the boat, and tossing water all over us.

Scott had one eat his mullet and fought it up to the boat The beast was easily six feet long. I wish I had gotten a picture of it.

For the day we ended up hooking a nice tarpon, eight or nine sharks, one juvenile snook, a dozen jacks, a couple Spanish mackerel, and a couple bluefish. The weather was spectacular. It certainly beat a sharp stick in the eye.

Wednesday– Looking at the weather forecast, Wednesday was supposed to be the last day with west winds, with them shifting to the northeast and increasing in velocity as the weekend approached. So if I wanted to fish along the beach, this might be the last chance this week. I took it, launching at Port Canaveral.

The redfish are definitely gone. There was not much else there either. I ran north up the beach, hoping to find breaking fish, or a school of fish, or predators pounding mullet, or rolling tarpon. Something! I had two fly rods and wanted to use them.

It was a good thing I had a cast net and caught some mullet, or I would not have gotten a fish. As it was all I got were six bluefish, decent ones for east coast Florida, but nothing else. The fly rods were both exercised, but only by casting. Nary a bite came to my flies.

The numbers of mullet appear to be thinning somewhat compared to last week. It’s mid-October, and the numbers of mullet last week were the best in years, so that’s not surprising. I hope I can get out there a few more times before it ends entirely.

Thursday– searched for the mythical source of the Econlockhatchee. Private land surrounds Lake Conlin in Osceola County, not accessible. There’s a bridge crossing at Wewahootie Road in Orange County, also on private property. Went to Hal Scott Park, pulled the bike out of the van, and went looking for the river.

 

orlando fishing report

Tools of exploration.

I found it, not the source but as close to it as I’m likely to get. I should have brought a fishing rod because there were a few fish popping. I’ll bet they don’t see many anglers up there either.The bike ride was a good thing- it had been too long.

orlando fishing report

Econlockhatchee Bridge in Hal Scott Park.

 

orlando fishing report

Friday– wasn’t going to go out but Alex asked me to take him and his babe. Forecast NE at 15, we went to the Indian River Lagoon. Not much has changed there since last week. The alligator that follows you is still there.

orlando fishing report

The alligator that follows you.

There were ladyfish at the power station. Alex hooked a nice trout on a jerkbait but it came unglued. There were not a lot of mullet, not like it should be now.

orlando fishing report

The Babes fishing.

And that is this week’s Mullet Run Winding Down 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 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing News, Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, port canaveral fishing report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Hot Redfish Bite Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

November 15, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

Hot Redfish Bite Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Fishing Florida’s Space Coast has been released as an ebook. See it here… http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/490918

Upcoming Events:
-Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure kick-off party, at sunset on November 29th at the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach.
-ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT! Banana River Lagoon public scoping meeting, Office of Environmental Analysis, on proposed Port Canaveral Rail Line. Come provide your comments. The meetings are:
-November 18th, 5-8 pm @Eastern Florida state College, Titusville Campus, John Henry Jones Gymnatoriam, 1311 North US1, Titusville, FL 32796;
-November 19th, 5-8 pm, Radisson Resort at the Port Convention Center, 8701 Astronaut Blvd., Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Please attend if you want to protect our lagoons and the No Motor Zone fishing area.

Those who have known me a long time may remember when the only motor vessel I owned was a 14 foot MonArk jonboat. I still have that boat, although power has been an ongoing problem. Last spring I bought an 8 hp Mercury, almost new. Good! Worked great!

Sitting over the summer bunged up the fuel tank and line. I replaced them thinking it would run OK then, so much so I took it to Mosquito Lagoon on Wednesday.

It was not OK. The carburetor must have shmutz in it, since the boat would not run.

I poled it upwind as far as was comfortable and sort of wind-drifted back. I saw four redfish and caught one smallish trout. A guy in a Hyde drift boat fished everywhere I did before I got there though. Kinda weird seeing that boat out there rowing around. I was not surprised to not see very much.

One of my projects for next week is to dissect that carburetor and clean it out. I want that boat running like a top for shad season.

 

Thursday Capt. Chris Myers joined me in the Mitzi for a more serious Mosquito Lagoon fishing trip. We launched at River Breeze. The water was pretty dirty in the first two places we looked and we did not see anything, nor did we get a bite.

We found some clean water behind some spoil islands. There were scattered single redfish there, and Myers proceeded to rail on them with a DOA Shrimp and a DOA CAL jig with a shad tail, getting seven or eight. He is really good, a pleasure to fish with. We saw a few nice trout in there too but with one exception they eluded us.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

We checked another spot. The water was dirty and we did not get a shot at the two fish we saw.

mosquito lagoon fishing report

The last place we checked was near one of the many islands between Georges Bar and Slippery Creek. There were scattered single redfish there, too, and he got another seven or eight. The fish were not very big, none over 24 inches, but it was good to see so many, and also good that they were eating so willingly.

 

Thursday evening I spoke to the Backcountry Flyfishing Association about the Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure. They are a great bunch of people! It was good to see old friends and meet new folks. We all had a real good time.

 

Friday morning a cold front came through, so there goes the fishing for at least a couple of days.

That is this week’s 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 2014. All rights are reserved.

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

Orlando Area Fishing Report

April 5, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

Orlando Area Fishing ReportOrlando Area Fishing Report

The Mitzi is still for sale!

Blog Posts This Week– Poppers for Seatrout

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

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

orlando area fishing report

 

 

orlando area fishing report

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

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

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

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

orlando area fishing report

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

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

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

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

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

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

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

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