Orlando Shad and Redfish Fishing Report

Orlando Shad and Redfish Fishing Report

We fished for shad (three days) and redfish this week, so we have an Orlando shad and redfish fishing report.

Monday the weather was too cold and windy (for me!) for fishing.

Tuesday I took the Bang-O-Craft on the St. Johns and up the Econ looking for shad. Six were caught, along with a single crappie, in six hours, all on crappie jigs. Mr. Creel Survey, at the dock, told me shad had been electroshocked in the Econ. Interesting indeed.

Wednesday the weather was awful, cold, gray, windy. I drove to the Snow Hill Road bridge and fished under it for about 45 minutes, releasing four shad and hooking and losing another. Mission accomplished!

orlando fishing report

The shad love the Al’s Goldfish.

Thursday I had a shad charter with Bob Gilbane and his brother-in-law, Dennis. We went straight up the Econ. Got only two in the first spot, three in the second. The third spot was a keeper though. We spent about four hours there, getting at least 20 fish, even a couple doubles. And TWO, count them TWO, red breasted sunfish as well! It was cold and windy but we were protected by the trees and it waren’t bad ay-tall.

Thank you for fishing with me, gentlemen! I had a great time!

Friday saw the kayak raised to the roof of the car, which then drove to River Breeze Park. Surprised and delighted to see genuinely clean water, like I thought I would never see here again. There was not a lot of grass except in really shallow spots. I paddled at least ten miles over shallow flats and through canals, and saw exactly one redfish. But in the three holes I fished there were fish. I was using a six-weight with a faux slider (Borski’s is awesome but I’m not tying anything that’s that much trouble.).

The first hole yielded two dink trout. Hey, ya gotta start somewhere.

The second hole gave up a mix of dink reds and trout, about a dozen fish.

Slider redfish!

The third hole reminded me of the old days. There were at least 40 slot reds in there, as well as a couple giant trout. The trout eluded me but I released four nice reds (one had seven spots, just lovely), and missed a half-dozen strikes. I saw every take, just awesome. No, I was not on top of my game. Yes, I may just go back next week.

That’s this week’s Orlando Shad and Redfish 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 2019. All rights are reserved.

A Short Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

A Short Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

inshore fishing report

This is a Mosquito Lagoon fishing report. Yes, it’s late. Yes, it’s short.

Monday the weather was too cold and windy for fishing.

Tuesday I took the Mitzi out on the lagoon for some scouting. Apparently I hit the right day. Although it was a little breezy, the sun was out and it wasn’t uncomfortably cold. I did not catch fish everywhere but I found three spots that had fish. About a dozen trout with no shorts (!) came to hand, and four redfish besides, all on plastic shad.

The water is low and is still pretty dirty.

Wednesday found me back at the lagoon as part of a multi-boat charter. In my boat I had David and Joe. We went to spot number one. No fish. We went to spot number two, where we got 6 or 8 dink trout. We went to spot number 3. No fish. We even tried soaking bait. Not even a catfish. Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I bother to go scouting. At least we didn’t get completely skunked.

This is called a “teaser” in the industry- Friday I sent my latest manuscript to the publisher! Stay tuned for further developments!

That’s this week’s 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 2019. All rights are reserved.

Around Orlando Fishing Report

Around Orlando Fishing Report

This is an around Orlando fishing report, covering the St. Johns River, the Mosquito Lagoon, and Farm 13, a rather long ride from Orlando.

While web surfing this week I chanced upon an article about the evolution of beauty by a writer named Ferris Jabr. It was brilliantly written. I give you it’s conclusion-

“If there is a universal truth about beauty — some concise and elegant concept that encompasses every variety of charm and grace in existence — we do not yet understand enough about nature to articulate it. What we call beauty is not simply one thing or another, neither wholly purposeful nor entirely random, neither merely a property nor a feeling. Beauty is a dialogue between perceiver and perceived. Beauty is the world’s answer to the audacity of a flower. It is the way a bee spills across the lip of a yawning buttercup; it is the care with which a satin bowerbird selects a hibiscus bloom; it is the impulse to recreate water lilies with oil and canvas; it is the need to place roses on a grave.”

– Ferris Jabr

If you enjoy reading the English language used well do a search on his name. His website will come up.

FISHING!

Monday
Having heard about shad in the St. Johns the Bang-O-Craft came out of seclusion and transported me to the mouth of the Econ. There were no shad. That’s not just my conclusion. There were four other boats there- no one got one. This reporter got two crappie and two bluegills in three hours.

Tuesday

orlando fishing report

Best fish of the day (of the week, actually), took a Culprit worm.

Drove to Farm 13 hoping to get some bass, and just maybe- a Lunker! You could not ask for a nicer day in January, that’s for sure. My first and biggest (no lunkers though) came on plastic worms, but I got a dozen or so, and one bluegill, on Krebs poppers tossed with a 5-weight. That’s an awesome place, but it’s too far from my house.

Wednesday
Towed the Mitzi to Beacon 42 ramp for some Mosquito Lagoon scouting. Got there late, around 10. There were two trailers in the lot. I knew then catching would not be good, but launched the boat into the VERY dirty water anyway.

Checked several favorite winter spots. All were barren with the exception of a single tailing redfish to which I did not get a cast. On the bright side I pretty much had the whole place to myself.

I kept hitting the bottom with the MinnKota. Why? I could not see the bottom. To those hoping the water would clear up when winter came, sorry, it ain’t happening.

At the last spot (why does it usually work that way?) I got a dozen or so trout and three reds. One trout was in the slot. Everything else was short. The plastic shad fights off the skunk again!

Thursday
It was cold. I stayed home and cleaned the garage. Good thing it was trash day. https://orlando.craigslist.org/pts/d/oviedo-tuff-truck-rack-by-spring-creek/6791721077.html

Friday

orlando fishing report

Shad hit the silly jigs, but not the flies.

Launched the Bang-O-Craft at Mullet Lake Park circa 10 am. By 1230 I had gotten one shad on a crappie jig. Some kind of sea monster hit one of the jigs and straightened the hook before revealing itself. Those were the only two bites.

orlando fishing report

Got a nice crappie on the jig, too.

In spite of Monday I pulled the boat and went to CS Lee Park. On my first cast I hooked a shad double, although one broke off. It was one of three doubles I would get on the spin rod. Try as I might, no shad came to the fly today. Got a crappie. Got a bluegill. But no shad. Fifteen or so shad fell for those silly jigs though.

That’s this week’s Around Orlando 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 2019. All rights are reserved.

Happy New Year Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Happy New Year Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Best wishes to all my readers for a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year in this Happy New Year fishing report!

Got a few slot trout.

The Mitzi met the water twice this week, both times with Mike Alfers and Mike Alfers (father and son) aboard. The water was the still-dirty Mosquito Lagoon.

Thursday we had partly cloudy skies, south wind to about 15. Friday it was mostly cloudy, wind south to about 20, a tougher day.

I looked for tailing reds for two days and saw two. Slim pickins there. Friday we saw two reds all day. Slim pickins there, too.

Over two days we got 40 or 50 trout on plastic shad and the DOA Deadly Combo. The biggest was three pounds or so. Most would not hold batter.

Thursday we saw maybe 15 reds. I spotted one that was about 15 feet from us. Mike dropped the shad next to it and to my astonishment it ate the thing. Next, we’re measuring the beast and it’s 31 inches long, the fish of the trip by far.

Got the red on the CAL Shad.

Mike and Mike, thank you both so much for two enjoyable days!

Got a report from PDM that shad were already in the St. Johns River.

That’s the Happy New Year 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 2018. All rights are reserved.

Happy Thanksgiving Central FLorida Fishing Report

Happy Thanksgiving Central FLorida Fishing Report

A peaceful and blessed Thanksgiving to everyone. Here is a short Happy Thanksgiving Central FLorida Fishing Report

Sunday and Monday I got to prep for and receive one of the wonderful parts of the adventure called aging, the colonoscopy. System performing within normal parameters, thank you.

Tuesday I took son Maxx and friend Catalina out on Mosquito Lagoon. Let’s just say it was really slow and leave it at that. The water was high and very dirty. We did not get skunked.

Thursday was an Econlockhatchee River trip. Two new flies needed to be tested. One was a crayfish pattern that failed miserably. Perhaps modifications are needed! The other was the Krebs popper (see how to tie here…), which I cannot say enough great things about. It accounted for numerous redbellies, stumpknockers, largemouth bass, and a single chain pickerel, something I have never caught in the Econ before. I did not put legs or paint mine. No photos were taken.

The rest of the week was spent getting ready for Thanksgiving. Again, best wishes for yours to be wonderful!

That is the Happy Thanksgiving 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.

A Good East Central FLorida Fishing Report

A Good East Central FLorida Fishing Report

No news or announcements, so let’s get right to the Good East Central Florida fishing report!

Monday Tammy, the new Katmai Lodge fishing guide, joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fly fishing aboard Spotted Tail. The weather was spectacular and we spotted tails almost immediately. Tammy made the most of the opportunty. The fly was a grizzly seaducer.

east central florida fishing report

Tailing redfish, Mosquito Lagoon

Subsequent shots did not go as well, and that was the only fish we got. We had quite a few more chances though.

east central florida fishing report

Tammy’s fly-caught redfish.

Tuesday Scott Radloff joined me for a Port Canaveral excursion.We went through $25 worth of jigs, getting cut off by fat Spanish mackerel and bluefish.

east central florida fishing report

These mackerel were going through #40 fluoro on the strike.

There were jacks and ladies, too. I pulled out a six-weight and did a litle damage with that, great fun. It was a pretty awesome day. So much so…

…that on Wednesday I returned with my two sons for a repeat performance. We found a school of eight pound jacks. Alex got one with the six-weight, using a gurgler. The whole day was pretty much a repeat of the previous one. LOTSA FISH!

east central florida fishing report

Alex used an UL spin rod…

 

east central florida fishing report

…to get this jack.

 

east central florida fishing report

Then he used the six-weight…

east central florida fishing report

 

east central florida fishing report

…to get this one.

 

east central florida fishing report

Maxx’s mackerel thrashed right onto my lens.

Thursday Shane Thomas joined me for an enhanced on-the-water Show-and-Tell seminar on Mosquito Lagoon. We enhanced it by taking an extra two hours and fishing. We did not see much other than manatees at the south end of the lagoon, but as we worked our way north tailing redfish started to show. He got one to bite a shad tail, but unfortunately missed it. We got a few short trout. Shane did claim to be on information overload by the end of the trip, something this instructor loves to hear.

That is A Good East 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.

Another Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Another Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Better than no fish.

The water was dirty in the lagoons again this week, so we have another Dirty Water Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report for you.

Upcoming Events-

MINWR Show and Tell Fishing Seminar. Oct. 27, 0830 AM. In this all-day seminar I SHOW you where to fish, and TELL you how to be successful. 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 out 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/

Space still available for both events!

For Sale-
15 ft Sailboat for sale with trailer! Sails are 2 years old and always dried and rolled into their sailbags. Main and Jib. Great little boat for cruising or racing. Custom trailer.

Boat is clean and ready to go right now!

Visit this link for more information! http://www.spottedtail.com/15-sailboat-for-sale/

Sunday
Needless to say I was at the AFC Fundraiser, a wonderful event. A gentleman introduced himself to me and said he’d found out about the event from this newsletter! Hallelujah! Some folks actually read it!

Fishing!
Monday I went kayak scouting on the dirty waters of the Mosquito Lagoon, hoping to find some water clean enough to sight fish. If the water is more than about 12 inches deep you cannot see the bottom. Sight fishing is possible in select places, but is not easy even at those. I sure do love progress.

Hopefully a couple strong cold fronts will cause the water to clear up. My optimism is quite guarded.

Tuesday Chris Olson joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon kayak fishing. Chris got a couple slot trout on a plastic shad. I got a short red and a trout on a plastic shad too, and added a micro-snook on the fly rod for a mini-slam. I had three shots at tailing reds, which is how I got the one I got. It was a beautiful day. Afterwards we went to Kayaks by Bo to see the pretty, new boats!

Wednesday I drove to the Villages to talk to the Tri-County Fly Fishers  about winter fly fishing in the lagoons. The talk went well- they seem like a really nice group. This email came to me the next morning- “I enjoyed the talk. I’ve always been impressed with your observations and honesty.” Thank you, Russell!

Thursday I took the Mitzi to Port Canaveral hoping to catch some mullet. The parking lot had a few cars, which was encouraging. There were only a few mullet at the boat ramp, and none between there and the jetties.

The Mitzi cleared the north jetty. On the north side of it was a single school of mullet, way up in the surf. They quickly disappeared. The seas were at the design limits of the Mitzi’s capabilities. The forecast was for a strengthening east wind.

A Coast Guard zodiac came to tell me that a submarine was on its way in, and in a few minutes I should be somewhere else. After a moment’s consideration, I loaded the boat onto the trailer and drove to Mosquito Lagoon. Perhaps I could catch some mullet there. And I’ve never seen a submarine there, either.

inshore fishing report

I need to get a new model.

It turned out I could not catch mullet there. Using a DOA Deadly Combo  I did get a dozen or so trout, including several keepers, along a shoal. The first strike surprised me, but they came steadily until I left the spot. It was a pleasant surprise.

After watching the Red Sox Wednesday and Thursday nights I must have been sleep deprived, because Friday I did not wake up until after 0830- that never happens to me! Spent the day futzing with tackle, inventorying flies, that sort of thing. Gotta tie up some crayfish patterns.

And that is another Dirty Water 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 2018. All rights are reserved.

Dirty Water Central Florida Lagoons Fishing Report

Dirty Water Central Florida Lagoons Fishing Report

lagoons fishing report

The water was dirty in the lagoons this week, so we have a Dirty Water Central Florida Lagoons Fishing Report for you.

Upcoming Events-

-Last call for the 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 . I hope to see you there!

-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 successful. 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 out 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/

For Sale

sailboat for sale
15 ft Sailboat for sale with trailer! Sails are 2 years old and always dried and rolled into their sailbags. Main and Jib. Great little boat for cruising or racing. Custom trailer.

Boat is ready to go right now!

Visit this link for more information! http://www.spottedtail.com/15-sailboat-for-sale/

Microadventures
Son Maxx showed me a wonderful website called The Art of Manliness. While learning how to get the savoir-faire of James Bond, I also learned of a concept called microadventures. Most folks work from 9-5. What do you do from 5-9? You could be outside, fishing, hiking, bicycling, or simply watching the sun set.

Most people’s lives could benefit from the 8 Week Microadventure Challenge. Read all about it here- https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/my-8-week-microadventure-challenge/. It could change your life for the better!

Fishing!
Monday the weatherman scared me into staying home. It was nice all day! I did learn about microadventures, though.

Tuesday, with microadventures fresh in my mind, I ignored the weatherman and went to the Econ. The gauge read just a bit under three feet, higher than I like it but lower than it’s been for the past month. With a hurricane about to blow by I figured it might go up again real fast, so I got out there.

Fly fishing with a popper netted me four species- bass, bluegill, stumpknocker, redbelly. A two-weight would have been more appropriate than the four-weight used, fish-size-wise. It was a beautiful day and the river looked great. Saw herons, ibis, kingfishers, hawks, vultures, painted turtles. Did not see snakes or alligators.

Thursday I took the Mitzi to Port Canaveral hoping to catch some mullet. The parking lot was nearly empty, never a good sign.

I could not get to the jetty because the seas were so rough.

A tour of the Port turned up zero mullet, or anything else. The Obsession and two other charter boats were trolling inside the port, though.

I pulled the boat and drove to Titusville Marina where I launched the boat among the floating dead fish. A look-see north of the railroad trestle turned up exactly four redfish. I caught a small one while blind-casting a soft plastic shad. You could hardly see the bottom because the water was so dirty. I netted a few mullet up, too.

lagoons fishing report

Friday son Alex and I took the Mitzi to River Breeze to do some scouting. The water was dirtier than it was in the Indian River. You could not see the bottom at all. It’s high, too.

lagoons fishing report

It took us a while (maybe the sun had to get high in the sky) to get down to the main basin of the lagoon. There we found a few fish. Alex got a decent red on a jerk bait, then got a nice trout, too. Dad got three dink trout.

lagoons fishing report

So the water in the lagoons is high and dirty, and fishing could be better (and it could be worse too).

lagoons fishing report

That is the Dirty Water Central Florida 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 2018. All rights are reserved.

Paddle Fishing Central Florida Fishing Report

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.

Early June East Central Florida Fishing Report

Early June East Central Florida Fishing Report

June- tarpon time, and I go to Alaska soon, far from tarpon. This early June east central Florida fishing report covers the Mosquito Lagoon and Port Canaveral.

It still rained a lot this week.

Tuesday Robert Ungvarsky and his two delightful daughters joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. Our goal was simple- keep the girls catching fish. To that end we stopped at Anchor Hardware and bought 50 shrimp, small ones, to be tossed on ultralight spin tackle. Terminal tackle consisted of a #8 hook and a split shot. We broke each shrimp in half, effectively getting two baits out of each one. Even at that we used all but four.

As luck would have it one of the first fish we got was a 13 inch pompano. Lots of squealing from happy kids on that one! Trout, catfish (of course), pinfish, snapper, ladyfish, a couple of big whiting, a puffer, and a flounder rounded out the catch. The plan worked well, something that doesn’t always happen in fishing. Everyone was happy and we all had a great time. Robert, thank you and I hope you will join me again.

east central florida fishing report

Fred with one of many trout they caught.

Friday found the Finger twins, Tom and Fred, on Spotted Tail, on Mosquito Lagoon, hunting for fish. The hunt took about 30 minutes. Then we hit trout steadily for a couple of hours. Although many were just under slot, we got some to about three pounds. CAL jigs were the weapon of choice. Once that bite dried up we did not find much else, and trailered the boat about 2 PM.

Saturday I joined Tom Van Horn and Rodney Smith on Tom’s Hewes out of Port Canaveral. Someone was holding a tournament and the ramps were chaos. We managed to get out of there and went for a ride.

east central florida fishing report

Zzzz-ZZZzzzzz-ZZZZZZZZZ! Tunny are awesome!

I spotted some breaking fish and tossed a jig at them. BAM-ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! I love that sound! Little tunny, one of the ocean’s finer light tackle fish. They were good sized ones, 12 pounds or so. We got several, along with a single Spanish mackerel.

east central florida fishing report

We knew we might hook some larger fish when a 100 pound tarpon jumped after eating Rodney’s jig. We’re lucky it jumped off. That little spin rod was not designed for that work. We went close to the beach and netted some pogies.

east central florida fishing report

Two musketeers? Two stooges? Two hookups, definitely!

Moving back to deeper water we almost ran the tarpon over. Rodney and I both cast baits out, using actual tarpon gear. Getting his bite took about 20 seconds, mine about twice that long. So we had a tarpon double, both 100+ pound fish.

east central florida fishing report

happy Rodney

 

Getting close!

 

east central florida fishing report

A graceless ballet ensued aboard Tom’s vessel, punctuated by grunting and an occasional curse, and sounds of delight when the fish jumped. After about 40 minutes I had my fish near the boat when the hook pulled. Rodney’s took a little longer. He broke it off next to the boat. After that we messed around long enough for Tom to hook a five foot blacktip shark. After that it was all over except for the ride back to the boat ramp. We left early to beat the crowd!

east central florida fishing report

And that is the early June east central Florida 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 2018. All rights are reserved.

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