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Econlockhatchee River Fishing Report

March 28, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Econlockhatchee River Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Econlockhatchee River fishing report.

All of us have been affected by the virus. I’m in a high-risk group- if I get it, it will probably kill me. In spite of that I chafe at staying home so much. The weather is nice- I should be outside! I got out twice this week.

Monday I launched my kayak at Snow Hill Road, planning on doing an out-and-back. The river was quite low and strangely quiet, very few wading birds, no alligators (?!?!). It took me an hour to get my first bite, a spotted gar. It was followed by a dinker bass. I photographed the first several fish I caught, all on fly, which I share here.

Spotted gar, on a popper.

 

It was tiny, but it was a bass!

 

This one got away.

 

Bluegill,

 

redbelly,

 

stumpknocker makes a sunfish slam.

 

And another dink bass for good measure.

It turns out the only alligator I saw was a dead one, decomposing in the middle of the river.

When I got back to Snow Hill Road I thought I had my days mixed up. There were about 20 cars there, folks out enjoying the day.

Wednesday I used a bicycle to access the upper river. The river, still low and still quiet, yielded about fifteen bass and a single stumpknocker. I started out using Culprit worms but after losing three in a row to gar I switched to the RipTide Sardine, which worked well.

The river is small here- the water hardly moved.

 

First of many bass- it wasn’t a dink!

 

The floodplain is lovely.

 

Another healthy fish!

 

And the one gator I saw this week.

I saw one alligator, one black snake, one owl, several feral hogs, no people. It was a beautiful day!

“The best fishermen I know try not to make the same mistakes over and over again; instead they strive to make new and interesting mistakes and to remember what they learned from them.” -John Gierach

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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Vernal Equinox Central Florida Fishing Report

March 21, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Vernal Equinox Central Florida Fishing Report

In spite of the craziness caused by COVID-19 I was able to get out and fish this week. A wonderful thing about fishing as practiced by me- you’re not likely to run across any virus-carrying humans.

The equinox was this week- celebrate a little!

Upcoming Events

I had intended to run the Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Seminar on March 28. Given that I’m in a high-risk demographic in the event I’d contract the virus, I have decided to cancel this event. Maybe in the fall…

Fishing

Saturday I launched the Bang-O-Craft at River Breeze Park, intending to do some scouting for an upcoming charter (since cancelled). Every time I do something like this I’m reminded of why I avoid fishing on weekends. I had to park most of the way back to Burch Road, the lot was full to overflowing.

My plan was to scout north of the park. I went up to the Blue Hole and started working my way back. In five hours I saw a half-dozen redfish and had one bite from a decent trout. In some of my formerly favorite places the water was almost opaque or the bottom looked diseased. It was not a great outing. I won’t be visiting that area for a while.

Monday Susan joined me for some more Mosquito Lagoon scouting. I launched the Mitzi in the wind and mist at Beacon 42.

Got two of these on a DOA Shrimp. Photo by Susan Surprise.

In the first spot we got two slot redfish, a bunch of dinker trout, and hooked and lost a nice trout.

Susan with a nice trout, released right after the shutter clicked.

 

Floundah! Photo by Susan Surprise.

In the second we got a nice trout, a flounder, and a few dinker trout. I wanted more spots but Sue was done, so we loaded up and drove home.

Monday night the trip I was scouting for was cancelled.

Tuesday I was on the way to do some Indian River Lagoon kayak fishing when I passed a breakdown. There was a child standing there and dad was lying under the truck. I stopped. “You under control?” “I don’t know where the jack is.” He had a gheenoe on a trailer. The trailer tire was shredded.

I was like a knight in shining armour. Because I have trailers, I have tools. I had him back on the road in 20 minutes.

I launched the kayak a few minutes later. The water looked OK, but there were no minnows, no mullet, no birds. I thought, “If I get a fish it will be a miracle.”

I paddled to the end of the spot, stood up, and began looking as I started back.

I saw three fish. I put the kayak in shallow water, staked it out, and waded back to the area, peppering it with casts. Just before I was to give up a fish struck. It was a lovely trout, about 20 inches.

I did not see another fish, nor was another bite forthcoming. The weather was spectacular though, and I had a great time.

Thursday Susan joined me. We went to CS Lee Park and launched the Bang-O-Craft. At the mouth of the Econ I had a solid strike on a 1” Sassy Shad. To my surprise it was a large tilapia. I was about to call my Aunt Rochelle when the hook pulled out. One does not get many tilapia bites.

I did get a pair of stumpknockers there, though. No thoughts of keeping them!

The mighty mudfish gets no respect. Photo by Susan Surprise.

We went up the Econ a way and I stopped to cast. I had another solid strike and a fish came cartwheeling out of the water. It turned out to be a bowfin, mudfish here in Florida. Got a crappie there, too. We went further up the very low river, dragging bottom in places and hitting lumber in others. It was very dead up there except for the gar.

This little guy followed the Chug Bug right to the boat. Photo by Susan Surprise.

I tied on a small Chug Bug and worked it for a while. Got a bite (it surprised me) and caught a seven-inch bass, the final fish of the day.

Friday sister Cheryl and I went kayaking in the Indian River Lagoon looking for birds. I brought a fishing rod but never picked it up- did not see a fish other than some mullet. We did see some eagles, spoonbills, coots, ducks, etc. etc. Nice paddle on a nice day.

And that’s my central Florida fishing report for this week. Thanks for reading it!

“Fishing is not an escape from life, but often a deeper immersion into it.” -Harry Middleton

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.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Fished Two Days Central Florida Fishing Report

March 14, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Fished Two Days Central Florida Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Fished Two Days Central Florida Fishing Report. I wanted to fish more but circumstances conspired against me. I only got out twice.

Upcoming Events
Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Seminar, March 28. Yes, we’re back again with the show and tell seminar. Visit this link for details.
On-the-Water Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Seminar, March 29. We follow up the road version of the seminar with a trip in my Mitzi around the lagoon. Visit this link for details!

Monday I had an appointment with Dr. David Demetree, a chiropractor. Riding across the country did a number on my spine. The good doctor straightened it out.

In the evening I was a speaker at the Mid-Coast Fly Fishers meeting in New Smyrna Beach, talking about winter fly fishing in Mosquito Lagoon. A good group they are- if you are in that area you’d be advised to look them up.

Tuesday I put my back out of wack again by spending the day sitting in my kayak in Mosquito Lagoon. There were backing redfish all day, not a lot, but enough to keep me interested. The best moment came when I spotted a fish so shallow his eyes were almost out of the water. I figured it would be an easy shot. As I stalked him I failed to see the fish I ran over. That one ran smack into the side of my boat, making a loud BONK and blowing out the one I was stalking. I got neither.

But I did get two on a DOA Shrimp and two on a Seaducer, solid slot reds all, and blew at least four more shots. These days that’s a great outing. I thoroughly enjoyed myself!

Wednesday afternoon I went walking along the Econlockhatchee, spin rod in hand. The river looked great, low and clear. I did not see a bass, not did I get a bite. I stumbled upon a retention pond where I got three dinker bass, and those were my fish for the day.

“A fishing trip without laughter is not much of a fishing trip.” – Paul Quinnett

And that’s my first fishing report since returning from California. I hope to get out more next week. Thanks for reading!

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.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

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.

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

Mosquito Lagoon and more Fishing Report

February 11, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Mosquito Lagoon and more Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Mosquito Lagoon and more Fishing Report. The more includes the St. Johns River and the Indian River Lagoon. Since I’m typing this on Tuesday, and I won’t be fishing tomorrow, next week will be a bye week. No sense in posting a two-day fishing report.

Long-time angler and friend Todd Preuss sent me the following-

Thought I should share. BTW, I do have a will.

FISHING

Monday
Old friend Walt Jennings joined me for some shad fishing on the St. Johns River. I told him to meet me CS Lee Park at 1000. I got there at 0830 and Walt was already there. Talk about prompt!

We spent five hours looking for shad, from the outlet of Lake Harney to up near Puzzle Lake. We also went up the Econlockhatchee. We got five shad in five hours, plus a few small crappie. Shad fishing was pretty crappy. It’s been that way all season.

Tuesday
Old friend Tom Mitzlaff joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon scouting. We met at River Breeze. Tom was not an hour and a half early!

We looked in a lot of different places, and saw very little. We could have seen them, too- the water was pretty clean. We got a handful of dinky trout and a single dink redfish, but it was not looking good for my charter the next day.

We actually found a few sprigs of seagrass trying to photosynthesize. I wish them the best of luck!

Wednesday

Bob opened things up by landing this beautiful sea trout.

Matthew Pineda and his friend Bob joined me for a day’s fishing on Mosquito Lagoon. Tuesday showed me where not to go. We got some fish at our first stop. Bob’s first fish, a handsome seatrout, turned out to be the fish of the day. We got more trout, although most were small. All in all it was a pleasant day, with a decent number of bites.

Matthew got this fish a few minutes later.

Thursday and Friday

Did not fish due to high winds.

Saturday
I try not to fish on Saturdays and Saturday’s Mosquito Lagoon scout trip reminded me why. There was a redfish tournament going on and the place was a zoo. I really dislike fishing tournaments.

I launched at Eddy Creek. Thought I should check the south end of the lagoon, since I hadn’t been there in a long time. It was a waste of time- the water was opaque brown. No need to go back there for a while!

I ran around a lot, even going through Haulover Canal in to the Indian River Lagoon. I did not see much and got one bite all day, a dink redfish on the spin rod.

A word of caution- trying to pull the boat out at the Eddy Creek ramp with my two-wheel drive RAV4 dug a nice hole in the sand under my front tire. If a couple of muscular young guys hadn’t come along and pushed me out I would still be there.

Sunday
Chris Kent joined me for some fly fishing in Mosquito Lagoon. We mostly had the place to ourselves, surprisingly. We found a flat that had quite a few redfish on it, which surprised me in a good way. We worked it on five separate passes and did not get a bite, changing flies, angles, everything I could think of. Yes it was frustrating. I thought he should have hooked at least two and perhaps more, fish that responded to the fly but said no.

We found a spot with some nice trout. His line would hit the water and big mud poofs would come up. Those fish wanted no part of us, either.

The only fish we got were some small trout from a deeper spot, blind-casting with a Clouser Minnow. We saw 50 or more reds over the course of the day and couldn’t make a deal.

Monday
Johnny went kayak fishing in the Indian River Lagoon, all by hisself. He paddled to where he intended to start, and spent the rest of the time wading. He missed his first strike, but got the second, and nice trout of 22 inches or so. The fish took a black Clouser Minnow. There was a long time between bites, so he switched to a spin rod with a DOA Shrimp tied to the line. He was rewarded with two redfish (small ones) on back-to-back casts.

A word about spin tackle- I am transitioning to ultralight spin tackle- 1000 series reels, 5.5 and 6 foot rods. A few years ago this would have been unthinkable. Now the average size of the fish has dropped so much it seems to make good sense. Even the small fish seem sporty on tiny tackle. Sooner or later I’m gonna hit a real one and get my clock cleaned I bet…

Anyway, I ended up with a half-dozen nice trout, all in the slot or above, plus those two rat reds. It was not hot fishing by any means, but I’ve certainly had worse days.

And that’s my Mosquito Lagoon and more fishing report. 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.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Central Florida Smorgasbord Fishing Report

February 1, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Central Florida Smorgasbord Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Central Florida Smorgasbord Fishing Report. I got out every day this week, and managed at least a few fish every day.

NEWS UPDATE
Today, February 1, the rules for taking seatrout change statewide. Here in east central Florida the slot changes from 15-20 inches to 15-19 inches. The bag limit per angler changes from four to two. Formerly, one fish of the bag limit could exceed the slot, per person. Now one fish may exceed the slot, per boat. For more info click this link- https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/271263f

FISHING
Monday was to be a scout day. I got to the Indian River and the boat battery was dead. I brought the boat home and put the battery on the charger. Then I hooked up the Bang-O-Craft and went to the St. Johns River. Four hours of casting turned up a half-dozen shad and a half-dozen crappie.

Shad boatside.

At the ramp when I got back was an FWC Creel Survey man. I like talking to those guys, you get some good information from them. He told me my six shad were the best report he’d gotten all week. Ouch.

Tuesday I launched at Beacon 42 for some scouting. It was blowing 10-15 and the water was full of mud. I got a few small trout and a floundah! Saw seven or eight decent reds, had shots at two. Both blew out when the lure hit the water. In general pickings were pretty slim.

This picture is for Tammy’s fans.

Wednesday Tammy Wilson (who has fans!) joined me for that Indian River Lagoon scout. We went to three spots, did not see anything living. I pulled the boat and went to River Breeze. We got a couple redfish and a few smallish trout. In general pickings were pretty slim.

Thursday Tom Campbell and Jack Florio joined me for some Mosquito Lagoon fishing. It was overcast, with a forecast of 10-20 out of the north, awesome weather for flats fishing. We launched at River Breeze and had a go of it.

We got five species of small fish- trout, flounder, catfish, puffer, and pinfish. When it started raining we packed it in. Pickings were really slim.

Friday Tom and Jack joined me again. We launched at Beacon 42 this time. The wind was not blowing, although it was still overcast.

Jack with the best fish we got in two days.

We found a lot of trout. With two or three exceptions they were all small. We found a few redfish. They were all small too. Everyplace we looked for larger fish looked like a virtual biological desert. There is no grass, we saw no bait.

Tom with his best trout. It would have held batter!

Tom and Jack, thank you for fishing with me again, and good luck in the Keys!

And that’s my Central Florida Smorgasbord fishing report. 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.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

A Short Central Florida Lagoons Fishing Report

January 18, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

A Short Central Florida Lagoons Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this short central Florida Lagoons Fishing Report. Like last week, I got out two days this week.

Last week I wrote this about fishing in the Mosquito Lagoon: “There is no seagrass at all. The fishing was definitely not great.” Reader Mike Schafer responded with this email, reprinted with his permission:
“Just to let you know that I have been out on average 4 days a week since Oct. 1. I live in Light House Cove in Oak Hill and had many years of spectacular fly fishing on the lagoon but I’m afraid we are seeing the total collapse of the lagoon ecosystem and fishing. I have not been able to find a single blade of grass and the fish have all but disappeared. I don’t know what the future will be but I’m afraid I may not be here long enough to see a recovery.”

Another reader, Noel Bachtel, sent me a YouTube link about a topic I have touched on in the past- herbicide spraying in Florida’s freshwaters. Here it is-

What a mess.

FISHING

Tom Van Horn took me out on the Indian River Lagoon on Tuesday. He showed me the black drum around the bridges with his fancy sonar system. We did not fish them, instead opting to search the flats. Wow, that was a mistake (mine). We looked for hours and saw nothing until the end, when we found a school of- you guessed it- black drum. Tom hooked one on a Gulp!. After a lengthy battle it came unbuttoned. Other than puffers they were the only fish we saw, and that was the only bite we got. Ouch.

Thursday I went out in the kayak from River Breeze. Karty Sills was at the ramp, just coming in. I asked him if there was anything out there. He said, “Not really. I got a couple black drum at Haulover.”

I went out expecting nothing. Wasn’t I surprised when on an early blind cast I got a bite. In a few minutes I released a lower-slot red. A couple casts later I got a trout that may have held batter. Several more fish came to hand, one red and fifteen or so trout, before the boat got loaded up. All were shorts. I saw two reds, nice slot fish, cruising the shoreline. No grass. Water didn’t look great. My best spots didn’t work. But it was a beautiful day, with spoonbills, and pelicans, and herons, and eagles. Beats sitting at home.

And that’s my short central Florida Lagoons fishing report. 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 2019. All rights are reserved.

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

Goodbye ’19 Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

December 31, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

Goodbye ’19 Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report. And best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new decade!!!

We’ve had a lot of rain here locally. The Econlockhatchee gauge went from 2.5 feet to almost 6 feet. The St. Johns went up about the same amount. All the little minnows the fish were gorging themselves on are back in the flooded grass. The fishing went right down the tubes.

That being said, there are reports of shad being caught. I have yet to try.

Went scouting on the Indian River Lagoon last Thursday. Cloudy and rainy, it was hard to see in the high water, even though the water was what passes for clean these days. There was a lot of bait around. Fishing was not hot, but I got a few trout and one black drum of moderate size, all on plastic shad.

The trout have been more reliable than anything else.

Went scouting again Friday, different area. Did not see much bait and the water was not as clean, although the weather was the same. Started off by tossing a Deadly Combo. Got a few trout, and had two whack the float. Tossed a Chug Bug for a while, got at least a dozen strikes. I had changed the hooks to singles on this plug. They failed miserably, only hooking a single fish. At least I didn’t hurt any.

Got a black drum on a DOA Shrimp.

Got several more trout and a black drum on a gray DOA Shrimp. On the way back to the ramp I ran through a huge flock of ducks, for at least 15 minutes. Probably the most I’ve ever seen. Not a duck hunter, but still loved to see that!

Sunday’s charter was Travis and Jessica, from Fairbanks, Alaska. Travis wanted to fly fish, even though it was still cloudy with showers and windy. I tied a popper on his leader. He got bit almost immediately. I think it surprised him because he missed it. He did not miss many more, getting four or five solid trout of around 20 inches.
Jessica tossed a Deadly Combo and did some damage on the trout as well.

We spent the last hour trying to sight fish. We did not get a fish but had shots at several reds (yes I was happily surprised). For a day with shaky weather it turned out to be decent, fishing-wise.

Monday Dr. Todd from Atlanta, my longest-tenured angler, joined me and he brought his nine-year-old nephew, Ashton. Even though Todd is a fly caster I had three dozen shrimp in the cooler. Good call, with a nine year old.

I knew a spot where there had been some black drum. We went there. The fish were not there.

I knew a spot where there had been some trout. We went there. The fish were not there.

We went where I had gotten the trout the previous day. Wind and waves made it hard to fish. We did not touch one.

I was getting a little desperate. We went to where I had sight fished the previous day. By soaking some shrimp (they were anemic little things) we managed an almost respectable bag of a half-dozen hardhead cats, two black drum, and two redfish, one of which had fifteen spots.

One of the redfish had fifteen spots.

Most importantly, Ashton caught the biggest fish he’d ever gotten. So life was good!

Thanks for reading this Indian River Lagoon Fishing Report! Have a happy New Year’s Eve!

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 2019. All rights are reserved.

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

Central Florida Fishing Report

December 13, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

Central Florida Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this central Florida fishing report!

NEWS!
Changes are coming to recreational seatrout harvesting rules. Here in east central Florida, the bag limit changes from four to two, and the slot changes from 15-20 inches to 15-19 inches. There’s more. The new rule goes into effect on February 1. For more info click this link- https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/271263f

Monday
Having done all of all the chores I could stand by noon, I took lunch, then hooked up the trailer of the Bang-O-Craft. Having CS Lee Park ten miles from my front door is a beautiful thing!

In the St. Johns small fish were crushing tiny fry minnows. I used small tackle and caught a bunch of them- largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegills, and redbreast sunfish. No striper hybrids. Got several doubles, even mixed species doubles. Love those tiny swimbaits, and my little fry minnow flies. Enjoyed the afternoon right to sunset.

Tuesday
Ricky waited patiently at the boat ramp. Having driven right past the exit I was a few minutes late, even though our start time was 930 AM (!).

We launched his boat and were off to chase the wily pompano. You won’t mistake a pompano for a tarpon on the end of your line. You won’t mistake one for tarpon on your dinner plate, either. And for such a small fish they sure do fight hard.

Ricky poled while I manned the bow. He wanted to sight fish them. I actually had a few shots and had a couple fish show interest in the jig, but no eats.

When we anchored up by a deeper cut our luck changed. Casting jigs into the deeper water brought bites from pompano, and crevalle, and ladyfish. I got a croaker and Rick got a bluefish.

Rick’s favorite jig worked well!

I tried the fly rod and got a pompano almost immediately. Got ladyfish, jacks, and a blue runner too.

I caught a pompano on fly!

Basically we caught fish all day long, often enough to keep our interest up. When we got back to the boat ramp (after sunset) Rick put the seven pompano we had kept into my cooler, and off I drove into the darkness.

Detail of the fly in question.

Wednesday
Got up early and drove to CS Lee with a bucket, a knife, some bags, and a cutting board. Filleting fish first thing in the morning is not something I do often (thank goodness) but I kept thinking how delicious they would be. I gave one to my aunt and a couple to neighbors.

There were a lot of trailers in the lot. Something good is going on.

The trolling motor on the Mitzi was old and ugly. I took it off and started the installation of a brand new one.

We had grilled pompano for dinner. Nothing should taste that good. Thank you, Rick!

Thursday
Finished the trolling motor job. If anyone wants the old one (free to good home) contact me before Thursday.

Put a canoe and a kayak up for sale on Craigslist, among other things.
https://orlando.craigslist.org/boa/d/oviedo-for-sale-old-town-canoe/7037280422.html
https://orlando.craigslist.org/boa/d/oviedo-for-sale-ocean-kayak-prowler-13/7037273150.html

Friday
Had to test the trolling motor of course, so I towed the Mitzi to Titusville. After launching in the Indian River Lagoon I put the motor through its paces. I am happy to say it seems to be quite an upgrade over the old one!

They were all nice but this was the best.

Part of the program was to see how the fish react to it. They can hear it, of course, but that did not keep me from catching several seatrout to about four pounds. The lure was a RipTide Sardine. Quite a lovely morning it was.

Life is great and I love my work!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste them- 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 2019. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , , ,

St. Johns/Econlockhatchee Rivers Fishing Report

November 23, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

St. Johns/Econlockhatchee Rivers Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this St. Johns/Econlockhatchee Rivers Fishing Report. In a rare event, only fished in freshwater this week. Didn’t carry a camera, all photos are from the files.

Fishing!
Monday
On an overcast and windy day, I fished the Econ on foot. It’s a bit higher than I like but is fishing anyway, not that it was great. I got two bass in almost three hours, one on a plastic shad, one on a Culprit worm. In their defense they were both decent fish. Quite a pleasant outing.

Tuesday
Launched the Bang-O-Craft at Mullet Lake Park. Goals were to check out some new (to me) areas and hopefully find some breaking fish. First goal was accomplished easily, even got kind of confused at one point.

I trolled quite a bit with a Shad Rap and crappie jigs, and cast quite a bit too. I got one stumpknocker on the plug while trolling, the only touch I got.

It was a nice day if a bit breezy. There was only one truck in the parking lot when I got there- I figured it would be slow.

Wednesday
Had Susan drop me off with the kayak at the 419 bridge crossing over the Econ, about 9 am. Wasn’t out of earshot of the road before I had my first bass, on a Culprit worm. It was a spectacular day and I hardly paddled, just letting the current push me along. Fish didn’t come frequently, but it was pretty steady. I got a dozen or so to maybe three pounds, losing a bigger one.

I tried fly casting a little bit but didn’t touch a fish.

Wore my waders for the first time this season, and was glad I did. The air was chilly in the morning, and the water was chilly all day.

Godzilla was there.

I didn’t see another soul on the water, which was nice. In the morning I had the river to myself. In the afternoon there was a reptile at every river bend. They came in two sizes- large and gargantuan. I saw a half-dozen 1000 pound gators. Usually when an alligator realizes you’re there they slide into the water, but a couple of the biggest didn’t move from the bar as I passed. They just watched me. Were they salivating???

I don’t know what those Econ gators are eating, but they’re eating plenty of it- they are all fat and healthy.

At 1 pm I still had a long way to go. I put the fishing rod away and started paddling like I meant it, arriving at Snow Hill Road about 430.

Friday
About noon I launched the Bang-O-Craft at CS Lee Park. My idea was to run up the Econ and float back down. I never made it past the confluence.

Crappie on the fry minnow.

There were breaking fish there. Using both fly and spin rods I got at least 30 fish- three crappie, three striper hybrids (I love those!), a dozen or so bass, and a lot of bluegills and redbellies.

This is the largest hybrid I’ve seen in the St. Johns, caught on an Al’s Goldfish.

For flies the fry minnow worked well. On the spinner I got a few fish on an Al’s Goldfish, but most came on a Creme Spoiler Shad.

Bluegill on the Creme Spoiler Shad.

One weird thing was that fishing was best at mid-day and got slower and slower as the afternoon progressed. You would have expected that to be reversed.

And that is this week’s St. Johns/Econlockhatchee Rivers Fishing Report. Thanks again for reading!

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 2019. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: , , , , ,
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