Pine Island Sound Fishing Report and More

Thank you for reading this Pine Island Sound fishing report.

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

Monday

Karen got the best trout of the day.

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

Roger got trout, too.

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

Yanne with his redfish.

JK is now a brewskis boys approved guide!

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

Our tent site on La Costa Island.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The island boasts miles of spectacular beach.

Shells litter the beach.

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

Peeps probe the sand at the surf line.

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

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

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

We live on an incredible planet!

Jake and I watched night fall.

Sunday

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

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

Eat your heart out!

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

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

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

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

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
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All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.