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May Day Central Florida Fishing Report

May 2, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

May Day Central Florida Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this May Day central Florida fishing report. I hope you enjoyed your May Day!

I forgot to put a fishing quote in last week, so we get a double scoop today.

A fisherman is always hopeful- nearly always more hopeful than he has any right to be. -Roderick Haig-Brown

FISHING!
Monday
On Saturday Mike Conneen called me and asked me to join an Econ party on Monday. I didn’t see how to maintain social distance while doing the shuttle between Snow Hill Road and CS Lee Park, and regretfully declined. Monday morning the weather was great, though, so I asked Susan to give me a ride to the river crossing and drop me off. I’d call when I got to CS Lee. I started paddling at 0900.

If you’re looking for Plecostamus, the Econ is the place to be. There are thousands of them. I don’t know that they’ve affected the native fish, but I do know there are a lot fewer natives than there used to be.

A particularly interesting cypress tree.

Took a break and saw a hummingbird looking for flowers. I could not have been more than three inches long. Also saw an eagle and a blue heron in the same place, just for size contrast. The birding was pretty good, and there were some reptiles too- gators, and cooter turtles, and slider turtles. No snakes though.

I found a dead fish. A catfish with a big lesion behind its head swam past me.

I didn’t fish hard, since I got a late start and had a long way to go. Fishing was not good though, with two bass and two stumpknockers coming to hand, all on a mousy gurgler.

Lousy photo, but the best bass of the year for me.

I got to where the trees end and the pastures start and caught up to Mike and Tammy. We paddled together for a few minutes, then I went on ahead. Susan picked me up about 1630.

Tuesday– went to Mosquito Lagoon for some kayak fishing. Went to a new spot. Got two nice reds on the redfish worm fly (haven’t typed that in a while). It was another spectacular day weather-wise.

file photo

I am re-wiring the Mitzi myself, and working on a book. That took up some of the rest of the week. Keeping me sane while I remain in self-quarantine.

Friday– took Susan to Mosquito Lagoon in the Bang-O-Craft for a little island hopping. We brought folding chairs to sit in, watching the passing boats in the ICW. God had brushed the sky free of clouds, amazing weather again.

Enjoying the day!

I fished a little bit with the DOA Shrimp. I had been using the same one for a month or so. A puffer ended that streak, the only bite I got. I saw a bonnethead shark swim by, the only fish other than mullet that I saw.

Dolphins always seem to enjoy the day!

We saw a hog, and three manatees, and a couple dolphins, along with the usual bird life.

An appropriate quote for the time of year- Anyone can be a fisherman in May. – Ernest Hemmingway

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 · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Short Central Florida Fishing Report

April 26, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Short Central Florida Fishing Report

Thank you for reading this short central Florida fishing report. I’m in the middle of a project and took a few minutes off to crank this out.

FISHING!
Monday– went to Port Canaveral. There must be some mahi running, because the parking lot was completely full. In the Mitzi I am not going mahi fishing, not here at least.

I was able to net a couple dozen menhaden. I saw a kingfish skyrocket so I set out a bait. It captured a northern sennet. A second bait was mangled by a bluefish.

I went out three mikes and looked around a buoy. There were three great barracuda there. The buoy barracudas never bite. These three didn’t, either.

Close to the beach I saw two tarpon roll. I put out a bait. A bluefish mangled it. I did catch a bluefish on a jig, the only other fish I got.

Did not see much other than what’s reported.

Tuesday– went to Mosquito Lagoon for some kayak fishing. The wind was blowing hard enough to be invigorating. I had two good fly shots, neither fish ate. I pooched a few more with the help of that invigorating wind. The two reds I did get both happened the same way- the fish were shallow, pushing a wake. I threw a DOA Shrimp in front, and they nailed it.

The bait was a DOA Shrimp. Same photo as last week!

Saw some spoonbills among many other bird species, and as a bonus a rocket went up!

 

Snotty weather precluded fishing the rest of the week.

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, port canaveral fishing report · Tagged: , , , , ,

Another Central Florida Fishing Report

April 18, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Another Central Florida Fishing Report

Thank you for reading another central Florida fishing report. Given the self-quarantine I’m working under, readers will likely see a string of these.

Due to weather and other constraints, only got out twice this week.

FISHING!

Monday– took a kayak to a spot in Mosquito Lagoon I hadn’t been in a while. Weather was cloudy with some breeze, water color was a thickening green. I was not expecting much.

The water color was a thickening green…

Slowly coasting along a lee looking, I came close to running a redfish over- could have touched it with the paddle. It was the color of a brick, easy to see even though stationary. I backed up a few feet and hit it on the back with a DOA Shrimp. It struck in the middle of my wincing. I caught it!

The bait was a DOA Shrimp.

I’d like to be able to say, “Yeah, it was like that all day. I thought it was the old days.” Shots were hard to come by. I had six good ones in five hours, got two more fish. On the last one I was using a gurgler. The leader was in the rod. The fish slurped the fly less than 15 feet away, and I caught that one too.

The leader was in the rod when this fish struck.

I’m not always that competent.

On the way home I thought it a rewarding day.

SR 419 paddle launch.

Friday– Susan dropped me off at the 419 bridge crossing at the Econlockhatchee. Weather was cloudy and windy, water was low and clear. A vast majority of the fish seen were exotic species, Plecostamus and Tilapia. There were some mullet. Redbreasts were spawning. I’ve seen the beds more packed together. Tilapia are spawning too.

Redbreasts are spawning.

I did not see many bass and only got one small one on a mouse fly. I paddled more than fished. I took pictures more than I fished.

Coreopsis growing along the Econ.

 

Water hemlock growing along the Econ.

Last week I wondered where all the alligators went. I got that answer today. Probably saw 30 gators. The smallest was about seven feet long. The biggest ones didn’t even move when I approached. I could feel Godzilla thinking, “It’s gonna take something bigger than you to make me move.”

This critter did not want to move. I saw bigger ones.

When I got to the take-out at Snow Hill Road there was a new sign there.

Susan picked me up about 3 PM.

Last week this observer reported sending emails to the Seminole County Sherriff and my county commissioner about motorboats on the Econlockhatchee. Sgt Chris Stronko, SCSD, sent me this email-

“…we were able to locate the registered owners of the tags you provided. We don’t believe the young men who belonged to the boats were involved. For whatever it is worth, we had the full support of their parents. According to their story, the two young men were travelling in a group of 4 surface drive boats and stated they do not go west of the bridge. Further, the young men stated they saw the other pair of boats who they believe were the violators. In addition, there are signs being made to indicate paddle craft launching only for that landing which should be installed in the next week or so. Please feel free to contact me via email or phone if you have any additional concerns. Thank you.”

As long as the stupid boating behavior stops I have no conditional concerns. I was glad to see it was important enough to the Sheriff’s office that they stayed on it and got back to me about 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, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Central Florida Saltwater Fishing Report

April 4, 2020 by · Leave a Comment

Central Florida Saltwater Fishing Report

Thank you for reading my central Florida saltwater fishing report. We will be discussing some things in addition to fishing this week.

All of us have been affected by the COVID virus. Florida’s governor issued a shutdown order, effective as of midnight April 3. Only essential activities allow one to leave the house.

The following activities are included as essential in the executive order:
-Attending religious services
-Participating in recreational activities (in alignment with social distancing guidelines) such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running, or swimming (consistent with social distancing guidelines)
-Taking care of pets
-Caring for or otherwise assisting a loved one or friend.

So ah is a’ goin fishin, wit de blessin uv de guhvnuh!

I know that this entire episode is taking in horrible human toll in lives, sickness, lost productivity and income, family disruption, etc. One observation I’ve made is that driving is much more pleasant with the deserted roads, though.

Referring to the COVID virus, last week I wrote, “I’m in a high-risk group- if I get it, it will probably kill me.”

One of my subscribers, a Ph.D. cancer researcher, sent me this in an email- “Regarding COVID 19 mortality, I don’t think we know for certain that age, alone, is an independent factor. Age is strongly associated with a large number of underlying co-morbidities, such as kidney disease, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and probably obesity. We don’t yet have enough data to say that age is a significant factor in an otherwise healthy person, someone who doesn’t have any of those co-morbidities.

“I am 74 years old and in good health. Until I see better data I’m going to assume that age is not an independent factor. I hope I’m right, for both of our sakes.”

I wrote him back, “Age ain’t the problem, buddy. I was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis almost a year ago. I’ve already lost quite a bit of lung function.”

Truly, I’m in a high-risk group- if I get this virus, it will probably kill me. I’m being cautious and am not taking anyone other than my wife and sister fishing with me until either I expire or this whole Corona thing blows over.
———————————————————

I’ve watched several documentaries this week, available for free here- http://www.openculture.com/freemoviesonline. One of those I watched was about 60s counter-culture cartoonist Robert Crumb.

He’s still alive and well! One of his recent works was an illustrated Genesis. Talk about coming full circle…

———————————————————–
FISHING!
Monday, by myself, I went to Port Canaveral. It was my first Atlantic trip of 2020. I had no information as to where fish or bait might be. As it turned out I didn’t need bait because my livewell pump didn’t work. If anyone knows someone in central Florida who does good boat electrical work I would love to hear about it. But I digress.

I ran out to the Cape without seeing anything or getting a bite. I was casting there when Jim Ross came roaring by heading north. I followed him, but the Mitzi ain’t keeping up with Jim’s boat!

While up there I found Spanish mackerel, big ladyfish, bluefish, one gafftopsail catfish, hooked and lost two tripletail. I was tossing jigs, DOA Shrimp, and DOA BaitBuster. Brought two fly poles, didn’t even break them out.

A small (for a manta ray) manta ray swam past my boat, 20 feet away. Of course I cast over and around it. It was all by itself, though. Still so cool to see it.

Tuesday and Wednesday it was blowing. I worked on my boat’s electric system. Did not find the problem, other than maybe the 12-year old switch panel.

Thursday I took a six-weight and a light spin rod on a Mosquito Lagoon kayak fishing trip. I almost ran over the first redfish I saw. I tossed a slider fly to the second. BAM! No hesitation, a nice slot fish.

There were not a lot of fish but every 30 or 40 minutes, helped by tremendous weather, I’d see one. I had a half-dozen good fly shots, hooked four, caught and released three, and hooked four on a DOA Shrimp, two of which were caught and released. All the fish that struck were very aggressive about it, great to see that!

Friday afternoon took the wife and sister on a dinner cruise- we used the Mitzi to cruise to an Indian River spoil island. There I pulled out a little grill and a salmon fillet. When the fish was cooked we had dinner. Later we packed up and cruised back to Parrish Park, and a fine excursion it was!

 

“Those who become weary of angling bring nothing to it but the idea of catching fish.” -Rafael Sabatini

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, Paddle Fishing Florida, port canaveral fishing report · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

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: , , , , , , , ,

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: , , , , , , , ,

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: , , , ,

Everglades Solo Paddle Fishing Report and Photo Essay

December 20, 2019 by · 2 Comments

Everglades Solo Paddle Fishing Report

Wishing a most blessed Christmas to everyone.

Thank you for reading this Everglades Solo Paddle Fishing Report. It’s going to read like a full length magazine article so you might want to save it for when you’re at work. 🙂

Launched the kayak at the Everglades City Ranger Station about 11 am Sunday morning. I hoped to catch the last of the outgoing tide out to the Gulf, but I hit the nose of the incoming tide and had to paddle against it for a way. It hadn’t started running hard yet. The weather was amazing.

Don’t know what it’s trying to do. This is the beauty you see while paddling.

My plan was to camp two or three nights at Rabbit Key and two or three nights at Jewell Key, fish, watch stars, play harmonica, and be alone with my thoughts for a few days. It was a great plan.

Someone was watching over me.

While paddling I dragged a plastic shad behind the boat. Something hit it. A few minutes later I was surprised by a large Spanish mackerel, a beautiful fish. Wasn’t going to attempt to one-hand it for a photo!

Hit a young snook off a root wad, another that was banging bait. Reached Rabbit Key without further incident. The old campsite wasn’t there, a hurricane victim. I found quite a lovely alternate.

Home sweet home, Rabbit Key.

One of the best things about kayak camping is I can afford the finest of unspoiled waterfront properties, if only for a few days. Hit a small jack from my front porch.

My front yard at sunset.

I watched the sun set and darkness fall. Watching darkness fall is the best thing you can do while it happens, every single day. It’s magical. None of us do it enough. I spotted two satellites while admiring the Milky Way. Tired from a long day of travel, I then turned in.

It took me a while to get going in the morning. I headed to Rabbit Key Grasses, wondering if there was still grass (none I found). The path I intended to take was unavailable to me as it was lacking water, it being low tide. A small tidal stream drained a huge, dry flat with lots of birds on it. I thought the stream should be a fish bowl but, no bites. I saw a few black drum. Some big sharks swam in water that didn’t cover them, the sunlight glinting off their back and dorsal fins. They are so supple, so beautiful.

The fish is ON!

Once the water started rising I found myself standing and more or less poling in skinny water. Happily surprising me, a redfish cruised. I tossed the shad in front of it. A very satisfying eat happened. Wished I had the fly rod ready but was certainly happy the way things turned out.

This red nailed a plastic shad.

Saw a few other reds but no shots. Hit a few small trout on the way back.

Watched and savored darkness falling again. I was able to stay up for a while this evening. Saw three more satellites. Distant lightning dotted the horizon. Incoming clouds finally broke up the sky show.

Dawn view.

I woke up at 5 AM and started packing, not without enjoying a different sky. Orion was on the western horizon. A meteor fell out of Gemini and looked like it might hit me. The third-quarter moon was in Leo. It was so nice. Getting to see things like this is one of the main draws of making these trips. The fish are a bonus, man!

This trout hit a trolled shad just as the sun rose.

By 630, everything packed and breakfast eaten, I was off to Jewell Key, dragging the shad again. As the sun breached the horizon a trout nailed the shad. The fish was only about 18 inches long but was the best one I would get.

Said sunrise.

A short while later a serious tarpon rolled, only 30 feet away. Fortunately, he did not eat the shad.

A serious tarpon rolled, 30 feet away.

Soon after this a bluefish whacked the shad. I had another specie.

The wind came up to about 12 mph. It was not an impediment to my progress.

I stopped on a long bar.

I stopped on a long bar. The current flowed strongly, out towards the Gulf. I thought there should be some hungry fish there. There were, but only hockey-puck-sized jacks and some blue runners. Got some of each on an olive Clouser minnow. A shark threatened a couple as I played them, but it failed to commit.

Same bar, different view.

When I got to Jewell Key there was a young guy there who had paddled out for the day. I introduced myself. He said to me, “My parents were hippies. They named me Orion.” I told him I liked the name, and had admired his namesake constellation that very morning. I told him they could have chosen worse, like Zeus or Odin. Then again, I don’t have to deal with Orion.

A canoe with three young guys paddled up. Three guys with camping gear in a 17 foot canoe was quite a feat of packing, methinks. Now I had neighbors. Hardly saw them, they were awesome.

Morning glories in my yard on Jewell Key.

I set up my camp and went fishing, Gulf-side on Jewell Key. Between the wind, current, and waves I could only fish by wading. It was too rough and windy to fly cast so I flung a shad, on a light jig head, over and over again, out into the Gulf. It was a manly thing to do.

Generally it was pretty slow but there were two flurries that produced fast action for about 15 minutes each. Redfish, trout, jacks, and ladyfish fell for my deception. A mangrove snapper was fooled too. He got in the rocks and damaged my leader before I could work him out. I stupidly did not retie the leader. Yes, I absolutely should know better.

Shortly afterwards a large snook took the bait in plain view. I hardly felt the leader break, it happened so fast. Completely deserved it.

Typical mangrove forest in Everglades National Park.

Late in the afternoon the water got too deep for comfort. Back at camp there was a new neighbor, a solo paddler who may have been around my age. Quite a nice guy with an “American normal” kind of name, Paul. We chatted a bit, then I made my dinner and enjoyed it.

I spotted a fleet in the distance. After a few minutes it was clear they were headed our way. The sun was close to horizon- would they make it to land before it set?

Nine or ten tired, hungry paddlers from the University of Tennessee joined us that evening. Setting up camp, cooking, eating, and cleaning up were higher on their agenda than watching night fall. Woe is me- their flashlights disturbed my views. I managed to survive. Lightning flashed on the horizon. I even saw a satellite and a meteor before Orion rose, at which time I turned in.

Pounding rain and winds woke me later. It was like a fire hose blasting at my tent! I pulled my fly shut, fairly astonished how heavy and loud the rain was. The wind pulled out the stake that was holding down the fly. Water began joining me in the tent. Somehow my bedding stayed dry. After at least an hour the rain subsided to a gentle mist. I slept until daylight.

I got up, ate breakfast, and went fishing. A ladyfish school ran into me. That was entertaining.

Got a nice red, even more entertaining. Several trout and another red followed.

By now it was time to go back to camp and clean up the mess. The sun was even poking out a bit.

The canoeists and solo paddler were gone. The Volunteers were just launching. If no one else came I’d have the place to myself. I had already decided to go home the next morning.

Getting everything dry and tidy took a couple hours. For my afternoon fishing shift the winds were light. It would be fly casting only.

I started with a pink Clouser minnow, flinging it as far as I could into the Gulf. No sight-fishing here!

This red took 30 minutes of casting.

It took 30 minutes, but finally a bite. A solid redfish, about four pounds. Smile on John’s face!

Little feller snook!

Minutes later, a bite. Little feller snook!

If I catch a trout I’ll have some kind of slam. Trout, where are you?

Another bite. Hockey-puck jack.

This was an aggressive little fish.

 

So was this!

I switched flies, putting on the only Hootchie fly I still had. It fooled a variety of fish species- redfish, ladyfish, snapper, baby jewfish, and some solid jacks. On my last cast, as I was reeling up the line, a fish crushed the fly and ran into my backing for the first time on the trip. It was a jack of five pounds or so.

This jack went into the backing.

On the way back to camp I realized the wind had increased in intensity. I’d been fishing on the protected side of the island.

That evening solid overcast prevented stargazing, so I made a small fire, and of course watched darkness fall. My tent rattled and shook all night long. I was glad I had weighted the stakes down with chunks of wormrock. I did not sleep well, and got up when it got light.

I planned on leaving. Doing so would have been foolhardy. I don’t need NOAA to recognize a small craft advisory. Until the wind died back some I was stuck. I packed what I could and went on standby.

The back yard on Jewell Key,

Around noon I realized the tent wasn’t shaking as bad. My intended route did not look like a wedding cake any more. Paddling into the wind that was left would be hard, but it was no longer dangerous. I packed up.

I thought the tide was about dead low when I left. It wasn’t. I kept hoping the nose of the incoming would catch up to me. It didn’t. It was fight wind and tide the entire way. Even when it started raining I still loved every stroke.

Trips like this make me realize what an insignificant mote I am in the grand design. It’s one of the reasons I need to keep making them.

When I got to the ramp, its end was 10 or 15 feet from the water. Wading through knee-deep black ooze, I was able to drag my vessel to terra firma. Loading up, cleaning up, and driving got me home about 10 PM.

Spent most of Friday catching up, cleaning up, and getting my gear ready for the next trip. I wonder where it will be? It will have a tough act to follow after this one, which was deeply fulfilling, one of my best.

Thanks for making it through the Everglades Solo Paddle Fishing Report!

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, Fishing Stories, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Apalachicola Area Fishing Report

December 7, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

Apalachicola Area Fishing Report

Hi Jim,

Your decision not to join Mike and I for our Florida panhandle fishing trip was probably for the best. I’ll explain why in a bit.

I apologize for not posting a report last week. I did get out three days, but between Maxx and Cat being here (They’re getting married in May!), twenty people here for Thanksgiving, and packing for the trip, there weren’t enough hours. The best things about last week were, the water in the Indian River Lagoon was pretty clear and I found some fish (they were not at all bitey), and Maxx and I went bass fishing on the Econ for an afternoon, getting five between us on Culprit worms. We saw a couple of otters, too. That was nice.

Maxx fishing the Econ.

OK, about the trip. We left Sunday morning for the drive up to the panhandle. We drove through rain produced by a passing cold front. Check-in time at Indian Pass Campground wasn’t until three PM, so we moseyed to avoid the $10 early check-in fee. What is up with that?

Our campsite was waterfront, at the lower right corner in the screen shot.

The wind was blowing hard enough that setting up our tents was difficult- everything wanted to fly away. We were the windbreak for the breeze coming across Indian Lagoon, so it wasn’t like we could hide from it. Even though the water was mocha colored, I tried casting from the beach for a while, but did not see (!) nor touch a fish. There were lots of dolphins playing though.

All that night the wind blew hard. My tent was all a-flappin! In spite of that I slept soundly.

Come morning I did not want to get out of my sleeping bag. It was about 40 degrees and we were still the windbreak for a 20 mph wind. While I went there planning on fishing the oyster bars and flats of Indian Lagoon, there was no way to do it. We did talk to a guy who had been there for five days, fishing in the Gulf with his wife from a big Carolina skiff. He’d gotten two flounder in five days.

We spent the day looking for someplace we could fish, without success. St. Joe Bay looked like a wedding cake. Apalachicola River was running fast and brown, covered with whitecaps. I don’t think it went above 50 degrees all day. Our timing was terrible.

The sky was clear and at night the stars were awesome. I could actually see the Milky Way running through Casseopeia to Cygnus. It was too cold to stay up and stargaze very long though.

Do you remember that -20 degree rated sleeping bag you used to have? Mine is rated to 40. I wore everything I had to bed- wool socks, long underwear, fleece pants, fleece shirt, hoodie, fleece jacket, buff, wool hat- and barely was warm enough. It was like that every night, all week. Mike was lucky- he had the warm dog to cuddle with.

Because of the cold there were no early morning starts.

The next morning we checked out and instead of going to Little St. George Island, the original plan, we changed it up and went to Ochlockonee (pronounced o-CLOCK-nee, don’t know why) River State Park and set up camp. From there we drove to Bald Point State Park from there to check out the fishing potential. There was no good way to launch a kayak there, so after being in the panhandle three days we still hadn’t gotten the boats wet or caught a fish.

Yay! A fish!

That changed on Wednesday. We launched the kayaks at the ORSP boat ramp and paddled about six miles down the river to where it dumps into the bay. On the way Mike got a redfish on a Vudu Shrimp. Yay! A fish! River Dog the Fish Hound was curious, and surprisingly well behaved considering he was stuck in a kayak all day.

On a flat at the river mouth we got a few more fish- Mike, a couple nice trout, and I, several trout, a small red, and a few ladyfish, on a Clouser Minnow. Then of course we had to paddle back up the river to the campground. The sun was warm and there was no wind, so it was a nice paddle.

I got a chance to observe human behavior at the campground. Many people spend over $100,000 for a luxurious tiny house on wheels that they can jam into a campsite in a state park to enjoy nature for a couple days. Doesn’t the house defeat the entire purpose of camping?? I served in the Army so that Americans were free to engage in such ridiculousness. Please don’t mind that I laugh at you folks and your stuff, and feel free to laugh back at my minimalism.

Americans are afraid of the dark. While we were at the state park we had a first quarter moon. It was bright enough to throw shadows. The only people not using electric or flashlights were Mike and I. Heck, the RVs had motion detectors to turn the exterior lights on, which were exceptionally annoying. Darkness is beautiful! Embrace it!

Please don’t mind that I laugh at you folks and your stuff, and feel free to laugh back at my minimalism.

Pardon my rant, please.

Thursday was another long paddle day. We launched at the Ochlockonee Bay Bridge boat ramp, and paddled to Bald Point, about five miles. The water was clear. The bottom was mostly bare sand. The sun was shining and there was barely a breeze, just beautiful. We spotted the occasional redfish on the way, running them over first. The sun was right in our faces.

At a creek mouth Mike hit several redfish. Around an oyster bar he hit several trout. I was fishless and frustrated.

I came around a little oyster bar point and spooked several reds. Casting a plastic shad at them I got an immediate eat and got my first fish of the day, a slot red. After releasing it I grabbed the six-weight and went wading. There was a clump of fish. The slider fell among them and got immediate gratification. The entire clump followed my hooked fish right up to me, at which point they all spooked off. So out of maybe 30 fish at that spot, I got two.

The slider got immediate gratification.

At the next point there were more redfish, and I spotted them before running them over. Using the slider I got four slot fish, all by sight casting, for the best 30 minutes of fishing I had on the trip.

The water was beautifully clear.

Friday we went to the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. The water was spectacular! You could see stuff (like seagrass!) on the bottom in eight feet of water. In a shallow cove we got 15 or so fish, reds and trout mixed. Mike was still on the Vudu, and I was using a light jig. It was the only place we got fish there, in spite of hours of searching.

River the fish hound inspects Mike’s redfish.

After fishing all day we drove back to the campsite, broke it down and loaded it up, and headed home. I got in at 11 last night. Mike still had an hour and a half to drive.

So we caught some fish. There were no easy ones. We worked hard for every one. In spite of the cold and the tough conditions we had a good time fishing in places we had never been. It just makes me want to go back when the weather is a little warmer.

Sorry this was so lengthy. 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, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: , , , , , , ,
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