St. Johns River Archives - Page 5 of 6

The Variety Pack Orlando Fishing Report

March 13, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

The Variety Pack Orlando Fishing Report

Sunday, a lovely day, found Chip, Casey, and Robert in the Mitzi skiff as we searched for hungry fish in the Mosquito Lagoon. We found lots of fish. They were not hungry. At the first spot we cast to fish for a couple hours but did not get a bite. At the second spot we cast to fish for a couple hours but only got one bite. It was missed. At the third spot we cast to fish for a couple hours. Chip got a decent trout and two rat reds on a DOA CAL shad tail. Robert missed a strike on a Johnson Minnow. Other things we tried included DOA Shrimp, jerk baits, and live shrimp. It was a beautiful day, but frustrating from a fishing standpoint.

Monday, likewise lovely, found Chip, Casey, and I in kayaks on the Banana River Lagoon. We did some fairly serious paddling. We found a school of black drum. Casey had a bite but lost the fish, then they would not bite any more.

We went looking for other fish.

I found another school of black drum. My fishermen were not nearby, so in order to get their attention I hooked a fish, using a black Bunny Leech. Chip and Casey came over PDQ.

Casey battles a fish.

It was the first black drum he’d ever caught.

It took a DOA Shrimp.

Then Chip got one on a black Bunny Leech, tied by Steve Baker.

Aye, ’tis a handsome fish!

Casey got one on a DOA Shrimp. Then Chip got one on a black Bunny Leech tied by Steve Baker. Then Casey got another on a DOA Shrimp. Then the fish would not bite any more.

We had a chance to cast to some tailing manatess. We did not take it.

We had more shots at fish before we left but did not get any more bites.

Still working the run of awesome weather, Rodney Smith and I went out of Port Canaveral on Tuesday on a cobia mission. The waves were running three to five feet, but it wasn’t very windy. The Mitzi handled it beautifully.

Rodney works a tripletail in close.

We saw more turtles than cobia.

The first fish we saw was a tripletail, sitting under a small clump of sargassum. Rodney threw a shrimp over and the fish gobbled it. We ended up seeing quite a few tripletail and hooked five or six, boating four legal fish ranging between five and ten pounds. I found myself wishing I had brought a fly rod because catching a ‘tail on fly would have been pretty straightforward. We did not, however, see a single cobia.

Some delicious eating on display. The fish. I mean the fish.

Back at the Port we ran into Fred Cisneros. He had also been searching for cobia and had seen only one. I guess they are not here in force yet.

The Kumiskis had tripletail fillets sauteed in coconut oil for dinner Tuesday. Very delicious it was!

Thursday I water-tested my new boat, a Sevylor inflatable kayak (read the review here…). This is not a terribly seaworthy little boat. Its main function for me will be small pond fishing for bass and sunfish. It passed that test admirably, as I got five bass on surface flies.

The Sevylor Kwik Pak K-1, ready for launch.

This was the best trip of the morning’s feasibility study. This boat will help me find a bigger one.

So in four day’s fishing this week I handled seatrout, redfish, black drum, puffers, tripletail, and black bass. I wish I had gotten a couple of sunfish, too! And that is this week’s Variety Pack Orlando Fishing Report from Spotted Tail.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Sevylor Quikpak K1 Review

March 12, 2015 by john kumiski · 3 Comments

Sevylor Quikpak K1 Review

The Sevylor Quikpak K-1, ready for launch.

So this fairly inaccessible pond used to have a boat on it. When I visited the pond a few weeks ago, the boat was gone. GONE! How could I fish there now? The bottom is soft, the pond full of big alligators. That’s not a good wading combination.

Some research on-line led me to the Sevylor Quikpak K1 One Person Inflatable Kayak. I contacted (three times) the media representative at Coleman (Coleman owns Sevylor) to inquire about obtaining said vessel. They never responded to me.

Since the boat with shipping was less than $120, I just bought it. But I am wondering what customer service will be like, should I need it.

The boat arrived in a large carton. In the carton was the boat, a hand pump and hose, a paddle (which I just threw away), and the pack to carry the boat in. And of course there were instructions.

I took the boat into my yard and blew it up. The literature says this will take five minutes. It’s more like ten, not a deal-breaker if you’re the type who would carry the thing for a mile or two to get it to a body of water. Pumping up the boat is only a small amount of work, but enough that my aging butt had to take a break in the middle of it.

The valves and the hose nozzles are not brilliantly engineered. By being a little fussy one person can still get all five chambers filled up with air in minutes. The hose appears to be the weakest link in the system- guaranteed to be the first item to break.

The pump also sucks all the air out of the boat when you’re finished using it. That’s a good thing- that way it fits back into the pack.

This morning I gave the boat the on-the-water test. I carried it a mile and a half to the pond, filled it up with air, put it in the water, and climbed on.

By the way, since I have other kayaks I also had a decent paddle already. I did not need or want the chintzy one that came with the boat.

The K1 paddles kind of like a doughnut, or a big inner tube, might. Every paddle stroke turns the bow of the boat the other way. There is a lot of effort wasted going laterally.

I kept telling myself if not for this boat I would not be there at all. I don’t suppose one can expect a finely designed and built boat for $120.

In its defense, the boat stayed filled with air. The material from which it’s made appears sturdy enough to last for multiple trips. The quality of the (Chinese) construction appears to be more than adequate.

I found myself wishing I had an anchor. I believe an eight ounce lead pyramid on a thin nylon line would be adequate. As it was I parked it on top of weedbeds and fly fished from that stationary position.

This was the best fish of the morning’s feasibility study. This boat will help me find a bigger fish!

I caught five bass from the boat this morning, and made it back to the put-in without incident. It passed the water test! With some maneuvering I was even able to pee from it. I think my limit for sitting in the thing will be four hours or so.

I’ve always regarded kayak fishing as an exercise in minimalism, but this boat takes it to the extreme. Outside of my pockets (in which was a small fly box, a leader wheel, and a multi-tool) I had a paddle, a one-liter water bottle, a banana for both good luck and a delicious snack, and a five-weight fly outfit.

The boat lets me access a place I would not otherwise be able to fish. I will adjust to its idiosyncrasies and continue using it as time and weather permits.

The Sevylor Quikpak K1 One Person Inflatable Kayak- it’s not the perfect boat, but it does allow one to fish otherwise inaccessible water.

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Product News and Reviews, opinion, Paddle Fishing Florida · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bass fishing, kayak fishing, orlando fishing, Sevylor Quikpak K1, St. Johns River

St. Johns River Shad Fishing Report

February 28, 2015 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

St. Johns River Shad Fishing Report

I’ve been getting ready for salmon fishing.

Upcoming Events

Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell Fishing Seminar March 14
Mosquito Lagoon On-the-Water Show and Tell Fishing Seminar March 15

Sunday I went solo, in the Bang-O-Craft, scouting on the St. Johns River. Since the CS Lee ramp is closed I used the one at SR 50. All I found was a single shad, not very encouraging. But I saw Brian Eastman out there, and Mark Thomas, and Dave Lear, and Mark Benson. So the excursion was hardly a waste, quite the opposite. It was good to see all those guys. It had been years since I saw MT and Dave.

Monday Mr. Joe Xu of Beijing was my fisherman for a St. Johns shad trip. After Sunday I had my doubts, but we hit them right away, using small crappie jigs and the 1/8th ounce Pixie. After getting more than a dozen we went catfishing. What I don’t know about catfishing would fill lots of books, but Joe managed to get a six pound channel cat and a big bluegill, too. We also hooked and lost another catfish. Fishing was very good, and the day was gorgeous.

Mr. Xu, proud owner of a six pound channel cat.

Tuesday long-time friend Rodney Smith met me at the St. Johns boat ramp and we went off shad fishing in the Bang-O-Craft. Again, we hit them right away. After a dozen or so we tried catfishing for almost two hours with but a bullhead to show for our efforts. So we went back to shad fishing for our last half hour and got five or six more. I even got a double. So the shad are still a going concern.

Rockin’ Rodney with a St. Johns River American shad.

Friday I had an afternoon half day booked with Joel Sanders and his buddy Dave. It was about 55 degrees when they showed up. The flags were snapping and the lagoon looked like a washing machine. Dave was wearing shorts. Since he had just got here from Maine he said it felt like a heat wave. It did not feel like a heat wave to me- I was freezing.

Since the weather was obvious when I left home I had brought the shad tackle and suggested that we shad fish instead of trying the lagoon. They opined that might be a good idea so we did.

The fish were biting. It was not spectacular but it was very steady. We were using 1/16th ounce crapping jigs with tiny twisty tails in hot pink and chartreuse. We probably got close to 20 in just under four hours.

Son Alex wants to go today. The weather is again looking pretty iffy so I guess we’ll see…

And that is this week’s St. John’s River shad fishing report from Spotted Tail.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2015. All rights are reserved.

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2 injured in head-on boat collision
Officials announce ‘Year of the River’

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: florida fishing, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, shad fishing, St. Johns River

Fished Around Orlando Area Fishing Report

February 8, 2015 by john kumiski · 2 Comments

Fished Around Orlando Area Fishing Report

Emails have come in asking, “When is the next Show and Tell seminar?”
The Mosquito Lagoon Show and Tell is on March 14. For more information or to register see this link…
The On-the-Water Show and Tell is on March 15. For more information or to register see this link…

So, since I didn’t have any work this week 🙁 I fished around, mostly by myself.

Sunday I went down the street to the Econlockhatchee. As I prepped the kayak I thought, “The water is still too high and too cold.” I floated for maybe 3/4ths of a mile tossing a crayfish pattern, did not get a bite or see any fish other than Gambusia minnows. The wind howled through the new green on the trees and it was absolutely stunning out. No fish, but I was so glad I went.

Monday Maxx and I did a wheel bearing job on his sailboat trailer. The bearings were pretty bad, lots of water and rust, but he successfully towed the boat home when we were done.

Tuesday I checked out a spot on the Indian River Lagoon where I like to fish occasionally. The water was dirty and there were absolutely no fish there, mullet or anything. Pure wild goose chase, pure and simple.

Wednesday I visited another spot on the IRL where I had not been for years. Apparently neither had anyone else. I’m not going into details because no one would believe them (I did not bring a camera), but it was one of the best days of inshore fly fishing I’ve had in years. Cha-CHING!

Friday I visited a remote corner of the St. Johns River that I sometimes fish. There used to be an old, leaky beater boat there. It’s not there anymore. I’m trying to figure out how I will fish that place now.

Saturday Tammy Wilson and I tried the St. Johns River for some shads, launching at SR 50. We got a few right out of the gate, but then it slowed down a lot. Working it pretty hard we got a dozen or so. Tammy managed a double on a rig consisting of a Road Runner with a shad fly tied on a dropper above.

We got some on a 1/8 ounce Pixie spoon, too. A lovely day, a little too much boat traffic for my taste but it was Saturday and the weather was beautiful. I always like fishing with Tammy.

Perhaps this was the point of the entire affair…

And that is this week’s Orlando area fishing report from Spotted Tail.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski

www.spottedtail.com

http://www.spottedtail.com/blog

www.johnkumiski.com

www.rentafishingbuddy.com

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2015. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, american shad fishing, Econlockhatchee River, florida fishing, Indian River Lagoon, kayak fishing, Mosquito Lagoon, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, St. Johns River

Only Fished One Day This Week Freshwater Orlando Fishing Report

November 7, 2014 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Only Fished One Day This Week Freshwater Orlando Fishing Report

It’s been one of those weeks. A real cold front came through. The water temperature in the Mosquito Lagoon went from the 80s to the 60s in four days. My computer crashed. More stuff broke on my old car. The wind howled all week. I didn’t have any charters.

Another week went by with only one day of fishing in. It seems to be a disturbing trend.

On the other hand, Fishing Florida’s Space Coast has been released as an ebook. See it (and hopefully buy it) here… http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/490918

Recent Blogs-

-The Old Town Has Had Its Last Ride

–There’s a New Ebook on Fishing Florida’s Space Coast!

Upcoming Events: I’m speaking on the Indian River Paddle Adventure at the Backcountry Flyfishing Association November meeting, 630 pm on November 13, Orlando Outfitters. Come see!
-Indian River Lagoon Paddle Adventure kick-off party, at sunset on November 29th at the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach.

ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT! Reader Robert Pence sent me the following email:

“The Canaveral Port Authority has begun the permitting process for the building of a rail line from the North Port area to Merritt Island. This line will cross the Banana River Lagoon to the south of KARS Park, effectively, if not entirely, closing access to most of the present No Motor zone. It will also cause more damage to the Banana River Lagoon ecosystem and fishing in the Indian River Lagoon.

“If this has an undesirable effect to you, please attend one of the two public scoping meetings being held by the Office of Environmental Analysis and provide your comments. The meeting are:

-November 18th, 5-8 pm @Eastern Florida state College, Titusville Campus, John Henry Jones Gymnatoriam, 1311 North US1, Titusville, FL 32796;

-November 19th, 5-8 pm, Radisson Resort at the Port Convention Center, 8701 Astronaut Blvd., Cape Canaveral, FL 32920

“Please attend if you want to protect our lagoons and the No Motor Zone fishing area.”

Even though I think the Port Authority will do whatever it wants I hope to see some of you there.

OK, fishing. Once in a while fishing lures show up in my mail box. I don’t ask for them, they’re like gifts from God (or at least lure manufacturers). Last week a three-pack of ZMan Pop Shadz showed up. They’re soft plastic baits, five inches long. Nothing revolutionary there. You rig them on a 5/0 offset wide-gap hook, making them pretty darned weedless. Nothing revolutionary there, either. They have a popper face. That’s unusual in a soft plastic bait. And, they are buoyant enough to float, even with the hook in them. This combination is revolutionary, in a minor way.

I was looking forward to trying them. I had been looking for a lure like this for a long time.

I took them to one of my bass fishing spots in the St. Johns River system. The weeds were thick, and the Pop Shad went right through them. I only got one bite on it, from a ten inch bass, but it was the only bite I got on anything. Let’s not forget that 15 degree plus water temperature drop. The fish must be reeling.

So the test was not an unqualified success but I like the way the bait works. I am going to catch some fish on this bait in both salt- and freshwater.

They also have a PopFrogz. It looks good, too. See them both at http://zmanfishing.com/store/categories/elaztech/pop_shadz

Gotta go work on my car. See you next week, when I will hopefully get some fishing in!

That is this week’s exciting version of the Freshwater Orlando Fishing Report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2013. All rights are reserved.

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Water-pollution warning glows at night

Filed Under: Fishing News, Fishing Product News and Reviews, Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: Indian River Lagoon, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, St. Johns River

Ode to the Econ; the Bang-O-Craft Rides Again

May 17, 2014 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Bass habitat on the Econ.

The bridge on Snow Hill Road that crosses the Econ lies 1.5 miles from my front door. So when I have no-work weeks like this one was, that closeness to home is a wonderful thing. A fishing trip that offers about five minutes of travel time is not to be sneered at.

On Monday a conversation with son Alex revealed two things. One was that he had never caught a bass in the Econ. The other was that the five weight fly rod I gave him for Christmas was still cherry.

A couple hours later we launched the Old Town. Dad was doing the guiding duties.

I think the bass fishing was better a month ago than it is now; however, Alex, who was tossing a popper, had his first bass in about ten minutes, a modest fish of ten or twelve inches in length. But it was a bass from the Econ, and the rod was no longer cherry. Mission accomplished.

He got a half dozen bass and some suicidal sunfish. He hooked a nice bass in the three pound range. It wrapped him around some timber and ended the battle. Alex lost the magic popper in the process. We were home in time for supper.

Are they really this hungry??

Tuesday it was all blowy. I went kayaking, on the Econ. Got a dozen or so modest bass on both gurglers and streamers and the usual suicidal sunfish. I cannot believe how aggressive they can be.

Largemouth bass. Electric Sushi. Any questions?

The “sexyfly” works too.

Wednesday and Thursday was fun with boats. The oil immersion hub on the trailer of the Mitzi had gotten some water in it. It needed to be disassembled, cleaned, reassembled, and re-filled with oil. While my face was in the wheels it could not be ignored that the studs and lugs were horribly rusty. How horribly rusty, you ask? Rusty enough that I snapped off one of the studs trying to get the lug nut off. As you can imagine there were a few bad words flying around.

As long as I was doing dirty boat stuff I decided to finish the cleaning job on the Bang-O-Craft that I started a few weeks back. I found pitting in the hull. Pitting that went right through the hull. Damn!

Some sanding and acetone cleaned up the sites. I mixed up some JB Weld and applied it to the spots in question, then let it cure overnight.

Friday morning I finished putting the Mitzi trailer back together, then took the Bang-O-Craft to the car wash for its second pressure washing. This one got most of the yuck out. On the way home I stopped at friend Karl’s house and picked up an 8 hp Mercury he had and mounted it on the transom. Went home to get the other requisites, then drove to CS Lee Park and launched the Bang-O-Craft in the St. Johns River.

That boat and I both had a shiver of thrill when it hit the water and floated off the trailer. Freaking AWESOME.

I ran it up the Econ a ways (where else?). It was not especially fast with that little motor on there. But it was lots faster then paddling.

I got a redbelly on the three-weight, then another. Then I picked up the five-weight. Nothing happened on the gurgler so I switched to a streamer. There’s one! I switched to a crayfish pattern, got another, larger bass. Then a gar ate it. I didn’t want to touch it and tried to derrick it into the boat. That gar is now swimming around the Econ with my crayfish fly. Guess I should tie a couple more.

Gar will certainly hit your lures and flies.

Sadly, I forgot my camera and have no photos of the first Bang-O-Craft voyage in seven years. But here’s one from the archives…

These little guys are now 23 and 25.

Make no mistake, the Bang-O-Craft still needs some work. But it’s going to be my St. Johns River fishing boat, and it will do a fantastic job of it.

And that is this week’s Econlockhatchee River fishing report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

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

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Fishing Stories, Orlando Fishing Report, Paddle Fishing Florida, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: Bass fishing, canoeing story, florida fishing, fly fishing, St. Johns River

St. Johns River and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

May 2, 2014 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

St. Johns River and Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report

Blog Posts This Week-

-Saturday on the ‘Goon

-The Continuing Saga of the Bang-O-Craft

-Casting for Recovery and Typhoon Tackle Join Forces to Fight Breast Cancer

This week we feature a joint St. Johns River and Mosquito Lagoon fishing report. It’s pretty rare to hook a seatrout and have it go on a hot run that peels line off the reel. That happened this week. But I get ahead of myself…

Monday I went back to the chiropractor. When I left he still had not fixed my back. I don’t think I will be visiting that particular chiropractor again.

After I left the doctor’s office I went to the St. Johns River system to do a little bass fishing. When I got there it was slow. No bites on a couple different surface flies. Did not see any activity. I switched to a streamer. It wasn’t hot fishing, but I got two decent fish.

Two bass were caught on this fly.

I saw a couple fish pop something on top, so I switched to a white gurgler. You know, gurglers are kind of stupid-looking flies, real easy to make. They work like crazy for everything. I got about a dozen bass to three pounds and three bluegills on this one before it was time to leave. Turned out to be a real nice day, even with the back problem.

I got more fish on the gurgler, and it’s more fun to use.

Tuesday a number of things happened, none of which directly involved wetting a line. I put a new axle on the trailer of the Bang-O-Craft. I wanted to get the wheels on too, but nowhere I looked had the parts I needed.

I found those parts Wednesday at Tractor Supply, and got the wheels on. Then I took the boat to the car wash and blasted it. Although a huge improvement it will need another major cleaning before it’s ready to use. The new fuel tank came on Wednesday, too. Now all I need is a motor and the Bang-O-Craft will be back in business. I am so looking forward to using that boat again.

Thursday son Alex and I went to Mosquito Lagoon to do a little scouting, getting somewhat of a late start, almost 9 AM. There were lots of clouds and quite a bit of wind, AND the water is already at summer levels, 1.3 on the gauge .

Alex was hot, getting eight or ten trout like this one.

What does all that mean? It means sight fishing was real difficult. However, fish were biting. We got about a dozen trout. While none were big, only one was short. They were running about 18-20 inches, decent fish. We got them on DOA CAL jigs and also on 5.5 inch jerkbaits. I also got two reds on a RipTide weedless jighead with a four inch DOA CAL jerkbait affixed to the hook.

The jig-and-jerkbait combo works well.

Tammy was supposed to join me for Friday’s scouting but couldn’t make it, something about her windshield having Montezuma’s revenge? So I went by myself.

Cloudy, windy, high water. Tough to see, so I blindcast a 5.5 inch DOA CAL jerkbait. The first bite was the trout that ripped the line off the reel, a fat, beautiful fish that was every bit of seven pounds. I selfied us and let it go.

This is by far my best trout this year.

The second one was a bit smaller, but the hook tore one of the gill arches loose and the fish was dead when I brought it into the boat, which made me sad. I did not want to kill it, but that’s what happened.

Aye, ’tis a handsome fish!

I checked a spot that had the occasional tailing redfish so I broke out the fly rod. After using the eight foot three-weight for bass fishing that seven-weight was like a rocket launcher. I had three shots and blew all three by casting too far. I cast blindly for about 20 minutes while I watched the weather coming, hoping to get a trout before I had to leave. Didn’t happen. Rain and lightning drove me back to the dock, where the boat was trailered at noon.

And that is this week’s St. Johns River and Mosquito Lagoon fishing report.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

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

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report, St. Johns River Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bass fishing, DOA Lures, fishing tips, florida fishing, florida fishing tips, fly fishing, Mosquito Lagoon, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish, seatrout fishing, St. Johns River, St. Johns River fishing report

Orlando Area Freshwater Fishing Report

April 18, 2014 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Orlando Area Freshwater Fishing Report

Blog Posts This Week- Port Canaveral’s Giant Jack Crevalle

It has been a long time since all my fishing in a week has been in freshwater, but it happened this week. There you go.

Sunday afternoon I went kayak fly fishing in Lake Pickett. I had always heard it was a good lake. It looked good, except for the jetskiis, water skiers, and various other types of pleasure craft. Sunday afternoon, what did I expect? About a dozen bass to 12 inches fell to a variety of flies. That 12 inch fish was big enough to have broken someone else’s line, since I removed a plastic worm hook from its jaw. All in all the lake had too much traffic for my liking.

Monday found me bass fishing on the St. Johns River. It was cool, cloudy, and windy and I got rained on twice. On top of that the fish were not biting. I got one small bass and a fish I think was a warmouth. If anyone could verify that ID I would certainly appreciate it. Since the fishing was slow I took some pictures of water lilies. I was done by noon.

What is this mystery fish?

Tuesday son Alex and I took an AHA class in CPR/1st Aid/AED. Now we’re certified for another two years. Everyone should be.

Thursday’s Mosquito Lagoon trip was cancelled due to weather.

Friday’s Mosquito Lagoon trip was cancelled due to weather, so I went to the St. Johns River with Capt. Tom VanHorn. He had told me about the schooling bass, and now he was going to show me. Show me he did! We got fifteen or so to about four pounds on plugs and fly, and were off the water ahead of most of the rain by about 930 AM. It’s good to be fishing close to home.

Capt. Tom Van Horn with a fat little bass.

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

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

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

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: Bass fishing, fly fishing, Jack Crevalle, Largemouth bass, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Orlando Florida, Port Canaveral, St. Johns River, St. Johns River fishing

Orlando Area Fishing Report

April 5, 2014 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Orlando Area Fishing Report

The Mitzi is still for sale!

Blog Posts This Week– Poppers for Seatrout

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

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

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: adventure fishing, Bluegill, DOA Lures, fishing story, florida fishing, fly fishing, flyfishing for bass, Indian River Lagoon, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Mosquito Lagoon, mosquito lagoon fishing report, Mosquito Lagoon redfish, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, redfish, seatrout fishing, St. Johns River

Another Orlando Area Fishing Report

March 15, 2014 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Another Orlando Area Fishing Report

The Mitzi is still for sale! It’s just had an annual service, and the hours were 984.

Blog Post This Week– How to Fish All Day Without Hurting Your Back

The week started out with a bang that had an unexpected twist. On Monday I took the three-weight out to go bluegill fishing. I only got two. But the bass were on fire, eating my little bluegill popper like great white sharks eating seals. I got twenty or so.

They ate this bug like they were starving.

Lots of little ones, but several decent ones and a fatty that anyone would be happy to get, close to five pounds. They gave that little rod a workout, I know that. It was a wonderful day.

This chunky guy was the fish of the trip.

This is a 60s fish- psychedelic.

Tuesday I went scouting in the Indian River Lagoon for my trip on Wednesday. The weather could not have been nicer and holy cow, I found some fish! I had written a blog a few weeks back about the Lunkerhunt Swim Bentos Bait. The packages were still unopened and I wanted to try one, so the Dace was put on a hook and showed to some prospective clients. They ate it as well as they eat anything else.

This fish did not say no.

This is how I rigged the bait, now beat up from catching fish.

Some said no, of course. I missed a couple of strikes, but got three 20 inch plus trout and one red on the dace. The last fish to eat it was a five pound trout- he actually ate it, was hooked in the gills, and was mostly bled out by the time he was boated.

The suicidal fish. I was sorry it died.

Getting the hook out ruined the lure, so I switched to the old reliable DOA CAL Shad, which nailed the best fish of the day, a 28 inch red. I broke my rod getting pictures of it. I saw a bunch more fish after that but missed the only eater. It was a wonderful day.

This is the fish that broke my Loomis rod…

…and so is this…

…and so is this. The lure is a DOA CAL Shad.

Wednesday’s trip was postponed until Friday due to the weather. I took the opportunity to visit the lab at the Orlando VAMC, always an interesting trip. The afternoon was spent doing taxes. It was not such a wonderful day.

Thursday had a high of 59 degrees with 20+mph winds. Didn’t fish.

Friday found me out on the Indian River Lagoon with fly fisher Will Zobel and his buddy from school days, Roger. The weather was a bit breezy and there were rather a lot of clouds that made sight fishing difficult. That being said, we were in fish most of the day- fussy, uncooperative fish. Some fine presentations were made. In spite of that only one small red was caught, and that on a DOA CAL Shad. It was a beautiful day, but tough and frustrating from an angling standpoint.

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

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short. Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com

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

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report, Orlando Fishing Report · Tagged: Bluegill, DOA Lures, fishing photography, florida fishing, fly fishing, Indian River Lagoon, Orlando Area Fishing Report, orlando fishing, orlando fishing charter, orlando fishing report, Orlando Florida, redfish, seatrout fishing, St. Johns River

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