Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Report from Capt. John Kumiski 4/22/08
Someone, somewhere once said, “The conservationists have to win every battle. The developers only have to win once.” The St. Johns River is now dead center in the sights of the bad guys.
That’s right, Seminole County, Florida, my county of residence, wants to start drawing millions of gallons of water daily from the St. Johns River. The county has applied for a permit from the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) which would allow the county to do so.
Needless to say this is not a good idea if you love fish and wildlife. Every thirsty town along the river wants to do the same thing. The Seminole County permit would set a terrible precedent, and most likely a gold rush. Water is becoming a limiting factor in Florida’s continuing rape, I mean, growth.
American Rivers (www.AmericanRivers.org) has just released their annual report of the ten most endangered rivers in North America. The St. Johns River is number six on the list.
A call to action is next! What can YOU do? Visit this link: www.AmericanRivers.org/StJohns Tell the SJRWMD to deny the proposal and all other water withdrawal permits, and make water conservation a priority instead. There’s a form all made out, and the entire process takes only a few moments. Please make a couple minutes today and get this done.
I was going to go to the no motor zone yesterday. I got up at 5 AM and the truck wouldn’t start. It’s in the garage right now, so when I go fishing in the Econ today it will be by bicycle. The bill for the repairs is over $1200. Oh, that hurts so bad. But I need my chariot.
Friday I went kayaking in the Mosquito Lagoon. The weather was spectacular, just gorgeous. I found a load of black drum with a few reds mixed in, tailing and cavorting, a beautiful sight. The blacks weren’t eager to take a fly. I’d see them track it, and then turn off. I’d change flies. They’d track it, and turn off. I finally got one to take a Merkin. It was about 12 pounds, and scared most of the other fish off the flat.
There were still a few fish left on a corner of the flat. I waded over and got another one to take a Merkin. He was about 15 pounds, and scared all the rest of the fish off the flat.
Kevin Graybeal (Mosquito Lagoon Custom Rods) gave me a six-weight that he built. These were the first fish I caught with it. Hey Kevin- it worked great! Looks great, too! Thanks!
Other non-fishing things I’ve done in the past few days include attending an opening at an art gallery, attending an owl class (I can now call to barred owls, an important life skill), and attending a concert. It’s good to have other interests! Still-
Life is short- GO FISHING!!!
Life is great and I love my work!
Call me now to reserve your fishing adventure! 407.977.5207
John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Holly Needs Help, Please! And this week's fishing report
Last week I got an email from a gentleman who wanted me to donate a fishing trip to his daughter. Here is part of the text of his email:
“My name is Stuart Patterson. I'm a local fishermen and father. My daughter Holly Patterson is having her third annual Charity Yard Sale and Raffle on May 17th-18th at the Masonic Lodge onDairy Road in Melbourne. ALL proceeds of this fund raiser are donated to the American Syringomyelia Alliance Project (http://www.asap.org) to fund medical research. Holly has had fifteen spinal and brain surgeries. She decided early on to actively raise money for medical research; research that will help her and others like her. Her goal is $20,000 before she graduates high school. You can read about her and find links to local newspaper articles about her at her website http://www.helpholly.org.”
I get requests like this all the time, as well as all the scam phishing emails. Anyone who doesn’t keep their guard up during their on-line communications is being foolish. So, since he had the links there, I checked them out.
It’s legit, and heart-rending. Still in high school, Holly has already had fifteen spinal and brain surgeries. Holly wants to raise $20,000 to help fund research into Syringomyelia, with which she’s afflicted. Twenty thousand dollars! Athletes make more than that for playing one game. My heart went out to her immediately, and I sent her a certificate for the trip.
If any readers can do anything to help Holly, a check, a merchandise donation, anything, please contact her through her website, www.helpholly.org.
It will make you feel good to help.
Now about the fishing, a less important topic-
The water in the lagoons has come up over a foot in the past week. Places that were dry a few days ago are now fishable by any shallow draft boat, opening up many areas to fish, and fishermen, that have seen neither in months.
Tuesday, sunny day, real windy, blowing over 20. Dr. Matt Genovese and his father spent the day on the Mitzi in the Mosquito Lagoon, blowing from one spot to the next. I realized that day that I need to get a Power Pole. I didn’t want to admit it, but there is no longer any getting around it.
We found a few fish. Matt got a beautiful trout, four pounds or so, on a silver Johnson Minnow. Then Dad hooked a nice red on an identical bait. I stopped the boat while he fought it, and sadly the hook pulled out. They got four more hits on the spoons, and missed three. Just before quitting time Matt got a slot red, which ended a tough day on an up note. They were great guys to have in the boat, very interesting to talk to. Dad is the guy who invented the Liquid Crystal Display! Now I need to fish the guy who invents a cranial chip that will let me remember people’s names.
Thursday Michael Stanton and his twelve year old son Michael Stanton spent a half day with me on the Mitzi on the Indian River Lagoon. I had gotten a hot tip that there were big ladyfish on the surface, feeding under birds, off of Kennedy Point. The perfect thing for a twelve year old! I ran down there to check it out. We found a few fish and birds around the sunken islands. It was very sporadic and very short lived. We tried to fish beneath the birds but they were moving fast and we didn’t get a bite. After poling and looking for redfish a while I found a small school of fatties. Even chunking them we didn’t get a bite. Michael did get several quality puffers though, and we had fun watching them blow up like balloons.
Resuming the hunt, we found a flat with beautiful, clear water and decent numbers of both trout and reds. Michael got a red on a chunk, the only one we got before running out of time.
Friday was the nicest day in weeks, bright sun, very few clouds, and almost no wind. I was expecting great things. Jeff Guernin and his father, George, joined me on the Indian River Lagoon. The first spot we checked had more boats than fish, and we quickly left. The second spot was loaded with big trout. George hooked and lost one on a jerk bait, and then Jeff hooked and lost one on a chunk. Then George became ill and we had to go in. I felt bad for him. George, I want to see you again when you’re feeling better!
Friday night I attended the Orlando CCA Barbeque. There were a lot of people there, lots of beautiful art, fishing tackle, boating stuff, etc. Of course the raffle ticket girls were outstanding! It was a real nice event, and I hope to attend next year. Thanks to CCA for inviting me!
Saturday friend Karl Dienst and his friend Mark joined me. Again the weather was beautiful, and you know what that means on a Saturday! We tried a couple spots in the Mosquito Lagoon and found almost nothing. So we decided to go to where the trout had been the day before. When we got there it was after 10 AM and there were four boats in there. All but one left as we idled in. Need I say the fish weren’t there?
We went back to the Mosquito Lagoon under a freshening wind. We found a flat that was just covered up with (very nervous) redfish. We had quite a few shots, and lots of refusals and flushed fish. Mark had a strike on a black Bunny Booger. Mark is a trout fisherman and raised the rod tip instead of strip striking. He missed the fish. That turned out to be the only strike we got in spite of being in the fish for about three hours.
Sunday the forecast was for cold, overcast, and a hard north wind, with a 30 percent chance of rain. Ray Kaatz, a fly fisher from Illinois, joined me on the Mosquito Lagoon. The weather was exactly as predicted. We were pretty much relegated to searching on lee shorelines, both to stay out of the wind, and because that was the only place we might actually see a fish before running it over. We started up in the pole troll area and ended up down in Eddy Creek, hunting all day long. We did have a few shots and Ray got a small red on a black Bunny Booger (BBB). The rain started just in time to make the long, windy ride back a long, windy, miserably cold and wet ride back. We’re manly men, we made it OK.
Monday Ray was out with me again. It was cool but the sun was out and so were the fish. Ray hooked and lost a red right away, and then got one in the slot, again on the BBB. We worked over the same area diligently, and the fish responded by vacating. So we changed spots.
The second spot we tried (and we stayed there the rest of the day) was full of tailing fish. They weren’t little mamby-pamby tailers, either- when they ate something you could hear the splash from 150 feet away. They were working in singles and small groups, wallowing around like pigs. It was without a doubt the best tailing action I’ve seen in the ML in 10 years or so.
Now, that having been said, it doesn’t mean they were easy. If I stayed on the poling tower we couldn’t get a shot. I had to pole the boat from the stern deck (and that poling tower is very in the way if you’re not standing on it), getting upwind of the fish and drifting down on them until we were in Ray’s casting range. Then I’d stake out the boat and let him have at it. He picked up two nice slot fish this way, both on an olive colored Slider.
The wind kept freshening and the clouds started rolling in. The last hour was a wash. We just kept blowing out fish we couldn’t see. We decided to bag it a 4 PM.
Life is short- GO FISHING!!!
Life is great and I love my work!
Call me now to reserve your next fishing adventure! 407.977.5207
John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
“My name is Stuart Patterson. I'm a local fishermen and father. My daughter Holly Patterson is having her third annual Charity Yard Sale and Raffle on May 17th-18th at the Masonic Lodge onDairy Road in Melbourne. ALL proceeds of this fund raiser are donated to the American Syringomyelia Alliance Project (http://www.asap.org) to fund medical research. Holly has had fifteen spinal and brain surgeries. She decided early on to actively raise money for medical research; research that will help her and others like her. Her goal is $20,000 before she graduates high school. You can read about her and find links to local newspaper articles about her at her website http://www.helpholly.org.”
I get requests like this all the time, as well as all the scam phishing emails. Anyone who doesn’t keep their guard up during their on-line communications is being foolish. So, since he had the links there, I checked them out.
It’s legit, and heart-rending. Still in high school, Holly has already had fifteen spinal and brain surgeries. Holly wants to raise $20,000 to help fund research into Syringomyelia, with which she’s afflicted. Twenty thousand dollars! Athletes make more than that for playing one game. My heart went out to her immediately, and I sent her a certificate for the trip.
If any readers can do anything to help Holly, a check, a merchandise donation, anything, please contact her through her website, www.helpholly.org.
It will make you feel good to help.
Now about the fishing, a less important topic-
The water in the lagoons has come up over a foot in the past week. Places that were dry a few days ago are now fishable by any shallow draft boat, opening up many areas to fish, and fishermen, that have seen neither in months.
Tuesday, sunny day, real windy, blowing over 20. Dr. Matt Genovese and his father spent the day on the Mitzi in the Mosquito Lagoon, blowing from one spot to the next. I realized that day that I need to get a Power Pole. I didn’t want to admit it, but there is no longer any getting around it.
We found a few fish. Matt got a beautiful trout, four pounds or so, on a silver Johnson Minnow. Then Dad hooked a nice red on an identical bait. I stopped the boat while he fought it, and sadly the hook pulled out. They got four more hits on the spoons, and missed three. Just before quitting time Matt got a slot red, which ended a tough day on an up note. They were great guys to have in the boat, very interesting to talk to. Dad is the guy who invented the Liquid Crystal Display! Now I need to fish the guy who invents a cranial chip that will let me remember people’s names.
Thursday Michael Stanton and his twelve year old son Michael Stanton spent a half day with me on the Mitzi on the Indian River Lagoon. I had gotten a hot tip that there were big ladyfish on the surface, feeding under birds, off of Kennedy Point. The perfect thing for a twelve year old! I ran down there to check it out. We found a few fish and birds around the sunken islands. It was very sporadic and very short lived. We tried to fish beneath the birds but they were moving fast and we didn’t get a bite. After poling and looking for redfish a while I found a small school of fatties. Even chunking them we didn’t get a bite. Michael did get several quality puffers though, and we had fun watching them blow up like balloons.
Resuming the hunt, we found a flat with beautiful, clear water and decent numbers of both trout and reds. Michael got a red on a chunk, the only one we got before running out of time.
Friday was the nicest day in weeks, bright sun, very few clouds, and almost no wind. I was expecting great things. Jeff Guernin and his father, George, joined me on the Indian River Lagoon. The first spot we checked had more boats than fish, and we quickly left. The second spot was loaded with big trout. George hooked and lost one on a jerk bait, and then Jeff hooked and lost one on a chunk. Then George became ill and we had to go in. I felt bad for him. George, I want to see you again when you’re feeling better!
Friday night I attended the Orlando CCA Barbeque. There were a lot of people there, lots of beautiful art, fishing tackle, boating stuff, etc. Of course the raffle ticket girls were outstanding! It was a real nice event, and I hope to attend next year. Thanks to CCA for inviting me!
Saturday friend Karl Dienst and his friend Mark joined me. Again the weather was beautiful, and you know what that means on a Saturday! We tried a couple spots in the Mosquito Lagoon and found almost nothing. So we decided to go to where the trout had been the day before. When we got there it was after 10 AM and there were four boats in there. All but one left as we idled in. Need I say the fish weren’t there?
We went back to the Mosquito Lagoon under a freshening wind. We found a flat that was just covered up with (very nervous) redfish. We had quite a few shots, and lots of refusals and flushed fish. Mark had a strike on a black Bunny Booger. Mark is a trout fisherman and raised the rod tip instead of strip striking. He missed the fish. That turned out to be the only strike we got in spite of being in the fish for about three hours.
Sunday the forecast was for cold, overcast, and a hard north wind, with a 30 percent chance of rain. Ray Kaatz, a fly fisher from Illinois, joined me on the Mosquito Lagoon. The weather was exactly as predicted. We were pretty much relegated to searching on lee shorelines, both to stay out of the wind, and because that was the only place we might actually see a fish before running it over. We started up in the pole troll area and ended up down in Eddy Creek, hunting all day long. We did have a few shots and Ray got a small red on a black Bunny Booger (BBB). The rain started just in time to make the long, windy ride back a long, windy, miserably cold and wet ride back. We’re manly men, we made it OK.
Monday Ray was out with me again. It was cool but the sun was out and so were the fish. Ray hooked and lost a red right away, and then got one in the slot, again on the BBB. We worked over the same area diligently, and the fish responded by vacating. So we changed spots.
The second spot we tried (and we stayed there the rest of the day) was full of tailing fish. They weren’t little mamby-pamby tailers, either- when they ate something you could hear the splash from 150 feet away. They were working in singles and small groups, wallowing around like pigs. It was without a doubt the best tailing action I’ve seen in the ML in 10 years or so.
Now, that having been said, it doesn’t mean they were easy. If I stayed on the poling tower we couldn’t get a shot. I had to pole the boat from the stern deck (and that poling tower is very in the way if you’re not standing on it), getting upwind of the fish and drifting down on them until we were in Ray’s casting range. Then I’d stake out the boat and let him have at it. He picked up two nice slot fish this way, both on an olive colored Slider.
The wind kept freshening and the clouds started rolling in. The last hour was a wash. We just kept blowing out fish we couldn’t see. We decided to bag it a 4 PM.
Life is short- GO FISHING!!!
Life is great and I love my work!
Call me now to reserve your next fishing adventure! 407.977.5207
John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Do Fish Feel Pain?
One of the aggravations a 21st century angler faces is the misinformation spread by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals and their pals. Don't get me wrong. I think these folks mean well. It's just that they watched Bambi too many times as children. They never spent any time outdoors watching the eat-or-be-eaten entertainment that Nature so generously provides to fishermen and hunters. As well intentioned as PETA members may be, they're uninformed and ignorant. They think that fish experience pain the same way you or I might.
Anyone who has visited the underwater observation room at the state park at Homosassa Springs has seen the big crevalle jacks swimming around in the spring boil. Some of them have huge, ugly, open sores on their heads. Other than that they look, and behave, just like the healthy jacks. Large, ugly, open sore on my head? No problem!
Way back in elementary school one of my schoolmates was Nick Georgopoulis. Nick and his dad liked to fish in the Breakhart Reservation. Most folks back then didn't have boats, and the Georgopoulises were not an exception. Like my dad and I, they fished from the bank.
Nick's dad liked to bring me with them when they went fishing. I think this had less to do with my behavior than the fact that I had a minnow trap. Nick's dad caught bigger fish when I was there, because then he used minnows for bait instead of earthworms.
One day I was at Breakhart fishing with the Georgopoulises. Being a kid, I liked using the smallest minnows because I got more bites with them. Generally I got big sunfish of various species, yellow perch, and what in Massachusetts we called calico bass, more properly called black crappie.
Small bait, small tackle. I was using a #10 Eagle Claw gold plated hook, tied onto my eight pound test monofilament line with a clinch knot. A tiny bobber and a single split shot completed my terminal tackle. An inch long minnow was impaled through the lips, and cast into the pond to see what would happen.
The bobber soon disappeared into the depths of the pond. I set the hook, and it clearly was something much larger than a perch or a crappie. I battled the beast for a minute or two when, with the most enormous disappointment at my end, the line went slack. I reeled it in to discover that I was hookless. The creature had bitten through the line.
Mr. Georgopoulis was using large minnows. Big bait, big tackle. He had a #1 hook, snelled with heavy monofilament. He didn't want to mess with small fish. He had enough of that when using earthworms.
Only a few minutes after I lost my hook, Mr. Georgopoulis's bobber disappeared into the depths. Mr. Georgopoulis set the hook, and the battle was joined. After a few minutes the beast was underneath the rocks we were standing on, a chain pickerel close to two feet long. Not trusting the skills of either Nick or I, he got the net and did the deed himself. A big smile was pasted all over his face as he pulled that fish from the water!
As he went to remove the hook, he said, "John, come look at this." I went over to see what he wanted. He said, "Look into his mouth." I did. I saw a #10, gold plated Eagle Claw hook tied by a clinch knot to a short piece of eight pound test monofilament. I borrowed Mr. Georgopoulis's pliers and retrieved my hook.
Many years go by. I am operating Shawn Healy's Sea Pro, idling along looking for cobia or tripletail. Shawn is at the bow, rod in hand. On the end of his line is an Owner SSW hook, on which is impaled a large, live shrimp.
Hardly traumatized, the fish again behaves in the desired fashion, and inhales the second shrimp. Shawn sets the hook, and off we go again. This time the hook sticks, and I net the fish. It pulls the scale to eleven pounds, and is the largest fish we catch that day.
Marcia Foosaner and I once went into the no motor zone in the Banana River Lagoon hoping to find some black drum. It took some searching, but we found an area holding fish. We enjoyed good fishing, fooling several of the beasts with black Bunny Boogers.
I took out my pliers and latched onto the object, then pulled it out of the fish's head. It was a barb of a stingray, almost two inches long. All but a half inch was buried in the roof of the mouth of this poor fish. However, the fish continued its day to day activities, feeding aggressively enough to take an artificial fly.
As I removed the barb from the fish its expression changed not at all.
Imagine taking a live blue crab and putting into your mouth. Imagine taking a live pinfish or mullet and putting it into your mouth. While to us these don't seem to be good ideas, fish do these things every single day. It's how they eat.
Clearly, if they experienced pain as you or I did they couldn't do this. Clearly, if they were traumatized by being hooked, they wouldn't immediately start eating again.
A fish has a brain roughly the size of a garden pea. They are incapable of analyzing what's happening to them while at the end of a line. I don't think they enjoy the experience of being caught. But please, don't try and tell me that fish feel pain.
Anyone who has visited the underwater observation room at the state park at Homosassa Springs has seen the big crevalle jacks swimming around in the spring boil. Some of them have huge, ugly, open sores on their heads. Other than that they look, and behave, just like the healthy jacks. Large, ugly, open sore on my head? No problem!
Way back in elementary school one of my schoolmates was Nick Georgopoulis. Nick and his dad liked to fish in the Breakhart Reservation. Most folks back then didn't have boats, and the Georgopoulises were not an exception. Like my dad and I, they fished from the bank.
Nick's dad liked to bring me with them when they went fishing. I think this had less to do with my behavior than the fact that I had a minnow trap. Nick's dad caught bigger fish when I was there, because then he used minnows for bait instead of earthworms.
One day I was at Breakhart fishing with the Georgopoulises. Being a kid, I liked using the smallest minnows because I got more bites with them. Generally I got big sunfish of various species, yellow perch, and what in Massachusetts we called calico bass, more properly called black crappie.
Small bait, small tackle. I was using a #10 Eagle Claw gold plated hook, tied onto my eight pound test monofilament line with a clinch knot. A tiny bobber and a single split shot completed my terminal tackle. An inch long minnow was impaled through the lips, and cast into the pond to see what would happen.
The bobber soon disappeared into the depths of the pond. I set the hook, and it clearly was something much larger than a perch or a crappie. I battled the beast for a minute or two when, with the most enormous disappointment at my end, the line went slack. I reeled it in to discover that I was hookless. The creature had bitten through the line.
Mr. Georgopoulis was using large minnows. Big bait, big tackle. He had a #1 hook, snelled with heavy monofilament. He didn't want to mess with small fish. He had enough of that when using earthworms.
Only a few minutes after I lost my hook, Mr. Georgopoulis's bobber disappeared into the depths. Mr. Georgopoulis set the hook, and the battle was joined. After a few minutes the beast was underneath the rocks we were standing on, a chain pickerel close to two feet long. Not trusting the skills of either Nick or I, he got the net and did the deed himself. A big smile was pasted all over his face as he pulled that fish from the water!
As he went to remove the hook, he said, "John, come look at this." I went over to see what he wanted. He said, "Look into his mouth." I did. I saw a #10, gold plated Eagle Claw hook tied by a clinch knot to a short piece of eight pound test monofilament. I borrowed Mr. Georgopoulis's pliers and retrieved my hook.
Many years go by. I am operating Shawn Healy's Sea Pro, idling along looking for cobia or tripletail. Shawn is at the bow, rod in hand. On the end of his line is an Owner SSW hook, on which is impaled a large, live shrimp.
I spot a tripletail lying at the surface on his side. I put the boat in neutral, and point it out to Shawn. He casts the shrimp at the fish. The fish behaves in the desired fashion, and inhales the shrimp. Shawn sets the hook, and off we go. The fish makes a run, then jumps, Shawn gains some line. The fish runs again. Suddenly, disappointingly, the hook pulls out.
Shawn reels in his fishless line. The fish, to my near-astonishment, goes right back to lying on its side at the surface. I tell Shawn, "Put another shrimp on and try that fish again." Shawn does.
Hardly traumatized, the fish again behaves in the desired fashion, and inhales the second shrimp. Shawn sets the hook, and off we go again. This time the hook sticks, and I net the fish. It pulls the scale to eleven pounds, and is the largest fish we catch that day.
Marcia Foosaner and I once went into the no motor zone in the Banana River Lagoon hoping to find some black drum. It took some searching, but we found an area holding fish. We enjoyed good fishing, fooling several of the beasts with black Bunny Boogers.
I helped Marcia secure a fish she caught that was around 25 pounds. As she removed the hook she asked, "What is that? Look on the roof of his mouth." I looked. Something was protruding from the fish's palate.
I took out my pliers and latched onto the object, then pulled it out of the fish's head. It was a barb of a stingray, almost two inches long. All but a half inch was buried in the roof of the mouth of this poor fish. However, the fish continued its day to day activities, feeding aggressively enough to take an artificial fly.
As I removed the barb from the fish its expression changed not at all.
Imagine taking a live blue crab and putting into your mouth. Imagine taking a live pinfish or mullet and putting it into your mouth. While to us these don't seem to be good ideas, fish do these things every single day. It's how they eat.
Clearly, if they experienced pain as you or I did they couldn't do this. Clearly, if they were traumatized by being hooked, they wouldn't immediately start eating again.
A fish has a brain roughly the size of a garden pea. They are incapable of analyzing what's happening to them while at the end of a line. I don't think they enjoy the experience of being caught. But please, don't try and tell me that fish feel pain.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The Tarpon Box
Although it's mostly empty, the tarpon box sits there eagerly, quivering with anticipation. It knows that very soon it will be filled, slowly, one at a time, with bright, new tarpon flies. Some will be tied with natural materials. Others will be fashioned with synthetics. All will be tied on strong, sharp, 3/0 hooks, and will be pre-rigged with leaders, 60 pound test fluorocarbon bite tippets and 20 pound monofilament class tippets.
It's the job of the tarpon box to keep the two dozen flies safe from the elements and untangled from each other. It performs this job admirably.
The flies look jaunty inside the box, their leaders stretched out, their wings bright and colorful, their big eyes open wide. Their job is first to entice a tarpon, a fish that could be seven feet long and weigh 200 pounds, into eating them. Then they and their leaders are supposed to hold onto that fish long enough for the fisherman to get it to the boat, never an easy task.
The tarpon will make fantastic leaps and long, powerful runs, trying to dislodge the hook or break the leader. More often than not the fish succeeds, leaving the fisherman with nothing more than shaking hands, knocking knees, and a whale of a fish story.
Sometimes the fisherman does prevail though. Then the camera comes out, a few pictures are snapped, the tarpon is reverently revived, and the fisherman watches as it majestically swims away, none the worse for the experience. Then the fisherman looks for another tarpon, hoping to repeat the process again and again, as often as he can in the time allowed.
The tarpon run on Florida's Gulf coast lasts but eight weeks, beginning around May Day and running until about Independence Day. During that time schools of tarpon frequent shallow waters from the Everglades up into the Panhandle waters, where tarpon fishermen search for them. Once the run is over the fishermen disperse, repairing and cleaning their tackle, tying new flies, telling stories about the big ones that got away, and laying plans for the following year.
It's my favorite time of year. I've got to go now because although it's mostly empty, my tarpon box sits there eagerly, quivering with anticipation.
****************
Capt. John Kumiski (407.977.5207, www.johnkumiski.com) has been guiding fishermen for more than 20 years. His latest book is titled Redfish on the Fly.
It's the job of the tarpon box to keep the two dozen flies safe from the elements and untangled from each other. It performs this job admirably.
The flies look jaunty inside the box, their leaders stretched out, their wings bright and colorful, their big eyes open wide. Their job is first to entice a tarpon, a fish that could be seven feet long and weigh 200 pounds, into eating them. Then they and their leaders are supposed to hold onto that fish long enough for the fisherman to get it to the boat, never an easy task.
The tarpon will make fantastic leaps and long, powerful runs, trying to dislodge the hook or break the leader. More often than not the fish succeeds, leaving the fisherman with nothing more than shaking hands, knocking knees, and a whale of a fish story.
Sometimes the fisherman does prevail though. Then the camera comes out, a few pictures are snapped, the tarpon is reverently revived, and the fisherman watches as it majestically swims away, none the worse for the experience. Then the fisherman looks for another tarpon, hoping to repeat the process again and again, as often as he can in the time allowed.
The tarpon run on Florida's Gulf coast lasts but eight weeks, beginning around May Day and running until about Independence Day. During that time schools of tarpon frequent shallow waters from the Everglades up into the Panhandle waters, where tarpon fishermen search for them. Once the run is over the fishermen disperse, repairing and cleaning their tackle, tying new flies, telling stories about the big ones that got away, and laying plans for the following year.
It's my favorite time of year. I've got to go now because although it's mostly empty, my tarpon box sits there eagerly, quivering with anticipation.
****************
Capt. John Kumiski (407.977.5207, www.johnkumiski.com) has been guiding fishermen for more than 20 years. His latest book is titled Redfish on the Fly.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Getting Ready for Tarpon
Space Coast Fishing Report from Capt. John Kumiski 4/5/08
I only fished two days this week. Wednesday Shawn and Daniel Healy, father and 12 year old son, joined me for a day on the Indian River Lagoon. My thinking was that the power stations had just opened up to anglers again, and we should check them out. If they were happening Dan would catch a bunch of fish. There were a few ladyfish at the south plant, and nothing but manatees at the north plant. So that part of the experiment went somewhat awry, but we did finish there with three ladyfish that we could use for bait.
We checked a couple of spots and found some redfish but we couldn’t convince them to eat anything, not even the cut ladyfish. Then, while I was running the boat to another spot, I ran over a school of big black drum. We tried tossing cut ladyfish at them. I didn’t think that they would jump on this, but we got bit immediately- by catfish. Evidently the cats were swimming under the blacks. After a few of those the cut ladyfish were exchanged for DOA Shrimp.
It took quite a few casts but Shawn finally got the eat move from a big drum. He handed the rod to Daniel while I poled backwards, trying to break the fish from the school. Once that was done I jumped down and put the pole away, figuring we could just drift. Suddenly Daniel said, “He’s gone.” He reeled in the line and the DOA was gone. The leader had broken. BooHoo!
We found the school and tried again. Dan had one eat but didn’t stick it well enough and it came off in short order. We harassed them for almost another hour without a bite, and finally gave up, leaving them there. I think a fat shrimp would have done the deed, though.
Thursday Kevin Graybeal of Mosquito Lagoon Custom Rods joined me for a day on the Mosquito Lagoon. There were a lot of boats out for a Thursday! We found a school of black drum with a few reds mixed in, and as so often happens we got one of the reds. The rest of the fish fled in panic and we couldn’t find them again. We found some fish at another spot, but the clouds closed in and we couldn’t see anymore, and then it started raining. We bailed at that point.
One of the fishing-related things I’ve been doing this week is preparing for tarpon season. I’ve tied up some new flies and spooled up a couple of new Shimano spinning reels. I need to clean my fly reels and lines, tie some more flies (never enough of those), and check the stretcher box. The old flies need to be tossed and the new ones rigged. I love the anticipation of going tarpon fishing! I’ve ordered a new RipTide trolling motor and made my docking reservations at the Tarpon Lodge. I’ve gotten scattered reports of a few fish being hooked, and am so looking forward to tossing some flies at those silver kings next month! There is nothing like hooking a six foot long fish in four feet of water!!!
Life is short- GO FISHING!!!
Life is great and I love my work!
John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
I only fished two days this week. Wednesday Shawn and Daniel Healy, father and 12 year old son, joined me for a day on the Indian River Lagoon. My thinking was that the power stations had just opened up to anglers again, and we should check them out. If they were happening Dan would catch a bunch of fish. There were a few ladyfish at the south plant, and nothing but manatees at the north plant. So that part of the experiment went somewhat awry, but we did finish there with three ladyfish that we could use for bait.
We checked a couple of spots and found some redfish but we couldn’t convince them to eat anything, not even the cut ladyfish. Then, while I was running the boat to another spot, I ran over a school of big black drum. We tried tossing cut ladyfish at them. I didn’t think that they would jump on this, but we got bit immediately- by catfish. Evidently the cats were swimming under the blacks. After a few of those the cut ladyfish were exchanged for DOA Shrimp.
It took quite a few casts but Shawn finally got the eat move from a big drum. He handed the rod to Daniel while I poled backwards, trying to break the fish from the school. Once that was done I jumped down and put the pole away, figuring we could just drift. Suddenly Daniel said, “He’s gone.” He reeled in the line and the DOA was gone. The leader had broken. BooHoo!
We found the school and tried again. Dan had one eat but didn’t stick it well enough and it came off in short order. We harassed them for almost another hour without a bite, and finally gave up, leaving them there. I think a fat shrimp would have done the deed, though.
Thursday Kevin Graybeal of Mosquito Lagoon Custom Rods joined me for a day on the Mosquito Lagoon. There were a lot of boats out for a Thursday! We found a school of black drum with a few reds mixed in, and as so often happens we got one of the reds. The rest of the fish fled in panic and we couldn’t find them again. We found some fish at another spot, but the clouds closed in and we couldn’t see anymore, and then it started raining. We bailed at that point.
One of the fishing-related things I’ve been doing this week is preparing for tarpon season. I’ve tied up some new flies and spooled up a couple of new Shimano spinning reels. I need to clean my fly reels and lines, tie some more flies (never enough of those), and check the stretcher box. The old flies need to be tossed and the new ones rigged. I love the anticipation of going tarpon fishing! I’ve ordered a new RipTide trolling motor and made my docking reservations at the Tarpon Lodge. I’ve gotten scattered reports of a few fish being hooked, and am so looking forward to tossing some flies at those silver kings next month! There is nothing like hooking a six foot long fish in four feet of water!!!
Life is short- GO FISHING!!!
Life is great and I love my work!
John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
fishing Blog 3/30
Going back to March 21, Mark Richter, a fly caster from New Jersey, joined me for a day on the Mosquito Lagoon. The weather was beautiful if a bit breezy, but we could see into the water very well. We found a school of redfish fairly quickly. Mark is a decent caster and had flies in the fish repeatedly. We kept changing patterns because they weren’t taking. When we tried an olive, #4 slider one finally took it. The fish was about 25 inches long. In spite of having shots fairly regularly all day that proved to be the only bite he got. But one fish is so many more than none…
On Saturday 3/22, Jeff Bogart, a spin fisherman from New Jersey, joined me for a relaxed half day on the Mosquito Lagoon. It was very calm (No wind? What’s up with that?) but overcast. The overcast didn’t matter much since we found lots of tailers. Jeff ended up getting five reds to about ten pounds.
Dr. David Glabman accompanied me on a kayak excursion into the no motor zone on Sunday. Since it was Easter we had the entire place to ourselves. That solitude was the best part of the trip, at least as far as catching fish goes. It was mostly overcast and such fish as we did see were right underneath us before we spotted them. But we didn’t see very many. I cast at two fish, both of which were watching me the entire time, and David had similar luck. We were skunked, never having had one decent shot.
Tuesday the Chechio bothers, Joe and Len, joined for a day’s fly fishing. It was 44 degrees and blowing 15-20 when I launched the boat at Port St. John. I hoped if I fished around the edge of the closed areas at the power plants I might pick up some jacks or ladyfish. I was wrong, as we didn’t get a bite. So at 9:30 I trailered the boat and we went to the Mosquito Lagoon.
The fish were scarce. I’m sure most had left the shallows due to the falling water temperatures. The wind certainly didn’t help us, either. Such shots as we did have were of the, “Just jump on him!” variety. For those not familiar with that type of shot, it’s the type where you’d have more success jumping on the fish than casting to it, because it’s right next to the boat. We got skunked again, the start of a disturbing trend.
Thursday Paul Nicholson met me at River Breeze. We launched the Mitzi and went fishing. We found hundreds of fish, trout, redfish, and black drum. The reds were tailing fairly well. It was a perfect day early on, no wind, no clouds, and fish everywhere. Paul tried to fly fish them for a while with no success, so he very pragmatically switched to spin tackle. He tried a number of lures, none of which worked until he put a Top Dog on. He got three slot trout in short order on that. But he wanted redfish, so he took it off.
There were fish everywhere we looked that day. We saw and had shots at literally hundreds of fish. Paul had one cast where a red chased the gold spoon to the boat, hitting it three times on the way and not getting hooked. Other than that he didn’t get a bite from a red, a very frustrating day for both of us. Maybe I need to re-think my aversion to Gulp! baits.
Friday Dr. George Yarko and his son Sean joined me for a day on the Mosquito Lagoon. We went straight to the bait, using mullet chunks. All the fish I had seen the previous day with Paul were gone. So we went to a little hole that sometimes holds fish, and it was loaded. Sean’s first fish was a five pound trout. Without describing each fish they caught, they ended up with 11 reds to ten pounds and two trout, four and five pounds. All fish but one were released.
Yesterday Jay Johnson and his son Kyle joined me for a day on Mosquito Lagoon. The idea was to teach Kyle, 13 years old, to fly fish. We had a fly casting lesson that lasted an hour or so, and then Kyle wanted to go fishing. I had brought spin rods, and mullet. Kyle ended up getting six reds to ten pounds, and was very pleased with the day.
So as I look back on the past week I have to wonder if flies and lures are becoming obsolete. That would be horrible, because I find fly fishing so much more entertaining than bait fishing.
Life is short- GO FISHING!!!
Life is great and I love my work!
John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
On Saturday 3/22, Jeff Bogart, a spin fisherman from New Jersey, joined me for a relaxed half day on the Mosquito Lagoon. It was very calm (No wind? What’s up with that?) but overcast. The overcast didn’t matter much since we found lots of tailers. Jeff ended up getting five reds to about ten pounds.
Dr. David Glabman accompanied me on a kayak excursion into the no motor zone on Sunday. Since it was Easter we had the entire place to ourselves. That solitude was the best part of the trip, at least as far as catching fish goes. It was mostly overcast and such fish as we did see were right underneath us before we spotted them. But we didn’t see very many. I cast at two fish, both of which were watching me the entire time, and David had similar luck. We were skunked, never having had one decent shot.
Tuesday the Chechio bothers, Joe and Len, joined for a day’s fly fishing. It was 44 degrees and blowing 15-20 when I launched the boat at Port St. John. I hoped if I fished around the edge of the closed areas at the power plants I might pick up some jacks or ladyfish. I was wrong, as we didn’t get a bite. So at 9:30 I trailered the boat and we went to the Mosquito Lagoon.
The fish were scarce. I’m sure most had left the shallows due to the falling water temperatures. The wind certainly didn’t help us, either. Such shots as we did have were of the, “Just jump on him!” variety. For those not familiar with that type of shot, it’s the type where you’d have more success jumping on the fish than casting to it, because it’s right next to the boat. We got skunked again, the start of a disturbing trend.
Thursday Paul Nicholson met me at River Breeze. We launched the Mitzi and went fishing. We found hundreds of fish, trout, redfish, and black drum. The reds were tailing fairly well. It was a perfect day early on, no wind, no clouds, and fish everywhere. Paul tried to fly fish them for a while with no success, so he very pragmatically switched to spin tackle. He tried a number of lures, none of which worked until he put a Top Dog on. He got three slot trout in short order on that. But he wanted redfish, so he took it off.
There were fish everywhere we looked that day. We saw and had shots at literally hundreds of fish. Paul had one cast where a red chased the gold spoon to the boat, hitting it three times on the way and not getting hooked. Other than that he didn’t get a bite from a red, a very frustrating day for both of us. Maybe I need to re-think my aversion to Gulp! baits.
Friday Dr. George Yarko and his son Sean joined me for a day on the Mosquito Lagoon. We went straight to the bait, using mullet chunks. All the fish I had seen the previous day with Paul were gone. So we went to a little hole that sometimes holds fish, and it was loaded. Sean’s first fish was a five pound trout. Without describing each fish they caught, they ended up with 11 reds to ten pounds and two trout, four and five pounds. All fish but one were released.
Yesterday Jay Johnson and his son Kyle joined me for a day on Mosquito Lagoon. The idea was to teach Kyle, 13 years old, to fly fish. We had a fly casting lesson that lasted an hour or so, and then Kyle wanted to go fishing. I had brought spin rods, and mullet. Kyle ended up getting six reds to ten pounds, and was very pleased with the day.
So as I look back on the past week I have to wonder if flies and lures are becoming obsolete. That would be horrible, because I find fly fishing so much more entertaining than bait fishing.
Life is short- GO FISHING!!!
Life is great and I love my work!
John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
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