Space Coast Fishing Report from Capt. John Kumiski 4/29/08
My friend Rick DePaiva http://www.saltwaterflyfishing.org/ has been hooking tarpon almost every day lately over in Pine Island Sound. I can't wait to get over there.
My truck was in the shop for four days last week. After one day I was sick of being home (the weather was perfect) so I returned to the days of my youth, taped a fly rod to the bicycle crossbar, and peddled to the Econlockhatchee River to fish for sunfish.
There weren't a lot of sunfish there. Usually as you walk the banks you can see a lot of them. I got six or eight, all redbreasts. One was the biggest redbreast I've ever caught. But I didn't get a stumpknocker, nor a bluegill. Kinda weird.
I saw a half dozen alligators, many Plecostamuses, and had a school of a dozen or so largemouth bass swim by me. I didn't try for the gators or the Plecos, and the bass ignored my little bluegill fly. It was a lovely, thoroughly enjoyable excursion.
I got my truck back Thursday afternoon. Friday friend and neighbor Karl Dienst and I went kayak fishing on the Mosquito Lagoon. Karl got a black drum on his first cast of the day. Then I got one. Then he got a nice trout. Then I got one. We had about 45 minutes of fast and furious action, and then it died to nothing. I was home by noon time.
Sunday Dr. Mark Whittington, a fly caster from the UK, joined me for a day on the Mosquito Lagoon. The weather could not have been any nicer. I saw more redfish then I'd seen in a single day in at least five years. They were everyplace we looked, and lots of them. I do not exaggerate when I say we saw well over 1000 redfish, and a few trout and black drum too.
Catching them was a different story. As soon as Mark started waving that rod, the fish would panic and flee. The scene played out over and over again. He did get some good shots in, and got one red on a slider. It was both amazing and frustrating and tough all at the same time. To see thousands and only get one…
Monday I had a split half day. The morning angler was Jeff Christensen, from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. As we idled down the Haulover Canal I saw some fish rolling that looked like baby tarpon. I shut off the boat and handed Jeff a rod. They were big ladyfish, a treat for a guy from Wisconsin. I gave him the ultralight with a CAL jig on it, and he got four ladies before the action died down. He had a blast!
It was quite windy, 15 plus, and all those redfish I had seen the day before were now hiding. We did find some, but the only bite he got was from a three pound plus trout that whacked a jerk bait. Noon came too quickly, and I dropped off Jeff and picked up Steve Butcher, from Connecticut.
The wind was now at a steady 20 with gusts. Steve tried fly fishing at first, as we hid against the west bank of the lagoon trying to stay in the lee. Although we saw a few fish, a real shot was not forthcoming. Steve switched to a spin rod.
I poled the shorelines of a couple islands and saw nothing. It was getting late so I staked out by a hole in the lee of an island and we tossed a couple of mullet chunks out. Although catfish found some of them, we did manage to get (and release) an in-the-slot redfish. After the previous day it seemed like slim pickings. Ya shoulda been here yesterday!
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
