High Water in the Mosquito Lagoon
Capt. John Kumiski
September 20, 2008
Titusville - Saltwater Fishing Report
This week's fishing report from Capt. John Kumiski 9/20/08
Ah yes, the fishing report. It's been harder to get material to write about than it should have been.
First off, when you've been gone for a couple of months, there's always a certain amount of catching up that needs to be done. I still haven't finished. For instance, I need to write a check to the IRS for my 3rd quarter taxes. Yes, it is late already.
It took longer to get the trailer hitch on the van than I thought it would. I could have done it easily by paying retail, but I don't have the funds for that. But it's now on the van, it does work, it has been used.
The roof racks haven't arrived yet. They've been paid for, but haven't gotten here yet. I eagerly await them. Yakimas, I hope they fit right! Thanks to everyone who made suggestions as to how I should deal with the rack problem. The best answer I got was from Ryan Lee. I asked him for a snail mail address for that prize pack but haven't received it yet.
Monday last week Chris Myers took me out on the Mosquito Lagoon. We covered a lot of high water and didn't see a lot. I got one redfish on fly out of a school that immediately vacated the premises, and another hours later on a jerk worm, a single Chris spotted while poling. I had a half dozen or so shots. The other fish refused and bolted.
Wednesday last week I went to Punta Gorda to attend the Florida Outdoor Writers Association annual conference. It was good. Chris Myers and I got to fish a half day with Rick DePaiva. Myers was hot. I was not. Chris got two snook to about 30 inches, a redfish, and hooked a tarpon of 20 pounds or so. I got a couple of ladyfish. All fish were caught on DOA baits.
For me, the highlights of the conference were a presentation by Art Scheck, and winning the best book award for Redfish on the Fly. Yes, my book won first place! It was an exciting moment for me. If you want more information on this book, hit this link: http://www.spottedtail.com/ArgonautBooksRedfishOnTheFly.htm
Monday I went to see an ophthalmologic surgeon. For only $10,000 I can get my eyes fixed so I don't need to wear glasses for distance vision any more! The next time you see me, I'll still be wearing glasses.
Thursday Scott Radloff joined me for a day in the Mitzi. Figuring the mullet would be running, we went to Port Canaveral. There weren't many mullet, nor much of anything else. We ran the beach to Cape Canaveral and didn't see much, so we headed out to sea. We found a pretty good weedline about four miles out, nice, fresh sargassum. We didn't see any fish on it longer than about two inches. We came in reeking of skunk.
Friday Shawn Healey joined me on the Mosquito Lagoon. We immediately found a few breaking fish and I got a nice crevalle, five pounds or so, on a DOA Bait Buster. When we found some clean water, we found redfish, and got a couple right off the bat, both on RipTide Weedless jigs. Then the wind came up and the fish dried up. After about 10 AM we hardly saw anything else, and had the boat on the trailer at about 2:30.
On a different note, Canaveral National Seashore requires me to purchase a commercial use permit every year in order to guide there and in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Administrator Carol Clark sent me an email telling me I would soon have to fill out a fishing log every day I fished there. I wasn't real happy about this. Below is a copy of my correspondence to her and her representative to date:
Hi Carol-
I'm still trying to catch up on things that happened while I was away.
> I just wanted to touch base and chat about a couple of things. The first is that we are >considering going back to the year to date issuance procedures on the permits rather >than the calendar year.
Whatever works best for you.
>The other thing is that we are also considering making the use of a catch log mandatory >as well. The purpose of the catch log is to provide us with data on what is being caught >out there.
Where is Thomas Jefferson when you need him? I'm looking at another government intrusion into my life.
I don't see what use catch records of guides will be unless you have the catch records of everyone who fishes there as well.
>We find that the guides really are a good source for us to gather information.
Has this been done before? Not here.
>Depending how this works out we may not have to go to a check point type system >where guides would have to check in and check out. Let me know what you think
Obviously more manpower will be required to administer and track this data.
Where's the money coming from? It seems to me that more habitat protection would be, should be, a higher priority than more paperwork. But more paperwork is a brilliant strategy to discourage people from wanting to fish there.
Sorry to be so negative but I'm getting sick and tired of all forms of government telling me what I can, can't, will, and won't do. I'm voting libertarian from now on.
JK
I got a response from John Stiner, one of her employees. Here's my response to him:
Mr. Stiner-
> Thank you for your letter regarding the requirement to maintain catch logs
> for fishers and shellfishers engaged in commercial activity at Canaveral
> National Seashore.
You are quite welcome, sir.
> You can be assured that we are no more interested in creating superfluous paperwork
> than you are.
Then why do we have another form?
> our highest priority is habitat protection. In fact, it is our primary mission.
Please. I see CNS rangers stopping speeders on the roads. I don't see any rangers stopping boaters who act like morons on the water, though.
>This form is an important one that will provide much needed information on fish populations in Mosquito Lagoon.
Fish populations are not habitat. Seagrass is habitat. You will forgive me if I say that I see absolutely nothing being done to protect seagrasses in Canaveral National Seashore waters.
MINWR put a pole/troll area in place. They marked it with buoys. Since the buoys were put in most of them floated away. None have been replaced.
I was out there today. I saw at least a dozen boaters running in the pole/troll area. I saw zero law enforcement, which is what I usually see. On those rare occasions when there is law enforcement in the lagoon, either from the Park Service or Fish and Wildlife Service, they seem unwilling to write tickets. There is no consequence if you get caught running in these zones. Other than thinking it's the right thing to do, why should I bother obeying the rule? Clearly many boaters, who call themselves fishermen, don't think protecting seagrasses is the right thing to do.
I fish out of my kayak quite a bit, launching at River Breeze and paddling into CNS waters. Every time I go out, and I want to stress the EVERY TIME part, there are new prop dredge marks through the sea grass beds. CNS is doing nothing about this.
>it's still the best way we know of to monitor the health of the fishery.
Why aren't there rangers doing creel surveys- ON THE WATER? That would be a better way to get information. If boaters thought there was law enforcement out there maybe they wouldn't be keeping oversize/undersize fish, keeping more than their bag limit, etc. Maybe they'd think twice before tearing up the bottom. More paperwork just gives bureaucrats more office work to do. It solves nothing.
Most of the Fish and Wildlife people I run into are at the boat ramp, sitting in their truck. It seems like they're afraid to get into a boat. They might get dirty, or sweaty, or wet, or cold.
Put people in boats and have them do some real work.
I realize there's a lot of water out there and the budget is tight. But I have to pay a tax of $250 a year to get a sticker for my boat that says I operate legally. I get NO benefit for this expense. I have no say in how it's used. Where does the money go, into some government black hole? The government can bail out greedy, wealthy bankers but it can't repair a boat ramp. There are craters at the entrance to the Haulover Canal boat ramp that can easily break a trailer axle. It's been like that for months.
Sorry if I'm venting but it is so frustrating.
> That's why we're asking for your help.
I'll help any way I can. But I still think another form is a bunch of crap.
I do thank you for the dialogue, even if I ranted a bit.
John Kumiski
Finally, if you could take any fishing trip for any species anywhere in Florida, with money not being an object, where would you go and what would you fish for? Why? I'll share the best answers with all my readers, and send out a prize pack or two. Let me know! Thanks! My email address is [email protected]
And as we all know, life is short- enjoy it!
Life is great and I love my work!
John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
www.johnkumiski.com
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