Indian River Lagoon & Banana River
Capt. John Kumiski
August 14, 2005
Titusville - Saltwater Fishing Report
Spotted Tail Space Coast report 8/14/05
This week’s fishing report from Spotted Tail, updated 8/14/05
Upcoming Events-
-September- The annual Kids Fishing Day will be on 9/24. Please mark your calendar!
-October- one of the popular "Show and Tell" seminars is scheduled for Oct. 15 at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Details will be posted in September.
-I am scheduled to teach a Flats Fishing class at Brevard Community College, Cocoa, from 10/25 to 11/22. Call the school at 321.433.7530 to register.
-November- I am scheduled to teach a Saltwater Fly Fishing class on November 5th and 12th class at Brevard Community College, Cocoa. Call the school at 321.433.7530 to register. I will be tying flies at the International Fly Tying Symposium in Somerset, NJ on November 19 and 20.
You didn't miss last week's report, I didn't write one. I will try to make up for it right now.
On Aug. 3 Rob Blake and I went scouting together on the Mosquito Lagoon. There was lots of floating grass and the water was dirty in much of the lagoon. We found decent numbers of trout but no reds to speak of.
Aug. 4 I fished Bob and Tresa Jackson in the Mosquito Lagoon. Bob was a fly fisher, Tresa tossed a Chug Bug. She got several trout on the Chug Bug until about 8 AM, at which time that action stopped. It wasn't much after this that we found a handsome school of reds, one of which Bob hooked on a Seaducer. Sadly, the fish broke off and try as we might we couldn't buy another strike. There were several other anglers in the same area tossing various types of bait, and they didn't get any fish either. One of those things, I guess.
Aug, 9 Scott Radloff and I went out of Port Canaveral. We got enough pogies for bait for several weeks with the amount of action we had. We slow trolled along the buoy line for over an hour. We then ran south and slow trolled off of Cocoa Beach for almost two hours. We had one strike here from what I'm guessing was a small shark. Although we didn't catch it it was on for a minute or so, and the bait was cut in half. It didn't even pull any drag. We then found a very well developed weed line, bright, fresh, Sargassum weed, which we followed for over an hour without seeing a single fish or getting a bite. We then went back to the end of the buoy line and slow trolled for another 45 minutes. Nothing. We stopped at the jetty on the way in, where I got a 14" snapper to avoid the skunkus.
On the 12th Scott and I tried going out of Ponce Inlet. I got a seven pound snook on a Chug Bug at the jetty right away. I followed it up with a 13" snapper and a trophy sized toadfish. Since the jetty action was slow we went looking for other action. Out near the tideline we found schools of what turned out to be bonitos going off in a big, big way. We hooked several on white DOA CAL jigs and boated two. This action finally died, so we went in by the beach. That's what I'm talking about! Miles of menhaden with big tarpon and sharks blowing up through them constantly, even if we hadn't gotten a bite it would have been awesome just to see it. I hooked a four foot blacktip and as I was fighting it Scott hooked a tarpon of about 70 pounds. It turned out to be the first one he'd ever caught. Rounds of congratulations followed, of course! Weather then forced us to leave.
I was back the next morning (the 13th) with Patrick Phillips. It's never the same, but it sure was close. We netted enough menhaden for the day with one toss of the net. I got the first bite, but Patrick was only a few seconds behind. We both got our fish, identical tarpon of about 70 pounds. It was only slightly controlled chaos fighting both of those fish from my little Mirage! It turned out to be the first big tarpon Patrick had ever caught. Rounds of congratulations followed, of course! We then had a run of sharks, with the best being a five foot long blacktip. Then I hooked the big fish of the day, a tarpon of about 115 pounds. It took a while to revive this one but he finally swam off. Then Patrick hooked another 'poon of about 90 pounds, on what turned out to be his last cast. After releasing this one it was about noon and the weather was beginning to threaten, so hot, sweaty, tired, and entirely pleased with ourselves, we ran back into the inlet.
To see pictures of these fish, please visit
http://www.spottedtail.com
Remember- life is short. GO FISHING!
Life is great and I love my work!!
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email at [email protected], or call at 407 977 5207.
John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
member IRGA, FOWA
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