Still Drumming in the Banana River Lagoon
Capt. John Kumiski
March 1, 2009
Titusville - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fishing Report from Spotted Tail 3/1/09
I'd rather be fishing.
Monday I spent the entire afternoon waiting in a doctor's office. Tuesday I only had to spend about an hour in the doctor's office but it was right in the middle of the day.
Wednesday found me at the MINWR headquarters. I had to get a special use permit for the Show and Tell. After talking to Dorn Whitmore for a while I went to check a couple of kayak fishing spots. The first had some fish. I got a slot trout on a Rattle Rouser, then hooked and lost a mystery fish on a Dupre Spoonfly, then hooked and lost another fish on a black Clouser Minnow, then got a slot red with the same black Clouser Minnow. All this happened in the space of about two hours.
I decided to leave the fish to check another spot. When I got there it looked great but I paddled all around and didn't see a single fish. So I put the boat back on the roof and went home.
Sometime Wednesday night I checked the weather forecast. It predicted an east wind at 10 MPH for Thursday. Since everything was already in/on the van I decided to get up and go to the no motor zone the next morning.
With all due apologies to George Thoroughgood:
I fish alone!
Yeah, with nobody else.
Whenever I fish alone
I prefer to be by myself!
Over a year ago a gentleman whose last name was Yankovich if I remember right (no, not Weird Al) sent me some flies he called Yank's Redfish Assassin. Umpqua carries them now. He wrote in the cover letter that he wanted to see in this fishing report that I caught some reds on Yank's Redfish Assassin.
Although I think they'd work great in Louisiana, the flies are kind of big and heavy for my day to day work here. But for the NMZ I thought they might work so I brought one with me.
When I went to tie a fly on I thought the tippet was too short. Rather than do the right thing and make a new one I did the expedient thing and just added a piece to the old one. Then I tied the Assassin on.
Although I launched at daybreak it was after 10 AM before I saw the first fish. I got out of the boat and started wading and before too long I saw a little clump of black drum. The fly dropped in front of them and a nice thump ensued. The fish was only on for a few seconds before the hook pulled, just long enough to scare the others away. So I commenced to looking for more.
Time passed and I was getting ready to paddle off again when I spotted a pair of blacks, big ones. The Assassin went out and another solid thump happens. The fish is a big one. Although I want to fight him hard I tell myself, Don't lose that fly! I already like it and it's the only one I brought. But somewhere in there the double surgeon's knot I used to attach the new piece of tippet let go. I lost the fish and the fly. Damn! Spank me!
I went to the kayak and did what I should have done originally- made up a whole new tippet. Then I tied on a black Clouser Minnow and went fishing again.
Without getting too wordy, fishing was fairly tough. It was windy and there weren't a lot of fish around. I had several refusals, and ended the day getting two black drum to about 30 pounds and two redfish, each about 10 pounds. I probably paddled 10 or 12 miles in that wind, though, and was whacked by the time I got back to the van. On the other hand I didn't see another fisherman and the only person I saw all day was the NASA security guy as he roared past in the airboat. I fish alone!
Friday I was supposed to fish George Yarko, but at pickup time I was at the ER at Winter Park Hospital. It was another doctor filled day.
Saturday 18 people showed up for the Show and Tell. We traveled around the MINWR and talked fishing from 830 AM until after 4 PM. It was a good time with a great bunch of people! Many thanks to all who came!
This morning, in spite of the weather forecast, brothers Bob and Fred Schreiber joined me for as much fishing on the Mosquito Lagoon as we could squeeze in before the weather turned to complete crap. When we launched it was mostly crap, overcast and blowing better than 20 out of the southwest. We saw four redfish, maybe a dozen (nice) trout, and caught two catfish before the front passed at about 1030. The wind turned about 90 degrees and if anything increased in intensity. The temperature dropped at least 15 degrees. It started spitting rain. The boat was back onto the trailer a few minutes after 11 AM. We were glad to be off the water.
Life is short- GO FISHING!
And life is great and I love my work!
John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
member Florida Outdoor Writers Association (www.fowa.org),
Indian River Guides association (www.irga.org)
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