Indian River Lagoon & Banana River
Capt. John Kumiski
May 30, 2005
Titusville - Saltwater Fishing Report
Spotted Tail tarpon report 5/30
This week’s fishing report from Spotted Tail, updated 5/30/05
Please take some time today to reflect on the fact that for the past 200 plus years our freedom was paid for with the blood of servicemen and women.
Now, for a long report for the past two weeks. I drove to Pineland Marina on May 15, dropped the boat in the water, and went looking for tarpon. What a feeling! I didn't see any for a couple of hours, but then found a large school at Redfish Pass. While I patrolled three more schools, from a little pod of four fish to a large school of about 100, came across the shoal. No eaters, but I was scouting and didn't really care. The fish were there.
Monday the 16th I met Steve Gibson and Rick Grassett. We scoured Pine Island Sound and the beaches looking for fish. Until we got to Boca Grande we saw exactly one all day, a sad thing. At Boca Grande we watched from close range two large hammerhead sharks attack and eat a hooked tarpon. They were very businesslike in their feeding, I can assure you of that. All that was left were a few scraps for the birds.
On the 17th Mike and Shelly Dubis joined me on Spotted Tail. Mike is a fly fisher from Wisconsin. Using a Sexyfly, he got a bite from a daisy chaining school of tarpon at our first stop. He never set the hook, so that hookup lasted about 2.3 seconds. We had several more chances throughout the day but couldn't cash in. We did get some trout, ladyfish, and a snook while continuing the tarpon hunt. It was a very enjoyable day.
On the 19th Doug Calvert, a fly caster from California, joined me. We went looking for tarpon in Pine Island Sound and didn't see very many, so took a crack at redfish. Doug caught one on a Clouser minnow on his second cast. We saw large numbers of snook but they wouldn't bite, so we went out into the Gulf looking for tarpon again. We found them coming over the shoal at Redfish Pass. Doug had some great shots but no takes. Then Pete Greenan called and said he was on a large school of fish, inviting us to join him. We did, and Doug got a strike not 20 feet from the boat. Sadly, or maybe fortunately, he pulled the fly from the fish before the hook had a chance to stick. Those close up hookups make me nervous. Wearing a large, angry tarpon doesn't sound like it would be fun.
On the 20th and 21st my buddy Michael Grant stopped in. We had some shots at tarpon on Friday but they wouldn't eat our Bass Assassins, although several fish examined them closely. What we did find were a load of seatrout in about three feet of water in Pine Island Sound. They wanted Chug Bugs in the worst way. We spent a couple of hours trout fishing and caught fish to almost four pounds more or less continuously, managing several doubles and a wayward mangrove snapper. Didn't think they would smack a Chug Bug, did you?
Michael didn't want to tarpon fish on Saturday so we went popping for trout again. Fishing was outstanding all day long. They do love those Chug Bugs. Michael also got a couple of snook, one a beautiful 27 inch fish, and another snapper. He almost lost a hooked trout to an osprey when the bird dove on it. I was amazed, never having seen one do that, and darned glad the bird missed!
I had the 22nd off and went out by myself. I got on a daisy chain in Pine Island Sound and hooked up immediately. On the fish's first run the fly line got caught in the line clipper I wear around my neck and the fish almost pulled me through the guides. Fortunately the leader broke before my head was squeezed through the stripper guide. I re-rigged and immediately started pursuing another school of fish. I finally got a shot and the fish ate immediately. I broke the 80 pound fish at boatside after getting the leader into the rod three times.
That afternoon I went looking along the beach. I found two small schools of fish that wouldn't eat, but then found a HUGE school. First cast to them- BANG! I fought the 100 pound fish for maybe 15 minutes when the line went slack. I still had the fly and thought the hook pulled but upon examination the point of the hook had snapped off behind the barb. I called it a day at that point.
On Monday I fished Tim and TJ Bettis, fly fishers from central Florida. There were fish everywhere in Pine Island Sound but they wouldn't give us the time of day. We watched an angler in my friend Rick DePaiva's boat fight a 100 pound fish for about 30 minutes, a fish that took a black and purple Sexyfly. He broke the rod, and finally the bite tippet wore through.
After lunch we went looking along the beach. We immediately got on a school of fish on the Captiva Shoal. Although we stayed with them for about 30 minutes and had some long looks, none of the fish ate. We proceeded to idle up the beach, all the way to Boca Grande. The Bettis's were unpleasantly surprised at the turmoil that makes up the Boca Grande fishery. We headed south back down the beach and found a huge school of fish in a 100 foot diameter daisy chain. TJ hooked up on a Slinky Fiber Minnow, but he was in the stern of the boat. While he tried to clear the line it wrapped around the helm and the fish made short work of it after that. I took Tim's rod and made one cast and a fish came right up and ate. I tried to set the hook and pulled the fly out of his mouth. I handed the rod to Tim who made a cast and hooked up immediately. After only two or three jumps the fish went through the bite tippet. Then the wind came up, clouds came, and we called it a day.
Tuesday 20 knot plus winds and clouds made fishing next to impossible. I was supposed to fish Allen Wyatt but he was unable to come, and his timing could not have been better. I caught a few trout on popping bugs and left early.
Wednesday Scott Stinson, a fly fisher from Missouri, wanted to try redfishing. We had picked this morning since it was supposed to have a good tailing tide, but the 20 plus knot west wind never let the water out, or us fish the desired flat. We ended up making the best of it by fishing behind the lee sides of various islands. Scott got a needlefish, a pinfish, three hockey puck sized jacks, a snook, and two redfish to 25 inches, all while blind casting a chartreuse Clouser Minnow. We've both had worse days.
Wednesday afternoon I picked up fly fisher Barry Kent from Leesburg, FL and we ran to Captiva Pass to try and catch the crab bite on the hill tide. Rick hooked seven fish before we got there, but we missed it because we were too late getting there.
Thursday Barry and I tried first in Pine Island Sound and then out along the beach. We saw fish, but never got a good shot and didn't get a bite. We did catch the hill tide in Captiva Pass. We watched my friend Blake Matherly hook three fish on crabs and another boat with fly fishers hook one, but we didn't get a bite, nor did we see anyone else get one.
Friday morning Barry and I fished in Pine Island Sound until noon. We had good shots, excellent shots, all morning long, but not one fish ate. After lunch we went out along the beach, idling all the way to Murdock Point. We saw exactly three fish. We headed south, and found the silver mine. Barry hooked a 100 plus pound fish from a long string on a Sexyfly, but it wore through the bite tippet early on. He then hooked an 80 pounder from a daisy chain, again on a Sexyfly. He fought the fish for an hour, after which it was released. Between 4:30 and 5 PM I threw to four separate schools of fish and had some good looks, but none of the fish committed. Then it was time to quit. Barry had to drive to Leesburg and I had to get ready to drive home Saturday.
Yesterday I had a kayak charter out of River Breeze, Kurt Garber and his friend Mickey. We saw maybe a dozen fish all morning and we didn't get a bite. It was a lovely paddle though, and not one internal combustion powered maniac came close to running us over.
Remember- life is short. GO FISHING!
Life is also great and I love my work!!
John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
member IRGA, FOWA
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