East Coast, John Kumiski

Around Orlando Fishing Report

This is an around Orlando fishing report, covering the St. Johns River, the Mosquito Lagoon, and Farm 13, a rather long ride from Orlando.

While web surfing this week I chanced upon an article about the evolution of beauty by a writer named Ferris Jabr. It was brilliantly written. I give you it’s conclusion-

“If there is a universal truth about beauty — some concise and elegant concept that encompasses every variety of charm and grace in existence — we do not yet understand enough about nature to articulate it. What we call beauty is not simply one thing or another, neither wholly purposeful nor entirely random, neither merely a property nor a feeling. Beauty is a dialogue between perceiver and perceived. Beauty is the world’s answer to the audacity of a flower. It is the way a bee spills across the lip of a yawning buttercup; it is the care with which a satin bowerbird selects a hibiscus bloom; it is the impulse to recreate water lilies with oil and canvas; it is the need to place roses on a grave.”

– Ferris Jabr

If you enjoy reading the English language used well do a search on his name. His website will come up.

FISHING!

Monday
Having heard about shad in the St. Johns the Bang-O-Craft came out of seclusion and transported me to the mouth of the Econ. There were no shad. That’s not just my conclusion. There were four other boats there- no one got one. This reporter got two crappie and two bluegills in three hours.

Tuesday

Best fish of the day (of the week, actually), took a Culprit worm.

Drove to Farm 13 hoping to get some bass, and just maybe- a Lunker! You could not ask for a nicer day in January, that’s for sure. My first and biggest (no lunkers though) came on plastic worms, but I got a dozen or so, and one bluegill, on Krebs poppers tossed with a 5-weight. That’s an awesome place, but it’s too far from my house.

Wednesday
Towed the Mitzi to Beacon 42 ramp for some Mosquito Lagoon scouting. Got there late, around 10. There were two trailers in the lot. I knew then catching would not be good, but launched the boat into the VERY dirty water anyway.

Checked several favorite winter spots. All were barren with the exception of a single tailing redfish to which I did not get a cast. On the bright side I pretty much had the whole place to myself.

I kept hitting the bottom with the MinnKota. Why? I could not see the bottom. To those hoping the water would clear up when winter came, sorry, it ain’t happening.

At the last spot (why does it usually work that way?) I got a dozen or so trout and three reds. One trout was in the slot. Everything else was short. The plastic shad fights off the skunk again!

Thursday
It was cold. I stayed home and cleaned the garage. Good thing it was trash day. https://orlando.craigslist.org/pts/d/oviedo-tuff-truck-rack-by-spring-creek/6791721077.html

Friday

Shad hit the silly jigs, but not the flies.

Launched the Bang-O-Craft at Mullet Lake Park circa 10 am. By 1230 I had gotten one shad on a crappie jig. Some kind of sea monster hit one of the jigs and straightened the hook before revealing itself. Those were the only two bites.

Got a nice crappie on the jig, too.

In spite of Monday I pulled the boat and went to CS Lee Park. On my first cast I hooked a shad double, although one broke off. It was one of three doubles I would get on the spin rod. Try as I might, no shad came to the fly today. Got a crappie. Got a bluegill. But no shad. Fifteen or so shad fell for those silly jigs though.

That’s this week’s Around Orlando Fishing Report! Thanks for reading!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com