John Kumiski, East Central

Around Central Florida Fishing Report

I fished in three different places early in the week, giving me an around central Florida fishing report.

Sunrise was spectacular.

Sunday morning I hauled meself out of bed and drove to Playalinda, watching lightning play between the clouds as I drove. Armed with a stripping basket and an eight-weight fly rod loaded with an intermediate line, my first thought on seeing the surf in the dawn’s gloaming was, “I can’t fly fish in that.” It turns out I was wrong.

“I can’t fly fish in that!”

Observation- that 50 foot cast that looks so great on a stream or pond looks terribly short in the ocean.

Sunrise was spectacular. But there was no bait. No birds were working. I parked at lot 1 and worked most of the way to the fence, tossing a 3/0 electric sushi. Not a tap did I get.

He had just as much success as I did.

Near the boardwalk a guy was bait fishing. He had just as much success as I did, at least while I was there. That wasn’t very long. I was home before church got out.

*****

Monday Scott Radloff joined me for a Mitzi trip out of Port Canaveral. We launched the boat before 8 AM, heading south to see what we could see. The water was dirty. A few pelicans circled lazily, diving every now and then.

For about a mile north of CB pier the surf was loaded with mullet. We saw a few busts in there. I netted some of the lisa. We impaled a couple on hooks and tossed them out, freelining and dragging them behind us while using the trolling motor. This lasted 40 minutes or so, when I ran out of patience.

We ran most of the way to the CB steeple, saw nothing. I turned left and headed out a couple miles. The sea was flotsam free. We saw nothing in the way of fish.

I turned left and headed for the cape shoals. We saw nothing. The water did get a lot cleaner north of the buoy line.

The water along the beach on the way back to the port had a few schools of finger mullet. We saw a couple small busts in one that I suspect were ladyfish. We did not get a bite.

We saw a small manta ray within a stone’s throw of the beach. He was lonely.

We saw a barracuda within a stone’s throw of the beach. He ignored our offerings.

Back at the ramp I saw and talked to Fred Cisnero. He had not gotten a bite either.

*****

Tuesday morning I drove up to Spruce Creek, launched the kayak about 8 AM. It was a slack high tide, pretty much the worst tide possible for fishing there. The odd mullet jumped happily. Other than that the water surface was almost a mirror.

I started with the six-weight. On my leader was a size one electric chicken colored synthetic minnow, EP-style. About an hour in I found some baby tarpon rolling, quite a few of them. I got only two responses to my casts, both negative.

I changed to a black and purple version of the same pattern. That got no response at all.

Since I had a spin rod, I tried a plastic shad. Nothing.

Near noon some busting fish attracted my attention. A Chug Bug elicited strikes but no hookups. I switched to a Deadly Combo. That resulted in a rat red, a snooklet, and a crevalle of about one pound, all within a 10-minute span. Hey, yay, the skunk was off!

Shortly after this I loaded up the boat and drove home, stopping at River Breeze and Beacon 42 on the way. The water is high and looks dirty. Perhaps I will venture out there next week, if the new storm misses us.

Errands and weather kept me off the water the rest of the week. Humberto, go away!!!

I have a new book coming out! Please tell your friends! It’s a guide book to fishing Florida by paddle craft. Click this link for more information!

That’s this week’s Around Central Florida Fishing Report. Thanks for reading!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
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