February 2015: Cold Fronts, Rain, Wind, Low Tides and "Catching"

Not unlike past years, this February was an interesting month for fishing.  And although there were some nice days scattered throughout the month, my guests and I "fished on" thru cold fronts, rain, wind and very low tides.  And fortunately these conditions didn't seem to bother my guests or the fish much at all.

When the wind did lay down, the sheepshead bite was great !  Rock piles in 8-20' of water have been covered up with fish.  Depending on the tide, either a 1/8 oz jig head or a 1/2 oz knocker rig was all we needed to bring the "striped bandits" into the boat.  Live shrimp was the best bet, but fresh dead shrimp worked as well.  Many sheepshead were good sized ranging from 3-6 1/2 lbs and provided great action as they raced to get back into the rocks.  Other inhabitants of the rock piles also joined in including Grouper, sea bass and grunts.

 Take a look at our "2015 Photo Gallery"
for many great pics of this month's catch

Back inshore, where I love to fish and consider my specialty, the trout action was hot, even when the temps were low.  The only problem if you can call it that, was that many of the fish were too large to keep.  Trout in the 20" range were the norm, with many right at the 20" maximum keeper size.

Working jerk baits in shallow water is my favorite way to trout fish, and this technique produced the most action.  5" glow DOA jerk shad hooked thru the nose was most productive.  There's just something about the "thump" you feel when a gator trout initially hits the bait !  Braided line is a must to detect the strike, where mono would not allow the feel of the subtle tick in the line when the fish sucks at the bait.

With temperatures in the 20's on more than one morning this month, you have to posses a love of fishing!   Thankfully I do and so did my guests.   Many thanks as always to my angling allies for fishing with me this month as the cold winds blew, but the trout fishing was hot.  Capt Mark

January 2015

With cold front after cold front, picking your days to hit the shallow rocks for sheepshead was a hit or miss opportunity.  On the days we could get out, the big "sheepies" were there.   Live shrimp on a jig head or knocker rig, (weight size depending on the tide) was the ticket to these striped bait stealer's. 

On the inside the snapper were in the river and bays, and the reds are right there with them.

On warmer days try the outside islands and points.  Live shrimp as always is my go-to bait, but soft plastics and top water will work in the shallow water.

The trout bite has been scattered this month, but we did find some nice ones. 

On the sunny days they are on the hard bottom and on the cloudy and cold days we found them in the holes and river channels.  Free-lined live shrimp or jigs worked slow in these areas provided the best results.  The strike will be light, so pay attention and be ready to set the hook.

I want to wish everyone a "Happy New Year", and  I'm looking forward to another great year of "catch'n" in 2015.      Capt Mark

Snapper- Homosassa

Red fish

Crystal River Trout and Sheepshead

Nov - Dec 2014: End of another year of great fishing

With 2014 coming to a close, and another memorable year of Crystal River and Homosassa Fishing in the books, I look forward to what lies ahead in the new year.  This year the fishing was great, and I enjoyed days on the water with many old and new fishing friends.  I'd like to extend my appreciation to all.

Fishing in Nov and Dec was fantastic!  On the outside; sheepshead, flounder, black drum and grouper kept the drags screaming.  The shallow rocks in 8-14 feet of water held plenty of rod bending action.  Live shrimp, as always was the most productive bait.  Either a knocker rig or a jig head  with the shrimp was all we needed to entice the fish hiding in and around the rock piles.

Inside, the speckled trout action picked up with fish on the flats on the warm days and in the holes on the colder days.

On the flats the popping cork rig with a 1/16 oz jig and 5" white Zoom bait worked slowly seemed to work the best.  The Glow jerk bait worked well on the yellow bottom and in the holes around the creek mouths.  Again, a slow presentation was the key.

Red fish also moved with the changing water temps.  They stayed outside on the warm days were found  up in the creeks and back country on the cold mornings.

Up in the river the snapper bite was on fire.  Keeper size fish were plentiful, however you had to get past the small ones to get hold of the big ones.  Fresh shrimp was again the key to catching.  Stay away from the frozen shrimp, as they get soft and are easily stolen off the hook.  You may find yourself doing a little "wish fishin".

 

Speckled Trout

Bill shows off a big bull red fish before releasing it back into the gulf.

October 2014

October was a great month for catching, and catching is what we did!  Offshore on the shallow rocks the action was awesome.  Big grunts, flounder, sea bass, grouper, and even hog fish.  Live shrimp on a jig head or a knocker rig was all that was necessary to get them in the boat, but when the big grouper moved in, we had to step it up.

Gag Grouper

The Spanish mackerel bite has been spotty.  One day they are everywhere and the next day they're no where to be found.  There's been plenty of bait offshore, so I'm not sure why the Macs don't stay around.  Jigs, free-lined shrimp, and cut bait all worked well when they were around and feeding.

Inshore the redfish bite has still been great.  Rocky points, keys, creek mouths, and rock flats have all been holding fish.  Live shrimp or fresh cut pinfish kept the drags singing all month.  All size fish have been caught, which is a good sign for the future population.  Mixed with the slot size fish were plenty of oversized ones as well, as well as the puppy drum ( 17" and smaller)

Bull Red Fish- released

The only negative this month has been the trout fishing.  This time of year the trout action should be on fire, but it's been fairly slow.  We'd find one or two at a spot, then we would have to keep moving to pick up one here and there.  No real concentration of fish besides the small ones 12" and under, that I try to avoid because of their poor survival rate after being hooked.  Lets hope November will bring in a new wave of fish from offshore.

Thanks as always to all my guests and "Tight Lines" until next time.  Check out my photo gallery for more great memories.