Red Fishing is just about as good as it can get, with big schools of fish up to the 30" size range. The action has been on fire, as the reds are hitting just the plain jig head with no bait on it ! However, with that said, live shrimp on fresh cut pin fish or a mullet have been working the best. The schools have been moving, so where you catch fish one day isn't necessarily where they will be found the next day. Fish all the usual spots from Crystal River to Chassahowitzka . Look for the schools of mullet, and you'll usually find the reds mixed in with them.
The Speckled Trout bite is in full swing, with fish showing up all over. The big ones like to hang out in the kelp beds and yellow bottom in 2-4 feet of water. White jerk baits worked slow have produced some big fish. The cork rigs in 3-6 feet of water with a Mirro Lure "Little John" in the bourbon color have been doing very well. Limits of trout have been the norm, and this is a nice change for what was otherwise a slow summer as far as trout action.
Spanish Mackerel are all over both inshore and offshore. They are hitting just about everything; jigs, shrimp, and cut bait- it doesn't seem to matter !
The Grouper bite has been off the hook, with fish in the 20 lb range being landed. Trolling the rock piles and ledges in 10-20 feet of water has been very productive. Casting plugs or dead baiting on the shallow rocks have also produced some awesome and rod bending battles. Big grunts and snapper are are also sharing the same areas, so when you need a break from the big ones, switch over to your light tackle and drop a shrimp on a 1/8 oz jig head and hold on !
Once again, many thanks to all my guests for another great month of Citrus County Fishing out of Crystal River and Homosassa.
