  
CURRENT FISHING REPORTS
(For a closer look,
click on the photos in the fishing reports to enlarge)
March 7, 2012:
Today I had a three-boat
party booked at the Atlanta
Fishing Club in
Homosassa. Capt Rick
Spratt, Capt William
Toney joined me for the
Hanson family and friends
group.
Richard, his wife Mary,
their son Rick and his
friend Ashley made up my
crew. Our main goal for
this morning was to catch
lunch, since we had a
shore lunch planned for
later in the day. the wind
howling out of the East at
about 20 knots, and had
blown most of the water out
leaving us with a super low
tide. In spite of these
challenging conditions, my
team persisted and everyone
landed Speckled Trout of all
sizes.
Our boat won the contest for
the most keepers ! However
the entire group was
successful in catching their
share of fish, including a
nice big Pompano landed on
Capt Rick's boat. Many
thanks to the Hansen family
and friends fishing group
for a fun day on the
Homosassa River.
March 5th & 6th, 2012:
Today I teamed up with my
good friend and a great
guide "Capt William Toney".
We met at MacRae's on the
Homosassa River, and I
joined him on a two
boat party out of the
Riverside Resort in
Homosassa.
On the first day "Mike" and
his son "Mike Jr." were on
my boat. When we hit
the mouth of the river the
tide was low and the wind
was calm, and we saw that
the conditions were right
for going off-shore.
We headed for the shallow
rocks and using 1/8 oz jigs
with Gulp 3" glow and new
penny shrimp we worked the
scattered rocks and grass
patches. The action
was steady with Speckled
Trout, Blue Fish, Spanish
Mackerel, and Sea Bass all
going after the baits.
After a while, when the tide
got high enough we headed
towards the in-shore bars
and switched our baits over
to 5" DOA glow jerk baits
and landed some nice fat
Trout in water about one
foot in depth. Little
Mike was the "top dog" with
the largest Trout, however
Big Mike also landed his
fair share.
"What a difference a day
makes"; When Capt
William and I picked up our
clients the next morning,
the wind was howling out of
the East at 20 knots.
Today I had "Steve" and his
dad "Jack" join me in my
boat. We had to hide
from the wind, however with
all the water blown out we
were limited on places to
fish.
Using Gulp under a popping
cork, we worked the shallow
grass pockets and bars.
This produced a lot of
Trout, but most were under
the 15" minimum size limit
to keep. However, we
did land plenty of keepers
for the shore lunch we had
planned for later in the
day. Steve went on to
catch the most fish, but his
dad Jack landed the largest
fish of the day on my boat.
Capt William's crew had also
boated a nice mess of
Speckled Trout, so we ended
up with plenty of fish for
the shore lunch and extra to
take home for the dinner
table. As always
it was my pleasure fishing
with Capt William and many
thanks to my fantastic
guests for a fun two days of
fishing the flats of the
Homosassa River.
March 3, 2012: I
met Burt
Wilson and his two sons;
John and Troy at the Atlanta
Fishing Club on the
Homosassa River. Burt is a
"catch and release" angler,
however today we were
planning a shore-lunch so we
needed to keep just enough
for the fish fry.
The tide was coming in when
we hit the Gulf, and the
wind was blowing between 15
and 20 knots; making fishing
a challenge to say the
least. We weren't going to
let a little wind stop us,
so using 5" DOA jerk baits,
Burt, John and Troy all
boated several nice Speckled
Trout up to 20" in length.
We kept four fish for lunch
and released the others back
into the Gulf. The wind
kept increasing, so we
headed to the island where I
would cook up their fresh
catch of the day and serve
it along with all the
fixin's. Lunch was enjoyed
by all, and once again it
was a great day of
fishing with Burt and his
family.
February 22, 2012:
FAMILY & FRIENDS ...
I'd been looking forward to today
all week because my niece "Sara" was down from Massachusetts, and we
had planned a half-day fishing trip. It's been about 15 years
since Sara has been fishing with me, and I remember her as a small
girl fighting Bull Redfish that were just about as big and strong as
she was.
Sara had brought four
friends along, and I met them at Pete's Pier on Crystal River.
Sara, Stephanie, Joe and Joe ( yes- two Joes ) are all school
teachers in Massachusetts, and don't get the chance to go fishing
very often, but they were all ready and willing. Except for Joe
#2, who is a land-lubber and decided to do a little site seeing
while the rest of us headed out in search of Speckled Trout.
Once we reached our fishing
destination, and after I gave a short lesson in casting, they were all fishing
like pros! Using 1/16 oz jigs with Gulp 3" shrimp, the trout
bite was on. Sara landed the first fish, but it wasn't long
before everyone had boated their share. We even had a "Triple", but while I was
trying to get a photo, Stephanie decided to throw her Trout back
into the Gulf a little premature. She said it jumped out of
her hands, but we all know better!   Joe went on to land the
largest speckled trout of the day. We were practicing catch and
release on today's charter, so all the fish caught were released
back into the gulf unharmed.
We decided to do a little nature
tour, so we pulled anchor and headed to Pete's Pier for a short
break before heading back out . Unfortunately a storm system
had rolled in, and we all decided we had better call it a day.
Everyone enjoyed a great time
on the waters of Crystal River, and I only wish I could have spent more
time with my niece Sara. However, I will look forward to our
next trip, and hopefully it won't be another 15 years before we can
do it again.
February 18, 2012:
FISH ON ! ...
The weather forecast kept changing, however when I
pulled up to the dock at the Atlanta Fishing Club on Homosassa
river, I knew the weather man was wrong, and it looked like the
beginning to a beautiful day on the water.
I was fishing with Yancey and his guest Smitty, who
both played golf yesterday, but they were ready to do some catch'n
today ! When we hit the mouth of the river, the tide was very low
and still going out, so we headed out to the "Mack" hole to start
the day off looking for some exciting action from the Spanish
Mackerel. As usual, it didn't take long before the "Mack Attack"
was on, and for the next couple of hours it was "Fish On".
As the day got
later and with the rising tide, we targeted our next species
"Speckled Trout. Using DOA jerk baits, the trout bite was just
about as steady as the mackerel.
Fish averaging 3-lbs were inhaling
the 5" jerk baits. All the trout were released except for a few for
the dinner table.  Here
are a couple of great photos from this trip, but be sure to check
out the "Photo Gallery" for more memories.
( click on the pictures to enlarge for a
closer look )
Yancey was the
trout master, landing the most and largest,
 but
Smitty was right there with him. We changed locations and decided
to go in hunt of Redfish, our final species to complete our
"Homosassa Slam".
_small.JPG) Using
live shrimp, Yancey hooked up on the very first Red, and Smitty
followed his lead almost immediately. We boated at least 12 Redfish
up to the 28" range and all were released to fight again another
day.
What an awesome day on
the Homosassa River with two great anglers. As always it was my
pleasure fishing with Yancey and his guest, and I look forward to
next time.
February 9, 2012: I met
Kent and his wife Nan, and their friend John and his wife Mary Jane
at MacRae's on the Homosassa River. We had a half-day fishing
trip scheduled, so we didn't waste a minute and headed straight out
to the "Mack" hole.
 Kent had the first strike, but was cut off
by the toothy critter. John landed the first Spanish Mackerel,
but the ladies were not to be out done and did their share of catch'n too.  Using live shrimp free-lined with the current
seemed to provide the best bite. At the end of the day, we
kept plenty of fish for dinner that night, and a few extra to be
enjoyed on the grill later on. Nan caught the largest
Mackerel, but I believe John put the most in the cooler.
Thanks to a great crew, and considering the windy conditions and
chilly weather it was an enjoyable afternoon on the water.
February 4, 2012: Today I
joined a friend and great fishing guide, Captain William Toney for a
half-day fishing charter out of MacRae's on the Homosassa River.
Our plan was to fish the incoming tide, so we left the dock around
10am.
 Joe and John joined me on my boat, and it became clear
that they were both skilled anglers. Using DOA Glow jerk baits
the trout bite was good and increased with the rising tide.
 At
the end of the day we kept nine fat trout and released many more.
Capt William had a great crew and they all landed many fish.
It as a fun day of fishing on the flats of Homosassa, and I
hope to see Joe and John again this year.
February 3, 2012:It's
always a fun to team-up with a fellow fishing guide, and today I had
the pleasure of fishing with Captain Dan Clymer for an afternoon
trip out of Crystal River. We
picked our guests up at the Best Western on Kings Bay. Mark and
Craig joined me on my boat and we set out to see what the afternoon
had in store for us in spite of the strong winds. We started out using 3" Gulp on 1/8 oz
jig heads, and the "trout bite was on."
 We kept 11 trout and
released many that were just under the legal size limit. Captain
Dan had a great afternoon with 9 keeper trout and also a "Monster
Snook" that his crew boated and then released unharmed to fight again
another day. 
At the end of the day everyone was looking forward to dinner at
Oysters Restaurant in Crystal River, where the owner "William" would
cook their fresh catch of the day. Thanks to Mark and Craig
for a fun afternoon on the water, and I look forward to seeing you
again for some more great Crystal River fishing !
January 28, 2012: The fog was heavy and just starting to
lift as pulled up to the docks of Pete's Pier on Crystal River to
meet my guests Dennis and Carmen. They had been fishing all
over Florida on their vacation, and were ready to experience the
pristine waters of Crystal River. The tide was already going
out, so we decided to target Speckled Trout.   Using 3" Gulp
shrimp on 1/16 oz jig heads, the action was immediate and non-stop
for quite a while. Dennis and Carmen boated close to 75 trout
and all but a few that were kept for dinner were released to fight
again another day. The trout bite was so fast that the
half-day charter was over before we knew it ! As I headed back
to the dock, I reflected on the day's events and hoped that my next
fishing adventure would be as productive. Many "Thanks" to
Dennis and Carmen, and hope to see you the next time you come to
Crystal River.
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Crystal
River Fishing and Homosassa Fishing 
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