Nature Coast, Capt William Toney

Depending on the wind, trout fishing has been steady for the past week. I had a trying day last Friday after the cold front. The blue bird sky’s and high pressure make for beautiful days but a slow fish bite. Serious low tides also kept most boats in the river but we made it to some holes in the Chassahowitzka Refuge backcountry to catch enough fish for shore lunch. The deeper channels in the creeks like Mason’s, Fish and Little Homosassa are the places to start during negative low tides this winter. Some of the best baits are the D.O.A. 3” shrimp, MirrOlure MirrOdines or the trusty cork and shrimp. For deeper water trout fishing the spoil islands north of Crystal River can also be productive this time of year.

In the Homosassa River some small snook, redfish and keeper mangrove snapper have made their way in. The best areas to find them are any rocky point that is near the channel edge, docks and down trees from the recent hurricane. Suspending baits, 1/8 oz. jigs and live shrimp are the best baits. Some keeper gag grouper are being caught on the near shore rocks and a few spanish mackerel. High incoming tide will be in the morning this weekend