Nature Coast, Capt William Toney 6/29/2016

The start of scallop season went off without a hitch. Years before there was some sort of chaos at the Homosassa ramp but for the first weekend things were kind of laid back. Folks are doing very well harvesting scallops north and south of the Homosassa channel. The crowd leans more towards the north and it is shallower that direction. My mom and dad just got in this evening as I’m writing this report and at the end of Rock Island channel they were picking up 3 to 5 scallops per dive. Scallop cleaning entrepreneurs line the edge of the channels and at River Side Resort or MacRae’s to take care of the hardest part of the scallop trip. Believe me it’s worth the money!

On the inshore fishing scene the redfish bite is were the mullet are. If there are no mullet or maybe just a few, chances are the redfish bite will be slow. Look for jumping mullet or feeding dolphin to point the way for a good redfish bite. Be prepared to use Eppinger Rex spoons, 1/8th oz. jigs, live shrimp or pinfish. The reason I suggest so many bait options is that there maybe floating grass, bait stealers or fast action (artificial bait).

The deeper grass flats out at 8 to 10 feet are holding some good trout. The trout seem to like the deep grass this time of year because I believe it is cooler. The best action will be found on days when it is overcast, breezy or late evening/early morning. The best baits have been a 1/8th oz. jig head with a MirrOlure watermelon red flake LIL John or a D.O.A. CAL shad in electric chicken.

The inshore rocks are producing the best action with lots of keeper mangrove snapper, big grunts, spanish mackerel, short gag grouper, a few flounder and sharks. Free lined live shrimp will get the bite. This weekend will have a new moon midday incoming high tide, good for redfish but you better be a good free diver to get some scallops. Happy July 4th. W