Nature Coast, William Toney

Look forward to a great weekend of good tides for the Nature Coast. With the approaching new moon and our incoming tide around midday , it should make for some good fishing. The deeper rocks off of Crystal River are still producing some big sheepshead, grunts and spanish mackerel. Live shrimp on a knocker rig is best for the sheepshead and grunts but use a free lined live shrimp on a Eagle  2/0 long shank hook for the mackerel. You may get some cut offs but a lot more strikes then if you used steel leader. With all the crab buoy’s keep a eye out for triple tail that have made a push into our area. A live shrimp under a cork  cast near the buoy and triple tail and let the tide carry it to the fish is the best way to catch them. If your vessel gets to close it will send them down.

The trout bite and redfish bite is very good on the outside western facing points. Incoming tide is best. I have found the trout and redfish mixed in with each other. The trout seem to hang on the outside edge of the rocks and the redfish are right up on the edge near the mangroves. I have been using D.O.A. 5.5 “ glow jerk baits for both fish and when the tide is near it’s peak I have used MirrOlure LIL’ Johns in new penny with a 1/8 oz. jig head. For the snook I have caught them in the Homosassa River and on the outside in the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. On the outside look for points near deep water. Again incoming tide will start around mid morning.