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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida
Capt. Mike Locklear
October 17, 2000
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
So far October, has been a fair month for catching spotted sea trout. My parties and I
have had to work hard for what we catch. Getting the limits are still kind of hard at times
as I think the biggest push of fish are yet to come. My averages have been around 10
keeper size trout per day with a variety of other fish such as lady fish and jack crevalle.
For trout, I like to use the cork rig by Equalizer and the model is Cajun Thunder. The
smallest size is the one I like. The cork has a 4 inch wire running through it with a
swivel on each end. Both top and bottom have beads that rattle to attract any game fish.
Two brass balls are located at the bottom of the cork to give it just the right weight for
casting long distances.
Tying a 20-30 inch section of 25 pound test Seaguar Fluorocarbon leader material onto
the bottom end of the cork is a good way to fool the trout into not seeing the line. I then
tie on a red 1/8 Cotee jig head. Then I thread on a split tail, grub, or swimming tail in
white, pink, rootbeer or chartreuse.
Fishing from my 23’ custom boat, the Flatfisher One, I can accommodate 3 people pretty
easy for trout fishing as we are drifting areas in open water. Casting the cork rigs in
depths of 3-5 feet of water has been most productive. Look for patches of kelp grass or
sargassum weed. This is where the trout are hiding. The bigger trout are usually in
shallower water and hit early or late in the day. Areas near the creek mouths hold the
kelp grass I am referring to.
Top water lures are also very good this time of year. The turtle grass is not as bad this
time of year and the fish are more active with the cooler gulf water temperatures.
Getting in shallow water is a must for the lures to be most effective.
Mirrolures have always been the most popular hard bodied artificial bait in Homosassa.
There are models for every wind condition. Just recently a local resident caught a 32
inch snook on a Top Dog Pup. For calm conditions the 7M808 is a good choice for trout.
There are many colors to choose from, but for the west coast of Florida, the 7M18 is a
green back with a white belly and silver scale. This color pattern represents the scaled
sardine or white bait as guides call them.
For a little windier conditions between 5-10 mph try using a 5M750. This is my Dad’s
favorite color. This Mirrolure has a black back, fluorescent orange belly and flame
chartreuse side. This color is also available in the 7M series which has no spinners.
A guide thing is to take off the front spinner which allows the lures to sit down a little
deeper in the tail section. It just gives a different action and throws the water a little less
than with both spinners attached. Arguably, most folks do work there top water lures too
hard. But this all depends on the wind. A good rule of thumb is make less splash or
movement with little or no wind. If it is windy, then make more splash and work it
harder. The Top Dogs are the best for windy conditions above 10 mph and have a large
bead that clicks and imitates wounded minnow.
Tight Lines
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