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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida
Capt. Mike Locklear
March 3, 2004
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
BREAKING NEWS
Homosassa Flats Fishing is Great Now!
Spring seems to be here now as the gulf water temperature hit 65 degrees today rising 2 degrees. The air temperature climbed to the low 80’s yesterday afternoon. Spotted sea trout opened this past week and some nice trout have been brought into MacRae’s of Homosassa.
Capt. Freddy Lyles came in with four anglers and their limits of 5 trout each with a total of 20 plus numerous throwbacks. Capt. Charlie Harris and party got his limit and numerous released as well yesterday.
On Sunday, Capt. William Toney guided Jim Merilate and friend Silas of Minnesota to 3 sheepshead, 3 redfish, sixteen ladyfish and numerous catch & release trout. On Monday, Capt. Toney guided Mr. and Mrs. LaFlamme of Alaska to 28 trout to 20 inches and 3 redfish to 26 inches.
Alan Ritter and Royce Williams had a fun day of fishing with me in 12 feet of water. The pair caught Spanish mackerel, sheepshead, and about a dozen grouper. One grouper took Royce’s lure. The largest grouper landed was 8 pounds using lipped lures.
Offshore between 30 and 40 feet of water grouper diggers are catching their limits of grouper trolling using Mann’s Stretch 30’s and Magnum Rapalas. Frozen sardines and squid are also good grouper bait for the bottom fisherman.
The muds should be beginning to show as the water reaches close to 70 degrees. Places where these muds show are from a line drawn due north to northeast of Marker #2 of the Homosassa Channel to Crystal River 1A entrance marker. Depths range from 8 to 10 feet of water.
Slow trolling or casting small ¼ ounce Cotee jigs tipped with live shrimp using light tackle in 10 pound test should produce results. Bluefish, mackerel and trout are mixed in these stirred up areas. Use polarized sunglasses and start your search after the sun is high in the sky.
For more tips on these muds find a March issue of the Florida Sportsman magazine and look for an article named “Clear as Mud” by Frank Sargeant.
Adventures With Mike Locklear and Henry Morris-Part 3 of 5.
If you want to catch a lot of largemouth bass and some big ones, too, contact me for more information or to book a three or four day adventure.
Day 2- Part 3
The afternoon of day one produced two big laremouth bass of 7 and 8 pounds for me, it was already a great trip and being on the bow of the boat helped as Henry let me fish up there much of the trip.
However, as a sidebar, almost all of the big fish came from the center of the boat.
Our guide on day 2 was a 31 year old named Juan Valente. He really put us on the fish. Our numbers rose dramatically, but the size went down too. It was almost too funny how small some of the bass were.
The sun was bright and Juan did not have any glasses, so I gave him a pair of Ocean Waves Sunglasses. Henry needled me about that. After a great shore lunch, Juan took us to the far reaches of the lake.
Juan took us to his honey hole and I again had a great day landing two really nice fish in the 6 to 7 pound range. Henry caught some nice ones, too.
At one point, we fished near our security guards, and I caught several bass on both sides of their boat as they were relaxing in a shaded area from the sun. One of the guards yelled out to me, "Champion" What better one word compliment could one receive.
Here are the reports and highlights from Omar on Day 2.
Report Date: 2/18/04 JIM STAFORD(SOLO)--AR 93 BASS TO 8.4LBS ON WATERMELON ZOOM LIZARDS IN 10FT OF WATER....GUIDE GILBERTO
MATT MAYER & JEFF BULLRINGER--MI 50 BASS TO 9.5LBS ON PUMKINSEED LIZARDS & WHITE SPINNERS IN 20FT OF WATER....GUIDE PABLO
HENERY MORRIS & MIKE LOCKLEAR--FL 53 BASS WITH A 7 & 8LBER ON LIZARDS AND BLUEBERRY MAG TUBES IN 13FT OF WATER....GUIDE JUAN VALENTE
Weather: SUNNY AND WARM HIGH OF 86 Water: CLEAR AND FALLING 6" PER DAY General Comments: GOOD NUMBERS AND FEW NICE SIZE FISH NO DOUBLE DIGITS TODAY
Capt. Scott Moore fishing secrets revealed this weekend at Frank Sargeant Show in Tampa, Florida.
If you a regular reader of my column you know that I like to tout local guides in which I am familiar with and report their catches. Today I write about a guide who fishes Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
One of the most respected guides on the west coast of Florida is Capt. Scott Moore. Moore is a long time associate who I met at a trade show in Tampa 12 years ago. Moore is famous for many reasons. Most noteworthy is his ability to teach others how to catch fish. Using a cast net, he began educating the fishing public how to catch live bait.
Scaled sardines are also known as white bait. These little silver fish are scarce in our gulf waters most of the year, but Moore uses them almost exclusively. A bait well chalked full of perhaps a thousand of these little frisky critters is what separates the catchers from the fishers.
Moore grew up with a kid who at the age of 6 became his life long friend. Later on in life the two fished together numerous times and Moore’s buddy became an award winning outdoors writer. G. B. Knowles penned Moore’s book, Captain Scott Moore’s Snook Fishing Secrets.
The book covers not only Fly Fishing for Snook, but Catching and Using Live Bait, Fishing the Flats, Catching Snook in Deep Water, Winter Fishing, and a bit of humor in the chapter "Clients and Catastrophes." If you can't go fishing with Scott himself, this is the next best thing. Contact Seven Pines Publishing Company, P.O. Box 14069, Bradenton, FL 34290-4069.
If you would like to meet Moore personally, he will be conducting a seminar in Tampa at the state fairgrounds this Saturday March 6 at 3:00 pm.
The Frank Sargeant Outdoors Exposition will open its doors beginning at 1:00 pm on Friday, March 5 with a who’s who line-up professional guides and outfitters until 9:00 pm. Admission is free on Friday. Admission cost for Saturday and Sunday is $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for children between the ages of 3-12. Saturday, March 6 the doors open at 10:00 am and the doors close at 8:00 pm. Sunday the hours are from 11:00 PM until 6:00 pm.
Look for a special section in today’s Tampa Tribune. There are fishing seminars running each hour throughout the weekend. Pine Ridge resident, Ken Gangler of Gangler Lodges will conduct a seminar on hunting trophy whitetail deer at 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 6.
Directions to the fairgrounds are to go south on I-75 to I-4 east and exit on 7A to 301 South. Entrance is ¼ mile on your right.
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