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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida
Capt. Mike Locklear
February 20, 2006
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
Last week’s freeze was not that bad and the snook survived far as I know. The snook bite shut down with the full moon, but with the warming trend they should start moving and getting hungry. Citrus County is not known for a huge snook fishery, but the ones caught are generally huge up to 43 inches.
Sheepshead has been the premier specie that has cooperated with Homosassa fishermen. The striped convicts have been anywhere in size from 12 inches to 5 pounds. Choice bait is pieces of shrimp with plenty of chumming helps to keep the toothy critters biting. Incoming tides are best, but an outgoing will work almost as good.
Trout are getting their rest as most fishermen pursue other specie that they can keep. A Look for them to be on the shallow water flats as March 1 marks opening day for harvesting of trout. Jerk baits and jigs will take their fair share under Cajun Thunder Corks. Also, offshore rock piles in 8-10 feet of water will fill up with larger than average trout in preparation for the spring spawn. There are some there now as Capt. William Toney landed a few while sheepshead fishing. Biggest trout of the month so far goes to Capt. Charlie Harris, while fishing Watkins Trucking clients landing a 6-pound 26-inch trout. That’s a huge trout for our waters!
Redfish have been warming up in the shallows of rocky shore lines and a few are still in the rivers. Bill Paul, a former manager of Watkins Homosassa River Shack and long time employee of Watkins Motor Lines, landed a 25-inch 5 pound redfish. We enjoyed talking about old times and how mean old Jack Deters was.
But the biggest fish of the month goes to Bud White of Seneca MO, Adrian McClellan of Minneola, FL and me. It took all three of us to land this huge monster. We had fished the warm water discharge with petty results of just a few spotted sea trout. Fishing was tough and most of the fish must have had their noses stuck into the very upper reaches of the canal where you are not allowed to fish.
I cranked the Mercury 4-stroke and went into the Crystal River to try our luck with redfish only to find a few gray snapper and one 14-inch largemouth bass that Adrian landed on the last cast of the day. Bass fishing on the rivers has been fair to good according to some local sources using plastic worms.
The next day, Adrian, Bud and I fished the Homosassa River where Adrian landed a couple of redfish and one trout. With nothing to get really excited about I suggested we go to try our luck for sheepshead in one of the near shore holes off Ozello. The pair had a pretty good time catching and releasing a dozen or more sheepshead.
When that hole played out, I moved us to a flat where a small crack usually holds some nice sized sheepshead. I tried to pole in quietly and bumped the bottom a little hard then noticed some pretty good size wakes moving off away from my skiff.
About 15 large shapes appeared a few minutes later close enough to see as we tried our luck in the hole. We changed our focus and I pulled the anchor and began poling while Bud and Adrian began casting.
After several cast Bud hooked into the huge fish which we thought was a bull redfish because they look red as their tails appeared on the surface waving like flags.
Bud was using a loaner rig which was Adrian’s best outfit. The rig consisted of a Stella 2500 with a 6’6” medium action Clarus, both made by Shimano. I tied a section of 15 pound Triple Fish fluorocarbon to help make the rig invisible. The standing line was 10#-2# diameter Power Pro. A small 1/0 Owner Hook and a live shrimp completed the rig.
The battle was long and the reel’s drag performed flawlessly. Bud did an excellent job in fighting the huge fish and after about one hour we had the fish close enough for us to try netting it. Adrian tried to net it first as I operated the MotorGuide. Several attempts by the fish to wrap us around the trim tabs and trolling motor were avoided with some quick reactions by Adrian and Bud.
After 15 more grueling minutes with Adrian holding my legs I reached down as far as my arms would stretch to net the big old fish. My eyes were bulging as it would not even fit into the hoop of the net very well. Adrian quickly handed me my Boga-Grip and when I lifted the fish out of the water it pegged the 30# scale. What a whopper!
Adrian being prepared to the highest degree of angling preparation pulled out a 50# Rapala scale from his tackle box. He had previously sharpened the hook of the scale in anticipation of weighing a big fish. Without an expression, he held the fish by the scale until the digital readout settled on 46-12. What a fish!
We assumed it was a black drum after inspecting the bottom of its mouth as little feelers were hanging off of it. The black stripes were so faded you could not see them.
Not for more than 20 years have I had on board a huge black drum. Once while in Suwannee, fishing a Cotee jig tournament with Frank Sargeant and Terry LaCoss we boated a 35 pound black drum. Black drum grow to be 150 pounds.
Bud White said that sure beats Crappie fishing in Missouri.
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