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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida
Capt. Mike Locklear
November 4, 2005
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fishing At Its Best and Worst
For Sue, Chris and John of Wisconsin fishing could not have been better yesterday. Each year they come and visit their Mom, Pat Burchard of Riverhaven Village. Because of their love for fishing Pat treats them each year with a week’s fishing as a Christmas present.
God painted the sky blue all day. The winds were out of the northeast and the tide was flying out as we arrived to our kelp bed flat that has been a trout haven for weeks now. Our first drift produced four nice trout and by noon we had doubled that number.
Two miles from me, my hero, Capt. Charlie Harris had found a flat where few roam and caught his keepers in less time than you can sing the national anthem. 20 trout in less than an hour is hot fishing. I was happy for him although I felt inferior for a short while.
We had to work for ours and along the way an occasional bluefish or mackerel would spice up the action. By 3 o’clock the four of us had collected 18 spotted sea trout to 20 ½ inches. Christie caught the first, biggest and most and was taunting her older sister Sue.
John claimed I threw back more trout over 15 inches because I only eye-balled the size. Yes, I measured the girl’s fish when necessary. About 20 trout just under the 15-inch mark were released.
Cajun Thunders over Electric Chicken Bass Assassins in 3-inch paddle tail accounted for more than 80% of the catch. John brings his own selection and caught a few on the old stand-by white with a pink tail. I switched to a root beer Cotee grub and landed a nice 19-inch trout.
I really do love my 18-foot flats skiff more each day. What I came to realize is the whole boat is a platform in which to stand or sit on. Once everyone is situated, in their fishing positions there is ample room for 4 experienced anglers. Most of all everything I need is within arms reach.
The tide was near flood or high and we went to a nearby island and I began poling slowly along the shoreline. This is when my job is made easy with the light flats skiff. Live shrimp is the choice bait and John landed the first fish. A feisty 4-pound sheepshead provided a good tussle.
Then Sue began to show her talents and landed two keeper redfish of about 5 pounds each. A nice 3 pound pompano took hold of Sue’s line and really gave her a battle. It is in my refrigerator for a nice supper for tonight.
We had our four redfish and 15 released thus stopped fishing around 5 o’clock and I got finished with cleaning all those fish by 6:30. What a fine day! We are leaving at nine this morning and the boat still needs cleaning.
In brief on Tuesday, John Barnes and party fished with Capt. Fred Lyles and they had their limit of 20 trout and one redfish this past Tuesday. John fished with me and wore out the redfish and released all of them except one.
Atlanta’s John Euart landed his first snook while fishing in Tampa Bay with me. We got our hats handed to us in a redfish tournament last weekend. Capt. Earl Waters of Homosassa and his Clearwater, Florida partner won the event. We did catch redfish but the ones that would have counted did want to eat. A severe cold front hampered almost everyone from catching keeper redfish.
Points leader, Capt. Jim Long and Mike Schildgen also goose egged except for a 26 ½ inch redfish caught by Tampa native Chris Bowers that did not count because it was caught on a pre-fish day. I want to thank Publix’s John Frazier and Chris Bowers for their fine southern hospitality in putting us up at their homes. We were in the proverbial bay (middle of Tampa Bay) and the water was not calm, but I was not afraid as a huge wave hit us in the face. Brrrrr!
Jesus Saves!
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