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Fishing Report for Homosassa, Florida
Capt. Mike Locklear
March 13, 2006
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
Increase Your Catch Ratio of Trout
For many nature coast anglers, spotted sea trout was the target particularly since the season reopened in March after a one month closure.
The parking lot of the county boat ramp next to MacRae’s was nearly full on opening day March 1 as Eldridge Disney and I prepared to see how quick we could catch our 5 trout each.
We idled out the Homosassa River until we were near Salt River where resuming safe speed is allowed. After about a 30-minute boat ride we arrived to a spot where the water is clear and depths were only 3 feet. Rock piles rose out of the water a mere 6 inches as the incoming tide eventually covered them up. Mangrove islands were nearby. More on our fishing trip later.
If you want to catch trout every time you go out then you have to do your homework. Plan on going during the week and at all cost avoid the weekends where too many people doing crazy things to stir the fish into their hunker-down position
Look at any area chart along the west coast of Florida and find the outermost keys or shoals and plan to fish those areas on a rising tide. Both trout and redfish will be there from now until next winter. Also a few snook, pompano, bluefish and grouper can be mixed in as the gulf waters warm to the perfect 70 degree mark more or less.
Check the wind direction and go only if the wind is south or southwest particularly if you are going redfishing. An easterly wind is the toughest of all to catch fish because most of the water in the bay is blown offshore making it very tough to navigate our rocky waters.
Check your tides and plan on staying along the deeper flats and sloughs on low tides studying limestone outcroppings as ambush points after the tide has rose over said rocks.
Remember that 4 days on either side of the new moon is the best time to fish our coast. Second choice is the full moon. That gives you 16 excellent tide days less the weekends to plan your trips.
Remember that March tides are still a little on the low side unless you have a southwest wind. Some of the best fishing is when the wind changes from east to south to west in a given 8 hour span of time.
Some of you like me have to take whatever time God gives you in the way of the weather and try to make the best of it. Praying to catch fish is great, but you must have the faith for it to work. Amen.
Try some 8-pound Triple Fish RX spinning line and add a 2-foot section of 15 lb. fluorocarbon. This lighter leader is just for the trout. You will catch more trout with lighter leader especially if the wind is calm. I have caught plenty of trout using 20 or 25 pound leader but only use this in deeper water applications where other fish roam.
Eldridge and I began casting in 3’ feet of water using a Catch 2000 Mirrolure with a black back, gold side and orange belly. This is a twitch lure and long cast can be attained and depths shallow as 1 foot can be worked by keeping the rod tip up. It is amazing how a trout can nip at a lure with two treble hooks and miss it.
Within two hours of fishing time we caught our 10 trout. Eldridge spiced up the pot with a two-pound flounder. All my friends and clients the first 4 days of opening trout season landed their limit of 5 trout each including Henry Morris, Alan Ritter, Eddie Anderson, John Nemcovic and Mark McCandless.
Take A Chance(y) and Catch Grouper
While catching limits of trout has been easy pickings, Capt. Don Chancey has been catching his clients plenty of gag grouper to 15 pounds. Don is a member of the Homosassa Guides Association and fishes from a 22-foot Grady White. He prefers trolling over bottom fishing and has had tremendous success the past couple of weeks.
Don trolls at the right speed between 600-800 rpm’s and likes lipped lures. Knowing the correct distance to drop back the lures can be found by experiment. Try different variations with one long and one short. The Mirrolure 111’s work well on the inside while the 113’s do better when set back 150-200 feet on the outer rod holders.
Favorite lures of this area to be worked in depths between 25 to 35 feet are the Rapala Magnum CD-18-MAG in silver, redhead and firetiger. Mirrolure has two models numbered 111MR and 113 MR and the color patterns in red/white and all the mackerel ones are awesome.
The newest color and a hot one is the 707 MACK. Go to mirrolure.com to see these lures.
Bottom fishing using sardines, cigar minnows or cut mullet is always a sure fire way to catch some dinner.
Remember if you want a bigger fish, you need bigger bait. Putting a half of cigar minnow on is only going to catch you a short grouper. Try using a whole Key West grunt and dead rack it while you are using your dead bait.
An eight ounce bell sinker with a 7/0 hook work well for the terminal end. Use 80 pound test monofilament for leader. You can try rigging the lead on the bottom of the rig and suspending the hook 18 inches above the lead.
Capt. Phil Muldrow of Cedar Key loves this type of rig and uses it exclusively when on his charters and rarely ever misses his limit catch of gags.
A heading of 255 degrees from Homosassa Marker 4 to 25-35 feet of water is about 12-17 miles offshore. Check your marine forecast before departing.
To book a trip with Capt.Don Chancey give him a call at 352-303-9399. His last trip produced 10 keeper gags that averaged 10 pounds. Trip before that he brought in 17.
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