Homosassa Fishing – The Bite is On!!

Homosassa Fishing – The Bite is On!!

April always starts the best fishing of the year here in Old Homosassa. As the water temperatures continue to heat up so does the aggressive feeding habits of all the fish swimming here in our pristine fishing paradise. It’s not uncommon to catch your daily limit of Redfish and Speckled Sea Trout but don’t be surprised if Spanish Mackerel, Grouper, Pompano, Flounder, Black Sea Bass, Grunts, Bluefish, Sharks and Black Drum join the party! Also don’t forget about the annual run of Cobia, watch for Rays and Turtles near structure as nothing is more fun than seeing and casting to these hard fighting fish. Plus they make great table fare! With tons of bait still in the Gulf there’s bound to be plenty of action on the flats and awesome inshore excitement right through the summer. The Redfish continue to be concentrated around most points, rocky shorelines and oyster bars. On a recent charter with Michael Clegg from St. Pete, we caught three Redfish at our first stop of the day!

All three fish ate a live Shrimp but all had Pinfish in their bellies after arriving on the cleaning table. Though casting gold spoons will still catch the “Bronze Bruisers” as Denny Topper from Rockledge discovered this past Monday. The Sea Trout bite continues to be hot with many fish being over the 20 inch slot limit. Try drifting the flats and casting with MirrOlure Provokers or Little John’s behind a Cajun Thunder for best results. My favorite colors/flavors have been the Watermelon Red Glitter and Chartreuse. If you haven’t taken advantage of our “Introductory Special”, the first time you fish with me, it’s only $299.00 for a full day charter for one to four anglers and includes everything except your lunch and beverages. Check our website, www.HomosassaRedfish.com, for more details or to book your unforgettable day on the water. Don’t wait as I’m booked solid the rest of April and prime days in May are filling fast. Let’s go CATCHING!!!

Despite the extremely windy conditions and rough seas last Saturday, 81 boats participated in the 6th Annual Mel Tillis Tournament out of The Riverside Resort. Fishing with my good friend, Captain Ben Marshall from the Tampa Bay area, he caught a nice “axe-handle” size Spanish Mackerel, (3.6 pounds), which was good for Second Place in the tournament. Check the Photo Gallery on my site for a picture of Ben receiving his award from Mel! The top three Redfish in the tournament were all over 7 pounds! Some big Cobia and even a Kingfish made it to the scales at Riverside. Despite the weather a good time was had by all for a good cause the Shriner’s Children Hospital.

On Saturday, May 21, 2012, I’ll be back on the Reel Animals Radio Program with Captain Ben Marshall, from 6 to 8 AM, broadcast in the Tampa area on 970 AM – WFLA or on line at www.970wfla.com. If you’d like to call in and talk some fishing the toll free number is 800-969-9352. It would be great to hear from you! I’ve also recently started doing the local Homosassa area fishing reports on the “Florida Insider Fishing Report Show” hosted by Captain Rick Murphy, broadcast on SunSports, Thursday at 5 PM Eastern. Check your local cable or satellite company for other broadcast times and listings.

Scallop Season opens July 1st! Scallop season here on Florida’s Nature Coast is one of the most exciting and busiest times of the year. Book your Scallop charters soon at, www.HomosassaRedfish.com, as most of July is already booked. This year the season runs until September 10th. We hope for another banner season this year! It’s like an “Underwater Easter Egg Hunt”!!

I’m also very excited and proud to announce that I have just purchased a new boat from Young Boats in Inglis, www.Young-Boats.com. They will be custom building me a new Young 20 foot shallow water performance hull, center console with a dual station tower! Expected delivery date is mid-September, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to wait that long! Can you guess what color it’s going to be? This “new toy” will open up many other fishing opportunities that I’m just not able to do with my 24 foot Carolina Skiff. I would like you to share in my excitement and help me name the new Young boat. Between now and the end of June, please send your suggestions to RedEd@homosassaredfish.com. If your name suggestion is chosen, you will receive one FREE Scallop Charter for up to four folks!

Upcoming Events

April 26 – Hernando County Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Banquet
May 5 – Full Moon
May 5 & 6 – Citrus County Builders Association (CCBA) Tournament
May 12 – Reel Animals Fishing Radio Show – 6 to 8 AM Eastern
May 13 – Mother’s Day – “Gift Certificates Available”, surprise your special “MOM” with a memory that will last forever!
May 15 – Stone Crab Season Closes
May 28 – Memorial Day