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12/13/12
Florida's weather seems to be doing whatever it pleases at the moment. For the past two weeks, we have been have very unseasonably warm weather. Highs reaching the upper 70's and 80's are always a surprise when the calendar says December! It sure makes for pleasant fishing weather and the fish are enjoying it as much as we are. Usually by now we would be focusing mainly on the warmer waters near the river, but fish are being found out on the flats still. Trout can be found in some of the same areas as last month, and also in 4-6 foot waters. If you can find them (hopefully not with the skeg of your motor), shallow water rocks are holding some nice grouper. Look for rocks in waters of 8-12 feet and fish them by jigging shrimp or by using a lipless or medium diving three quarter ounce crankbait. Make sure that your equipment is prepared for the intense fight that is sure to ensue with a stout grouper on the end. I like using Power Pro braid for the strength and abrasion resistance. If fish are line-shy , try adding a leader of monofilament or fluorocarbon. Another trick with using braid for line-shy fish is to stripe the last 3 feet of the line with a permanent marker to camouflage it. A 7 or 7.5 foot, Medium Heavy or Heavy rod is recommended to pull these fighters out of their underwater fortresses.
Tight Lines
Tight Lines
11/27/12
Late fall is one of the best times of the year to cash in on "gator trout". This is not some creature from the black lagoon or a leftover Halloween costume. Instead, locals refer to gator trout as Seatrout that are much larger than the typical catch, which can mean fish well over 20 inches in length. These bigger trout not only fight harder but also provide more meat than smaller fish, which is a big deal considering they are my favorite fish to eat! This time of year, the trout will be found in the warmer waters surrounding creek outlets (2-4 feet) as opposed to the deeper grass flats (8-10 feet). Fish either a live shrimp or artificial bait on a jighead and under a Cajun Thunder cork for your best success. Attach the two with 1.5-3 feet of 20 lb fluorocarbon leader. I've also caught them while fishing on the bottom with just a jighead. Water movement and temperature is key so be sure to fish when the tide is in transition. However, be careful to not get caught in some of the back country areas when the tide turns. It can be easy to overlook the falling tide when you're catching fish, but when you go to leave it could be too late. Winter tides and wind can push almost ALL of the water out of certain areas leaving anglers stranded. Planning ahead can save you a big headache.
Tight Lines
Tight Lines
09/10/12
I am so very excited for this coming fall. It's shaping up to be a great year for some monster Reds. This time of year, big schools of BIG Redfish move in from offshore and give inshore anglers a much better chance to fight a trophy. It's not uncommon to catch Redfish that are over the slot size of 18" to 27" in the fall. Although these behemoths can't be kept for dinner, they provide a huge, drag-screaming fight especially on the light tackle that we use. If you were really looking forward to bringing some home to eat, don't worry because there are still plenty of slot size Reds out there too. Speaking of eating fish, the fall is one of the best times to get in on the trout action here in Crystal River. The nonstop action provided by the spotted seatrout is addicting and easy for fishermen of any experience level, plus seatrout is one of my personal favorite fish to eat. For Redfish, use live shrimp, but for trout, artificials will work just fine under a popping cork or jigged off of the bottom. Make sure you tie on some leader material for both! Nothing serious but at least 17-20 lb flourocarbon. This will ensure that you spend more time with your line in the water and less time rigging.
Tight lines
Tight lines
