Growing up in Citrus County, I always had my fishing pole and tackle box wherever my family traveled. Fresh water was just about in eyeshot from any store parking lot, so while my mom was shopping, I was fishing.

I caught bass in about every ditch, pond, canal, and retention area there was. It wasn’t just bass, but big bream, mudfish, gars and yellow belly catfish.

Today I feel, as much as it has rained lately, there is still not enough water to keep a bass alive in a retention pond, but maybe in some canals or a spring fed pond. As soon as it gets wet, it doesn’t take long for us to use the water up for human purposes.

Lot’s of rain has sweetened the saltwater and helped out the trout bite! Outside bays with rock grass are good areas, and west of the St. Martins Keys in the patchy yellow bottom is good. Corks with a jig are the best bait.

I have not been out to the nearshore rocks because of the conditions, but I have talked to local captains who have been getting some keeper grouper on live pinfish.

Offshore the red snapper bite is good as it can get starting at 50-foot.

Look for incoming tide this weekend in the afternoon.

To schedule a fishing charter excursion with Captain Toney, visit his website.

If you want to learn more about how to catch Nature Coast fish from Captain Toney, subscribe to his videos at https://inthespread.com