This week will be short and sweet. Most of the trout I’ve been catching have been around the east end of the bays like Chassahowitzka Bay, Homosassa Bay, and Crystal River Bay. There are many smaller bays that are in between, so do not pass them up.

This weekend will be mostly an outgoing tide, so I like to work the passes and areas that have a “washboard” type bottom. Shallow, deep, and shallow deep. This kind of bottom creates a flowing pattern that drives shrimp, pinfish, and small crabs to game fish that are headfirst into the current to feed.

To see the rippled bottom, look for larger waves rolling across the shallow bars. The east side of the bars are the most productive but sometimes the trough behind the bar can be very good with trout, pompano, spanish mackerel, ladyfish, and jacks. 

My best baits have been a MirrOlure LIL John in watermelon redflake under a popping cork, and if it’s real shallow go with a nosed-hooked D.O.A. glow 5.5 jerk bait on an Owner 3/0 bait hook. Make sure to use a loop knot on the hook because it gives this bait two pivot points for more action.

High incoming tide will be early morning this weekend.

Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report from Captain William Toney

To schedule a fishing charter or shore lunch excursion with Captain Toney, visit his website. He is a third-generation fishing guide in the Homosassa area, a member of the Homosassa Guides Association, and he provides the Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report each week to NatureCoaster.com.

To read about our Shore Lunch excursion with Captain Toney, click here.

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