Looking at the warm week ahead, after the much needed rain this past Saturday, fishing patterns will be shifting into a new gear.

Tarpon are showing up south of Homosassa and on the outer bars west of Crystal River. Cobia are still loitering around markers, structure and rock piles  north of the Homosassa channel and more abundantly in the waters west of Crystal River. It’s hard to beat a live pinfish for a cobia, but any eel like soft plastic can also be used for sight casting.

The trout bite is split between offshore and inshore waters. The quarter moon this Friday will help our tides. I suggest that you get up at daylight and head offshore (if conditions permit) and use MirrOlure Provokers in watermelon red flake with 1/8 oz. red jig heads to have good action for trout and sea bass in the waters west of the Homosassa channel in depths around 12 feet.

Inshore, on the incoming tide, the rocky points and submerged limestone bottoms in the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge will produce big trout on D.O.A. 5.5 glow jerk baits. This is the last push of our spawning female trout so chose wisely to box the ones over 20 inches,

Red fishing will continue to be hit or miss  this time of year, but I’ve had the best luck the last hour of incoming tide with live shrimp or pinfish.

Hope to see all my fellow anglers at the Homosassa Learning Center this Thursday May 18 at 7 p.m. I will give you one of my best seminars and it is free.

I love to represent my home town in Homosassa!

Look for incoming high tide in the morning this weekend.