After a week of hard labor, I’m back on the water. What I’ve found is to be safe running your vessel anywhere along the Big Bend because of floating firewood, 2 by 4’s, and floating broken docks. A small block of wood could ruin a lower unit So keep that in mind when heading out of our Big Bend rivers. 

On the outside keys, there are hundreds of mullet. Each key has the potential of having a big school of redfish, and you may have to work through some spots to find them but the effort is worth it. Live bait will get the bite, but a good gold spoon can find them way ahead of the vessel that could run them over. One of my favorites is the Eppinger Rex 1/4 oz. with the red hackle. 

A fish that has just become legal to harvest is snook, one per angler and they have to be between 28 and 33 inches. They tend to hang just outside the edges of the keys and on the western points. The best baits are mud minnows, threadfins if you can find them ( try the old scallop rack with a sabiki ) and D.O.A. glow nose hooked jerk baits around areas that have not been chummed.

Grouper is in season so starting around 8 to 18 feet can put a keeper in the boat. Live pinfish, cut mullet and shallow running plugs, if the grass is not bad, will get the bite.

Look for incoming tide this weekend in the morning. 

Homosassa Inshore Fishing Report from Captain William Toney

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

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