Steinhatchee to Hernando Beach

Includes Steinhatchee, Horseshoe Beach, Suwannee, Cedar Key, Waccasassa Bay, Yankeetown, Crystal River and Homosassa.

Oct. 17-20

BB

Taking Advantage of a Gator ‘Bye’ Weekend

There should be NO excuses for not fishing this weekend. The Florida Gators have a ‘bye’ and the Seminoles play in North Carolina on Thursday night. So, it’s time to get some sunshine and to wet a hook.

As it stands now, the wind is ‘scheduled’ to blow a bit on Saturday and Sunday, but Friday should be excellent (sick day?). The 5-10kt westerly flow on Friday should help slow the outgoing tide and help inshore anglers get closer to shore than the negative late-morning tide would usually allow. And even if it blows 15-20 later in the weekend, there are leeward options for you inshore guys. Offshore is a different story…three to five-foot seas are usually NOT fun.

I’m finally getting some of my readers ‘trained’ to send me some reports. Of course, I read the online fishing report forums on floridasportsman.com, but it’s nice to hear from you guys personally. Emails are better than phone calls, but I appreciate any input. One offshore angler found lots of grouper in 35-feet, which is a good sign that reef fish are moving closer to shore. Several inshore anglers, including my fishing buddies Rick Davidson, Doug Barrett and Scott Mitchell, called or wrote about excellent flats fishing off the mouth of Rocky Creek at Steinhatchee. And my Fishing4Cast predecessor, Billy Henderson, returned from hunting in Kansas to find some great trout fishing on the flats off the Homosassa channel.

So, let’s assume ( Which usually makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and and ass out of ‘me’!) that the wind WILL blow and the tide WILL fall on Saturday and Sunday mornings—and there will be no football of any note to watch. What to do?

As I said, assumptions are often wrong, so if I were going to head offshore this weekend, I’d wait until the very last minute to cancel my trip. There’s always a chance (slim, maybe?) that the 5-kt forecast for Friday will extend to Saturday—or even Sunday. Get to the ramp or dock, load up, and then check the weather on your radio’s WX channel. If it does blow, turn your offshore trip into a near shore trout trip and stay in 6 to 8 feet of water over mixed bottom. Use those pinfish you trapped for grouper and put them under popping corks for trout. Pinfish usually catch big trout, and if you do well, your gas-to-fish flesh ratio will likely be better than if you went out 25 miles.

The inshore strategy for the windy weekend should be one of staying in the lee of the wind. If it blows northwesterly, try the following, but remember the tide will go dry mid-day and not fill for about 7 hours!

Homosassa: I’d exit the river and carefully head south down the boundary markers (at marker #14) until I was south of Chassahowitzka Point. Then, as the marker line turns east, follow it into Chaz Bay and head south again between Bird Island and the hole at Black Rock. I’d plan to on the edge of the hole at dead low tide, hoping for some trout, reds, or even a big cobia to be there eating bait washing off the flats. You may have to wait out the tide to get home, but this is a good bet for a windy day.

Crystal River: You’ll probably be sheltered from some of the wind if you work your way south from the Fort Island boat ramp towards Mullet Key and Sandy Hook. Get on the leeward side of the islands and fish the points for reds. Cut bait, live pinfish or topwaters are good choices this time of year.

Yankeetown/Waccasassa: Get out very early and carefully set up as close as you can get to the upper Lows Bay/Waccasassa Bay shoreline. The entire area will be protected from some of the wind, but if it blows 20 knots, the calm waters will be very close to shore. Fish the falling tide for reds, but be sure to get well into the bay by low tide. Redfish actiion should also be good near the Waccasassa River mouth.

Cedar Key: There’s not much protection from the wind here, but the area to the east near Corrigans Reef should be relatively calm. Otherwise, fish the lee sides of Seahorse Key, Snake Key and the oyster bars on the southeast side of North Key. You may have a wet ride getting to the islands, but the fish just think that’s funny!

Suwannee and Horseshoe Beach: The shoreline near Suwannee pretty much gets ‘scraped’ by a northwest breeze, but there are creeks to fish. Don’t neglect Sanders, Bumblebee, and Shired Creeks, to the north of Suwannee town. There are probably a few trout and reds in Dan May Creek, off East Pass, too. If you depart Horseshoe Beach, try the bars under the power lines or the close-to-shore bars off Butler Creek. Again, I remind you to not linger as the water falls.

Steinhatchee: The shoreline south of Steinhatchee is likely going to be slammed by the wind on Saturday and Sunday. I expected that, as I’d hoped to fish the Gainesville Offshore Fishing Club Fall Tournament there this Saturday. For my ‘Plan B’, I may run north on the daybreak high tide and tuck into shore between Rock Point and Dallus Creek. Another option is the bay behind Big Grass Island and the mouths of the creeks there. I plan to take full advantage of my trolling motor and my push pole, and to catch reds and trout in a foot of water, using Skitterwalks or Super Spooks.

Sound like fun? Yeah, right! It may be wet and windy, but any fishing beats the alternative (like lawn mowing, car washing, or general ‘honey-do’s’) on a non-football weekend!

Capt. Tommy Thompson Inshore Light Tackle and Fly Fishing Steinhatchee, Florida (352) 284-1763 www.flanaturecoast.com/capttommy captain@twotree.net

By Capt. Tommy Thompson | http://www.flanaturecoast.com/capttommy/ | captain@twotree.net

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