Crystal River Fishing Report

Crystal River Flats

2012-04-27T12:55:00.001-04:00

It was a little choppy in shore Thursday so we stayed close in. The action was slow but steady. We caught many Spotted Sea Trout and managed 3 keepers within the slot size. We also caught a couple nice Mackeral and Black Sea Bass. We were using live shrimp in mostly 5 ft of water.

This will knock your socks off

2012-03-01T03:31:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=HcBaSP31Be8&vg=me

How to Land more Spotted Sea Trout

2011-11-22T11:07:00.000-05:00

Here's a little tip that has helped me land more of those larger Spotted Sea Trout. The Spotted Sea Trout has a very delicate and soft mouth and it tears easily. When setting the hook it's only necessary to just flick the rod a little bit instead of leaning into a big jerk to set the hook. You'll want a rod with a flexable tip for a light set. When fishing live bait besure the hook is far enough through the bait so the barb is exposed, this will allow the hook to easily penatrate all the way up to the barb for a sure hold.

Now that you've got him hooked you need to get him to the boat. Keep a tight line but don't reel too fast or he'll jerk and kick against your tension and tear the hook out by tearing his own mouth. Slow and steady is the best way land the keeper sized Sea Trout. Always use a landing net, never try to hoist the fish out of the water and into the boat.

This method has helped me and I hope it helps you.

Captain Jack

Invitation to post your photos and/or your fishing report

2011-11-22T10:33:00.001-05:00

Hello Fellow Fisherpersons
Please send me your reports and/or your photos for the site. They don't have to be anything special, just let people know what's happening in our area.

kustomkraft1@yahoo.com
Tom

A Good Day Fishing On The Crystal River Flats

2011-11-22T10:21:00.001-05:00

It was a beautiful day, temperatures were perfect around 80 degrees, the winds were just right at 5-10 mph, and high tide cooperated at 11:00 am. The morning started out slow, we were on the flats about a mile and half out from Shell Island but didn't get a bite for what seemed like hours. We kept moving in closer a little at time. I noticed 3 Dolphins feeding and a lone Sea Gull diving on the scraps they were leaving so we followed their movement and before long we were getting action.

It was about 2 hours before high tide and we were in to within 1000 yards of Shell Island. The water was about 5-6 ft deep now and we were just on the edge of a large Kelp grass flat.

We were catching a lot of small Spotted Sea Trout and Black Sea Bass. It seemed like every time the Dolphins came near the action increased. As High tide came closer we started getting a few Mackerel and keeper sized Sea Trout. The bait was live Shrimp on a black wire leader below a small split shot supported by a small float. We also had one rod rigged with a 1" square piece of cut mullet, which we rotated with a live small pinfish when were able to catch one. The Spotted Sea Trout took the shrimp, the pinfish, and the mullet.

About 2 hrs after high tide the action slowed dramatically.

Crystal River October 25th 2011

2011-10-26T07:40:00.001-04:00

Temps were perfect for a great day of fishing and the sea was kind of choppy. We found the Sea Trout on the flats just outside Shell Island. It was just about high tide and the best action was on the edges of the weed beds. We caught several keepers on live shrimp (with heads and tails clipped) or I should say recently deceased shrimp. We tried both drifting and anchored with nearly the same results. We fished the bait 3 ft under a small float with a large splitshot.

We caught a bunch of exciting Lady fish and not a single Cat fish, which was good.

Sept. 12th Report

2011-09-13T08:28:00.000-04:00

The Bird Racks.
Went out to the bird racks this morning and drifted back and forth accross the flats that were about 5-7 ft deep at low tide. Fish were feeding on the surface all around the area, and the Gulls were diving for scraps. We put out live shrimp on floats and in less than a few minutes hooked up a nice Mac only to loose him after he fought his way 2 laps around the boat.

The rest of the early morning we only landed a bunch of the typical 13-14 inch male Sea Trout. With the full moon last night, clear skies and the low tide, the action quickly died off.

On the way back to the launch ramp we stopped in the Crystal River to see what was bitting there. We did catch 1 Redfish but only a 15" (catch and release). The ever present Catfish were more than willing to play "catch me if you can". The larger Cats can put up a good fight. This one lost the fight but will be around to try again another day.

May 31st

2011-06-01T13:12:00.000-04:00

We were fishing the grass flats out of Crystal River in 3 to 6 ft on the out going tide. Caught a couple keeper Spotted Sea Trout just after sunrise then we started seeing alot of surface action around us. We cast to area where the fish were breaking the surface and caught a few small Cobia, about 24 ". The Cobia followed the hooked trout we caught right up to the boat. As it got lighter there were fewer and fewer Cobia feeding on the surface.

Have you ever tried this?

2011-05-10T11:50:00.000-04:00

Sunday We were fishing the area out from Shell Island and weren't doing that great and looking for more action. It was about 3 pm and the tide still coming in. The wind was from the west/northwest and we had a pretty good chop. I thought we would try our luck drifting eastward over the grass flats starting around the channel at marker R8. As soon as the shrimp hit the water my wife had a strike, it was a yellow tail jack about 2 lbs. After landing that one I ran back upwind and dropped the anchor which put us just outside the channel between marker R8 and R10a in about 7 ft of water. We were fishing with live shrimp on a bobber. Now this was Sunday afternoon and traffic on the channel was really heavy, every time a big boat came by action would really heat up. It seemed that the fish were just waiting for those huge wakes surge out of the channel on to the spoil area so they could ambush their prey. When the boat traffic settled down so did the fishing action. We caught Yellow Tails, Macks, Trout, and Cats.

2011-04-27T20:05:00.000-04:00

March 16, 2011

Ran about 12 nm out from R-2 and got into the Spanish. We trolled 5" red & white plugs as fast as they would stay in the water. Kept 14 and released about another dozen that weren't hooked too badly. On the way back in we drifted in 8' over grass beds and got one nice trout. Water temp was 66 deg.

Raymond Peters

Monday April 18th

2011-04-19T10:25:00.001-04:00

Things are heating up and fishing is getting into full swing. Yesterday started off on low tide and a full moon visable all night so the bite was a really slow. I did see a trout fisherman hook into about a 80 lb Tarpon on the grass flats at marker red 10a. The battle lasted till the second jump, to say the least he wasn't setup to fight a tarpon.

We had several bite offs that were probably Macs. The trout we did catch we small and had to release them. We always keep a bottom line out just to keep the action going and later in the day we caught several sail cats in the 6 to 8 lb range.

BJ

Crystal River Flats

2011-04-12T12:48:00.000-04:00

Sunday April 10th
My wife and I were out from 8am to 3pm fishing an area About 5 miles / 240 degrees from marker #1. We were over and around a hole about 25 ft deep. We always fish for what ever is biting, bobers, free line drifting, and bottom rigs, so we get a variety of fish. We caught a lot of lady fish, some catfish, a few Jacks, a couple Sea trout, and a half dozen Shark up to about 5 ft. Of course it's always catch and release. We lost 2 contests with something really large that we never got a look at in that deep spot.
Our bait was cut Mullet, Squid, and live Shrimp. We also had a chum block out most of the time. There were schools of bait fish around the boat all day. We were even surprised by an aerial display when a 6 ft sting ray came flying out of the water not too far from our boat.
Action was constant and exciting, never knowing what was waiting to take the hook.

Sylvan Pro Fisherman

Warmer Water and More Action

2011-03-27T21:05:00.002-04:00

Fishing is picking up with the warmer temps or I should say the catching is picking up.. We went out from the Crystal River at Fort Island Park. We fished about 2 miles out from Shell Island on the high tide and caught Spotted Sea trout , Spanish Mackerel, Reds, Catfish, and a few Ladyfish. We worked the edges around the submerged sand bars with Shrimp until we ran out and then we switched to small pieces of cut Mullet. Low tide really put a damper on the action. Most everything was small, the only keepers we got were 3 Spanish Mackerel and one Sea trout, but we had plenty of action. It was a good start to the season.

Kings Bay February Report

2011-02-05T11:43:00.001-05:00

I talked to 2 fishermen at the boat launch next Charlies Restaurant yesterday around noon and they both reported some luck fishing the warmer waters of Kings Bay. One was flipping around the seawalls and and boat docks picking up some action with Large mouth bass. He said they were not hitting hard and it was difficult to get a good hook set. He said he had also seen a large Snook lurking about.

The other was fishing more open areas of Kings bay and had landed and released several good sized Sea trout.

It seems that it only takes a little sunshine and warmer day time temps to bring the fish out of deep holes where they have been holding just to stay warm and start to feed.

I was reminded the other day that the Progress Energy plants warm water discharge isn't very warm these days since the reactor has been shut down for around a year. I believe they are making power with natural gas or coal until the reactor repairs completed and it's brought back on line. So for now the winter spots are the springs at Kings Bay, The Withlachoochee river, or parts of the Barge canal near the old river channel.

Don't forget that Sea Trout season is closed all of the month of February.

Wreck Fishing Charters in Naples, Florida with Tandem Charters by TONY DISARRO

2011-01-02T10:39:00.000-05:00

Wreck fishing is one of my favorite things to do. Wreck fishing is when you fish over sunken wrecks. Wreck fishing is carried out from a charter boat
. Wreck fishing is a lot of fun and your experienced captain certainly knows how to make it a successful endeavor. Wreck fishing is pretty simple, once you have your boat in the right place.

Wreck

Wrecks can be anything from just a mile offshore to 35 / 40 miles offshore, which can mean that it will take several hours steaming to get to the chosen wrecks. Wrecks attract many fun and tasty fish to a concentrated location, providing anglers with a reliable fishing spot. Wreck hopping is very effective because you can just fish from spot to spot to spot, until you find a wreck holding some big and aggressive fish. Wreck fishingis usually a good way to hook up with something big that will really test thewilling angler.

Charter

This kind of fishing is highly recommended for children and family charters. Sportfishing charters to suit all ages and family groups. Our experienced and friendly charter fleet provides World Class Fishing at its Finest. Of all the different fishing techniques we fish on our charters, bottom fishing can be the most productive for a large catch of big game fish. For that ultimate fish trip in our paradise this is the charter for you.

Wreck fishing is another popular fishing charter we operate in Naples. Wreck fishing is done over submerged ships or boats, many known only to us. Wreck fishing is an exciting way to catch a variety of hard-fighting species, and you just never know what you're going to pull up.

Captain Tony Di Sarro is a full time sport fishing charter guide, who is fluent in both Spanish and Italian. He has fished Florida's West Coast in Naples since 1973. For more information on Offshore, Wreck & Reef Fishing visit Captain Tony DiSarro at Tandem Charters.com or call 239-250-5091.

Cold Water Presentation by Captn Jack

2010-12-31T08:38:00.000-05:00

Cold Water Presentation by Captn Jack

Now that we are into winter and water temps are low we have to change the way we fish. Fish are cold blooded creatures so when their environment cools their bodies cool and they can’t move as fast as when their body temps are warm. It’s kind of like everything is in slow motion, the prey fish move slower as do the predators.

You will need to slow down your retrieve considerably, move the bait or lure just fast enough to look alive. The best way is to vary your retrieve and pause it as you go, this will mirror what the natural prey is doing.

The rule for the next 3 months is slow and easy.

Good luck and good fishing

Crystal River Winter Fishing Hot Spot by Captn Jack

2010-12-28T11:26:00.003-05:00

Where to try your luck by Captn Jack

Winters here a little early this year, Gulf water temps around Citrus County are in the mid 50’s, and the fish are seeking warmer waters. The Crystal River Power plant cooling water discharge canal has been a hot spot in years past and I don’t think that will change now. You can get to the discharge canal by launching at the old Cross Florida Barge canal located at Rt. 19 north of Crystal River . From the barge canal and Rt. 19 you will have to run west out about 6 miles in the channel to just past marker Red 42 and head south, carefully working your way through the 2-3 foot shallows, spoil banks and islands to the discharge channel , due west of the cooling towers. You’ll be on the north side of the discharge channel spoil area.

If you need deeper water you might want to take a slightly longer route by going out to just past marker Red 34 and turning south between the spoil islands there and go about a mile and head east slowly to 28-57.61’N, 82-43.50’W

You’ll find many species of fish frequent the area during January, February and March, especially Sea Trout and Red fish. The area isn’t easy to get to and can be hard to find without a map so you might want to pickup a Top Spot map #N201 before heading out.

Oh don’t forget to try the last couple miles of the Barge Canal before it opens into the Gulf. It can hold fish looking for warmer waters trickling down from Lake Rosseau.

Good Luck and be sure to let us know how you did. Send Here

Captn Jack

Sea Trout

2010-11-21T09:33:00.000-05:00

11/20/2010

Fished the flats outside of Shell Island from about 10am to 3pm Saturday. Drifted using live shrimp on a small hook with a 1/4 ounce split shot up about 2 ft. caught a lot of small fish including 2 small Rays. Caught 1 keeper Sea Trout and about 14 under the 15"-20" slot size. They also took twister tails on 1/4 ounce black jig heads, mostly they liked the chartruce color. We spent a lot of time baiting with the live shrimp because the small fish could clean them off rapidly. We lost 1 really nice Sea Trout that broke the 8lb leader during a jump.

Let' see some more reports here. send them to myfishingreports@yahoo.com

11/15/2010 Crystal River/Gulf Grass Flats

2010-11-16T08:37:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't had anything to report lately, I've been working on an addition to our house and haven't been out since late in June.

Yesterday we went out of the Crystal River to fish the flats. It was a beautiful day, 10 mph winds and a light chop on the water. We fished the flats just south of marker 15, it was an out going tide and we were in about 3-5ft of water. We drifted with the light breeze and when we reached the channel we went back and started over. We had bought the last 18 shrimp the bait shop had and most of them were only about 2-3 inches long. As it turned out the smaller the shrimp the better. We used light spinning tackle with 10 lb. mono, just a small gold wire hook and 1 large split shot about 2 ft up from the hook, no float. We caught about 8 Speckled Sea Trout 2 of which were keepers. We had to deal with a few small pin fish but that's when we caught the trout. I guess that was the price we had to pay for the Trout. Most of the Trout were caught with in 20 ft of the boat as we drifted.

I need your fishing reports, just send me the details at myfishingreports@yahoo.com Photos would be nice too

The World's Best Places To Go Fishing

2010-09-21T08:25:00.000-04:00

by Ben Pate

fast passport renewal

Anyone who knows a fisherman knows that they are always looking for a way to crank up their experience. While the normal week after week fishing excursion takes you to the familiar bodies of water in you own community, why not consider an exciting and rewarding international fishing trip? Websites have made pasports easy to get so there is no reason not to consider another country and perhaps even another type of fish.

Passports are easily obtainable. They have since migrated to the internet, making fast US passport renewal as easy as a couple of clicks. There are tons of other services that you can access as well, and you never even have to leave your home.

Naturally, Australia is one of the best places in the world to go fishing. It's an island after all, and that makes for bounteous fishing opportunities. One of these destinations is in Cairns, Queensland. If you've never had the experience of struggling with a monstrous marlin, this is the place to do it. Often considered the top location for game fishing in the entire world, this fishing spot is the El Dorado of fishing spots.

The Christmas Islands are rich with fishing opportunities and are the reason many journey to this Central Pacific fishing area. Bonefish are abundant and many come to catch their fill but you can also lay into a trevally, billfish, tuna or wahoo so be ready and don't limit yourself. These islands provide the rare opportunity to avoid commercial fishing boats and tourists because the location is remote and secluded which is part of the reason the fishing is so unbelievably good.

Off our southern boarder, Mexico offer great fishing areas and we don't just mean the ocean or gulf. There are a number of rivers and lakes that beckon many to enjoy this sport, and one lake that is especially irresistible is Baccarac Lake. This body of water is 25 miles long and 5 miles wide and has produced many record breaking catches, one of which was the record bass. This fish weighed in at 19.10 pounds. Cabo San Lucas should also be considered as many records have also been established there.

Perhaps no where on earth will you have the opportunity to fish for exotic, unusual specimens as in the country of Venezuela. As the Amazon River cuts through South America, a rare opportunity is presented to fishermen. While the commonly known fish like bass are plentiful, there are also many unusual fish such as the giant catfish and the Amazon Pellona.

Fishing is known as sport that varies from relaxing and slow-paced to action-packed and vigorous. While fishing at home has its benefits and comforts, promise yourself to go on an international fishing trip some day. It really is worth it. Seeing new places and meeting new people are only additional benefits to the great fishing experiences. All of you, if you decide to bring companions, need is a us passport. Getting them online ensures fast passport renewal, meaning you can be on your way by this weekend.

Saltwater Fishing In Central Florida by DREW CAVANAUGH

2010-09-12T23:07:00.001-04:00

August 24th, 2010 Mosquito Lagoon Fishing Reports

With one of the hottest summers on record here in Florida and water levels down a few weeks ago, now back on the rise, salinity levels returning to acceptable conditions, and last but not least, it is not cold out, the fishing here on the Mosquito Lagoon has been steady to great. The weather for sight fishing in Florida is by far perfect! Extremely hot days call for early starts to beat the heat along with getting into optimal position before the feeding frenzies begin. Water temperatures are getting into the 90's at times and the air temp is feeling like the 100's. However an early start does not mean that the fish are just biting in the morning. This is what it is all about. Saltwater fishing in Florida. There is nothing at all better on the planet.

As the morning sun rises feeding redfish can be seen and are being caught in very good numbers among the backcountry grass flats of the Mosquito Lagoon and in the Indian River from the New Smyrna Beach waters down through the MINWR flats. Redfish in the average size range of 5 to 12 pounds are the normal for tails among the pristine shallow waters with a fish here and there over 15 and even 20 pounds. The reds are moving into areas now that a few weeks ago were not accessible due to the lower water conditions we were experiencing here in east central Florida. Now that the water is rising this is opening up new feeding grounds for them and other predators including the nicer trout and black drum. Think of this as a pasture with your cattle in it. You have been keeping your herd in a 50 acre area and now you allow them into the rest of the property. They go crazy!

Big bull red drum are moving throughout the lagoon and are mostly active at day break and late afternoon towards dusk. They can be seen moving among deeper grass flats and along the bars and drop offs where baitfish are present and thick. Black drum have been present and mixed in as well as being found in separate schools in areas where the red fish are moving about as well and are feeding on crabs, clams and worms. Gator trout are scattered about the grass flats and are very elusive unless you are able to approach them with great stealth. Throwing a top water plug is always a great start to a Floridian summer on saltwater back country waters. The activity of bait fish crashing all around you calls for this. You can just feel it in your veins.

The best choices for baits for redfish recently have been D.O.A CALS in several colors and the D.O.A shallow running Bait Buster. Other great go to baits this time of year always include a well placed finger mullet or mud minnow. However if you are able to catch them yourself a nice live blue crab about the size of a silver dollar on a circle hook and then placed in front of a redfish or black drum with a perfect presentation will always work very well. With a live crab it always boils down to the soft presentation without scaring the fish off. They do tend to make some noise on splash down. However the fish just can not resist it. As always when fishing the flats use your push pole as much as you can, give your fellow anglers around you more than enough space and please do handle every fish with care for a perfect release and even better survival rate. Also take your time too! Do not rush yourself to get into position too fast. This is one of the biggest faults to over come when targeting fish that are feeding in very shallow water. The key is just not to rush it.

Captain Drew Cavanaugh Florida Inshore Fishing Charters Cell/352-223-7897 Light tackle fishing guide on the Mosquito Lagoon. Specializing in fly fishing or spin fishing for redfish, trout, snook and tarpon. Visit us at: http://www.floridainshorefishingcharters.com// Fish the world famous Mosquito Lagoon. The redfish capital of the world!

July 25th Inshore Between Power Plant and Cedar Key

2010-07-26T11:35:00.002-04:00

It was nice day to be fishing, winds out of the south-southeast at about 15 mph. Tide was incoming after about 8:45am. We first tried anchoring but but had no luck at all so we pulled the anchor and drifted toward Cedar Key for about 4 hours. Once we got out to about 9' to 12' of water we started picking up some action. We first caught a few cat fish mostly sail cats, then picked up a few small Reds on the flat lines baited with live shrimp. A lone trout also wanted some shrimp so we obliged him. Before long the sharks found our chum and we landed a couple Bonnet heads. They can really put up a fight for short time considering their size. Just before we were going to pack it up a call it day I hooked into something on my medium spinning rod and as soon as I set the hook and before I knew what was happening (no more than 5-10 seconds) he took every bit of the 80lb test braid and keep going. I was dumb founded. He went in a perfectly straight line with at least 100 plus yards of line. I sure would have liked to at least seen what it was. Even though we didn't come in with any keepers it was a fun day of fishing.

Sunday July 18th by BJ

2010-07-19T06:37:00.002-04:00

The Barge Canal and Channel
    We were out by 7am Sunday morning, the tide was extremely high and the canal was littered with floating debris. Schools of Threadfin fry were everywhere and the Tarpon were rolling. The bait fish were so thick that one throw of the castnet resulted in about 20 pounds of the 2" variety threadfins, enough to fill the livewell to overflowing. We stopped for a short time to try our luck at hooking into one of the huge tarpon that make the barge canal home but only caught a couple large sail cats. It was fun anyway to watch the huge tarpon come flying out of the water and come crashing down only few yards from our boat. With the millions of bait fish I guess you don't have much of a chance at enticing a tarpon to take your "one in a million" bait.

   We headed out of the barge canal into the gulf and tried in vain to find fish that were hungry enough to bite but only found a couple small sharks for our effort.

   With the Gulf water temps in the 90's fishing becomes difficult to say the least, as the sun rises higher in the sky the the fish retreat to coolness of the deeper water. This might be a good time to try your hand at night fishing with a submerged fish attracting light in the water. Lights in the water will attract all sorts of fish.

Please Send your Fishing Reports to myfishingreports@yahoo.com

May 28 2010

2010-07-03T11:25:00.000-04:00

Raymond Peters:

Fished out of the Barge Canal on May 28th in an area 1 to 2 miles NW of the Withlacoochee entrance marker. Trolling with 6" ballyhoo colored plugs in about 15' of water. I got 6 nice sized Spanish and one small Cobia. Released the Cobia and 4 of the Spanish, keeping 2 for the grill.

Wind was SW at 10mph and the water temperature was 83 degrees. Tide was running fast with the near full moon.

Fished the same area yesterday, June 3rd. Landed 2 more Spanish and missed 2 other strikes. No camera along. Slow day overall. Water temp was up to 85 and it was calm.

June 27 2010

2010-07-03T11:07:00.000-04:00

19 inch Sea Trout caught in the channel outside of the Cross Florida barge canal. Caught on a live pin fish with a wire leader. Made 2 beautiful filets and was delicious.