Fishing Homosassa and Abroad Plus Techniques

My best known fishing spots are those of Homosassa. But I like fishing new places like you do.   I travel about 60 miles to fish once or twice a week,  if the fish are biting with Walt(he)befriended each other back in ‘08.  We met on a fishing charter and his brother Bobby, was along.

He bought his second boat while here,  a 17-foot flats skiff with a 70 H.P. Outboard with a Bow Mount Trolling Motor and the GPS will do everything but comb your hair.  Good thing I don’t have but a few hairs.  

He is older than me(not by much), so he took the poling platform off and sold the push pole.  Both were in the way for our style of fishing.   Now,  I am dreaming for a revolving chair, you know, the fancy bassboat ones like Bill Dance has.   But the cooler will have to suffice. I’m kidding, but thinking about it.  Bass chairs are comfortable and easy on the legs.  

The latest in trolling motors has a global positioning system(GPS) inside of it.  The motor is on the bow of the boat as most are(except for dual trolling motors for tarpon).  There is a remote control with a lanyard to put around your neck or a foot pedal if you desire.  There are about 10 buttons on it.  It has an anchor feature that the GPS uses to automatically keeps us stationary.  Plus, it will remember a track once you enter it.  Walt bought one.  Sure is nice. There are labels for us when your are ailing, mine is O>L>D>.  

Also , the trolling motor is quiet.  I have learned that the slower you operate it and not change the rpm, the less spooky the fish will be in shallow water. I have known this from years of experience chasing tarpon.   The anchor feature does change rpm, so the jury is still out.

Back in the day, guides just drifted to a redfish point with wind and tide to their fishing spots and that worked fine. And we use to just drive up within 25 yards and cut the big engine off before trolling motors were popular.  Some guides, like my Dad, would go out to a cypress head and find the straightest tree just right to pole with.  He would skin the bark off, cut each end off and make it about 10 feet long. It worked fine for sneaking in quietly.

Thanks to Gregg, Walt and I have fished Louisiana(LA) where the (redfish aka red drum are very good eating either fried, grilled or baked, up to 27”.  The LA redfish are aggressive eaters and hungry most of the time.  In 2010, I landed a 40-pounder out there and boy he pulled hard. It  is still fun showing him off and I’m happy I caught it.  Rob and I are planning a trip out there soon.  

Walt and I are going Crappie fishing again next week on a fairly popular lake.  A nice one on that lake would weigh about a pound.  We will use live minnows with light rods with 4-pound test line.  We will look for structure on sonar and drop the bait straight down in 10-12 feet of water.  

Last year Walt and I fished for crappie aka speck fishing.  My first time ever going. Actually,  I caught my biggest in Oklahoma.  They are great eating fish.  My nephew and Poo, put me on him while bass fishing.  They said that is a wall hanger, to get it mounted.   I replied it  will be mounted - in a frying pan.

   

On the River and More

I have fished every hole in the Homosassa, Little Homosassa and St. Martin’s River.  Well, I might have missed one or two.  

Many times I wanted to be first and first there to the fish spot. It required getting up at 4am to be on river or gulf before dawn to catch the first fish before anyone.  Only 3 species qualified for uncivilized hours.  Tarpon, reds and grouper.(I’ll touch base on a story or two.  No way to get them all unless I write a volume.) And just a mish-mash of events.

Normal time to leave the dock was 8am. Those were Gentleman rules between the guides who met to agree on prices and departure and arriving times from the dock, etc.(I know, price fixing is illegal).  This is shit I hated.  Communism on the river by the guides asso.  No one tells me what to do with my paying customers, etc.  The g.a. was good for large groups but applicable mostly to large groups where all the guides in town were busy.

Each and every year they would return and for me in the 70’s that was considered an honor to be asked to fish with them.  The downside was you never knew who you were going to have on your boat.  They would get drunk the night before and having a good time.  But they paid the piper the next day.  Huge hangovers.

He would leave a little earlier than the rest of guides unless it was a multi-guide trip. Shotgun start.  For redfish to come into the river, the first cold snap with frost on the ground is required.  Temps in the mid- 30’s was ideal.  Dad would hail me and I woke up to the smell of bacon popping.  (Sidebar)

Last night, I PMed my friend, Rob and wrote, “I’m going to put you in a category by yourself.” He posts the most on Facebook among my crowd and Rufus is neck and neck.   But it is cool.  He’s got it happening, writing about his adventures and his children.  He pumps his wife’s ego to the hilt.  Anyway, he responded, “ha ha, I get bored!”  He just so happens to be my star pupil, my fishing guide partner who owns a 70K Hells Bay Professional.  

Well, this sounds like bragging.  It’s not, just fact and history.  It might make you cringe.  Well don’t.  You have to remember, those were the days of a 12” size limit and no bag.  123 redfish landed and sold to the restaurant so we could have food on the table.  

In modern times we have caught and released 88 that were 5 pounds and up.  And these fish can be caught over and over again.  Most of those river reds back in the 70’s would be fished out in a few days and they average 15”.

I was one of many who traveled to Tallahassee to ask the Governor to make redfish a game fish(no sale status).  Many spoke. Ted was first and I was second.  We did it and the rest is history.  

Except for one change, in Florida allowing the bag limit of redfish from 1 to 2 redfish.  That is the most ignorant rule change of all time.  Keep in mind ignorant is the word.  There’s no big schools anymore.  Just do the math.  It is simple addition, multiplication and subtraction.  20 boats, 5 anglers, 1 fish each, 100 reds taken, 200 reds taken with 2 fish each; times 30 days = 3,000 for one fish limit and 6,000 for two fish limit.

Keep in mind, this is a very low number.  We are losing hundreds of thousands along the west coast every year.  The loss of revenue for Florida is in the millions of dollars.  We should set an example that we are the sport fish release state of the country.