Winter Fishing in Homosassa
Capt. Matthew Locklear
January 25, 2019
Homosassa - Saltwater Fishing Report
With the water temperature in the mid-to-upper 50's fishing can present to be a struggle if you don't know where to look. Paying close attention to the wind , weather and Tide is a very crucial part of catching fish this time of year. When we have the back to back cold fronts and low tide conditions like we are currently experiencing at the moment I primarily Target Trout, Sheephead and Balckdrum
Trout- Ideally you're going to want to fish pre-frontal conditions that way you have a little bit of Tide to work with. Way up in the backcountry creeks in the sloughs and holes is where you will find those laid up Gator trout. I like to fish a 1/8 oz jig head with a white DOA twitchbait to get the bite. When the tide goes Slack the bite will typically go dead. As the tide turns back in you're going to want to switch over to fishing shallow Rock Flats and sand bottom because that's what warms up the quickest and that's where they're going to want to be. However I will say when this happens I usually abandon trout all together because then I will have redfish on my mind.
Sheaphead- The near-shore rocks in the 10 to 20 foot depth range is where you're going to want to be because the sheephead are there to spawn. I like to fish a knocker rig with a quarter ounce weight and a 2/0 circle hook. The bite can be very subtle, give them about 10 seconds before setting the hook. For Quality Sheaphead give it a little time , for every big female there is 6-10 smaller males. I like an incoming tide for this and live or fresh shrimp is the bait of choice.
Blackdrum- fishing midway's up the river along the rocky ledges and deeper holes is where you you will find the puppy drum. Live or fresh shrimp will get the bite. I like to fish them on a 1/8 or 1/4oz jig head. Often times you will find redfish, sheephead and snapper all in the same spot while doing this.
For any questions please feel free to give me a call.
Thx Capt. Matt Locklear
Homosassabackcountryfishing.com
352-257-6680
Target Species:
Trout , Sheaphead , Blackdrum
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