Welcome to Tarpon Country ladies and gentlemen!!! It’s that time of year again where anglers from all over the world descend onto the flats of Crystal River and Homosassa looking to accomplish one goal/life long quest: CATCH A BIG ASS TARPON ON FLY!
Year after year Tarpon migrate north from the waters of south Florida swimming up the Gulf Coast feeding sporadically along the way before making their way offshore to spawn. This migration (in my opinion) begins in late February along the coast of the 10,000 islands before the arrival of the first few Tarpon along our coast in late April. As the Gulf of Mexico warms over the course of the spring and into the summer these Silver Kings continue to swim north following warming water temperatures. Usually the warmer the water the better, as these mostly tropical fish do not like water temperatures below the 72° mark. Here along the Nature Coast when the water temperatures hit 80° and the white butterflies start flying Tarpon chasing fly anglers know its game on!!!
The 2022 season has already been deemed one of the best seasons over the last decade by many of the seasonal Tarpon guides who have fishing these flats for years. Lots of fish, Big fish, and a consistent migratory pattern have lead to numerous daily hook ups featuring plenty of fish in the air. On a regular occurrence this season I’ve had anglers putting 3, 4, 5, fish in the air all before the heat of the day kicked in. Keep in mind that this is a sight fishing fishery so those anglers that are putting fish in the air are often part of the stalk, casting at fish they are visually seeing roll before presenting a fly and watching the eat!! There is nothing more exciting in all of fly-fishing than watching a 100lb+ fish suck a fly off the surface in 4ft of crystal clear water.
For those anglers interested in hitting the water for a day of Tarpon fishing feel free to reach out as we still have opportunities available over the summer. We are also starting to book for the 2023 season and these slots fill up way in advance. Bring it on folks!!!
SCALLOPING REPORT
The beauty of the summer is that we transition from one season into another. After stalking Tarpon in the heat and humidity a jump in the water is extremely refreshing. For those visitors that enjoy snorkeling with a twist the Nature Coast Scallop Season is in full swing here in Crystal River and Homosassa. This family fun adventure is one big underwater Easter egg hunt and we encourage families of all ages and skill levels to come and enjoy a day with us. Most of our scallops are being found in 4-6 ft. of crystal clear water at the moment making it an easy swim for scallopers of all skill levels.
Don’t think you can make it a whole day just scalloping? Well throw a half-day of fishing in front of a half-day of scalloping. We fish for Redfish, Snook, Snapper, Black Drum, and Sheepshead in the morning before cooling off and scalloping in the afternoon. Our half day fishing half day scalloping trips are trully a favorite trip for most of visiting anglers during the summer months.
Bring it on and lets have a great day out on the Nature Coast!
Capt. Kyle Messier
(352) 634-4002
kylemessier@yahoo.com
WWW.CRYSTALRIVERFISHING.COM
WWW.FLYFISHINGCRYSTALRIVER.COM
WWW.KYLE.CITRUSCOUNTYHOMESNOW.COM
