The warm days of July have already provided many anglers with early surprises this month. Huge schools of feeding Redfish, an abundance of scallops in shallow water and the early arrival of many hard fighting sharks in some of the deeper waters and holes have provided many Nature Coast Anglers with tons of action packed angling experiences. July's light winds and slight chances of rain have allowed the fishing and scalloping grounds off of Crystal River and Homosassa to reach a pristine gin clear state, and when conditions like this arrive "Look Out" because the skies the limit when it comes to angling opportunities. With the water reaching such a clarity tons of sight casting opportunities have led to some trips of a life time. Just ask 13 year old Tommy who recently spent the day fishing with myself and his grandfather. On this trip Tommy caught and released a number of Redfish, Speckled Trout, Jack Crevalle, Bluefish, Snapper, Shark, Black Drum, and he was even rewarded with a Hook Up of a 60+lb Tarpon. What a Day!!!!!
Obviously, Tommy's trip will be one that he will not soon forget, but there have been a few other Red Hot anglers that will have some fishing stories to brag about including myself. Schools of 100 plus fish are not all that rare in the grand scheme of things when you think about the saltwater fishing world. Schools of 100's (in some cases 1000's) of Jacks, Bonita, Black Drum, Spanish Mackerel and even Tarpon happen all through out the year Nature Coast. But if you have ever been fortunate enough to come across 100+ Redfish in knee deep water this would definitely be a spectacle that an angler would never forget. In recent weeks the backcountry areas of the Crystal River and Homosassa have been inundated with some of the largest schools of Redfish this year may see. And with most boaters focused on scalloping this fishery should see a complete lack of pressure for quite some time. On a recent back-to-back trip both Cathy Stone and Steve Earheart both set personal bests when these big schools of Reds came rolling their way. Because most of these fish are way outside of the slot limit I like to use a 4/0 Circle Hook with Cut bait. The circle hook ensures a proper corner of the mouth hook up which allows these big breeding Redfish to be set free practically unharmed.
As good as the Redfishing has been the most action packed fishing to date has to be the Shark fishing. Sharks can be targeted up and down the Nature Coast but my favorite method of Shark fishing is anchoring up just off a shallow clear flat adjacent from a deep hole and setting out a good chum slick. Chumming with sardines, ground mackerel, and even hanging Bluefish or Bonita over the side of the boat will always get the attention of Mackerel, Bluefish, Speckled Trout and especially Sharks. Bonnetheads, Spinners, BlackTips, Hammerheads, and Bull sharks are the most common sharks this time of year and it is not unheard of to hook up with one of each during a day of Shark fishing. If you have never tried Shark fishing there are very few instances in the world of fishing that are more exciting than hearing the ZING!!!!!!!! of the fishing line coming off a reel when a hungry shark comes calling. Not to mention Shark steaks are one of the more underrated seafood delicacies.
Now with all of this talk of Sharks I hope I have not deterred anyone from jumping into the water and enjoying some of the best Scalloping the Nature Coast has seen in years. For over 3 weeks now the Scallop season has been open off of the Crystal River and Homosassa areas and it seems that as the weeks move on the scalloping only continues to gets better. The excellent scalloping can be accredited to strong recent tides of the moth. As the tides move in and out the scallops hitch a ride on many of the floating grasses. The good news to be reported for Scallopers is that there are NO!!! Jellyfish to speak of on the scallop grounds. In recent years jellyfish have been one of the real challenges for snorkeler's pursuing the tasty scallops but up to date the waters are jellyfish free and should continue to be for quite some time.
So with the weather warming and the fishing and scalloping heating up why not incorporate a fishing/scalloping adventure with Red Hot Fishing Charters during your summer break. We can custom build a trip that can surely suit your needs and wants. If you're interested in creating an inshore fishing or scalloping memory please feel free to give Red Hot Fishing Charters a call today!!!
Capt. Kyle Messier
(352) 634-4002
kylemessier@yahoo.com
WWW.REDHOTFISHINGCHARTERS.COM
