Nature Coast: William Toney

October is one of my favorite months. I may be showing my age but the band Poco has a good song called Indian Summer and the Big Bend is in the beginning of that now. It’s cool at night and warm in the day, on my chartered trips a wind breaker will make you chilly on the ride out but by mid morning shorts and tee shirts are what you would be wearing. 

 The trout bite house been spread out across the rock grass flats south of the Homosassa River channel. My best bait has been a MirrOlure Provoker or Lil Jon in water melon red flake under a popping cork. I’m still old school so if we catch 2 or 3 keeper trout in a row then I will use a marking jug to mark and concentrate on that area. I do use a GPS but I find on a daily basis the fish will move and then I have all these numbers to decipher what are relevant or not. 

 Redfishing on the incoming tide has been good. The Spoil Banks in Crystal River has been a good area to get in on the action. Free lined live pinfish on Short Point can get you a west coast slam with snook, redfish and trout. During the week is the best time to fish the Banks because it can get crowded there on the weekends. 

 We’re very close but not quite there for inshore grouper. Casting plugs for a keeper gag grouper is one of the most exciting strikes an angler can ever expect from a saltwater fish. A Indian Summer is on it’s way. High incoming tide will be early morning this weekend.