Some cooler weather coming this week could possibly push a few fish in the rivers. This winter so far has been very warm and that has kept the Gulf waters around 70 degrees on the Big Bend.

To get out of the wind and catch a few fish use live shrimp in the deep holes or spring fed east ends of the rivers. It may be a slow bite but stay at it to get a fresh fish dinner of mangrove snapper, black drum, sheepshead or redfish. The terminal tackle is a 1/8 oz. jig head with a live shrimp tail hooked. I pinch the tail of the shrimp off and thread the shrimp tail first toward the head of the hook. 

Further out in the Gulf, on nearshore rocks the sheepshead bite has begun. The bait that I use river fishing is the same for the nearshore sheepshead. Go another 8 to 10 miles beyond the sheepshead rocks. Capt. Chris Wilkins has been catching a few hogfish along with big mangrove snappers. The key to the hogfish is to use a heavy weighted round jig head with live shrimp just of the rock but bounce it of the bottom a few times per minute to get the bite. 

One area I have not fished in a while is the hot water discharge at the Duke Energy Plant. The nuke part shut down some years back, but some warm water does flow out from the plant. With cold conditions coming, maybe it will be cold enough to bring in a few fish.

High tide this weekend will be in the afternoon. 

Homosassa Weekly Fishing Report from Captain William Toney

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