October 2024 Fishing Report

Fall fishing is in full swing following a busy late hurricane season. Florida’s west coast got hit by hurricane Debbie, Helene, and Milton all in a 3 month window. However these communities are doing a phenomenal job in getting back to normal, besides the obvious trash clutter waiting to be picked up, Crystal River is just about back to normal. The city and its residents eagerly await for tourists to travel back to the area. Back to the subject of fishing, water temps are cooling off due to an early cold front in October which has caused fish to head for the creeks and nearby creek mouths. The outgoing tide has been best for trout, focusing on the edges of flats in 2-4 ft of water setting a good drift through our target areas has produced plentiful numbers of fish. Once the tides turn, we start to target redfish, snook, black drum, and sheep’s head back in the creeks. Getting ahead of the tide and waiting for the redfish to drop into deep holes that the sun has warmed up is a time proven technique this time of year producing many sheeps head, black drum, redfish often all in the same holes. Our redfish slot is the same at one fish per person and must be 18-27 inches long, sheepshead has no over slot limit and must be 12 inches long and you are aloud 8 per person. Besides throwing the Crystal River classic shrimp on a jig head we have been shifting bait patterns to white nose hooked jerk baits, and watermelon red MirrOlure Lil Jons for trout. Starting the day off with topwater plugs for redfish and as the sun comes up switching to gold spoons and suspending twitch baits to cover plenty of water and really dial in where these fish are holding for the day.