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The beautiful, unspoiled Florida
coastline of Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus is my favorite fishing ground. The mangroves, spartina grass, oyster bars,
and rocks make for an excellent habitat for snook, sea trout, and redfish. Lady fish, sheephead, sea bass and cobia
are plentiful here and are fun to catch, also. A world record 202 pound tarpon was caught recently on a fly right off Bayport.
We will be leaving from the dock
and travel a short distance (15 minutes) down the pristine waters of the Weeki Wachee River to the Gulf of Mexico. We
might see manatees, eagles and raccoons as we make our way to the salt marshes and flats. We will be drifting, poling,
and maybe anchoring awhile. We will go where the fish are tailing, schooling or cruising the flats.
A "flats slam" is when you catch a redfish, snook, and a sea
trout on the same day.
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Redfish
Nothing is prettier than seeing the
copper bronze body shimmering in the sunlight as the fish is brought up to the boat. The tail turns blue with excitement.
The base of the tail may have one spot or multiple-I have seen as many as seven spots. Redfish stay in estuaries until about
30 inches (4 years), then join the spawning population near the shore. They feed on crustaceans, fish and mollusks and
may live up to 20 years or more. The fight with a bull redfish is thrilling as they are brawlers right on up into the
boat. A 27 inch redfish weighs about 8-9 pounds. Legal limits: 18-27 inches, one per person per day. Florida record:
51 pounds, 8 ounces.
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Snook
Snook have a distinct lateral line,
hence the nickname "linesider". They are found in Central Florida and South Florida, usually inshore
in coastal and brackish waters, along mangrove shorelines, seawalls, bridges, reefs and pilings. Snook spawn primarily
in summer; cannot tolerate water temperatures below 60 degrees; can tolerate wholly fresh or saltwater. Snook feed on
pinfish and large crustaceans.
They can be caught on a variety of lures,
such as jigs, soft plastic baits, top water plugs, or live white bait. My favorite is top water plugs-chug bugs, zarra
spooks and top pups. There is nothing like the excitement of a snook crashing the top water plug. What a rush!
In this area, I have caught snook in the 13-18 pound range. The snook are not as plentiful as they are more south, but those
we have are larger and scrapier. Legal limits: 28-33 inches, one per person. Florida record: 44 pounds, 3
ounces.
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Spotted Sea Trout
Sea trout are dark gray or green above,
with sky blue tinges shading to silvery and white below; numerous distinct round black spots on back, extending to the dorsal
fins and tail; one or two prominent canine teeth usually present at tip of upper jaw. They are found inshore and/or nearshore over grass, sand and sandy bottoms.
Trout mature during first or second year and spawn inshore from March through November. They live mainly in estuaries
and move only short distances Adults feed mainly on shrimp and small fish; prefer water temperatures between 58 and
81 degrees F and live 8 to 10 years. Since
the net ban 15 years ago, the spotted sea trout fishing has vastly improved. Before the net ban it was hard to find a trout
over 12 inches, but now fish over 20 inches are common. Size range: 2-4 pounds on west coast. Legal limits: length minumin
15 inches, one over 20 inches per person is permitted. Five trout per person are allowed. Florida record: 15 pounds,
6 ounces.
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