adventuring out to weeki wachee

[Swampcreek]

Has anyone ever fished down there? We're heading out to a fish camp on the mudd river. Gonna try the creeks and flats around weeki wachee. I've never been on that side of florida.

[Can'tCatchAnything]

That's my neck of the woods; I grew up in Brooksville!

The Mud River is a salt intruded spring fed river that's a great spot for schooling Mangrove Snappers, reds, and trout,, in the winter time. I've never actually seen anyone catch anything off the seawall at Mary's Fish Camp when I pass it. Trolling a Yozuri minnow up and down the Mud River has produced trout in the winter, I also caught a gigantic smoothback puffer fish doing the same. There's a ton of those there.

On your way out from Mary's, a bit before the Bayport Public ramp is a good spot for trout and reds, there's a pretty deep hole there known as Gator Hole. It's a bit to the right of the channel, at the confluence of the Weeki Wachee and Mud rivers.. Generally there will be a boat or two there, so it's a well known spot.

Try fishing the end of the Mud river too, at the spring. If water temps are still low enough, you'll see snapper by the thousands there. Also caught my personal best red there last time I went. There will be pilchards there at the spring you can net for.

Definitely check out Hospital Hole on the Weeki Wachee, and bring fiddlers or small crabs for sheepshead. They'll be right down in the hole. Again, fishing the rivers is much more effective during winter.

Across from the Bayport public fishing pier, there's a oyster bar right out of casting range of the shore guys. That's a good spot to check out.

If you look on Google Maps, there's a small creek between Mud River and Weeki Wachee, and snook will hang out there. If your boat drafts shallow enough, go chase a snook. Last time I went through that little creek I saw 3 good sized and legal snook, that was back in the winter.

Coming out of Bayport towards Pine Island, there's an island called Rock Island. Around there are some large rocks that snapper will hang around.

It's mostly sand bottom there, with tons of submerged rocks. Definitely go slow, and watch for rocks when roaming the flats. Those rocks are basically all the cover there is, it's relatively shallow in Hernando County. 1 foot of depth per mile. Watch the tide too, the water will completely disappear during low tide and I've had to get out and drag even a little 12 ft boat in 3 inches of water. But seriously, watch out for rocks.

There's a bait and tackle shop on Osowaw Rd next to the Sunoco. There'll usually be a skinny blond headed guy there named Michael Senker (we were classmates), he'll know what's biting and what to throw. Across Osowaw from the coast guard post is a nice wildlife refuge/old rock quarry. It's been filled by rain water, it's a real pretty place to check out for a relaxing walk.

I'll ask my buddies back home if they've been fishing and if the flats are lighting up yet. I'll get back to you later today if I hear anything from them.

Good luck!

[Can'tCatchAnything]

Spoke with a few of my high school buddies. Gulf temps are about where the rivers are at; some snapper still in the river though. They were catching sheepshead on pieces of shrimp and one of them caught a snook off the Anclote fishing pier a bit to the south. You can get live shrimp at Senker's bait and tackle shop if that's your preference.

Go get 'em, and say hey to the mermaids for me.

[Dubble Trubble]

I hear if you use the right bait, you can catch a mermaid!

[MudDucker]

I hear if you use the right bait, you can catch a mermaid!

Yea, the baits are known as Portraits of Dead Presidents. They come in one color ... green!

[Swampcreek]

Thanks for the info! It would be great to find some mangroves, or sheephead. The kids (7-4) haven't ever been on that kind of water.

I asked my wife about the mermaids, and I don't think we can afford one. But I imagine the show is nice....

[leesburgga]

Can't catch anything - great info! I enjoyed reading that myself and researching on Google Earth and I am not even going. Good luck Swampcreek.

[Can'tCatchAnything]

Oh yeah Google Maps is a great tool to prospect for fishing spots.

Swampcreek, look at these spots on Google Maps, it should drop a pin it you put the numbers into maps.

28.532801,-82.642391
28.534822,-82.640029

Those are the Gator Hole numbers, it's either the first or second spot that's formally "Gator Hole". But that's the closest spot to Mary's Fish Camp that could produce you a few good fish. The mangroves really like live baits, if you have a cast net I would really recommend throwing a pilchard into the hole, a bigger mangrove will eat it, and you have a chance at a big red or trout using local bait from local food chain. My roommate recently went home and told me the snapper and snook are at the hole so give it a try.

and... 28.539323,-82.628202. It's a bit hard to find unless you know it's there, but that the little creek between the rivers where I've seen several snook just hanging out.

It is some of the clearest water to fish in. If I weren't caught up with projects here I'd be tempted to visit my parents and visit those spots myself.

[Swampcreek]

Awesome, thanks! Yeah i've been on google looking myself, I saw those holes and figured thats where you were talking about.
I will be heading down there tomorrow. I will let you know what I catch, or dont catch. I'm excited !

[Swampcreek]

http://imgur.com/a/bR9vE

I don't know how to upload a pic from my phone. Maybe this works.

We fished one day and hit up the gator hole. I lost a huge red on the barnacles of the channel marker. I thought I had him tired out but he got to the boat and zingggg. We rode up to the hospital hole and let the girls swim and play. Caught a few small mangroves.

The last day we went back out and hit the flats kinda. I left the channel and found the first oyster bed with grass. Limited out in trout in 30 minutes. I was not even a mile from the landing.

I would recommend any one that goes down there to check out Mary's fish camp. We stayed in a cabin there. It was perfect. Nice dock and cleaning place. Clean cabins. The kids were catching snapper under the dock. Saw a few huge snook hanging around the dock. People were catching mullet from the fishing area all day long. There were fish jumping everywhere.

[Can'tCatchAnything]

You got em! Sounds like a great time.