Crystal River – August Fishing Report

“Early Starts and Late Finishes”

August is one of the hottest months of the year, but a little bit of planning can help you beat the heat, while still enjoying some quality fishing. The redfish bite can actually be at its peak this time of year. Large schools of spawning reds will gather around areas such the spoil banks, and St. Marin’s Keys. Although these two areas are only a few miles apart, the way you target these fish is completely different. The spoil banks are best fished with live shrimp or cut bait with a live bait hook on the bottom, near the rocks that provide structure for the big redfish. The St. Martin Keys can only be fished at high tide, and there, the best way to target the redfish is to free-line live shrimp and pinfish into the schools of mullet near the points of the islands, while watching to see if you can spot any cruising schools of fish. In either case, the best fishing will be early in the morning and late in the evening, which is good news for anglers who don’t want to bake under the mid-day sun.

The scalloping will continue to be good through August with the area from Gomez Rocks to the Homosassa bird rack, being one of the best places to find scallops. The deeper areas will continue to produce the best scallops, with 3 to 6 feet of water being the best.