Offshore fishing picks up in spring as baitfish move north with the warming water. Lots of anglers discount running offshore from the Ws as they feel it’s a longer run, but those who regularly launch at Yankeetown (Waccasassa is certainly a long run, as it’s farther up the bay) cite several advantages. There are always fewer fishermen launching at the Yankeetown ramps, and there’s always plenty of parking. Also, should you launch at Yankeetown Marina upriver, you’ll have the advantage of a good, clean freshwater run back to the ramp. A freshwater dunking for your trailer is always a good thing if you frequently launch at saltwater ramps.

The Withlacoochee River is a great cool-season bet for trout and small redfish.

A must-stop for your first Ws springtime offshore trip is the junction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal and the Crystal River power plant channel. If there are bait pods on the markers, there’s sure to be Spanish mackerel and small kingfish close by. Troll jigs tipped with mullet belly strips or small, durable swimming plugs. Just be sure to use a short piece of light wire leader to keep lure loss down. Also, have a live pinfish, shallow-running plug or plastic eel to toss to any cobia you see around the markers. Some anglers targeting cobia prefer to anchor and chum, fishing one bait on the bottom and another under a cork near the surface.

With depths in excess of 20 feet, both channels hold keeper grouper. Troll large diving plugs along the jagged edges, rather than over the smooth bottom mid-channel. There are also some fishy rocks near the junction of the channels that hold grouper in early spring.

Summer is prime time on the grassflats west of the Ws. For nice catches of seatrout and an occasional cobia, try live or artificial shrimp, or pinfish, under corks. Ladyfish and jacks are ever-present prey for fly fishermen using 8-weight tackle and blind-casting Clouser Minnow or Deceiver flies over the sand holes. As everywhere, be alert for diving gulls as a sure sign of bait schools. A good place to begin your flats drift is the “Trout Stake” (29-02.488'N and 82-50.504'W). Be careful getting there from either river. Captain Richard Steinhorst suggests moving inshore toward Porpoise Point and if your boat’s draft will allow, up into Low’s Bay, casting gold spoons or Texas-rigged grubs to rocky islands in search of summer reds. Another approach is to soak cut mullet in cuts near oyster bars as the tide falls—so long as you don’t get left high and dry. Wade-fishing Bird Island or the Withlacoochee Reefs early on a summer day is another favored tactic.

To the south, try the same redfish techniques near the inshore islands created by the dredging of the Barge Canal. Particularly good spots include Deadman’s Key and the islands and bars across the channel to the south. The last half of the rising tide and the first hour of the falling tide are usually productive here. As for trout in this area, it’s hit-and-miss, depending on water clarity. Some of the inshore cuts in the power company spoils toward Crystal Bay have silted in, and water flow has suffered.

Summer also means good offshore fishing—if you can accept that the depth here drops only about a foot per mile. The run to the fishing grounds from the mouth of the Withlacoochee River is not very much farther than from Cedar Key or Crystal River, and it’s always an easier time at the boat ramps. Start your day at the end of the Barge Canal channel, check the markers for big cobia, and then head west. At that point, you’re just about due west of Crystal River and a reasonable trip to the Grouper Grounds, an area of abundant rock and live bottom (28-49.59'N and 83-11.58'W is the general neighborhood.) Troll the area first, and watch for good structure or fish; then anchor, chum and fish the bottom with cut threadfin herring, squid or live pinfish on dropper rigs. And don’t forget to freeline a live blue runner or pinfish.

There’s plenty to explore in this corner of the coast, and each season brings exciting new prospects. Visiting the little towns along the rivers is like traveling back in time. You won’t find fast food, chain motels or tackle megastores, but you will find comfortable lodging and decent food in Yankeetown and Inglis. And, you’ll be treated to some of the prettiest scenery and best wildlife viewing in the state.

FS