Carlton Roberts caught a 14-pound snook--rare in the area--in late January 2005
A popular cold weather quarry here is seatrout, attracted in droves. “Droves” might be excessive, but “schools” are certainly not. There are moments when multiple hookups from surrounding boats is not an unusual sight. These are not big fish, but what they lack in size (mostly 15- to 20-inch slot fish), they make up in quantity and feistiness. In fact, there are times during February (when trout season is closed here) that they become downright pesky when you’re questing for redfish.
Other more adventurous anglers are willing to sort out their trout and reds from an assortment of bycatch catfish, small sharks and stingrays, by soaking cut mullet down deep. If tugs and pulls is your game, that’s the way to go, but smaller, moving baits are best for sport fish here. Speaking of sport fish, don’t miss an opportunity to throw baits at one of the many schools of jack crevalle that cruise the channel at all times. Some exceed 10 pounds, and boating one will add spice to one’s day.
Area of Roberts' catch (above).
Another technique overlooked by many is trolling the hot-water channel. The entire length of the canal is a slow-speed manatee zone during the cold months, and there’s no better time to toss a medium-diver plug behind the boat. The water is about 15 feet deep and dragging these plugs at 4 to 5 knots can attract strikes from those jacks, as well as grouper, snook and tarpon.
Getting There
Accessing the hot-water discharge can be difficult. There is a large and deep navigable channel running into the plants’ cold-water intake on the Crystal Bay side of the site. That’s great for large, oceangoing tugs pushing coal barges, but little help for anglers on the bay. Deeper water to the west of the Progress Energy site is largely man-made, and carved out of a very shallow, rocky bay. Getting there means crossing some potentially cruel and rocky bottom, so take care in larger boats and especially on low winter tides.
While launching is possible at the Fort Island ramps at Crystal River, the boat run to the hot-water discharge involves crossing lots of open water and then running out the intake channel a mile or two until you can pass between the spoil banks. Until it silted in, there was a cut near markers 43 and 44 called “Fisherman’s Cut” that made for a simple transit of the spoil banks. Rumors have it that it will soon be re-opened during an upcoming dredging project at the intake channel.
Better boat launching possibilities are from the north. There’s a good ramp at the end of SR40 in Yankeetown and Yankeetown Marina upriver. Either way, run out the river to marker 18A, then steer for marker 33 in the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Once there, take the cut between Barge Canal markers 32 and 34 and head directly for Fisherman’s Cut. Once you’re due west of the plant, slow down and “feel” your way in. Don’t take anything for granted here, as big piles of local lime rock have a tendency to reach up and snag lower units. Another option from the north side of the plants is the launching ramp under the US19 Bridge over the Barge Canal near the FWC facility. Run out the Barge Canal to markers 32 and 34, and then head toward Fisherman’s Cut.
No matter your choice of tackle, be prepared to leave some behind. The bottom of the channel is littered with lime rock and the remnants of years of snagged tackle. If you snag up on the bottom, you’ll probably have to break off. If you snag another angler’s line, just be courteous and work it out with him. There’s usually lots of unhooking fouled lines as the currents are quick and the crowds are...well, you know, thick.
If you’re claustrophobic and hope to avoid the crowds, take a look at a good inshore chart and notice there’s a line of rock and oyster bars running all the way from The Suncoast Keys near Ozello north to the mouth of the Waccasassa River. The section of those bars to the west of the discharge canal, taken in conjunction with the spoil banks to the south and a series of islands to the north, effectively creates a sealed environment where the hot water flows. Even though there’s still a good tidal flow in the area, it’s apparent from the number of fish taken in the general vicinity during cold weather that the outflow affects more than just the channel. Look for bars and island edges and points that hold baitfish such as mullet. While the water’s not as warm here, bait will move away from the hot water discharge, particularly on higher tides, and range toward sunny oyster and shell bars. It’s here that you’ll have good luck in finding bigger, hardier fish capable of ranging into cooler water.
Many argue that fishing along this stretch of coast would be better without the plant, while others disagree. Certainly, the north-south tidal flow has been redirected by the power company shipping channel spoil banks, but the spoils created by the dredging of the now-defunct Cross Florida Barge Canal didn’t help either. Tides do run strong in the area, successfully flushing the water several times a day, nurturing the seagrasses necessary to support marine life and procreation. The general area affected by the plants is probably “alive” more months now than before construction, due to the yearly supply of warm water and increased water movement. Taken together, this off-season fishery created by the Crystal River Energy Center is a terrific resource for Florida anglers, even if it does become a circus at times.
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