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The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 17, 2008

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Bill Miller.

Artificial baits can work very well this time of year, as evidenced by the "Hooked on Fishing" crews catch with captain Ray Markham in Terra Ceia Bay, Miguel Bay and along the Bulkhead.

Early in the morning, with rain showers approaching from the Gulf, Markham was throwing a chartreuse head and white body soft plastic jerk shad. I was throwing a red head, dark green body grub and both of us were scoring with trout and snook around the mangroves edges.

We moved to some hard bottom areas and caught mangrove snapper, sea bass, ladyfish and bluefish on the same lures the trout were eating.

When the rain got closer to us, we got closer to home, preventing the storm from getting between us and the dock.

Throwing noisy topwater lures around pot holes in the grass flats, we hooked numerous small snook and had great fun teasing trout into striking at our lures three or four times before finally getting a hook set.

Scallops and big jellyfish are plentiful in the Crystal River/Homosassa area. These jellyfish are the stinging kind and produce a bite that lingers for a couple of days.

The heaviest concentration of scallops is in the Steinhatchee region.

Captain Bill Miller hosts "Hooked on Fishing" on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. on Bright House Networks Catch 47.

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