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Homosassa Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Spring-clear water, backcountry creeks and the ghost of world-record tarpon: Homosassa is Old Florida inshore fishing.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
High 10:35 PM
Air / High
85 / 86 F
Wind
SW 9 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8727277, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Homosassa serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SW around 9 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 86. Tides: high 9:19 AM and 10:35 PM, low 1:23 AM and 5:43 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Similar at 85 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8727277 (Tuckers Island, Homosassa River). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
LOW1:23 AM0.5 ft
HIGH9:19 AM2.0 ft
LOW5:43 PM-0.0 ft
HIGH10:35 PM0.7 ft
Sat
LOW1:30 AM0.5 ft
HIGH10:21 AM2.0 ft
LOW7:15 PM-0.1 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp85 F
High / Low86 / 79 F
WindSW 9-13 mph
Pressure1013.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain56% cloud, 24%
Sunrise / Sunset07:10 / 19:49
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 86/79 F, wind 12 mph, rain 24%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Homosassa: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

When to come: the Homosassa calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Homosassa today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 15 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Florida requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Florida saltwater rules: verify current redfish status and trout limits for the Nature Coast zone with FWC. Tarpon over 40 inches stay in the water by law.

Access

MacRae’s of Homosassa and the Citrus County ramp on Cherokee Way; kayak launches at the state wildlife park boundary and Ozello for the creeks.

About this water

A nine-mile spring-fed river in Citrus County, Florida, from Homosassa Springs to the gulf, famous for backcountry redfish and historic tarpon flats.

Fishing Homosassa: the full guide

The river the springs built

The Homosassa runs barely nine miles from its first-magnitude spring to the gulf, but it packs in more variety than rivers ten times longer: manatee-clear upper river, mangrove and spartina creeks, rock-strewn flats, and a nearshore band of shallow gulf that once produced the fly-rod tarpon records that made the town famous. The water is thin, the rocks are real, and the fishing rewards patience over horsepower.

Reds and trout in the backcountry

Redfish ride the higher tides into the creek mouths and around the rock bars from Hells Gate seaward: gold spoons, weedless plastics and cut pinfish all work when the water floods the shorelines. Trout spread over the outside grass in three to six feet, with popping corks the reliable play. In winter both species, plus jacks and the occasional snook, pull up into the warmer spring-fed river, and sight-fishing the clear shallows around the islands becomes the game.

The tarpon season

May and June bring the migratory tarpon that made Homosassa a fly-fishing legend in the 1970s and 80s. The fish still come, in smaller numbers, cruising the outside flats at first light. It is a specialist’s pursuit: long shots, glass calm mornings and more waiting than casting, but hooking a hundred-pound fish in six feet of clear water explains the obsession.

Running the river

Idle zones protect manatees through much of the river, so plan on slow running: the fishing grounds start where the speed limits end. Public launching at MacRae’s and the county ramp fills early on weekends. The Homosassa station sets the rhythm, and the river runs on a delay with a softer range than the open gulf: the locals’ rule is that everything here happens later and gentler than the chart says.

Common questions

Is the tarpon fishery still worth the trip?

For the experience, yes: May-June mornings still show migratory fish. For numbers, Boca Grande it is not: treat a jumped fish as a win.

Where do redfish hold on low water?

The outside rock bars and the first deep bends inside the creek mouths. Let the incoming tide bring the fish to the shorelines rather than chasing them.

Can I fish from a kayak?

It is one of Florida’s best paddle fisheries: the Ozello creek maze next door and the river islands are made for it, and the idle zones neutralize the horsepower advantage.

Is fishing good at Homosassa right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Clearwater Lake52 miClearwater56 miLake Harris56 miOrange Lake58 miTampa Bay71 miSteinhatchee72 mi
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