Hernando Springs
This month’s column is about survival tips for winter fishing in Hernando County's beautiful springs, apologies (?!), and a fishing story connecting both. I know in some of my articles I have dealt with recreational sites, but let’s be honest, I’m primarily a fishing fanatic, though I do enjoy a good paddling on occasion.
“I do enjoy a good paddling on occasion,” is something many of our readers find quite enjoyable. A little too enjoyable maybe? You would have to ask the author for his true meaning. This caption is just a thought from the publisher. The article was far more than a fishing report, though, and deserved its place in our regular article workflow.
Dress Warm...
So, if you were as crazy as we were to go out in the cold snaps, here are some tips to beat the cold. First, like Mom always told you, “dress warm”. Layers of clothes work best. Waders, hip boots or such, help keep your feet from freezing. And, a trick from Uncle Lew, put a heat pack in the bottom of each boot and you’ll be good for several hours. Be sure to let some air in on occasion to allow the pack to work properly. Another great idea, because for me, it’s always my hands that suffer, is to use Playtex gloves or something similar, under your regular gloves, and put Ben-Gay on your hands. Don’t laugh. It works!
As for apologies... on a past trip out, we three hardy souls, hit the frigid water in the midst of the cold snap. My friend, Brian, had no waders, so I brought him a pair of my old ones to use. I swear to God, I didn't know they had a hole in them. He suffered the first couple of hours before he had to head in. They say they can save most of the toes, so I can’t understand why he’s complaining. No, he’s fine – once he got feeling back in his feet. Anybody want to buy some used waders? (Sold As Is.)
Fishing the Floridian Aquifer: Lures That Work
Anyway, on a recent trip to Hernando County's pristine shores, my buddy Lew and I set out to do a little spring fishing. This area of the coast is loaded up with springs fed by the Floridan aquifer. To mention a couple... Weekie Wachee and the Chaz are good, as the gulf temp drops the fish head for warmer waters and can stack up.
We put in at one of my favorite spots and worked our way across the bay, and we picked up some nice Trout on a mixed bag of lures, top water on a Zara spook jr. in bone color, Mirrodine, “Little John” (in 'glow'), and Lew's favorite Gulp Glow Shrimp. All of the lures I tried worked well paddling back to the spring. I couldn't get the old Jeannie C. Reilly song, Harper Valley PTA, out of my head. It had played the day before on a country channel, and I was wishing it would go away. As we set up at the spring the bite was a little slow, and I some how let loose with a verse from Harper valley, and wham... I hooked into a nice black drum. I was thinking I was on to something, another verse another blackie. Lew was shaking his head and refusing to join me in a chorus (his loss) seven drum later he finally caught his first fish , I accused him of humming it, but he would'nt admit it.
Results of Fishing the Hernando Springs
We were primarily fishing straight down the spring with live shrimp at about 25 to 30 foot depth. This was kind of neat considering that a few feet to either side you could get out and walk. the sides were producing some nice reds one over thirty, a twenty nine, and two nice keepers . As I hummed one more verse of Harper valley I landed a Dogfish rod and reel combo that some one had recently lost. At that point Lew started muttering something about karma to which I replied, " The day my momma socked it to the Harper Valley PTA".
Well if you've made it this far I 'd like to say hi to everyone in the Tampa bay area, as well as, all my friends here on the Nature coast.
Bruce Butler of Indian Bay Outfitters is a Hernando County premier fishing guide with full and half-day charters available. Kayaks, tackle and gear are provided. Just bring your lucky hat and a good attitude and be ready to see some pristine shoreline and experience great fishing.
From the publisher: We go through a lot of reports on the site; professional anglers from everwhere in the state, and often from all over the country are feeding us reports about what they're catching, when, where, and the anglers on their boats with them. It's what makes the site special – an unspoken conversation among many of the area's guides that this is a good place to hang out; a good place for guides. We're honored to have Bruce Butler's excellent article here. Every once in a while we get work like this from our professional friends – something that's more an article than it is a simple report or forecast. When we do we put it into the regular article workflow instead of in the Reports section. We hope you feel the way we did when we first read it.
