FISHING GUIDE · CRYSTAL RIVER & HOMOSASSA, FLORIDA

Crystal River & Homosassa Fishing Guide

Crystal River and Homosassa are famous for giant spring tarpon, the place where fly fishing's biggest tarpon records were set. Today most anglers fish the shallow grass, rock and oyster flats for redfish and trout, and in summer the area fills with families hunting bay scallops. Manatees gather in the springs every winter, so speed zones and seasonal sanctuaries are strict.

📍 Citrus County on Florida's Gulf coast, in the Big Bend region north of Tampa. Crystal River flows out of Kings Bay, a first-magnitude spring system, and the Homosassa River runs to the Gulf a few miles south. Fort Island Gulf Beach Park has a ramp and pier; St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve is a top inshore area.

📅 Florida Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Florida Gulf Coast map →

Quick facts

Billy Pate set a fly record here in 1982 with a 188-pound tarpon on 16-pound tippet off Homosassa; FWC says the major tarpon fly records all came from the Homosassa area.
On May 11, 2001, Jim Holland Jr. landed a 202-pound 8-ounce tarpon on fly at Homosassa, the first fly-caught tarpon over 200 pounds.
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge manages seven manatee sanctuaries in Kings Bay; they are closed to all waterborne activity Nov 15 - Mar 31.
All of Kings Bay is a federal manatee refuge with slow speed year-round (except a posted 25 mph area near Buzzard Island June 1 - Aug 15).
The 2026 bay scallop season in Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties ran July 1 through Sept. 24.

What you can catch

Tarpon
Big migrating fish in spring (April-May); catch-and-release only.
Redfish
Rocky points and outer islands like St. Martins Keys; big fall schools.
Spotted seatrout
Year-round on the flats; fall and spring are best. Big Bend allows 5 per person.
Snook
Open Mar 1 - Apr 30 and Sept 1 - Nov 30 in the Big Bend region.
Bay scallops
Summer season by hand or dip net in shallow grass.
Gag grouper
Offshore rocks; 2026 Gulf state season was Sept 1-30.
Cobia
Inshore and offshore target.
Spanish mackerel and mangrove snapper
Over limestone bottom offshore.

Month by month

January	Manatee season: sanctuaries closed Nov 15 - Mar 31. Trout and reds in deeper creeks and rivers.
February	Manatee sanctuaries still closed; snook closed until end of Feb.
March	Snook opens Mar 1; trout move to the flats.
April	Tarpon arrive; snook open through Apr 30; manatee sanctuaries reopen Apr 1.
May	Tarpon season; snook closed May 1 - Aug 31.
June	Summer flats fishing early and late in the day.
July	Bay scallop season opens Jul 1 (2026 dates: Jul 1 - Sept 24).
August	Scalloping; bull redfish start to school.
September	Snook reopens Sept 1; gag grouper Sept 1-30 (2026); scallop season ends Sept 24 (2026).
October	Prime fall redfish and trout; big redfish schools on the outside islands.
November	Fall trout and reds; snook closes Nov 30; manatee season starts Nov 15.
December	Cold-water trout and reds; manatee sanctuaries closed.

Tips

Stay in the marked channels: the bottom is shallow with sharp limestone rocks, and Homosassa's channel is less defined than Crystal River's.
Kings Bay is slow speed year-round; from Nov 15 to Mar 31 stay out of the posted manatee sanctuaries and any temporary no-entry areas.
No fishing in Three Sisters Springs from Nov 15 to Mar 31, and never chase, touch or separate manatees.
When scalloping, stay within 300 feet of your dive flag in open water (100 feet in rivers and channels), and boats must idle within those distances.
Drones are not allowed on the national wildlife refuge.

Rules and license

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Crystal River NWR, Kings Bay Manatee Refuge) · Official rules page ↗

Florida saltwater fishing license required unless exempt (under 16, Florida residents 65+, or fishing from a licensed charter/guide boat, among others). Florida residents fishing only from shore can get a free shoreline license. A snook permit is also needed to keep snook.
Redfish (Big Bend region): 18-27 inch slot, 1 per person, 4 per vessel, open year-round.
Spotted seatrout (Big Bend region): 15-19 inch slot, 5 per person, one over 19 inches per vessel, open year-round.
Snook (Big Bend region): 28-33 inch slot, 1 per person; closed Dec 1 - end of Feb and May 1 - Aug 31.
Bay scallops (Levy, Citrus, Hernando zone): 2026 season July 1 - Sept 24; 2 gallons whole or 1 pint meat per person, 10 gallons whole or 1/2 gallon meat per vessel; by hand or dip net only.
Tarpon: catch-and-release only; fish over 40 inches stay in the water unless you hold a tarpon tag.
Gag grouper (Gulf state waters): 2026 season Sept 1-30; State Reef Fish Angler designation needed on private boats.
Manatee rules: Kings Bay federal manatee refuge (slow speed year-round); sanctuaries in Kings Bay and the Homosassa River closed Nov 15 - Mar 31; FWC rule 68C-22.011 (Citrus, Levy, Hernando).

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 9 boat ramps and 0 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

MacRae

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.