Crystal River - Citrus, FL Fishing Report on 24th Aug, 2026 - 1

Gavin, Colton, Addy, and Andrew joined me for two days on the water in Crystal River, and on the way out that first morning they told me they had never caught redfish before.

Challenge accepted.

Day one did not disappoint.

We were fishing live pinfish tight to the mangroves, and just about every place we stopped produced fish. The boys were catching redfish left and right, with several double hookups throughout the day.

At one point we had another double-up right beside the boat when several redfish followed one of the hooked fish in. Things got a little crazy for a few minutes, but that's the kind of chaos you don't mind having on a fishing charter.

We caught several quality reds in the 24- to 25-inch range along with plenty of other fish mixed in. By the end of the day, I'd estimate we had caught around 20 redfish as we moved from one location to another.

The boys were enthusiastic from beginning to end. For four guys who started the morning having never caught a redfish, they certainly made up for lost time.

Mother Nature did make things interesting. Summer storms moved through the area and things got a little hairy a couple of times, so we had to pull away and spend some time staying ahead of the weather. Once the storms passed and it was safe to get back after them, we headed right back out and started catching fish again.

Day two gave us an opportunity to show them another side of the Nature Coast.

The water had cleared up and the sun was shining, so we headed out to do some scalloping. It was their first time scalloping as well, and they picked it up quickly. They found plenty of scallops while snorkeling and got a chance to see what makes the waters around Crystal River so unique.

After we finished scalloping, we decided to put the fishing rods back to work.

The redfish bite wasn't nearly as strong as it had been the previous day, but sometimes one fish can make the entire afternoon.

Colton hooked into a good redfish and, after a nice fight, brought a beautiful 30-inch red to the boat — a new personal best and a great way to put an exclamation point on their two-day trip.

After two days of fishing, scalloping and summer heat, we finished things off with a trip to the springs so everyone could cool down and enjoy one more part of the Crystal River experience.

Between catching their first redfish, multiple double-ups, roughly 20 reds on the first day, scalloping for the first time, Colton's 30-inch personal best and finishing at the springs, these guys got a pretty good introduction to what a couple of days on the Nature Coast can offer.

I even picked up a couple of new subscribers to the podcast and YouTube channel along the way!

Thanks again, Gavin, Colton, Eddie and Andrew. I had a great time with you guys and I'm looking forward to the next trip.

Capt. Mike Haynes Fishbonz Charters Crystal River, Florida