The water surface on the Crystal River was nearly flat with only slight breeze driven ripples to disturb the calmness. Boating from Kings Bay to the Gulf, a seven mile straight line journey, are miles and miles of mangrove shorelines and shallow bare channels and pockets in the flats everywhere. The pockets, surrounded by turtle grass, are the ideal dining room for bull redfish to lay in wait for their next meal. A stealthy boat and quiet presentation are essential to keep the wary game fish from panicking and rushing off. Some casts are blind to a likely target, other times the redfish can be detected by a slight movement or shadow on the sand. With a careful and precise presentation, the live shrimp or Gulp! Bait is dropped into the open sand of the pocket. Often the fish reacts in an instant to feast on the bait, sometimes a slight twitch is in order. Regardless, once the bite is made the real action starts.

Saltwater Fishing  

Spring in Crystal River Florida is ideal for getting out on the Crystal River and seeing what species are biting. Crystal River offers world class inshore saltwater angling for snook, redfish, sea trout, tarpon, cobia, sharks out toward the gulf and the schools of snapper and grouper that make the reefs and wrecks home. Whether working on a bucket list or simply out to catch a fish, the area from Crystal River to Natures Coast is the place to be. The following photo album has examples of our guests and their Spring 2025 fishing.    

Snook  

In the spring snook become more active and move into shallower waters to feed and spawn. The same conditions hold true in the fall. Crystal River is known for trophy snook and fish 36-inches long and longer are regularly caught. Shrimp, mullet and pilchards are favored live (or frozen) bait while preferred artificial lures include jerk baits, swimbaits and top waters.

Redfish  

These red drum are active just about any month in Crystal River and the spring is no exception. Redfish in the 20- to 40-pound range are considered a large redfish and measure over 30-inches. These are the bulls. Shrimp, finger mullet and pogies are the food of choice for redfish but anglers also have great success with topwater baits and artificial softbaits like Berkley Gulp!  

These are just a few of the recent redfish landings by Anglers Inn guests.

Seatrout  

Spotted or speckled seatrout are the fish Anglers Inn guests pursue for dinner. Find a school and settle down for fun catching, all the while thinking about the local restaurant preparing the fresh fish for your dinner tonight. Anglers stick to live shrimp and artificial softbaits.  

Tarpon

AKA the Silver King

On every angler’s bucket list is the tarpon. The fish provides explosive strikes before becoming an acrobatic display of exciting jumps. The distinctive underhung jaw and scales that are measured in inches across are two distinguishing features. Once on the hook the tarpon never seems to tire, they can grow to 8-feet long and weigh 150 to 200 pounds in Crystal River. They love to feast on shrimp, fish and crabs and can be caught on live bait or artificials. As a treat, visitors to Pete’s Pier can hand feed the huge tarpon right from the walkway on the marina.

Cobia

Challenging yet a rewarding fight. That’s the common response offered by cobia anglers when discussing the fish. Their intense speed and a tough battle create a habitual need by the cobia fisherman to constantly pursue them. Cobia are powerful ocean predators reaching lengths of over six feet in the Gulf and often mistaken for their body shape resemblance to sharks. Plus they make excellent table fare.

Sharks  

Not all sharks are JAWS. Crystal River offers excellent shark angling, in particular for juvenile bull sharks. These sharks are aggressive and voracious eaters and can grow to 10 feet long in the Gulf. Don’t be surprised if the fish you are fighting is attacked by an opportunistic shark looking for an easy meal.

Reef Fishing  

Crystal River offers untold numbers of offshore islands, reefs (both natural and manmade), rock piles and oyster bars and each holds plenty of fun to catch fish. Various species of snapper and grouper call these reefs home.

Our Anglers Inn guests in Florida can also experience outstanding largemouth bass fishing in area lakes and rivers. The most popular technique for attracting the many double-digit bass in north central Florida waters is with a live shiner. It’s reminiscent of the low tech fishing experiences when we were youngsters. Take a “large” golden shiner and insert the hook into the lips from the bottom. No weight is recommended. Some folks also hook the shiner in the back. Find a large lily pad and cast the shiner as close to the edge as possible. Give the bait plenty of free spool to allow swimming under the lily pad canopy where the big bass lay in wait for the ambush. With a bobber watch the floating indicator as the minnow gets nervous when the bass is close. Without a bobber just feel the line and wait for the bite. Give the bass a few seconds, three or four, to take the shiner into the mouth and then set the hook and hang on.    

Freshwater Fishing  

Within minutes of the Floating Suites docked at Pete’s Pier on Kings Bay are lakes and clear running streams with fantastic freshwater fishing. Crappie, sunfish and gar maintain heavy populations in the area but it’s the largemouth bass fishing that receives the most attention, and it’s no wonder why. Lurking in these shallow lakes are Florida strain largemouth that frequently tip the scales at over 10 pounds. Artificial baits, like PowerWorms, jigs tipped with a trailer, topwaters and spinner baits are an option but it’s the large live golden shiners that catch the big ones.    

Bass, Bowfin and Gar

Anglers Inn “Living on the Water”  

Anglers Inn guests in Crystal River are treated to not only exceptional fishing but have luxurious on the water living by staying on one of our Floating Suites. Over 59 feet of houseboat, with a width of 16 feet, provides more square footage than any hotel suite. With space for four to sleep, the boat offers amenities to make the stay comfortable and relaxing. Manatees, dolphins and game fish are often seen swimming by the bow.

Anglers Inn University  

Industry expert George Large will take you through any of the six Anglers Inn University courses offered at our campus at Pete’s Pier. Go to Anglers Inn University Crystal River Campus to learn how to take your fishing experience to the next level. It’s a great way to introduce fishing to a friend, child or significant other.    

Our sponsors  

Anglers Inn is proud to be associated with the following manufacturers: Abu Garcia,Berkley, Fishing Tackle Retailer, Gray Taxidermy, Huk, Humminbird, MinnKota, Mossy Oak Fishing, Old Town, Penn, Plano and St. Croix Rods.

Social Media  

Make it your routine to check Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updated posts on the happenings at the various Anglers Inn destinations and services. We typically post on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  

On Fridays, we feature a Friday Flicks video or Friday 5s with things you need to know. Check the anglersinn.com Stories section of our News tab for our archives of Friday 5s and Friday Flicks.