Old South Expeditions

Capt. Brian Sawyer runs sight-fishing charters on the Homosassa River and the surrounding grass flats and backwater bays of Florida’s Nature Coast, launching out of Homosassa. The skiff is an 18-foot Maverick HPX V pushed by a 150 Yamaha, shallow enough to hunt fish up on the flats. Redfish, snook, black drum, flounder and sea trout are perennial options here, and the cooler winter months turn on the sheepshead. Tarpon on fly runs April 25 through July 15, with juvenile tarpon on fly or spin from July 1 to September 1, both capped at two anglers. Trips book at four hours, six hours or a full eight, and the boat carries fly and spin gear, line, leaders, hooks and flies, plus water, a cooler with ice and your fishing licence.

The same operation also guides the Chassahowitzka River, which its own site covers in a set of dedicated pages describing the river and the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge it runs through, in Citrus County. Those pages work spotted seatrout, redfish, snook and sheepshead on the river and inshore and put the business on the tarpon migration in deeper water as the season turns. The Chassahowitzka is handled as part of the same Nature Coast backcountry the business guides from Homosassa rather than from a separate base.