Meet One of Homosassa's Best Fishing Guides

Meet fishing guide/captain Tony Matthews whom I have known for 3 decades.   I never knew his last name until he gave me one of his cards yesterday.  His passengers yesterday was me, Walt and his girlfriend, Stacey.  His 22-foot custom skiff accommodated us comfortably with plenty of space to fish. We were all excited about fishing.  There was no pressure as Tony took us along to scout the waters for the next day.

If you Google, “Old Homosassa Guide Service” his web site is number 1 at the top. There, you will learn about him and his services. We have a special relationship in that both of us were mentored by the late Fred “Fearless” Archibald. We shared special memories of him and  time spent together. Freddy mentored several guides besides us and helped us along the way at the start of our career. He bugged me into fly fishing for tarpon until I said ok. I’m sure thankful he did.  Tony was much closer than I, as he worked for Freddy helping him to build the Florida famous Shipoke flats skiff.  You were a badass, if you were tooling around in one of those.

Cruising down the river, Walt and I felt great as we sat in the very comfortable chairs amidships. The ride out was beautiful with cedar and sable palm trees, carpeted by marsh grass that made for a picturesque background.  What a treat to me, not being the guide and driving the boat. Tony slid the boat around the creeks, high jacking the engine and plying in mere inches of water was a ton of fun Tony’s TV screen-sized GPS track feature helped him to easily navigate the 4-foot wide channel.

As we came off a plane, the clear blue sky was perfect with the sun at our back, but an east wind was blowing us along a little faster than we liked.  But Tony cleverly made adjustments with his 21-foot pushpole and the hydraulic Power-Pole anchor.  We began site fishing with soft plastics and hard bodies and not even follow up, although, we put the baits in front of their nose in a foot of water.  

Later in the day when the tide turned, the fish began to bite.  We got into them pretty good a couple of times while covering more shoreline with Tony’s Minn-Kota trolling motor.  We probably could have caught many more reds, but since this was a scouting trip, we called it a day early.  

Upon on our return to the center of activity in town at MacRae’s of Homosassa, This place rocks at the Shed. Owner, Gator MacRae is a super guy and childhood friend. Upon arrival at the dock, I was greeted by Cathy and Roger Holland, who waited around for me to come in. What a surprise!  

The picture above shows what will be representative of what redfish anglers can keep in the Northwest section of Florida..  Starting May 1st. The bag limit will be 1 per person instead of 2.  Back in the day, many anglers lobbied tirelessly to have the amended rule to 1 per person.  If you think there is redfish now, they will be at least twice as many a year from now.  There are thousands of us out there fishing and 2 a day adds up quickly over a year’s time.  In our areas we are seeing plenty of slot fish but not many bigger ones over the slot.

I endorse Tony as one of the top guides in Homosassa and I greatly recommend him.

Capt. Billy Henderson the Fisherman!

How fast the excitement of a fishing trip can wear off for a veteran like me, can be compared to a severe addiction if don't go fishing on a regular basis.  What I am referring to, is the thought pattern of the day itself, leading up to the day heading out.  Sure I have great memories of stories, but a fresh one is always nicer to share for some folks.  Jury is out on that one.  Old or new?

My longtime friend, Billy Henderson, my favorite fishing buddy and friend,(Walt the Polock) and myself were invited to fish with Billy in his boat up in Alachua County north of Ocala.  The ride is about 70 miles from Homosassa.  133 miles from where I live.  Sounds crazy when I could fish either the ocean or gulf in less travel time.  I love fresh water fishing, but salt water has been my game for many moons.  

This was a special day with special friends and a special lake.  A first for me.  We pulled up to an old Fish Camp with cabins dating 50 years back.  The bait shop smelled like it should smell.  A little fishy.  

Florida truly has some great lakes to fish.  This lake is surrounded 95% with cypress trees hundreds of years old.  And lilly pads run the perimeter.  Depths vary but we were fishing in 8 feet of water.

So when I get a chance to freshwater fish, I jump at the chance.  I know quite a bit about Billy and he shared his techniques with us after he had a comfortable lead.  There are always three titles between competitors in my book.  First fish(I caught it), Biggest fish(Walt caught it) and Billy who caught the most by 60%.  The first two titles are luck.  Skill is needed to catch the most.  

We were using graphite long rods that reminded me of a tapered down cane pole. Both ultra light line and reels completed the rig.  I’m not going to divulge Billy’s type of bait or where.  That’s up to him.  He’s a guide and that’s the way he makes his money.  What we used was a lot of fun and not a huge secret.  I’d say one of  Billy’s favorite passions is Crappie fishing and among friends or clients who know how to fish.  If it is a windy day you can stay hung up all the time and that is not fun.   We did a few times and more than 3 hangups and you are dropped off at the dock.  This was trash talk, but he is kind of serious about it.  I went past three and I was allowed to fish some more.

Billy would say, Crappie fishing is not rocket science but there are a few things to know that will help to catch them.  Today was not a “we killed them” day.  The below freezing temperatures the past few nights over the weekend, drove the fish into the middle of the lake.  Some of that was going on we surmised as the fish were like popsicles.  

I’ll tell you, if there was ever a Florida Outdoorsman, Billy Henderson is living his dream.  We  enjoyed listening about his hunting trips with paid clients to almost anything with 4 legs that is legal to shoot.  Whitetail and Axis Deer, Hogs, Alligators and a few I left out.  Plus Osceola Turkey, Dove and Quail.  He has 19 farms to hunt off of.  A premium lodge.  Bienville Plantation in White Springs for bass and crappie guided trips.

For saltwater trips, Billy is very professional and knowledgeable.   Maybe 35 years ago, no one was a captain, now we all are self-proclaimed, the title, me included.  I was one of the first.  I prefer guide or experienced guide.  Professional is a good one, too.  Billy is all of them.  

He can hold his own in the fishing field of guides.  Some things he is better at than most.  Huge 60 pound black drum for one.  He puts his people on big trout for these parts and plenty of redfish.  

Billy designed his own skiff made with composite materials. She is 20 feet long with an 8 foot beam.  The wide bottom is flat with a center tunnel and can run in 4 inches of water.  He can navigate inside the backcountry with ease and this gives him an edge.  His boats are built for fishing with wide walk on gunnels The bow deck, jack plate, 10- foot Power Pole and trolling motor completes the package.  The elevated helm with hydraulic steering helps to see over the clients and find the fish.

You can’t blame me for plugging Billy.  He took me out and this is the least I can do for him. But also know that, I love other fishing guides in Homosassa and others across the state that have a good reputation.  I am blessed when it comes to having a lot of guide friends.  But I’ll need to write about each one or they will be jealous. lol!  They have to take me fishing first!