Catch And Feast

Florida's Nature Coast region abounds with angling opportunities and one of the best ways to fully enjoy this bounty is a shore lunch. Local guides like Capt. WIlliam Toney (homosassainshorefishing.com) will lead anglers to a morning of inshore fishing action and then visit one of the river's many limestone islands for a cookout that's much more than just a cookout. 

The day’s objective: Catch a mess of speckled trout and head for one of the river’s many desolate islands. 

Joined by fishing pals Tom Loughlin and Matt Gibney, we launched from MacRae’s Marina on the Homosassa’s north shore  around 8 a.m. By noon, we were well into what I’m certain was the freshest seafood meal anyone in the state had that day. 

Known simply as a “shore lunch,” this al fresco dining experience is perfectly suited for the Homosassa’s natural splendor and “Old Florida” ambiance.

A relatively narrow artery, this Citrus County river rambles some nine miles from its 45-foot-deep first magnitude spring to the Gulf of Mexico. Its course traverses a couple miles of residential and commercial waterfront property, but west of the county boat ramp, buildings become fewer and the river’s latter half winds through a labyrinth of rocky islands and shell banks sprouting pines, oaks, cabbage palms and low brush.

A Homosassa tradition, the shore lunch delivers the freshest seafood meal you'll ever eat with some of the most relaxing and pleasantly memorable ambiance imaginable. 

Check out the images from our trip on the Homosassa.

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Check out the Shore Lunch photo gallery:

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