Fishing Crystal River, Florida in the Spring
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| March | 78° / 51° |
| April | 83° / 56° |
| May | 88° / 63° |
The spring is a great time to fish the Crystal River area. Redfish and sea trout get the most attention in the inshore waters here, but as the waters warm, there are so many different fish that can be caught. Sheepshead are still here in the spring, however, some of these fish will start moving out as the waters warm near the end of spring. As waters warm, anglers start seeing a lot more tarpon, bluefish, cobia, jacks, snook, cobia and more.
Fishing Crystal River, Florida in the Summer
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| June | 91° / 70° |
| July | 92° / 71° |
| August | 91° / 72° |
In the summer months, the warmer water temperatures bring the migratory species into this area in larger numbers. The tarpon and snook add some exciting fishing opportunities for the inshore anglers who are usually targeting redfish and trout. Scalloping is very popular here in the summer. Offshore, anglers are targeting grouper, snapper, sharks and more.
Fishing Crystal River, Florida in the Fall
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| September | 90° / 70° |
| October | 84° / 61° |
| November | 78° / 52° |
Fall brings some cooler temperatures and excellent fishing opportunities. The big redfish move in during the fall. Sea trout are available and feeding well all fall. Some snook and tarpon will still be here through the fall, however, as waters cool towards the end of fall, you will see less snook and tarpon. However, as some of the migratory species of fish move out, the sheepshead start moving back in. Offshore, anglers are still targeting grouper, snapper, sharks and more on the offshore structure.
Fishing Crystal River, Florida in the Winter
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
| December | 72° / 46° |
| January | 70° / 43° |
| February | 73° / 46° |
The cooler winter months are some of the best months for anglers who don’t like having to travel far in their boat. As the water gets colder, several species of saltwater fish will move farther up the rivers here. The reason for this is because there are warm water springs farther up the rivers and many of the saltwater fish will move farther up river to get to the warmer water. Many species of fish do well in brackish water and they will find the warmer water temperatures in this brackish water. Redfish, sheepshead, sea trout, flounder, mangrove snapper, jacks, snook and black drum will all take advantage of the warmer brackish waters. The freshwater fish will also push farther upriver to avoid all of the saltwater fish, so plan on finding largemouth bass and sunfish upriver more than during the spring through fall months.
You can still catch plenty of fish out in the nearshore and offshore waters as well, but the inshore river fishing really comes on strong and takes priority for many anglers during the colder, winter months.
