FEBRUARY ON THE WATER
Waters around Southwest Florida affords us a choice of fishing opportunities as we move towards the close of winter with spring in sight. While some fish are completing their spawning duties, others are just beginning. February will bring us cold days followed with a warming trend. By the later part of the month, cold days should become less numerous, followed by a rise in water temperature.
The winter run of sheepsheads will peak as the larger fish complete their spawning duties. Sheepshead school around structure with
a good tidal flow inshore, around the beaches, and nearshore. They are the one fish that thrive in the cold with the best bite often coming over the coldest days. Sheepshead are one of Florida’s tastiest fish and get a good deal of attention from anglers fishing from boat and land. Public docks, piers, and bridges offer excellent sheepshead fishing for shore bound anglers; however, many were damaged or destroyed from recent hurricanes.
Fishing the same areas inshore and along the beaches plus sandy bar and channel edges is the best way to hook a few pompano. They feed off the bottom and love shrimp. While a live shrimp is hard to beat and works great, those that target pompano often throw artificials to cover more ground. Small pompano jigs with white, pink, and yellow, the most common colors have been catching pompano forever. You can really enhance these jigs with a small piece of fresh shrimp. Hard bodied crazy style jig in various colors have also become a pompano favorite. With these jig-style baits a moderately slow retrieve with a jigging motion to bounce the bait off the bottom and simulate a fleeing crustacean is the key to success. Pompano are one of Florida’s tastiest fish.
As the month passes, warming waters and the return of schooling baitfish will mark the beginning to some of the largest sea trout of the year. Large trout are locally known as “gators” or “gator trout” and exceed well over twenty inches, often pushing thirty inches. They are moving onto the inshore grass flats, as well as oyster bars, and deeper holes. Sea trout are sight feeders and prefer water with good clarity. These larger fish are often egg laden as we approach their spawning season and should be managed with care and released after a good battle. Sea trout are in season.
The snook bite is determined by the water temperature. If winter cold continues then snook aren’t highly active; if we get a stretch of warm days later in the month, look for them to become aggressive and hungry. Snook are ambush feeders that are found around island points, oyster bars, sand holes near islands, and structures such as dock, bridge, and pier pilings and riprap. If the water is cold, they are seeking
sheltered areas like canals and deeper water protected from the wind. Snook season remains closed through February,
While redfish tolerate the cold, their numbers and appetite increase as winter nears its end. They range in size from little guys barely a foot long to well over thirty inches. While snook have fast blazing runs, dramatic leaps from the water, and head for the nearest structure, redfish are in a different category. They fight like a bull, not fast but super strong and don’t know the word quit. They will fight hard from start to finish. Redfish are found in the areas previously mentioned for sheepshead, sea trout, and snook, as well as under mangrove overhangs on the higher stages of tides. Anglers also choose to sight fish reds as they are tailing and pushing a wake as they hunt for prey over the shallow flats. Negative low tides offer the best opportunities, particularly early morning, and late afternoon. Redfish season is open.
In the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, fish are on the move as they follow the rising water temperature north. Often just a few miles off the beach King and Spanish mackerel plus bonito or false albacore are off the coast and often in large schools. Watch for feeding birds to locate the hungry fish. Cobia, a local favorite, which is often mistaken for a shark due to its similar appearance, may show up at any time around your boat offshore or inshore. Bottom fishing around reefs, ledges, and hard bottom could yield a variety including sheepsheads, various snappers, grouper, permit, and flounder to name a few. Also, keep an eye open for triple tail sunning on their side around floating objects.
The transition from late winter into early spring can offer some of the best fishing the area offers as days get longer and water temperatures rise.
Of course, we can expect a couple more cool fronts before months end that will affect the bite and fishing conditions, but spring is just around the corner.
Stay up to date with fishing regulations by visiting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission at http://www.myfwc.com. Also, upload the Fish Rules app on your phone. It has current regulations with pictures to help identify fish. If you turn on your GPS location the Fish Rules app updates to your location. In my opinion, it is more accurate and up to date than FWC’s website.
Hope to see you on the water.
For charter information, please contact us at Gulf Coast Guide Service and “Catch the Action” with Capt. Bill Russell, call or text (239) 410-8576, website: http://www.fishpineisland.com, email: [email protected].
Capt. Bill Russell is a native and lifelong resident of Pine Island who has spent his entire life fishing the waters surrounding Pine Island and Southwest Florida. For the past 29 years, Bill has been a professional fishing guide who takes pride in customizing each trip to ensure everyone on board has a great time and will return again. Come join us and “Catch the Action.”
