Capt. Sam O’Briant
So, what are the prospects for February? This should be the last cold month, so if you live in the area, you may want to stay warm inside and wait a couple weeks. On the other hand, that would really be senseless since there are fish out there that need feeding. This time of year, the main quarry will be speckled trout. Look for these beauties upon the grass flats first. I would start a little deeper than normal and work my way up on the flat as the sun warms things. The dark grass will heat the area up quicker than the surrounding area.
Then there are the sand bars and oyster reefs, especially south of the Matlacha Bridge. I would fish the lee side of them. The side the current is flowing toward. The trout will be holding up in the protected areas waiting for the tide to wash their dinner to them. Though not as lazy as snook, they do slow down considerably in colder water. Knowing this we must also slow our retrieve down also.
If the wind is up and you get driven up the creeks or deeper back country, you can expect to find sheepshead hanging around any barnacle encrusted object. Sheepsheads have a habit of crushing the barnacles then spitting out the shell. Therefore, it is best to use small hooks and just a little piece of shrimp. Then be ready for the bite. At first nibble, you might want to set the hook or it may be spit out.
While looking for the sheepshead you may also run into a snook or two. This time of year, they are holed up in the creeks and up river. If the water is anywhere near 65 degrees you can almost pick them up. If it gets any colder they are apt to die. This is why they have migrated deeper inland. If you can find any greenies or white bait and the current is moving, you may be able to coerce a snook out.
This time of year, minnows can be quite hard to come by. If the water has been really cold they usually head south and will not return until March or April. This means we generally have to turn to shrimp. The good thing is that we are back to a decent size. Even better is that like humans, almost every fish likes shrimp. It makes a good universal bait.
You will hear all sorts of ways to hook shrimp. You can hook them under the horn, through the back, through the tail, or underneath from the tail forward. I find it does not matter which way you do it. It does not seem to cut down on the bites. I use the underneath method. I find this keeps the shrimp on the hook better than the others. Hooking them under the horn is the least effective in keeping the shrimp on the hook.
Happy fishing and enjoy your outings.
Capt. Sam is a local licensed guide for hire who may be
reached at 239-994-1495 or
captainobriant@gmail.com