February can be a tough month to fish but it can also be some of the best fishing you have ever had. You will have to watch the weather and plan accordingly with the constant cold fronts that will be pushing through the area. I prefer to fish the pre front conditions but you don’t always get to pick your days. You have to fish when you can go. Here are a few of the baits and techniques I use during this time of year.
Probably my most utilized bait would be the Paul Brown Devil. This is a soft suspending twitch bait made by Mirrolure. I prefer the glow, chartreuse tail. This bait is made to work slow and I emphasize slow. I will use a twitch, twitch pause retrieve. When you pause the bait will slowly sink. 90 percent of your strikes will come while the bait is sinking. This bait is a proven gator trout and redfish killer, just ask a few of my clients.
Number two on the go to baits would have to be a BTB Jig by Zman. When you have a front move through and the temperature drops and the redfish sit on the bottom with lock jaw this bait will do the deal. Make a cast a few feet past the fish and slowly bring it into the strike zone. Leave it short of the fishes head by about 8 or so inches and just let it sit. I guarantee he knows it there. If you hit him with it or get it to close you stand a greater chance of spooking him. The water will do the work for you, moving the skirt on the jig enough to provoke a strike. Patience is a key!
You are going to want to find areas with deeper water readily accessible. These fish will hold in a little deeper water where the temperature stays a little more constant. I will focus on Stuart Point and the area off of Bull Cove. You can also look for dark, muck bottom or rock bottom. It will hold more heat and draw fish to it.
If you are ready to come explore this amazing area give me a call and we will schedule your trip. Until next month have fun, be safe and take your kids fishing.
Capt. Craig Spitznogle
Florida Flats Charter Co.
(352) 445-4978