There aren’t too many places on the Forgotten Coast that produce quality fishing like the Alligator Point area. February brings clear water to both Alligator Harbor and the surrounding beaches. The north shore of St. Teresa will be an awesome place to find trout and redfish. Both species will hang close to the shoreline, searching for a few degrees warmer water. The backside of Dog Island will hold fish all winter. Bald Point oyster bars will have plenty of reds, trout, and flounder hanging deep in the muddy water of Ochlocknee Bay.
If targeting reds and trout, it will be hard to beat a Mirrodine. Choose your color, but I like anything with a little flash in clear winter water. Also, if reds are roaming, an Aqua Dream Living spoon will be hard to beat. Look for fish to be shallow on an incoming afternoon tide. They will be looking for the warmer water as the tide rises or a mud flat or oyster bar. Turkey Point Shoals is a great place to start.
If you find yourself behind Dog Island, fish the deep water inside the harbor. There should be plenty of trout taking refuge from the cold. Bouncing a jig and plastic combination will catch fish, so remember to work it slowly on the bottom. You could find a few bonus flounder.
Ochlocknee Bay will hold fish all winter, but is best fished on an incoming tide. The water gets dirty on the outgoing, and is much cleaner on the incoming. The bars at Bald Point should hold fish, so use the same lures mentioned earlier, or use the Guide’s winter favorite, a tail hooked live shrimp. Be patient and fish the deepest parts of the bars for trout, redfish, flounder, and sheepshead.
February is the coldest month of the year, but the fish will eat. Find the warmest days of the week, usually before the next front. Sometimes the fish eat on the coldest days, but I guarantee your patience will hold out longer on the warmest days. Stay warm, stay dry, and enjoy the bluest skies of the season!
By Capt. Mike McNamara
St. Marks Outfitters
850-510-7919
www.redfish@stmarksoutfitters.com