Typically, the month of February can be one of the coldest months of the year. It can also be an excellent time to catch some quality fish throughout our region.
To begin with, speckled trout will search for an easy meal along a sandy bottom adjacent to the grass flats. This is typically true along the eastern shoreline of the Indian River south of Titusville, Florida. These tasty fish will not be able to resist live shrimp when fished under a popping cork. Fishing this unique lure is a great way to attract a nice sized fish. Anglers should keep in mind that the key to catching these fish is to allow the bait to swim just above the bottom. Doing this will increase the amount of strikes from a hungry fish. During this time of year it will not be uncommon to catch a trout that measures over 20” long.
Also, the month of February can be a good time to catch flounder. In fact it is one of my favorite species of fish to catch during the cold winter months. It doesn’t take a lot of skill and just a little effort. Typically, flounder feed and can be caught along a sandy bottom adjacent to structure such as bridge pilings or channel droop offs. Most of the time, flounder will sit and wait for a tasty meal to swim by. Anglers will find that flounder can be caught in both inshore and near shore waters. Many anglers will find that flounder are not very picky. Live shrimp, cut mullet or cut clams strips, or small bright colored jerk baits will work best when targeting these tasty fish. One of my favorite ways to catch them is to use a medium action spinning reel combo equipped with 20 pound test braided line and 15 pound test mono leader.
Unless you are fishing in a strong current, anglers will want to use a 3/8 ounce jig head for attaching shrimp, cut baits, or scented jerk baits. When fishing inshore, anglers should fish around docks with jerk baits. This will allow one to cast to a target area. When fishing inside the port or along the Canaveral buoy line I suggest drifting. Jigging your bait off the bottom while drifting can be an excellent way to catch one. Anglers will find the flounder bite to be the best near the jetties when a strong NE wind is present. The average length of these flounder can be around 15” with some “door mat” size fish measuring over 22”.
Capt. Keith Mixon
Mixin’ Work With Play Fishing Charters
www.mixinworkwithplay.com
321-212-8484