February is the time to have your boat and tackle ready because fishing usually heats up in the middle of the month after the last cold snap. The water at Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River Lagoon is usually clean and sight fishing is at its best. The grass is not thick, and you can see the fish well. Redfish, black drum and trout are not very picky about what you throw at them. Try throwing live shrimp or white paddle tails on a 1/4 or 1/8 oz. Mission Fishin jig head. Fly fishing is also best in February because of the sight fishing opportunity, calm days are even better.
February is the month you can find large schools of big black drum weighing 20-40 pounds. The large schools can be found on the flats, under causeways and bridges and in Haulover Canal. To target large black drums on the flats, look for seagulls working the water and you should see the drum tailing on the surface. The best conditions will be calm and sunny days on the flats. To find and target the large schools in deeper water, the conditions can be overcast and windy and you can use a Lowrance side scan to find them. The tackle to use on the flats: 10-20# braid with a 30# mono leader tied to 1/8 – 1/2 oz. jig head. The bait I use is Gulp shrimps, 1/2 a blue crab or 1/2 a shrimp on a 1/8 – 1/2 oz. jig head. For the deeper water fish use 15-30# braid with 30# mono leader and the same bait with a 1/2 oz. jig head.
If the wind cooperates, triple tail fishing should heat up around the buoys outside of Port Canaveral. To catch triple tail use 20-30# braid with a 40# mono leader. Use a 3/0 or 4/0 J-hook with a small split shot and live shrimp. If the water temperature rises above 68 degrees, you have a good chance of catching Cobia near shore on rays or free swimming. Most of the time Troy’s clients use 20-30# braid and 40# mono leader with a chartreuse 1 1/2 oz Troy Perez Cobia Buster jig. Hopefully these tips help you catch more fish.
Capt. Troy Perez is a professional guide with over 40 years experience fishing the Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River Lagoon and Port Canaveral. To book a trip with Capt. Troy please call 321-607-2033 or email capt.troyperez@gmail.com.
