Red fishing has definitely picked up in the Mosquito Lagoon. We have been catching tons of small redfish which is a good sign for the fishery. February can be some of the best sight fishing in the lagoon on nice sunny, crisp blue-sky days following a cold front. No clouds make it great for throwing flies, spoons and jigs while poling along the shorelines. On colder nights the fish go deeper which means it could only be 2-3 feet deeper and in the mud. The redfish, trout and black drum will bunch up together and these are generally smaller fish. As it gets warmer during the day they will spread out on the flats. Up to 90% of my black drum are caught on 1/8 – 1/2 oz. jig heads with a piece of shrimp on it. Most of the trout are caught on 1/8 oz. Mission Fishin jig heads with white paddle tails, we prefer Wyze Guyz Tackle paddle tails. On cloudy days look for mullet on the shorelines. If it is windy, soak cut bait like mullet, pinfish or ladyfish on the windward shorelines. Generally, if there is mullet or a good current around a point, it is usually the best place to fish. This time of year, the giant schools of large black drum are still around. They can be found around bridges, pilings and on the flats eating pieces of crab, whole shrimp, Gulp shrimp and you can try flies also.
In the ocean, the very large schools of black drum are on the beaches. They usually eat a Troy Perez Lure Co. 5/8 oz. bucktail jig, whatever color you like. They also eat flies well, but you should use sinking fly line. The black drum can get over 80 pounds! Tripletail fishing should start to pick up on the weeds and buoys depending on the water temp reaching 68 degrees. Use live shrimp on tripletail at the buoys. Cobia will show up along the weed lines and on bait pods depending on the water temperature and bait. Troy’s fishing tip for February: Spring is around the corner – perform maintenance now – make sure your trailer and boat are ready to go.
