By Capt. Dave Stephens
Well, fellow anglers, we are coming into February with great uncertainty. This year, we have had a roller coaster of weather. We have had a way above-normal winter, with warm temperatures. Then Mother Nature throws us some cold fronts that send the water temps much cooler. This can be some of the toughest conditions to fish, for the most part, the fish don’t know where they want to be.
During the warmer days, they want to move up shallow. During the post-front days, they want to move to deeper waters. This can make fishing pretty tough to stay on a bite.
I recommend paying attention to your water temperatures. If the water is cooler in the morning, say below 65, the fish will be deeper. So, you should start in deeper water and work your way to shallow waters. If we have been experiencing warmer-than-normal temperatures, say the water is 67 or higher? It’s likely that the fish that moved into shallow water will still be there.
The hardest part about finding and staying on feeding fish this time of year is following the water temper-atures. A solid weather pattern makes things much easier to pattern. However, sometimes Mother Nature does not give us easy, there are times when we have to change things up and look around. The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to always think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to try something new.
Keep an eye on the water temps, and Mother Nature will help you to find feeding fish.
— Capt. Dave Stephens | 941-916-5769 | www.backbayxtremes.com
