T he fishing in and around the Port area will be very dependent on the water temperatures this month. If we have a typical winter- anglers can expect weakfish, pompano, whiting, and sheepshead to provide them with some action. These species will provide a good variety of quality eating fillets in exchange for soaking a piece of shrimp on the bottom of the various port basins. The pompano and whiting are likely to strike small jigs tipped with shrimp in the surf zones or along the deeper drop offs between the entrance of the port and the middle basin area. The sheepshead are fond of structure and will be around dock pilings and rocks throughout the port. Small pieces of shrimp or small crabs and sand fleas are their favorite things to munch on. Put these on a short shank heavy wire hook so you have a chance at pulling these tough fighting fish away from the structures that they call home. Weakfish are a visitor to the Canaveral area each winter and the main shipping channel is one place that anglers can target them. These fish look like speckled trout but have dashes instead of spots on their sides. They prefer to suspend 5 to 10 feet above the bottom on most days and live shrimp or soft plastic jig tails can be very effective offerings when they are schooling in the channel area. These fish tend to group in better numbers if we get an exceptionally cold winter, but they can be found on most days in February no matter what type of winter we have. If this winter is warmer than usual anglers could find tripletail near floating debris or buoys in the area known as the Bight.
Jim Ross
