We’ve had great fishing weather this winter with clear skies in the 70s. Despite just a few windy cold fronts, the seas and river have been calm with crystal clear visibility.
The inshore bite has been productive for edible fish such croakers, snapper, and sheepshead being caught under the bridges drifting shrimp along the bottom. Some pompano are being caught jigging the bridges, and also found skipping the flats. February is typically a great month to find pompano skipping on the flats near the color change with incoming tide. There are still no sandfleas available, so most anglers are relying on clams and FishBites if bait-fishing for pompano along the channels, inlet, and beaches.
February is a good time of year for some “back-country” fishing back in the St. Lucie River to find snook and occasional redfish along the mangroves, seawalls, docks, and bridges. Pitching artificials along mangrove shorelines is my favorite of these options as it gives you a more “Everglades” feeling with natural surroundings. Some of my favorite lures for this are D.O.A. split tail jerk baits rigged with 3/0 weightless Mustad beak hooks through the nose. Also 3.5-inch shad tails by Slayer Inc, and of course Giles~Jigs. We pitch these lures as close as possible to the mangrove shorelines and immediately start reeling with a short jerk motion to draw the fish out of the mangroves. Winter is a great time to fish the bridges with FirstLight 1.5-or 2-ounce jigs. Simply cast up-current or an angle up-current and retrieve along the bottom near abutments.
Another fun option during the winter months can be bass fishing Lake Okeechobee. We launch the boat on the south side at “Slims Fish Camp” or on the north side at C. Scott Driver Park at the mouth of the Kissimmee River. Both the north and south side of the Lake have great fishing opportunities, but there are many more accommodations on the north side. Also try to fish whichever area has been more leeward of the winds causing better visibility. During the winter, large-mouth bass are caught along grassy clumps in the shallows casting Gambler Big EZ’s and dragging them along the surface. We also do well using Texas rigged rubber worms along weedy shorelines with deep drop offs. The rim canal is slightly closer and holds lots of bass along the docks and grassy shorelines.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Giles Murphy
Stuart Angler Bait & Tackle
(772) 288–1219
www.stuartangler.com
giles@stuartangler.com
