February brings cool weather and some great fishing offshore if the wind will allow us to get out. The main targets offshore for February are sailfish, wahoo, and mahi-mahi. The best method for catching these fish will be trolling ballyhoo or trolling lures. You are most likely to catch these targets trolling down sea so be sure to keep that in mind.
The bite is heating up in 120 to 300 feet of water and should continue to stay that way. Be sure to look for rips and temperature changes as this will hold the bait that these predatory fish are after. These rips will usually begin in 80 to 100 feet of water and likely continue out to 300 to 500 feet of water.
Always troll a cedar plug as your king bait as well this time of year. When getting around the sailfish and mahi mahi, it is very likely that you will stumble across a black fin tuna. There have been a lot of fish in the 15-to-20-pound range lately which is excellent news for the fishery!
The bottom fishing in 80 foot of water is staying red hot as multiple reports of 20 to 30 snapper days have been coming in. Mangroves, lane, and mutton snapper have been the most prevalent species. There are also some fish in the 30-to-60-foot range as well. Be sure to target your local artificial reefs for these fish. If you need help finding an artificial reef be sure to go by Whites Tackle in Fort Pierce and ask for a Fort Pierce offshore chart. These charts have all the artificial reefs and wrecks labeled with their coordinates. While fishing around these areas always have a flat line ready, there are cobia lurking around these reefs and wrecks. Always keep an eye out as they will swim right up to your boat. A live greenie is a great bait of choice. However, a piece of cut bait will work as well if you don’t have any live bait.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Colton Hester
Sonna Girl Fishing Charters
(772) 293-5342
colton@sonnagirlfishing.com
www.sonnagirlfishing.com
