Sheepshead Cold Weather Bite
Capt. Ron Kowalyk
February 6, 2016
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report
Get out your #6 circle hooks, split shot and 20 lb. fluorocarbon leader material and a thermos of hot tea to enjoyed bundled up in your windbreaker. Sheepies dominated the cold water bite with scads of fatties reported filling the larders of stalwart cool weather anglers. Small morsels of shrimp, crabs and sandworms were the top picks; also try wiggler worms in a jam. The best sheepie bite is just as the high tides beginnings to slack, about an hour before flood out and just as it begins to run out.
Reds are willing but need to be encouraged to biting with bitty chunks of chum shrimp. Mix up some cat food or shrimp bits with oatmeal and add barnacle scrapings. The Sheepie chum works on snapper and reds as well.
Black drum are schooling up so keep an eye on the channels and deeper flats, get a couple of busted up blue crabs, moles crabs or a big pink shrimp; you'll get into a tug a war. Black drum slot size is 24 inches; contrary to popular Florida lore they're mighty tasty. Just ask any Louisiana "coon ass angler" or Texas flats cowboy. Check your water temp feature on your depth finder and look for any warmer water, potholes at the creek mouths and around the oyster bars during any midday warm-ups.
Snook are thick in the creeks and rivers but pretty much asleep with the water temps in the low sixties. Some action reported with juvie liners eating shrimp on the outgoing tides if there's a slight warm-up.
We caught sheepies, snappers and bluetail reds at the truck-stop docks in Estero. Trout are on a chew if you can locate clean water, best action up in Pine Island Sound and Matlacha. Charlotte Harbor had a good bite across the board for trot, sheepies, reds and snapper when you could get outa the wind. Big sleepy snook reported at El Jobean.
Capt. Ron Kowalyk
www.fishswfla.com
[email protected]
239-267-9312
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