February
Capt. Sean Goddard
February 7, 2015
Tampa Bay - Saltwater Fishing Report
Northerly winds, choppy water, cooler water temps and skinny water are but just a few of our winter fishing challenges. February is here and the cold fronts are coming every few days. Winter fishing can be productive with the right mix of planning and patience. The water temps are is the 60's and the bite is still strong in some areas.
Redfish are still plentiful but scattered with most of the fish in the rivers, creeks and backcountry. cut bait and shrimp are working well, as are jigs with paddle tail bodies. A slow presentation is a must.
Fish are feeding later in the day when the water warms up, I have been having great success in the late afternoon. The snook bite was on fire in January and has slowed a bit there are still fish to be found in the rivers. On the really cold days I leave them alone.
Trout fishing hot right now in 6 feet of water look for gator trout to be roaming the shallows once the water temp rises in the afternoon. Smaller fish up to keeper size can still be found on deeper grass flat.. Live jumbo shrimp either free lined or under a popping cork is producing impressive numbers of fish.
Black Drum are everywhere it seems and are for the most part keeper sized and larger, look for them cruising the flats, near mangroves or bridge pilings. Toss a large shrimp their way and hold on.
The sheephead are here and are biting pretty good. Look for rocky area or area that provide structure. a good tactic if you are fishing one of the three large bridges is to scrape some barnacles from the bridge pilings and chum the sheephead into a feeding frenzy, then drop your bait down into the cloud of chum.
Captain Sean Goddard
www.inshore2offshore.com
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