February Fishing Forecast

January 2010 was arguably one of the coldest months on record. With the jet stream sagging well into Florida we had 10 consecutive days of overnight temperatures below freezing! Those freezing temperatures had a significant effect on the fishing and we will be coping with those effects in the weeks and months to come. This in NO WAY means that the fishing isn't any good! Water temperatures have already raised substantially both inshore and in the gulf, and after that long cold spell the fish are starting to feed. The trout fishing has been nothing short of spectacular and the redfish action continues to get better and better.

With the worst of the cold behind us and temperatures on the rise the snook fishing should continue to improve through February. Snook are becoming more active every day and the catch and release action is going to continue through the now closed spring harvest.  Plenty of snook are going to be found in protected areas which include deep shorelines, creeks, rivers and canals. Especially if they are protected from the wind. Just remember that the water is cold so slow your presentation down and try smaller baits like shrimp and small jigs. For you night owls, the night time snook fishing around the lighted docks in Punta Gorda, Ft. Myers and Boca Grande might be your best bet for some snook action. Just pick the warmest night you can with a decent tide. Live shrimp and artificials like DOA shrimp, Mirrolure 3" Soft Sardine and Reaction Strike 3" Fluke Jr.should be good choices for catching winter snook. Just remember they will be catch and release through September 1 but they are still awesome to catch.

Redfish action should continue to be pretty good. With the lower tides and cooler water temperatures most of the baitfish will move off the flats into deeper water. This will force the redfish to increasingly rely on bottom forage such as shrimp and crabs to feed. Redfish keying in on bottom forage plus lower tides, equals tailing reds. This is with out a doubt one of my favorite things to do. There are not many things that are more fun than stalking tailing reds. Another one of my favorite winter time patterns is fishing pot holes on the grass flats. These holes attract a ton of fish this time year due to the low tides and the fact they are also great spots to warm up in the afternoon sun. I like to throw jerkbaits like the Reaction Strike Jerk Jr., Mirrolure Lil John or FishBites rigged on a jighead in the holes and weedless for tailers. Another great bait is live shrimp or you can tip your jigs with a small knuckle size piece of shrimp to draw more hits on your artificials. As far as flies are concerned I'm kind of partial to my "Latham's Crab" and "Latham's Shrimp." I designed these flies specifically for this kind of fishing and they can both be found in Orvis.

  Since trout fishing during the latter part of January was absolutely phenomenal the trout fishing this February should be more of the same. Trout in the 3-6 lb range will become increasingly common and fish over 8 lbs are not a rare occurence. While fishing grass ledges, potholes, and oyster bars looking for these big trout you will be amazed at how many other fish you wind up catching. Smaller trout, redfish, snook, pompano and ladyfish are all a possibility and 40-60 fish days are not uncommon. All that rod bending action makes for a really good time! My favorite lures are the Reaction Strike Jerk Jr., Mirrolure Lil John and FishBites 3" paddle tail rigged with an eighth or quarter ounce jighead.

Pompano fishing really slowed down in January due to the extemely cold weather. Pompano fishing should improve this February as fish begin to migrate back into the area. Pompano are excellent table far as well as being die hard fighters. Fishing the shoals in and around the passes will produce good numbers of these tasty fish. If your looking to try something a little different, go further inside and try sight fishing for pompano along the numerous shallow bars throughout the area. Pompano are famous for skipping out of a boats prop wash which lets me know I'm in the right place. My favorite lures are the Nylure Pompano Jig and a Silly Willy. I like to use a jig that is heavy enough to keep me in contact with the bottom, depending on the depth and current. Work the jig with a short, sharp jigging action while letting the bait maintain bottom contact. When you feel a thump, set the hook and hang on!

The nearshore action in February mainly consists of snapper and amberjack since grouper season is closed until April 1. Although there will be a small migration of cobia and tripletail. The tripletail will be holding on the numerous crab trap bouys that are found along the nearshore waters. The cobia will be hanging on the same reefs and wrecks as the snapper and amberjack but don't be suprised if you see some while cruising the crab bouys for tripletail. Big pinfish are probably my favorite cobia bait and butterfly jigs for big AJ's.

Whether you want to catch the fish of a lifetime or just relax with friends, you can count on Reelfishing charters to put together the ultimate Southwest Florida experience! Capt. Danny is the guide that will bring everything together for a fun, exciting fishing charter that you'll remember.

Reelfishing is a Fort Myers fishing charter as well as a Boca Grande fishing guide service. We pick up at several locations around Southwest Florida including Burnt Store Marina, Pineland Marina, Placida and the Boca Grande guide docks. Other arrangements can be made if necessary. We try to make fishing with Reelfishing charters as easy as possible.

Catch Fish, No Excuses!

above: Gary with a nice late January red that measured 30". There will be plenty of opportunity to catch nice reds like this throughout February on a Fort Myers fishing charter.

above: John Grant caught this nice 30" tailer on fly. This was one of 5 fish he caught that morning. Redfish like this can always be caught on Boca Grande fishing charters.

above: Big trout, like this one caught by John Berg, will become more prevalent through the Winter into Spring. Fort Myers fishing charters can produce 40-60 fish days while fishing for big trout!

above: Andy with a beatiful 35" snook. This fish almost man handled him and broke off but Andy came out on top! Big snook like this are always a possibility on Boca Grande fishing charters.

above: Big tarpon like this are right around the corner! Dont miss out on the 2010 Boca Grande Tarpon fishing season!