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Above: Target species while fishing Boca Grande Pass, Charlotte Harbor and the near-shore waters of the Gulf of Mexico: (from top to bottom) Tarpon, Snook, Redfish, Goliath Grouper, Hammerhead Shark, Cobia, Red Grouper and Amberjack.

With water tempertures still not rebounding to normal, the name of the game inshore will be seeking out warmer waters by fishing sunny, shallow flats on high sun and deeper potholes in the early morning, on overcast days, and during cold fronts. Snook took a major hit from the cold and many quality fish did not survive the cold spell. This by no means spells a death sentence in terms of fishing for Linesiders. With the worst of the cold behind us and temps on the rise we are already seeing some quality snook roaming the flats. These fish are becoming more active by the day and are choosing to eat well on sunny days. Look for this trend to continue through February as long as we dont get socked with more cold. As the water warms back up to normal many areas that seemed devastated by cold kills are starting to show good signs of life. Snook are a cunning species of fish and have a strong will to survive. They will be back, with no harm beyond a closed spring harvest season.

The headliner for inshore fishing this month will of course be the Redfish. Early in the month small groups of fish will be found spread out over live bottom consisting of grass, oysters, and over sandy flats under high sun on low tides. As the month wears on, these hearty gamefish will start to form larger and larger schools. Last year saw schools of 200-500 fish by late February, and there is no indication that this year will give us anything less. Trout and Pompano are still being caught in the same areas, but their size and stregth are eclipsed by the mighty Redfish. What they lack in brawn and size they make up for in tablefare. Mixed bags of Pompano, Trout, Redfish, and even a few sheepshead will be brought back from area flats and from the backcountry this month.

BEST BETS FOR FEBRUARY

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SHARK FISHING >

Pompano took a pretty serious hit from both the cold and commercial fishing pressure towards the cold shocked fish during January. Late in the month the "Pomps" started to make a showing again and the spring run should be good, through possibly understated when compared to years past. Don't take this too hard, they are still are a extremely viable target and well worth the effort in February. Pompano are supreme fighters on light tackle, readily take artificial lures, and are some of the finest eating to be found. To fool the wary Pompano in December you will want to work near shoals particularly those at or near the passes. Fish from the shoal across the deep water adjacent to the shoal on moving tides. I like to fish a Doc's Goofy jig or Silly Willy, both with a "teaser". These locally designed and made jigs really seem to get the 'pomps' firing. I choose a size that is just heavy enough to keep me in contact with the bottom. Work the jig with a sharp, short jigging action, letting it settle on the bottom after each movement. When you feel the hard thump, set the hook and hold on! Pompano will not use their large forked tail and amazing power to weight ratio, but also use their broad sides into he current to help their cause when trying to fight their way out of a date with the frying pan. If the water is very turbid or silty, I will usually switch to a "traditional" pompano jig (nylure or similar) and tip the jig with a full knuckle off a fresh shrimp. This will add a little bit of scent to the action and often when combined with a slightly slower "bouncing" action on the bottom will produce strikes even under these tough conditions.

February will see a closed season on all shallow water Groupers until April 1. This puts a serious damper on near shore action this month as we are coming off of one of the most memorable grouper bites of recent years. Grouper offer little catch and release value, so near shore action will focus around Mangrove Snapper on super light tackle and the mighty Amberjack on light tackle. Goliath Grouper, Sharks, and Barracuda will round out most days. This is a great time to take advantage of the winter Amberjack migration and their proximity to land. Though found in our waters year-round, you should find Amberjack surpassing the 30lb mark within single digit distances from shore this month. Snapper are making a great showing on wrecks, reefs, and ledges in the 45-65 foot depths and this trend will continue through the month. This a month to remember the forgotten species on ne ashore structure such as members of the Porgy family (sheeps head, jolt head, silver, etc.) Lane and Vermillion Snapper, and even Flounder.

Towards the end of February we should start to see the first signs of Cobia and King Mackerel as the hordes of bait begin to push their way North and inland. This will be no means be the massive spring rush, but nice keeper fish will be caught when you least expect it. This early season move produced Cobia over 85lbs last year, through they are few and far between. Don't target them, but keep a rod rigged and ready with a 3-4oz bucktail rigged with a large eel tail or curly tail. I like to keep a frisky live bait at mid water (30% of the way off the bottom) as we fish. You would be surprised how many of the 'Brown Bombers' you will pick up with this method in February.

The shark fishing was very volatile in January with days ranging from not a single strike, to multiple simultaneous hookups. With steady water temperatures the shark fishing inshore and near shore will become much more stable. Look to the big 3 river mouths, Caloosahatchee, Peace, and Myakka, for your inshore shark action. The near shore bite will focus around structure and bait pods. On offshore trips you can bet you will run into LOTS of sharks this time of year. This is a fantastic time of year to target big sharks in deep water when the weather cooperates. Some of the best light tackle action on mid-size sharks (under 200lbs) can be had in February. LIve baits and Dead baits should produce equally over time, but you will have to experiment each day to see what the preference is.

Goliath Grouper were another species that took a major hit inshore from the cold. Many Goliaths did not survive the cold spell, and many more hit the road for deeper and warmer haunts. Towards the end of January they were making a limited showing inshore, and became a serious nuisance offshore. Fishing will by no means be as fast and furious as the warm summer months. That being said, spend a few focused hours with a variety of live and dead bait and you will still take home a true trophy photo and an indelible memory of a tug-o-war battle with a real monster of the deep. As the waters begin to warm at the end of the month look for an influx of these Giants as they work their way back in from deep offshore waters. They are never gone for long, but boy do we miss those 20-30 fish half-days of summer!

There is certainly no better way to spend time with family, friends, or just to relax away from it all than fishing the pristine waters of Englewood, Venice, Captiva, Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor, and the Gulf of Mexico. If you are looking for fantastic inshore or offshore action, day or night, then you have come to the right place. Book your trip with Another Keeper Charters and you can rest assured that you will not only enjoy great fishing with Southwest Florida's premier fishing guide and charter service, but you will also enjoy the company of arguably the friendliest Captain in the business!

See you soon!