February has historically been a slower month for fishing along the First Coast. Cooler water and windy days with lethargic and picky fish are the norm. This year however has bucked the trend, at least so far. With no hard freezes and cool but not cold nighttime lows the water temperatures only briefly dipped into the upper 50s which has kept the bite steady if not wide open. While the weekend is bringing another cold front we shouldn’t see much change as the daytime highs in the 70s next week will have the action picking right back up.
The creek fishing has remained consistent with not much changing since the last report. The Redfish are schooled up and if you can find them active you’re in for a good time. The afternoons are still the best bet for getting on feeding fish especially in the shallow stuff. Early in the day focus on fishing holes and deeper spots for more action.
The Trout are starting to stack up in the deeper creek holes as well. Free lining a live shrimp into a creek bend can be very productive this time of year for a variety of species; Redfish, Trout, Black Drum, and even Sheepshead. Use a circle hook, leave the bail open and let the current work the bait through the spot. When you see the line start moving faster, change direction, or stop then close the bail and just reel it tight to set the hook. I love throwing artificial lures in the creeks but this technique has produced good results on days where nothing else was working for us.
The Sheepshead bite in the inlets has continued to be good the last week. Fiddler Crabs and Sandfleas have the been baits of choice and we’ve caught a good number of fish on both. The wind and swell this weekend might make it a little sporting at the Jetty depending on when the front line moves through. You can catch plenty of Sheepshead without dealing with the crowd or the conditions of the inlet. All along the river and ICW fishing the rocks, docks, and bridges can be very productive for Sheepshead. Depending on the depth and the current you’ll need to adjust your terminal tackle to keep the bait in the strike zone. A Carolina rig with 1/2-1oz egg weight and a 1/0 mosquito hook is usually my go to for deeper structure inshore. If fishing shallower you can use the same 1/4 to 3/8oz jig heads that work well at the jetties.
Offshore we had a nice window last Friday with calm seas and almost no wind. I fished the first day of the Wahoo shootout with team Let Loose and we managed to find 4 fish on what turned out to be a tough day of fishing. The first few hours were very slow with nothing but a couple Jacks on the high speed. We mixed it up, made a run to a new area and finally found the first Wahoo around 1 pm, the bite seemed to improve through the afternoon and we picked off 3 more fish, 2 of them in the last hour before the 5pm lines out time.
We tried a mix of techniques between live baiting and trolling but all the action was on the lures. The only thing caught on a treble hook that trip was yours truly, the shotgun got smoked and while clearing lines and moving rods out of the way I managed to stick a treble deep past the barb in my forearm. Things like this happen and it’s always important to have something to cut through a hook onboard your vessel. It’s much easier to cut the barbed tip off a hook before pulling it out than fishing that barb back through your flesh. Add some bolt cutters to your boats first aid kit if you don’t have them already. I give them a spray with corrosion x and seal them in a vacuum bag to prevent them from rusting while left onboard.
As always wishing y’all tight lines, fair winds, and following seas going into the weekend! If you’re looking to book a charter, submit a photo, or have a report to share reach out to me directly at chris@fishjax.org or visit www.fishjaxcharters.com.
Team Let Loose is holding down a slim lead in the Wahoo Shootout but we will need some major day 2 upgrades to stay competitive in this tournament.
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