What an awesome start to the month it has been in terms of fishing weather and fishing. While speckled trout are closed to harvest in our area for the remainder of February, there is no shortage of them being caught. Look for the biggest congregations to be back in the bayous where the water is a little deeper and has a little stain to it. Typically, these fish will stick closer to the bottom this time of the year but with all this warm weather there have been some fish feeding up near the surface as well. Soft plastic jigs, suspending twitch-baits, small top-waters, and a variety of live baits will do the job. Remember to be gentle with them and release them as healthy as you can.
Throughout the bays, shallow grass and sand flats are teeming with life. Schools of glass minnows, pinfish, bull minnows, and mullet provide forage for speckled trout and redfish. On sunny days I typically pole the shallows in search of redfish cruising the shorelines or laid up in potholes. Sometimes the fish are pretty relaxed, and sometimes they can challenge even the most well-honed skill sets. Take your time when approaching the fish, and if possible, set up in a way that the fish can come to you. It will increase your likelihood of getting a shot at them before they get wise to your presence. Best bite lately has been on soft plastic baits on a light jig. Both shad tail style baits and shrimp patterns have worked well.
It's getting to be that time of the year when big schools of redfish start working their way up and down the beach just off the shoreline. This can make for some incredible sight fishing considering the clarity of the water and the size of some of the schools of fish. Usually, the fish on the beach are pretty aggressive and can be caught on a variety of different live and artificial offerings. Plugs, jigs, spoons, and topwaters are staples in the arsenal when targeting redfish in big schools. Many of these fish will be over sized fish so handle with care and release to be caught again someday.
Look for catches of sheephead to start to pick up around the bridges and in the pass around the jetties. They can be a fickle fish to catch in the shallows, however when they get in a little deeper water they tend to chew pretty good. I use live shrimp or fiddler crabs on a light Carolina rig, or if the current is relatively slow then I can get away with just using a split shot to get the bait down. The more natural the presentation the better.
If you have additional questions about what's biting, how to catch them, or you would like to book a trip, I encourage you to give me a call, text, or shoot me an email. Tight lines!
