What Are You Fishing For This February?

Whether it’s a family fishing vacation or a friend’s fishing trip, Tampa Bay is a delight for all fishing enthusiasts. With its marine plantation that attracts significant populations of a variety of fishes along with its many calm sea days, Tampa Bay is one of the finest offshore fishing destinations in the country. Fish This Inshore Charters at Tampa Bay shares some useful facts and tips about fishing for the month of February.

With the cold fronts moving through every 7 to 10 days, finding comfortable fishing conditions can be a challenge. Captain Mike Murphy offers some great insights in the February fishing report by Fish This Inshore Charters:

  1. Understanding and constantly watching the wind direction is crucial for a successful outing. Westerly winds (or winds coming from the east) are going to offer nice flat times in the eastern bay area fishing areas.
  2. Low water conditions are still a concern so fishing enthusiasts must be wary of the tide directions when scouring the inside flats for fishing fun. 
  3. Fishing has been on fire with numbers of redfish, snook, and sheepshead in backwater and tributaries that feed these areas. Redfish can also be found on the points of mangrove areas during a good moving tide.
  4. Greenback bait is holding on to some of the markers in the bay, but shrimp will be key as the water temps begin to drop. 
  5. Working the flats diligently this month with some pompano jigs can help locate trout and pompano. These jigs, along with traditional plastic jigs, work well as a broadcast bait that is a more aggressive method for finding schools of trout and pompano.
  6. Sheepshead is coming in with great sizes being harvested on shrimp and fiddler crabs from both deep-water canals and docks as well as inshore reef areas with rocky bottoms or structures. 

Pro tip: A large split shot weight in front of a 1/0 or #1 hook is a great setup for catching Sheepshead. Be sure to thread the shrimp on and get as much hook in the body of the shrimp as possible. Keep the line a little taunt to feel the bite and lift slightly and see if the fish pulls back. Then set the hook and enjoy the bounty. Hook the crabs on a similar setup but feed the hook through the leg crease and gently work the hook through the top of the shell. Be careful not to crack the shell as it will ruin the integrity of the crab and just fall right off.

Why Fish This Inshore Charters?

At Fish This Inshore Charters, every Tampa Bay fishing charter is customized for its clients by Capt. Mike. From targeting the fish of choice/in season, offering action-packed adventures for children, creating an immersive flora and fauna experience to organizing corporate outings and wedding celebrations, Fish This Inshore Charters can make any fishing experience a delight. 

Captain Mike Murphy of Fish This Inshore Charters is a retired ecologist and syndicated author of the Tampa Bay Fishing Charters Report. He has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and at area outdoor expos. Along with its great network of veteran Tampa Bay charter captains, Fish This offers expert fishing charters and unforgettable experiences.

Call or text at (813) 459-2521 to book a Tampa Fishing Charter or an Apollo Beach fishing charter or fill a form here for a call back from Captain Mike once he gets off the water.