Captain Bob Bushholz
Jensen Beach, Florida
(772) 225-6436
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Fishing Report for February 1st,
2007
"February
Forecast"
Well, the New Year
is well underway, the temperatures have been mild, but the trout action
has been hot!.Let’s begin offshore and work our way inside. Look for
plenty of sailfish action between 120 and 180 feet where the water is a
bit warmer. Trolled ballyhoo, split-tail mullet or drifting live baits
will get their attention. While fishing this zone, you can expect some
dolphin to bend those rods. Inside 6 miles (30-65 feet) kingfish and
cobia are a definite possibility. Don’t forget those stinger hooks on
your live greenies and watch your kingfish catch skyrocket. February
brings plenty of manta rays in our area. Under the rays are where to
target some nice cobia. Have a rod rigged and ready to cast. I like
using a 2 oz. jig with a chunk of cut bait or a large white grub tail
attached. We cast 20 feet in front of the ray and let the bait sink.
Cobia are great fun and fantastic table fare. Use extreme caution when
boating them. Have a cooler open and ready when you bring them aboard.
Near shore, Spanish mackerel action reaches its peak. Capt. Joes Jigging
Spoons, Gulfstream’s flash minnows, green and chartreuse tube lures, Clark
spoons, white bucktails tipped with shrimp all produce. We played around and
caught fish on beef jerky last week so what does that tell you! There’s no
need to cruise all the way to Peck’s Lake. Just keep your eyes open for
birds and baitfish on top, and there you will find the macs. It’s more fun
fishing away from the pack and you’ll probably boat more fish. It also
allows you to be more sporting, using 6-8 lb. test, producing longer runs
and better fishing. If the action slows down, before moving to another area,
try allowing your bait to drop 20 seconds before retrieving. Many times
these macs will sit near the bottom. When I have smaller groups of 3 or
less, I like to troll the area. This seems to lessen cutoffs . For you small
boaters, check sea conditions before departing. This month can spark
northeast winds in a hurry.
Along the surf, bluefish action will dominate the scene. Normally, 2 oz.
will hold the bottom using cut bait (mackerel, mullet, ribbonfish) while
casting in the first trough. Whiting will also be in close. Small crappie
jigs tipped with shrimp, claims or squid will catch ‘em. Usually when
the bluefish are biting, the pompano are hiding. If fishing for pompano, try
long-casting triple kayle rigs with a combination of sand fleas, clams and
shrimp. There are plenty of beach accesses in our area. If you pull up to
one and the water looks dirty, drive north or south for cleaner conditions.
Inshore, look for calm water when things kick up. Aboard Catch 22, I
spend many hours on the east side of the Indian River. Calmer water always
holds more baitfish, making this zone very fishable. The trout bite in
February is excellent. Topwater lures up close and shallow, fishing early,
will result in some great action. The mangroves on the east side or docks on
the west side in the Indian River hold some gator trout between 7-9 lbs.
Later in the morning and afternoon stay in 3-4 feet or near the spoil
islands, throwing soft rubber baits or live shrimp. I use a combination of
live and DOA shrimp and CAL and Gulp lures in the grass flats during the
afternoon hours.
Snook season opens February 1st and the majority will be deep, near area
bridges and seawalls. Big baits like Gulfstream’s flair hawks and redtail
hawks along the bottom are your best bet. You can also plant a mullet head
deep and let it sit. Eventually something big will inhale it. Snook
regulations remain the same with a 27-34 in. slot, 2 per person. The season
for those linesiders remains open until June 1st. Choppy conditions pump up
snook, making them more aggressive. When the water temperature drops, slow
down your presentation. Snook get lazy and sluggish in cold water.
Area bridges hold plenty of sheephead and black drum on the bottom.
Frozen shrimp on trollrites are at the top of the bait list. Most drum in
the Indian River run 4-10 lbs., but the Roosevelt Bridge in Stuart
historically holds bigger fish. Know your limits. Sheephead need to be
12”minimum from the head to the fork in the tail. Black drum must be at
least 14”with one fish over 24”. Try the Indian Riverside Park dock for
drum, sheephead and flounder. Fish the east end of the dock where its 6-8
feet deep. On the riverside, there’s plenty of action with flounder to 3
lbs. feeding on live shrimp along the bottom. Casting redfish jigs on
incoming tide provides nice pompano action in this area too.
If you’re serious about flounder, take a ride north to Fort Pierce and
fish the south jetty or cruise up to Sebastian. Look for a sandbar and cast
past it into the deeper water, dragging the bait up into the sandbar and
watch the action. This month, flounder in the Sebastian area move south
making the south jetty an excellent choice. Again, shrimp on trollrites work
the best.
Last year tarpon made an early appearance just south of the Stuart
Causeway and farther north just outside Big and Little Mud Creeks. It’s
worth a try using live mullet, DOA terrorize and Baitbusters. In the grassy
areas, a wide selection of trout, redfish, jacks, ladyfish, pompano,
flounder, Spanish mackerel and bluefish are plentiful.
Tripletail remain scattered until March, but the first week of January
produced 3 tripletail aboard Catch 22. Most of the early tripletail are
under 5 lbs. but they still put up an excellent fight. We released 2 of the
3, all being well above the 15”minimum.
Want to load up on sheephead? Head to the St. Lucie Inlet and anchor up
a half hour before low or high tide. This will give you about an hour of
great fishing when the current is slow, allowing your bait to stay near the
bottom. We fish ultra-lite on Catch 22, using 6 lb. test, with 12 lb. leader
and small pieces of frozen shrimp on 1/0 quarter-ounce trollrites. Using a
small hook and small bait will increase production. At high tide, look for a
rocky bottom and you’re in the target zone. Marker #235 in the ICW is also a
rocky area, holding plenty of sheephead in the winter.
Finally, Hell’s Gate in the St. Lucie and the Crossroads are hot on high
outgoing tide. In Hell’s Gate, anchor up for pompano, mackerel and ladyfish
or drift the Crossroads. The pompano bite has picked up in the inlet and
near the quarter bridge. You can’t go wrong with sand fleas on the bottom. A
buddy of mine caught 16 pompano last week near the house of refuge on late
incoming using live fleas.
Capt. Bob Bushholz
Tight Lines,
(772) 225-6436
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