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Tampa Bay February Fishing Report

Hello everyone, captain Matt here from Anna Maria Island.  Well I guess I spoke too soon on my last fishing report, I knew I was going to jinks it.  Seems like winter has finally come and that happens sometimes in February. I had to adapt my strategy a little to accommodate the cooler water temperature that seems to be hovering around the low 60s as of lately.   Trout, Pompano, Sheepshead, Redfish, Black Drum, Snapper and a few Snook have been the main catch this past week.

The nice bonus has been the Pompano; they have been mixed in with the Trout lately and have been really nice size at about 4 pounds average.  They fight hard, are one of the best eating fish there is to catch.  I only spend a limited amount of time each year fishing for Pompano because they are not always available, but it’s great when they are. They are one of my favorite fish to catch.

Trout fishing has been very good; actually it has been about as good as I can ever remember.  We have had no problem catching a limit plus many extra catch and release Trout.  Most of the Trout have been between 17 and 20 inches with a few small ones and few giant ones.  They have been very consistent and so dependable it has been making my job a little easier lately.

February is generally the best month of the year for Sheepshead, generally they are everywhere and easy to catch.  I haven’t been spending a lot of time fishing for them but I have been catching a few nice ones while fishing for other species, which is a nice bonus.

Redfish and Black Drum have been hanging around the oyster bars lately and I have been getting some nice ones in the same areas together.  Most have been slot size keeper fish.

When the water cools down to the low 60’s Snook fishing can be a little slower, but later in the afternoon I have been spending a little time fishing for them and we have been connecting with 6 to 10 of them at the end of my charter each day.  Snook fishing is going to explode here in a few weeks.  As soon as that water creeps back up a few degrees we will be having 50 and 60 Snook days.

Offshore the fishing has been very good.  I have only spent a few days out there lately; most of my fishing has been inshore.  The few days we have gone offshore we have been killing the 14 to 21 inch Mangrove Snapper and leaving them biting after catching a limit. We have also been catching and releasing Gag Grouper and some smaller Red Grouper.

Over all the fishing has been real good.  It can be a little more challenging on some of the cold fronts but I enjoy it.   Feel free to call anytime that you wish to get out on the water.  Hope you have enjoyed my report.

Capt. Matt Ercoli

941-447-9888

Tampa bay fishing report at www.captainmatt.com

Learn about Tarpon fishing at www.tarponfish.com

Live Tampa area fishing report at https://twitter.com/captmattercoli