From Capt. Charlie @Fishing Center-Fort Pierce

Hard to believe that Valentines Day is just around the corner… Don’t forget your sweetheart and enjoy the fishing this month. Winter is well established, and you can expect weekly cold fronts to blow through the area bringing windy days and cool temperatures with them. Water temps will fluctuate this month and you must adapt to the changes for better success. 
                          The trout bite has picked up and we are seeing more sea grass growing on the flats. I like to use a DOA Deadly Combo when looking for sea trout. Look for redfish around docks and mangroves. We have already had good success finding redfish this year and it should prove to be another banner year for them. Snook fishing will be best at night around the bridges and jetties. Live bait or a DOA Bait Buster will be good choices.

Sheepshead are plentiful this month. You can find them along with black drum and snapper hanging under docks or along channel edges. Live or dead shrimp always works well. It has been a good bite so far. Pompano can be found along beaches, in deeper areas of the grass flats and in channels. Doc’s Goofy Jigs are great for pompano with live shrimp and sand fleas good choices, too. Mackerel, jacks, bluefish and ladyfish will all be coming in with the tides and small shiny lures will work best for them.

We have enjoyed more normal winter weather and the fish bite has been good for us. Winds will still be blowing and the water will begin to gradually rise in temperature. Fishing your lures slowly will certainly give you more action on the river. Fish tend to be sluggish in the colder water. Be willing to fish deeper water if the temps drop below 68 degrees. Working your lures or bait slower along the bottom will give the fish more time to react to it and will result in more bites for anglers.