February 2024 - Pre-Spring Action Picks Up

By February, hints of springtime fishing began to show. While cold fronts still influenced fishing, warmer days triggered fish to feed more aggressively. Sheepshead and black drum fishing remained excellent, with the bite holding strong around bridge pilings and residential docks.

Pompano were becoming more consistent, with anglers catching them using sand fleas and small jigs bounced along the bottom in Longboat Pass and Coquina Beach. Redfish started to spread out more, moving from deeper winter haunts toward the flats, where they were caught on cut bait and soft plastics.

Offshore, kingfish began their early migration, signaling the start of spring. Gag grouper season remained closed, but amberjack and red grouper fishing was still solid in deeper waters beyond 100 feet.

🔹 Best Bait: Fiddler crabs for sheepshead; sand fleas for pompano; live pinfish for offshore amberjack

🔹 Hot Spots: Longboat Pass for pompano; mangrove edges in Terra Ceia Bay for redfish; deep reefs for amberjack