By Jimmy Tomazinis
mail@floridanewsline.com
While February can be one of the coldest months we have, it can also hold a surprise warm up or two. It’s on the cusp of spring and with the activities that accompany that season, it can be beneficial to look out for those warmer days. The activities I’m referring to are fish spawning and their preparations to do so. Many fish that spawn in the spring are triggered by thermal cues when the water warms to a certain point. Not that February is peak spawning for most, but I would say that the fish are at least changing their habits and becoming pre-spawn as we say. If we get multiple days in the 80s and the water goes from the high 50s to the mid to high 60s then I’d venture to say there’s going to be some spawning going on. This is turning into a pretty good rant, but I apparently have a lot of thoughts on fish behavior. One last thing is that just because they start spawning doesn’t mean they can’t stop when the temperatures drop. They usually do.
Two species locally that I’ll be looking for in this transitional month are specks and bass. Speck fishing has been up and down with fish being caught in the river and creeks, but up until this point most of the larger fish have been in the river or near the creek mouths. I’d expect more of those large fish to move into the creeks preparing to spawn. You’ll also notice them being a lot plumper as the females become full of eggs. The fish will also start holding at more variable depths. This is when I like using jigs since you can cover the entire water column. When you find where most of the fish are staged you can stick with the jig or switch over to minnows.
Bass will be moving closer to the shoreline and you may even notice a few beds being prepared in places with decent water clarity. Females tend to be late to the party, but will hang in the vicinity of the beds until it’s their time to shine. The best way to entice a big smart bass is a wild shiner. If you’re inclined to throw artificials, then a swim bait or large rubber worm might be the ticket. Keep an eye out for warmer weather and tight lines.
Photo courtesy Jimmy Tomazinis
Look for specks moving into the creeks this month.
