Captain Hammond's February Fishing Report

Captain Jim's Fun Fishing Inc.

Captain Jim Hammond
Jacksonville Fl
(904) 757-7550
jim@hammondfishing.com
http://www.hammondfishing.com

I would think that the first bit of warm weather that we have, say a few days of lows in the 50's and high's in the 70's, the larger breeder trout will become active and these you should be able to catch on jerk baits, like the Sea Striker Trout Killer. I like a bright color, like white or chartreuse. Last year, I fished with Raymond McCauley and we slayed the nice trout using this bait in conjunction with a Daiichi Copperhead hook. The hook has a corkscrew wire on the eye that allows you to screw the head of the bait to it and then run the hook through the body. Making it weedless and almost snag proof. Work this slow, just under the surface, allowing it to sink down and then back up as you work it. The strike usually comes when it is falling, so be ready to set the hook.


Sheepshead are kind of slow right now but by the time this is printed, they should be chewing pretty good. Try a small live shrimp or fiddler, fished right up next to the bridge piles or jetty rocks. Be ready for a good pull as these guys will certainly stretch your string. If you use a shrimp, I like to thread it on the hook, so the entire shrimp has the hook run through it. I use a small size hook like a #4 to a #1. As soon as you feel the very faint bite, rare back and bust him, then hang on.

The offshore scene in about 100 feet of water is still producing the winter time kingfish bite. Look for a water temperature of at least 64 degrees. A cigar minnow trolled at 2 to 3 knots on a live bait rig is the ticket for these guys.

Big numbers of fat beeliners are being caught on the deep offshore trips, say one hundred feet or deeper. Look at you recorder for a cloud of what looks like small blips that will be about ten feet up from the bottom to about thirty feet up. Use a small hook and just about any small piece of bait. Send your rig down and when it hits bottom crank it up a few feet. The bite is not a pull the pole out of your hands but will be a nice knock. I like a #1 Daiichi Circle wide hook and a small piece of squid or cut bait. I will sometimes tie four hooks to the line about eight inches apart for multiple hookups on the same drop.

Houston Stephens and Becky Hogan with a nice mess of fat beeliners

CONTINUED GO TO PAGE 3