Great February Sea Trout Fishing

So far this month we've had some great February sea trout fishing in our area.

The fish have been hard to catch but they are there if you have the patience to catch them.

Late this afternoon Karen and I decided to hit the wildlife refuge and take Elmo and Odie out for a ride to the "swamp".

After a brief stop at Mosquito Lagoon Bait and Tackle to pick up some live bait for Karen to fish with, we proceeded to East Gator Creek Road towards Peacocks Pocket.

There were plenty of gators sunning themselves on the bank of the marsh canal in several areas, and tons of vehicle traffic throughout the area.   Most were sightseers who were taking pictures of the wildlife in the area, but there were several groups of bank fishermen soaking cut baits and enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

We drove slowly along the dirt road looking for signs of fish but the water was totally flat in the marsh making fishing a challenge.

We decided to head for a spot where Karen caught several redfish over the past few weeks and staked out our rods with live shrimp and mud minnows.

I took off down the road blind casting into the marsh canal and the river trying to stir up some action with a gold Johnson Sprite spoon but I never got a hit all the time I was fishing the area.

Karen parked herself along the canal and watched Odie while she was waiting for some action.

The weather this afternoon was great.  The air temperature was a pleasant 73 degrees with no wind and a clear sky.  The rainstorm from last night left mud puddles all around the area which probably was why the fish weren't cooperating.

As I was trying my luck at a deep hole in the canal, I heard Karen calling for some help landing a fish so I gingerly walked back to where she was fishing.

When I got closer I saw that she had a nice sea trout on the bank.  She said she was about ready to call it a day but decided to make "one last cast".  The fish picked up her mud minnow as she overcast her spot and the rest is history.

I took these pics of her fish which measured in at 26" without the tail pinched.

The fish's gills were damaged and after spending a considerable amount of time trying to revive the fish, we decided to harvest it for the dinner table.  I usually release the fish I catch but I love eating sea trout so this evening, the fish became dinner.

Although we could have continued fishing, we both decided to call it a day and head for home.

On the way out of the refuge, I took these pics of the awesome sunset.

Till next time, Tight Lines.