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By ED WALKER
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 20, 2001
Depending on weather, late February can produce great fishing. Water temperature is everything. If the water stays cold, the fishing will be slower than normal. If water temperatures climb into the high 60s, spring fishing conditions will start.
Though it varies from year to year, my records show that early spring can be great for snook and cobia. Snook move from backwaters toward the flats, and if you can find early whitebait, they will be hungry. Some of my best days for trophy snook have been in late February. The fish are hungry and have not been exposed to fishing pressure for months. After a while, the big fish become educated about fishermen and are much harder to catch. Spend time looking for scaled sardines, and keep their location secret as long as you can.
The spring cobia migration often starts in late February as well. Shallow water anglers will see the spring cobia as soon as the water temperature climbs above 65 and the large stingrays move onto the flats. Once the run gets started, the fish should hang around until mid April. Artificial baits and light tackle are standard equipment when sight casting for cobia in shallows. I prefer eel-like soft plastic baits with a 1/2-ounce jig head. A 10-pound spinning outfit should be all you need. My clients have landed cobia on the flats as large as 55 pounds on this tackle. To find the fish, find big stingrays and look for big brown shadows close behind.
- Ed Walker charters out of Palm Harbor. Call (727) 944-3474 or e-mail TarponEd@aol.com.