Doc on February Fishing

Beating a path to the end of the line of Mississippi Gulf Coast fishermen this month will be February's perennial star, the black drum. Pogonias chromis, as he's scientifically known, at an average weight of near twenty pounds is a big fish by nearshore standards. He is a fish that will call for heavy lines and plenty of muscle or light lines and the patience of Jobe. Either way, this bruiser will provide the biggest challenge for nearshore fishermen in the coming weeks.

Though black drum do not rank high on anyone's popularity list, they are dogged fighters that aren't afraid to move into coastal shallows at a time when the more glamorous species are still holding tight to the bottom in their overwintering grounds. Bottomfeeders that are especially fond of juvenile oysters, black drum will be found in greatest numbers in waters where their favorite food is in greatest abundance. Fortunate for us, oysters will grow almost anyplace in Mississippi Sound where they can take hold. Rock jetties, pilings, old tires - you name it. If it provides a stable substrate, you can bet that there will be oysters growing on it. And you can also be sure that there will be drum crusing the bottom to take advantage of the smorgasbord.

A hooked offering of cut bait - fish, squid, or other natural bait - will quickly catch the attention of a scavenging drum and put you in business. Most bottom scavengers are not picky eaters and will take advantage of most anything that they might encounter. Though I have not tried the technique, I understand that drum can also be chummed to your bait using crushed or broken oysters. Be forewarned: If you try any of these tactics, be prepared for a long battle.

If the black drum is the star of February fishing, then the costar is clearly the Sheepshead. Another heavy-jawed mollusk-eater, the sheepshead will be found near piers, pilings, and other barnacle-encrusted structure where it can be jigged up by any fisherman with quick reflexes and a good sense of ESP. Considered difficult to hook, the Sheepshead is no pushover after that either. The big slabsiders are well aware that the nearby structure and its sharp barnacles are the path to freedom, and they won't hesitate to head in that direction. Not a pretty fish by most standards, the sheepshead is nonetheless superb table fare. This is a fish that you'll have to fight to control if you've any hope of landing it. Its firm, white flesh and large bone structure translate to beautiful fillets. Blackened, fried, baked, grilled or broiled, I think that you'll agree that the Sheepshead is superb. It suffers only from its unfortunately unappetizing name...

Sheepshead and black drum are not what die-hard trout fishermen want to hear, and I can well understand that. ESP-jigging and bottom-fishing are not the stuff of our dreams. Unfortunately, it will be some time before we can reliably count on a big yellowmouth smacking a topwater bait. In the meantime, deep-trolling the bays and backwaters will remain the ticket to success for the trout angler throughout the month. Sure, you can toss a floater with high hopes on a rare mild February day; but even then, chances are that a Sparkle beetle, Cocahoe Minnow or other deep-running bait will produce better results. The ever- growing cadre of fly fishers will find a Clouser Minnow, FA Shrimp, Deceiver or other weighted fly to be most productive as well.

The deeper bay and backwater locations that are attractive to speckled trout, of course, will also provide accomodations to a variety of other holdover species - flounder, white trout, red drum, etc. - all may utilize such areas to overwinter. And a mid-winter fish-fry might be in the cards for any lucky angler that can locate these concentrations of fish.

Offshore fishing with snapper and other reef-fish species at the deep-water oil and gas structures can be quite good this time of the year. In fact, soaking a cut-bait on the bottom at any of these sites will usually bring satisfactory results; the problem is the weather. Most of the time February's blustery and unpredictable conditions will not allow the fisherman with a twenty-four foot open fisherman to venture far out into the Gulf. When they do, though, look out. It can be fish-fry time again. As you can see, though it may be cold on the water this month, the fishing can still be hot at times...