Page 130 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2016

SPORTS & OUTDOORS frosty fishing FEBRUARY
The month of February historically brings the coldest weather periods to South Mississippi. Despite temperatures in the 30s, 40s and 50s, the month can be challenging and productive in terms of fishing.
The good news is that live shrimp should be available to anglers through the month and into the spring. If live bait is not available, artificial lures and plastic jigs can be productive for speckled trout, redfish and bass throughout the bays and
RED FISH.
river systems of South Mississippi. As water temperatures drop into
the upper 40s and lower 50s, species such as trout and reds will remain in the bays and rivers before reentering the Mississippi Sound later next month.
The main action this month will be around Biloxi’s Big Lake, Parker’s Creek, Wolf and Jourdan rivers in Hancock County and near the I-10 Bridge around the Pascagoula River. The best tip is to concentrate on the bends and deep-water areas of the rivers while slow-trolling plastic jigs,
slow-sinking lures or live bait. Remember, metabolism levels are
at a yearly low and fish will not
feed aggressively. In fact, some trout caught during the month of February historically had mud in their bellies when the fish were cleaned. That means the fish were resting directly on the bottom and may not have moved off the bottom to feed. Therefore, slow the boat down on turns – using a trolling motor – to allow the lures to reach the deep- water pockets. It will not hurt to actually let live bait or jigs bump off
SPECKLED TROUT
130 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • February 2016
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