Fishing in February

That's me with Captain Brent during a pit stop on the Shell Key Preserve in a small bay in the Gulf of Mexico, immediately west of Tierra Verde, Florida. It includes a barrier island and several mangrove islands as well as the surrounding seagrass beds and sandflats. Shorebirds and sea turtles, among others, make their nests here.

As you can see, it wasn't a great day. And the fishing wasn't so hot either. A few months ago, the area fell victim to a huge algae bloom that all but wiped out several species and sent the others packing.

Still, we managed to catch a couple of sheepsheads. Captain Brent says you can catch 20 species in these waters including snook, mackerel and redfish.