February 2026 — Jacksonville: Peak sheepshead month at Mayport jetties. Here’s what’s biting, where to fish, and the best techniques for this month.
What’s Biting — February 2026
Primary targets: Sheepshead (PEAK), Redfish
Water Conditions
Water temperatures are running around 52–62°F. Winter pattern is in full effect. Check the NWS marine forecast before heading out.
Outlook: Peak sheepshead month at Mayport jetties
Regulations Reminder
Sheepshead: 10″. Always verify current regulations with your state fish & wildlife agency before your trip.
Local Tackle & Bait: Tackle Box (Jacksonville, 904-645-7633); Mayport area bait shops.
Charter Fishing: Inshore Mayport and St. Johns River charters: $400–$650.
More Jacksonville Resources
Jacksonville Fishing Guide · Jacksonville Seasonal Calendar · All Jacksonville reports →
Reports updated every Thursday on fishing.digital.
Inshore: Sheepshead Peak Season
February is the peak of the Northeast Florida sheepshead run, and the next four weeks are when the biggest fish of the year get caught. The jetties at Mayport, the pilings of the Jacksonville Beach Pier, and every bridge in the St. Johns system are loaded with pre-spawn fish stacked tight to structure. Fiddler crabs are the gold-standard bait — fish them on a small jighead (1/4 oz) or a knocker rig with just enough weight to hold position. Live shrimp work but get picked off faster by smaller fish. The Sisters Creek railroad bridge, the Hart Bridge pilings, and the rocks at Huguenot Memorial are the consistent producers. Look for fish in 8–25 feet of water, and feel for the soft mouthing bite that defines sheepshead — set the hook the moment you sense weight, before they spit.
Winter Trout in the Creeks
The trout bite this month is deep and slow. Look for fish stacked in the deeper holes of the creeks off the St. Johns and Intracoastal — Pablo Creek, Sister’s Creek, and the backwaters around Big Talbot are all holding fish in 6–12 feet of water on the warmer afternoons. Slow-rolled soft plastics (MirrOlure Lil John or Z-Man Trout Trick) on a 1/8 oz jighead, worked just off the bottom, are the textbook approach. Live shrimp under a popping cork in the shallower flats during the warmest part of the day will produce too. Numbers are down compared to fall, but the average size is up — trophy gator trout are most often caught in February.
Redfish Holding Patterns
Cold water has redfish in their winter pattern: schooled tight in deep holes and warming up on the dark-bottom mud flats during the afternoon high tides. Tailing fish show in 1–3 feet of water on calm sunny days at low tide near the mouths of creeks. Sight-casting with a gold spoon or a weedless soft plastic is the high-percentage approach. Avoid days right after cold fronts — give the water 48 hours to recover.
Conditions, Regs, and Hotspots
Water temps are running 55–62°F across the system this week. Florida saltwater license required. Sheepshead bag limit is 8 fish per angler with a 12-inch minimum size, and there is no closed season. Spotted seatrout slot is 15–19 inches with a 5-fish bag limit (one over 19 inches allowed). Redfish slot is 18–27 inches with a 1-fish bag (and Northeast Florida is a designated catch-and-release-only zone for redfish in some seasons — verify current FWC regulations before harvest). Hotspots this week: Mayport jetty rocks at high slack, the Pablo Creek railroad bridge, the rocks at Spoonbill Point, and the Acosta Bridge pilings. Tight lines.