Temperature plays a huge role in our saltwater fishing here in Southwest Florida. Gulf temperatures as of last weekend were right around 70 degrees. That’s 8 degrees higher than it normally is. For perspective, it’s about the temperature we normally see in the second half
of March, when the kingfish are migrating back north.

Of course, this winter isn’t over with yet. There’s a cold front moving through this weekend, and we’ve still got until at least the end of February to keep an eye out for blasts of Arctic chill. Cold fronts in March aren’t unprecedented. But the trend has been a warmer-than-normal winter — and that means you’re going to have to change things up a little bit from your usual February fishing to be successful.