Fishing in February — Sebastian, Florida

February at Sebastian Inlet brings the reopening of snook season on February 1 and a bite that switches on and off with the water temperature.

The Sebastian Inlet District weekly report shows how much February varies. In 2025 the month ended with snook action at the south jetty and pompano on the beach. In 2026 the first half was so cold that the February 2 report carried the headline that it was too cold for fishing, with a forecast high of only 53 degrees, north-northwest winds of 16 mph and five to seven-foot seas.

Snook, black drum, sheepshead, bluefish, jack crevalle, whiting and pompano all appear in the February record at Sebastian Inlet, along with redfish that must be released in FWC's Indian River Lagoon region, where red drum are catch-and-release only. Gear for the winter jetty bite is part of the fishing tackle on Digital Towns Market for Sebastian. Digital Towns Market is our marketplace.

February water at Sebastian Inlet swings from the high 50s to about 71 degrees, and the District's guide puts the line for good fishing at 65 degrees.

The reports read like a thermometer log. The water was 58 to 60 degrees on February 2, 2026, too cold for the fish, and 59 degrees on February 9, 2026, when the guide wrote that 65 degrees or above was needed for any action and that no snook could be found. By February 17, 2026 it had crept up to 67 degrees from the chilly 59 to 62 range, and during the week before February 23, 2026 it warmed to 70 degrees, sparking a short-lived bite at the Sebastian Inlet north jetty before dropping back to 68.

A year earlier the swings were milder. On February 17, 2025 the water had held at 71 degrees for three days, which the guide called the only positive in a week of poor conditions, and on February 24, 2025 it dropped back to 65 over the weekend without hurting the bite. For comparison, NOAA's Coastal Water Temperature Guide lists a February average of 68.9 degrees at Trident Pier, the nearest listed station north of Sebastian.

Wind direction decides whether warm water reaches Sebastian Inlet. In the February 9, 2026 report the guide wrote that easterly or southeasterly winds were needed to blow warm water in and reignite the action, after north-northwest winds had churned up the surf and sand. Wind can also cut the other way: on February 23, 2026, south-southeast winds late in the week turned the south side into what the guide called a huge mud hole, leaving the north jetty as the only productive spot. The forecast that Monday called for a high of only 57 degrees, northwest winds of 15 mph and three to four-foot seas.

Snook are the February target at Sebastian Inlet once the season reopens, though most fish caught in the reports were under the 28-inch minimum.

FWC's snook rules for the Indian River Lagoon region close the season December 15 through January 31, so harvest reopens February 1, with a slot of 28 to 32 inches and one fish per person per day. The first warm spells bring fish to the jetties. On February 24, 2025, the District reported that the snook action had been at the south jetty all week on live shrimp, on the outgoing tide on the beachside, with plenty of undersized fish and a few keepers mixed in; most were under the 28-inch minimum.

Timing is early or late in the day. On February 17, 2025, the only snook activity heard of came on jigs very early in the morning before daylight and late at night at the T-dock area. On February 23, 2026, drum, redfish and some slot and oversized snook were caught just after sunup on live shrimp at the Sebastian Inlet north jetty tip on the incoming tide. Tide predictions for the inlet are published by NOAA for station 8722004, Sebastian Inlet bridge.

When snook are slow in February, Sebastian Inlet anglers catch bluefish and jacks at the tips, black drum and sheepshead on the rocks, and whiting and pompano in the surf.

Bluefish and jacks carry the slow days. The February 17, 2026 report said the small bluefish and jacks were everywhere and biting everything at the north and south jetties, while decent whiting and a few Atlantic sharp-nosed sharks came from the beachside of the jetty. On February 23, 2026, the outgoing tide at the Sebastian Inlet north jetty was all about bluefish and jack crevalle, and sheepshead were caught between the pilings and over the rock pile on live sandfleas, shrimp and fiddler crabs.

Black drum hold through the cold at Sebastian Inlet. During the 59-degree week of February 9, 2026, the only fish seen anywhere were a few black drum and sheepshead on shrimp and clams on the jetties, plus small bluefish. In 2025, boats fishing the northeast tip on the outgoing tide and the southeast tip on the incoming did well on black drum, redfish and undersized snook, and the north side beach produced black drum, whiting and pompano before the surf turned rough.

Beyond the inlet, February anglers at Sebastian can fish the Indian River Lagoon, including the open waters of Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Pelican Island fishing page permits fishing in the open water areas of the refuge, listing redfish, snook, sea trout, flounder, mangrove snapper and jack crevalle, and allows bank and wade fishing on the lagoon side of Bird's and Pete's Impoundment Trails. The posted buffer around Pelican Island itself is closed year-round. The Service lists boat launching facilities in the city of Sebastian, at Wabasso Causeway and at Sebastian Inlet State Park, which gives February boaters three starting points when the ocean side is too rough.