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October 22, 2026

Bass fishing in February often improves later in the day after the sun has a chance to warm the water.

How timing plays into February bass at Santee Cooper

Guides Kevin Davis and Linwood Thornhill agree that the better bass fishing in February will be later in the day, but that’s not always when they start. […]

Duke Energy’s Belews Creek Steam Station leaked selenium, a dangerous chemical, into Belews Lake for 11 years after its impoundment, but according to biologists, its effects on the lake’s bass population disappeared years ago.

Selenium toxicity at Belews Lake

Tony Garitta

When Duke Power. created Belews Lake in 1973, fishermen had high expectations about the bass fishery, since new fisheries typically explode with large numbers of fish, though they may be small in size. […]

Work the edges of creeks and channels that cut through shallow flats to find February largemouths.

Think shallow in February for Santee Cooper bass

Terry Madewell

Linwood Thornhill said that in most years — 2015 being an exception because it was so cold — largemouth will make a move toward the shallows late in the month. […]

Lake Norman’s largemouth and spotted bass stay active through the winter, with the first early spawners showing up around beds in late February.

Tactics for Lake Norman’s winter bedding bass

Taylor Pardue

Fishing for bedding bass is a fun tactic when done correctly. The average bass bed holds a male and a female, and though it make take time and patience, both are potential targets. […]

Shooting a jig back under a dock and letting it fall slowly to the bottom is a great winter technique for finding and catching slab crappie.

Shoot winter boat docks for South Carolina crappie

Phillip Gentry

As they do in spring and summer, boat docks provide structure, cover, food and a variety of water depths so crappie can find comfortable water temperatures during the winter. […]

The Marshall Steam Station pulls water from Lake Norman, warms as part of the process of producing electricity, then returns it to the reservoir a mile or so downstream from the NC 150 bridge.

Lake Norman bass fishing is powered by the Marshall Steam Station

Taylor Pardue

Duke Energy commissioned the Marshall Steam Station in 1964 and began commercial operation in 1965. The plant was named for Duke’s former president, E.C. Marshall, and is in Terrell, a Catawba County town west of Lake Norman. […]

This time of year, anglers will find crappie near structures like dams, bridges, and riprapped banks.

Don’t neglect those dam crappie

Phillip Gentry

B’n’M Poles pro-staffer Kent Driscoll suggests crappie fishermen looking to warm up on some cold-water crappie need to head to the nearest dam or sizeable riprapped bank. […]

The Basin, Second Bay and Buzzard Bay

Jerry Dilsaver

The three bays between the Federal Point boat ramp at Fort Fisher and Bald Head Island and the creeks that wander through and connect them are places well known for producing a variety of fish. […]

Crappie congregate in deep water in the winter, often around changes in the bottom contour.

Winter crappie fishing hotspots

Phillip Gentry

Crappie are well-established in their winter pattern during the month of January until mid-February, when they begin to move. Typically, this means they are oriented to structure in water depths ranging from 15 to 35 feet in many South Carolina reservoirs. […]