The month of February harbors exciting expectations for Santee Cooper fishermen. Right at the top, and usually rewarded in reality, is the beginning of the best stretch of largemouth bass fishing of the entire year.
According to Danny Griggs, February is a time when fish are in transition from prespawn to spawn. While the spawn may not occur until March, he said the movement to the shallows is strong this month, and the bite improves as the weather warms.
Griggs, who manages the fishing department of the Academy Sports store in Spartanburg, is a Landrum native with extensive experience fishing lakes Marion and Moultrie in February.
“I’ve fished these lakes for over 30 years and have fished a number of tournaments in February,” Griggs said. “This month is actually one of my favorite times of the year to fish on these lakes. It’s big-fish time, and the odds of catching some huge fish are really good.”
Griggs said that like most fishermen he’s talked with, he preferred fishing when both lakes were covered with hydrilla, but he’s developed productive patterns to deal with the changed habitat.
“Last February, I was there for a week and fished a big tournament and found the fishing excellent,” he said. “There were a couple of patterns that worked well, but the best was using suspending crankbaits that dive down to six to eight feet deep. I would then stop the retrieve and begin jerking and twitching the lure. The water temperature is still cool, so the fish usually don’t chase fast moving baits early in the month, but the jerkbait technique will produce excellent results. I will fish areas of rocks, such as rip-rap on both lakes such as around the I-95 and US 301 bridges that cross upper Lake Marion.
“Plus, I really like the Russellville Flats in the lower lake at this time of the year,” he said. “There, my targets are the deeper trees near slightly deeper holes. The flats have areas of consistent depths, then areas of slightly deeper water. Even a slight change in the water depth can be a key to big-fish success. Plus, the fishing stays good in this area right on through March and into April.”
Griggs said that the same technique works well near the mouths of most creeks during February.
“I almost always fish water less than 10 feet deep this time of year,” he said. “I’ll fish flats with isolated cypress trees and work the trees that are in the deepest water. The jerkbait technique is great here; however, I will also use soft plastics as well, especially later in the month.
“Another excellent place is to get along the old stump rows adjacent to creek ledges. My favorite color pattern is yellow with a black back for the crank-type lures. I prefer the balsa lures such as the Brian’s Bees. I also use a lipless minnow swimming lure known as the H2O Express with excellent results.”
Griggs said that as the month progresses and the weather continues to warm, fish will transition to an even more shallow-water pattern and become quite active.
“March is generally when the majority of the largemouth will spawn on these lakes,” he said. “However, we’ll usually have a couple of times during February when the air temperature will get into the 65- to 70-degree range for two or three consecutive days. When that happens, I’d advise fishermen to start working the shallow water, using spinnerbaits and soft plastics, and well as jigs and grubs. Late in February, it doesn’t take much for the fish to move toward the shallows.”
In addition to largemouth bass, blue catfish provide a reliable fishery during February — and one that is usually on the upswing as well. While fishing can be excellent during the coldest season, there’s usually a point where the water begins to warm and the baitfish begin to move toward the shallower water. The blues will follow along right with them.
Crappie fishing will begin to crank up late in the month, and good catches are often made by fishermen fish in deep water near the mouths of the major creeks. Wyboo, Taw Caw, Eutaw and Jacks creeks are all good in the upper lake. In the lower lake, the area around Angel’s Cove is usually one of the first places fishermen start catching early-season slabs. Tight-lining minnows, as well as vertical fishing with jigs, is very productive around sunken brush in water 14 to 22 feet deep.
But like bass and catfish, crappie will be in transition, and by late in the month, some will begin to make a move toward the mid-depths and shallows.
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