How to catch Lake Murray’s February bass

Bass anglers love February fishing at Lake Murray

If asked to pick a month for fishing on Lake Murray, many bass fishing enthusiasts would circle February on the calendar.

“February on Lake Murray offers the most dynamic fishing opportunities,” said veteran tournament angler Andy Wicker of Cayce, S.C. “There are countless ways to catch fish from 3 feet of water to 30 feet of water.”

Although the water is the coldest it gets in early February, fish can still be caught shallow, Wicker said.

“I fish a shallow running crankbait between docks as I’m covering water. This bite can be really area dependent and it seems to continually change. So you have to fish a little bit of everything until you have success.”

Wicker said the bite is better in the creeks at times. At other times it may be better in the main lake area.

Look for bait and birds

“There are also fish out deeper in the 8- to 20-foot depth range. I am normally looking for long tapering points in the mid-lake area,” said Wicker, who described his strategy for fishing these areas.

“I will fish a deep crankbait and jerkbait first to catch the aggressive fish. Then I will slow down and drag a green pumpkin-colored worm on a Shakey Head in the same areas.”

If these tactics do not produce, Wicker said he looks for bait and fish on his depth finder in 30 to 35 feet of water. Once he locates bait and/or fish, he drops a jigging spoon down to them and vertically jigs it.

“It’s imperative to see bait when doing this type of fishing and not to waste time if you are not noticing bait, birds, or activity,” he said.

Wicker said a bonus to this type of fishing is it is not uncommon to catch perch and stripers. If you catch these other species it’s an indication you are around the bait in a good area.

Wicker, who grew up fishing lakes Murray and Monticello with his father, currently fishes local team tournaments and the BFL tournament trail.