If you’re like me and have traditionally spent a lot of time outside in February, you’ve already got a pre-conceived idea of what to expect. What I typically advise clients who are coming from out of state to fish with us here in Georgia is to be prepared for absolutely any kind of weather. It’s good advice wherever trout live across the Southeast. The fishing will be great and the crowds will be small, but the weather is totally unpredictable. Bring plenty of layers of clothing and adjust as necessary.
Snow events are most likely to occur in February, as are ice events. Snow is good. Ice is bad! My advice is if it’s snowing and not hazardous to drive, go fishing. Something about the barometric pressure just really turns the fish on, kind of like me. During snowy weather, I’ll eat two bowls of chili, three pieces of cornbread and a big warm piece of apple pie all under the notion of preparing my body for the storm. And that’s what the fish are doing. We really have had some epic fishing days when it’s snowing. My good friend and guide Henry Cowen tells me the stripers on Lake Lanier are the same way.
If you like dry fly fishing in winter, February is your month. Good hatches of blue winged olives and midges happen on a regular basis, so don’t leave home without those patterns. If there’s no surface action, you simply resort to your typical winter strategies of dredging with an indicator. You’ll know when it’s time to change.
Now for a reality check. If you look at the historical data for February weather in north Georgia, you’ll swear they’ve mixed it up with another month. Average daily lows run from 34 to 40 degrees and the highs are 54 to 60! Does that sound like winter to you? More like spring? Problem is, we don’t go fishing on the averages.
You’ll also find that the record low in February is -9 degrees. Now I’ve been fishing on days when the air temperature was in the single digits, but I don’t have to do that anymore. That’s a young person’s game, and I wish them all the luck in the world at it. It was fun when I was doing it, and the fishing was pretty darn good. I recall a day when every rock in the river had a shelf of ice around it. The water as clear as glass and a trout was under almost every one of those ice shelves. You had to drift a Bead Head Pheasant Tail right in front of their noses and watch for the take, but they would take it, and I had a blast. You can, too. Just dress warmly, and by all means, don’t fall in!