February is a Crappie month! Ok, so that is a little play on words. I’ll bet many of you get my meaning though. The weather in February can be a bit like my first wife…hot and cold and unpredictable. On cold days in February I like to pack up the little boat and head to the river. Dressing warm is important and I take a little propane heater with me if it is real cold. Follow the river to the backs of some of the creeks and you can find some nice crappie. The water level was pretty high in the river during January, so there are lots of things floating on top of and under the water. Use caution and some small minnows.
On the really cold and ugly days I may travel towards Wilmington and chase some of the fine striped bass that are swimming down there. We cannot keep them but there are plenty there and it seems like there were more quality-sized fish this winter. The best bait for the stripers is a live eel. There are many artificials that imitate eels so if you cannot get live ones you can still catch fish. Also, since the construction of the fish ladder at Lock #1 in Riegelwood, the stripers are being caught further up the river. These fish ladders are such a great thing for the river. They will make the populations of many of our fish increase. I can’t wait to see the sturgeon rebound.
The big catfish will be found in the deeper holes in the river bottom. They also like to eat live eels. They will not be very aggressive at this time of year but you can catch them. They will also eat jumbo minnows and crawfish. Largemouth bass also eat jumbo minnows, and crawfish.
They too may be sluggish from the colder water, but they still eat. I have often been surprised when I had a soft bit that turned out to be a huge bass. This brings to mind the thought of how much improved bite detection is when using braided lines. I have switched all of my gear to braided lines and it has made a world of difference. Because there is very little stretch in this line, I can feel the smallest bite quickly and then I am prepared to set the hook when I feel sure that the fish has it. Circle hooks are also especially useful this time of year. With the soft bite, an early hook set can cause one to lose the fish. The circle hook requires no hook set. Once the fish begins to swim away, the angler can simply tighten the drag and begin reeling. The circle hook will set itself. The hook normally sets in the corner of the mouth of the fish and makes releasing the fish much easier.
Dress warm, be sure that your equipment is in good working order, have fun and take a kid fishing.