
Fishing in February always feels like the kickoff to the fishing season for us on the West Kentucky Fisheries. After generally having our coldest days in January, and all of the hunting seasons passing, most outdoorsmen and avid anglers turn their full attention back to fishing. And it can be some of the best fishing of the year for big fish.
A few sunny calm days or warmer rainy days can do wonders for jump starting fish metabolisms and migrations for prespawn fishing. Obviously late February can be prime time for big fish migrating to shallower water and activity levels picking up on Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake alike.

Best Bets for February - Crappie
Crappie seem to wake up a bit earlier than bass and they will start making their move from winter to prespawn locations in shallower water in February on our lakes. You can certainly catch crappie when the water temps are in the 30s and 40s but the action really picks up as water temps approach 50 degrees. And that can sometimes happen in February. But any significant warm up in water temps can get the fish going.
Think transitions between deep and shallow. A good way to approach this is to start at the mouths of the major creek arms and bays and work in towards the middle of the bays. Focus on channel swing banks with cover, high spots adjacent to creek channels, as well as deep water areas like deep flats where fish may begin suspending and roaming to warm their eggs and bodies and start feeding a little more regularly as water temps climb.
Vertical jigging is usually very productive in February, as is casting to brush and pushing jigs over deep to mid-depth cover. It’s hard to fish from the bank for crappie in the winter months as most fish are relating to deeper waters to insulate from the cold harsh north wind days and below freezing nights. But if you happen to have access to a bank near a deep water channel swing that comes in against the bank, you might find some fish suspending.
Small jigs are often better in the early part of February like light hair jigs and smaller plastics on a light jighead. A Crappie Magnet Pop Eye Jig is hard to beat as is a Crappie Magnet or Trout Magnet on an Eye Hole Jig. A Bobby Garland Baby Shad on a 1/16 or 1/32 jig head is also very good this month as well as the staple tubes. As the water warms towards 50 degrees, bigger profiles will start to become better producers. When the crappie get to full prespawn mode, a larger profile bait like a Crappie Magnet Hammer or a Mr. Crappie Slab Slanger often produces better quality crappies as they need to fatten up before they spawn.
Cold muddy water can be tougher in January. If you are faced with that then long persistent presentations with vertical jig rods will be required. But if the water starts warming up a lot, you will likely find fish roaming and moving to a bit shallower cover and water. Watch the weather and plan your trips as best you can around warming trends.

Other Good Fishing Opportunities - Smallmouth, Largemouth & Stripes
The bass also start reacting to the waters warming in late February and will often start chasing a little more. Albeit slowly. Slow presentations like swimbaits on a heavy jighead fished near the bottom can be good. And a jerkbait can cover a lot of clear water and draw fish both deep and shallow. We will often weight a jerkbait to slowly sink this time of year. So we can get baits down to depth if need be. As the water warms up, this becomes less necessary.
As we head into warmer waters, that magic 50 degree mark will open up bites like tight wiggling crankbaits like your lipless crankbait like a Rat-L-Trap or a Chatterbait. And as it warms towards 50, crankbaits like a Rapala Shad Rap and a SPRO Little John become some of the better fish catchers on 45 degree transition banks coming out of deep water.
If the water stays cold, you’re looking at places on or near the main lake. And an Alabama Rig can help you cover a lot of water as well as a jerkbait.
As it warms towards 50 degrees, you will start fishing secondary banks and points inside the first third or half of the major bays. If we get some warm rains and some color to the water, don’t be surprised to find a few nice bass up on the bank in the newly dirty water that will bite crankbaits, Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits.
February is also pretty good fishing for White Bass, Yellow Bass and Stripers. You will find these fish relating to ledges and breaks off the main river and mouths of the big bays. You will also find fish around rip rap areas and Yellow bass will often group up big on deep flats and creek channel intersections with the main river.
Small swimbaits, blade baits, jigging spoons and Alabama rigs can catch all the striped basses you want once you locate a good group of them. It’s not uncommon to find large schools of white bass, yellow bass, bluegills and crappies all together in large deep areas like deep flats off the river and creek channels in the mouths of bays.
February is usually pretty weather dependent. But if you will brave the elements, it’s often when some of the biggest fish of the year get caught as those big game fish start getting antsy thinking about the spawn and fattening up for their spring rituals.


