31 and 1st- two different days - 2 different outcomes

[Live Bait JunkEE]

Arriived Sunday morning trailer still not fixed, had been lucky to find a covered slip and boat is out of water.  Sunday water temps from 41 to 44 -- big bait was easy and available -- small bait down 45 to 80 feet.  Spent the morning checking temps in all the creeks with the plan that if the water warmed up enough we might sneak a big bait bite sometime in the afternoon --- water temp went up but it was a NO GO for the big bait.   only pulled 3 areas in the afternoon - temps came up around 2 to 3 degrees.  That would be a SKUNK for the day.

Out Monday morning to get some peanuts to try to put a few fish in the boat for dinner.   Small bait was available in the dark around 2o to 30 feet everywhere -- loaded up around 2o 3 to 4 inch baits -- headed back to put in a few dollar bills // moneymakers and MONGOS--  worked the channel very slow from 7 am to 8:30am -- put 3 fish in the boat 23 to 28 inches -- had 3 others on but came off -- 2 were jigged up -- never came off the trolling motor and hung in the same 200 yard area for the 2 1/2 hours.

My friend and I tossed the small bait out headed back to the creek to top off the tank with big bait --- Temps were on the increase the creeks we checked the day before where up 4 to 5 degrees.   First creek was on fire -- lost 2 -- had a sweet double header on big bait -- 19lber and 15lber in the boat with the release.   The other 3 creeks we pulled to 1pm were alive with pull backs and short strikes but just did not want to eat all the way.

It was a wonderful 2 days on the water,  cannot beat 60+ degrees in Jan/Feb!!!! 

JUNKEEE out!!!!

[Deleted]

Valuable info. Thanks.

Not sure if surface temp rise or just simply location and timing was the ticket. Or maybe some combination of all factors. No doubt, these colder waters are tough to crack with big bait.

[mwardncsu]

Feb 3, 2016 2:05:54 GMT -5 Yam said:

Valuable info. Thanks.

Not sure if surface temp rise or just simply location and timing was the ticket. Or maybe some combination of all factors. No doubt, these colder waters are tough to crack with big bait.

As he rethinks his "not fishing in February" commitment


Warm spurts are definately critical to the increasing the success of big bait in Feb. I remember catching a 18 lber the day after Valentine's Day in 2013 but it was after a few days of unseasonably warm temps like the ones this past week - temps in the 60's even though water was still 44.

[striperjohn]

The bait will get more active as layers of the lake start to warm and they will seek it. Fish will become more active and follow. Early spring? Would be sweet!