BEAUTIFUL FEBRUARY DAY ON OCONNE

When I went to bed last night I wasn't sure I would be able to go fishing today. I got up this morning and felt like a young rabbit and decided to head to Oconee and see what the fish were doing. I arrived at Lake Oconee around 8:20 a.m. I got my lines in the water around 8:40. Shortly thereafter I caught my first fish which was 12.5 inches. My second fish was 15 inches. I was marking lots of fish in the creek channel which is just exactly what I was hoping for. The fish were in 20+ FOW. The water temperature was 52 degrees when I started. The bite was steady and I even had a couple of doubles. I ended the day at 1:00 p.m. with 21 fine fish ranging from 11-15 inches. The 15 incher weighed 2 lbs when I weighed it 7 hours later. The water temperature was 54-55 degrees when I left. I long line trolled with 1/16 doubles and 1/16 singles with a 1/16 oz spit shot. I caught most of the fish with the curly tails in the photo. The top jig in the photo is a 1/16 chrome head jig with an Arkansas Shad curly tail (seems to work better in the mornings). The ones below it are Wildcat, blue/black/char, blue sparkle and popsicle. I poured and painted the jig heads. It was a beautiful day with light winds and a good stain to the water. If you are waiting for the spring run to start, now is the time. Changes in the weather may alter things a bit but it is good fishing right now. I'm sure reports coming in later today will verify that fact.