February Stripers

The bite has been pretty typical for Feb stripers. The fish have scattered in the creeks as well as the water column.  We are seeing fish as shallow as 6 feet and deep as 50. Our best days have been fishing a number of baits at different depths spread out as far as you can. Cover water and stop the boat when you see bigger schools of fish or activity on the screen.  We have had several doubles with one fish deep and one fish on the surface and lots of fish suspended away from bait balls.

As far as location… Fsher Creek, Camp Branch, and Worley are always the go-to areas for early spring as the bait tends to congregate here before the spawn.  Bait of choice has been medium gizzards, they just seem to get hit more than alewives or trout right now. We are fishing  12lb mono leaders and circle hooks on all our down lines and shallow presentations.  The URig bite has been picking up for us. The Capt Mack’s rigs are a great way to cover water and hard to beat for an open water presentation. White or white and green have been hot colors. The next few weeks the walleye bite will pick back up with pre-spawn fish looking to pack on the pounds. Stay tuned for a detailed update on the walleye bite next month.