By Capt. Ron Mullins – The Striper Experience
Quick Lake Report – February 2026
- Lake level: 1065.47 (5.53 feet below full pool)
- Water temps: 45–47°F
- Water clarity: clear on main lake to stained in the backs of creeks and up the river arms
These temps are right above the norm for this time of year, but hopefully we will get to 43–45°F with the cold we’ll see in the middle of February. If we do, we may see a bait die-off this year.
The winter bite has been the best it has been in years—as good as or better than our summer bite.
Where the Fish Are
Large schools of fish are being found all over the lake, including:
- Bald Ridge
- Shoal
- Flat Creek
- Ada
- Gainesville
- Wahoo
- Little River
- Latham
- Thompson
These schools are holding around huge schools of bait in the backs of these creeks.
Depth & Electronics Pattern
Concentrate your graphing in 40–70 feet of water. If you’re running Lakemaster on your Humminbird APEX or XPLORE, two features really matter this month:
- Adjust topo lines for the fluctuating lake level by using the lake offset feature so your map shows actual depth (not full pool numbers).
- Highlight a specific depth range so you can quickly see your target depths at a glance without staring at contour lines.
What’s Working Best (February Bite)
1) Downlines (Best Bite Right Now)
The best bite has been on downlines because these fish are typically within 10 feet of the bottom.
- Leader: shorten to 2–3 feet
- Leader material: 12# fluorocarbon
- Why it works: in cold water, stripers don’t want to chase far—short leaders are the key
- Best baits: herring and small trout
- Big-fish option: 4–6” shad can get hammered by larger fish mixed in
Most of these fish will be caught while sitting on Spot-Lock.
2) Slow Moving Search (Planer Boards + Swimbaits)
If you move around looking for fish, keep it slow: .8–1.0 mph.
- Rig: Capt Mack’s Mini Macks
- Heads: 3/8–1/2 oz Striper Tackle swimbait heads
- Depth: run them 30–35 feet down
- Presentation: out to the side on Perfect Planer boards
- Why this range: keeps you out of the trees while staying down where fish are feeding
3) Jigging Spoon Bite (When They’re Piled Up)
When fish are stacked on the bottom, jigging spoons can be excellent.
- Spoons: 3/4 oz to 1 oz Striper Tackle jigging spoons
- Colors: white, white/silver flash, white/pink flash
Captain’s Note
Your family, your faith, and your future are all built on community. Be intentional with family and give them your time. There are too many families that live close together but are not connected. Every person in your life is not there by accident, and they should know there is something different about you.
Be fully engaged with your family (put down the phone) in the moment and prioritize them—because if you don’t, then someone or something else will, and it will probably not be what you want for your family.
Spend time together with God. Pray together, read the Bible together, serve each other, and show them what being a disciple of Jesus really looks like. It’s tough to hear, but if you win at work and lose at home, you just lose.
Final Word
Some of the best fishing this January has been on the most uncomfortable weather days—so go if you can, because you cannot catch one sitting on the couch.
Get out there and catch ‘em up.
Call us at 678-300-4865 or visit our booking page to book your Striper Experience!