February Lake Livingston Fishing Report John Payette    

            I would like to thank everyone that came out to the Houston Boat and RV Show last month and stopped at either the Skeeter Boats or Castaway booth. Some people just came to visit and see our products and some had questions and exciting fish stories to share with me. It is always a pleasure to speak with people that are as excited about fishing and boating as I am.  I hope everyone was able to find everything they needed or wanted at the show. There was a large selection of new tackle for this year and the 2003 Bass Boats will be hard to improve on. With all the new tackle and knowledge you picked up at the boat show or from watching your favorite Honey Hole TV show or tape this winter you must be itching to go fishing.

              February is the month when most of the fish will be filled with roe. The fish this month will be pre-spawn, spawn and post spawn fish. At the beginning of the month most of these fish will be in the pre-spawn mode and traveling the ditches, creeks and sloughs towards the back of creeks to staging areas for the spawn. Staging areas will be ditches, creeks and especially creek bends adjacent to timber studded spawning flats and points. The best spawning areas will be in coves and areas protected from the wind and wave action. Fish will move up and down on these spawning flats as the temperature and barometric pressure changes. I recommend starting on the northwest side of the lake. The sun will warm this side of the lake the quickest and the southerly winds are the warmest. Some good protected coves and bay areas will be in Harmon, Carolina, White Rock and Bethey Creek.

            The best baits to use this month will vary depending on which stage of the spawn the fish are in. If the fish are inactive or will not chase a bait start by pitching plastics or a jig. If you like to pitch plastics try the new Storm lizards, craw tube or tube with a 3/16-ounce weight with quality 15 lb line. If the water is muddy these new Storm plastics have

 rattles and a scent in them so the fish can find your bait. Your best colors will be red shad, black blue or black neon. I like to pitch my plastics on a Castaway HG40 Worm Rod. If you prefer a jig try a 3/8 rattling jig in black/blue or black/chartreuse with a matching pork trailer on a Castaway HG40 Jig/Worm Rod with 20 lb test line monofilament. You may prefer a higher test braided line if you use it.

            If the fish are active or in a chasing mood, try a spinnerbait. I prefer a 3/8 ounce Chartreuse and White or Chartreuse spinnerbait with double Colorado blades the color depends on water clarity. Try adding pork or plastic trailer for bulk I throw my spinnerbaits on a Castaway SB3 Spinnerbait Rod on 15 lb test monofilament. Another good bait to try right now is suspending jerk bait. Color depends on the cloud cover and water clarity. For sunny days or clearer water try a chrome belly blue back Rapala Jerk Bait and on cloudy days or off color water try your gold belly black back Rapala Jerk Bait. For throwing a this bait I will use a Castaway Jerk and Twitch Rod and 12-15 lb line. This rod has the kind of tip action you need to twitch this bait down into the strike zone and the backbone to set the hook and fight a fish.

            If you are planning on fishing this February dress in layers and always take your rain gear.  February can bring on some viscous fronts with buckets of rain, hail and freezing temperatures. I consider a good set of rain gear to be a necessity and I wear Cabala’s Guide Wear. This suit cuts the wind and keeps me warm and dry. Another good cold weather idea is a snowmobile suit and full-face motorcycle helmet. My helmet is purple and green but it was cheap and one of the best investments I have ever made. A helmet will keep your head warm and dry and will help your visibility should it start to rain. Remember to wear your life vest at all times and attach your kill switch. I wear an inflatable life vest made by Sospenders, which is light, and comfortable enough to wear at all times. For safety’s sake let someone know where you will be fishing and when you will be back.

            Next month is when most of the fish will spawn and I will go into detail about that in the next issue. The Spring Classic at Bass Pro Shops Katy Mills starts the 15^th of March and I will be they’re representing some of my sponsors. You will find me around the Rapala/Storm/Blue Fox booth the Castaway Rods or at the Electronics counter demonstrating Lowrance products and Navionics Fishing Hot Spot Maps. If you have any questions about the lake or want to book a trip call me at 713-254-7594 or E-mail Abasspro2000@aol.com