Dominic Delacruz caught 30 crappies at the marina, using jigs and minnows. Joyce and Raymond Morris of Atlanta caught 20 crappies, largest 2 pounds, and six hybrids up to 3 pounds, trolling and casting jigs and minnows. Chip and Michael Dollar with Buddy Whitford caught a mess of hybrids and crappies near Holiday Park. Bryin Burnett and Jeremy Alwin of Martinez caught 16 hybrids, largest 4 pounds, and six largemouth bass up to 5 pounds on Boss Hawg No. 2 crank baits in the shallows in the backs of coves. They said the bass were loaded with crawfish.
Fish are in the shallows with females full of eggs and the males full of milt.
It's caught everyone by surprise and a lot of my fishermen are trying to rearrange their schedules so they can go. Mike Chandler, Tony Smith, Paul Fields from Atlanta fished last weekend with me. Mike lost a big striper that gained a brush pile in shallow water and broke off. Anytime we start catching fish in February, I get excited. Hopefully, we'll have a long productive spring.