Lake Chatuge Fishing Report – February 2023

Chatuge: Level: 7.5 feet below 1925. Temp: 50-51 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Eric Welch, of Welch’s Guide Service, reports, “Fishing has been good. We’ve had some crazy weather. It’s cold for a few days, and then it warms back up and then drops a lot of rain, and then cools back down. All and all, wintertime is the best time to fish. You don’t have all the crazy boat traffic, and it’s the time of year when you get to learn more about the lake, and it lets you slow down and hone in on your skills. I like spending the extra time with my electronics looking around for new places to fish, finding ditches, brush and drop-offs around docks. We’ve been catching fish in the 12- to 45-foot range. Some fish have been in small pockets, and some have been around brush. It seems the better bite has been on sunny days, and most of the fish have been in secondary points and around brush. For my wintertime baits, I always downsize. We’ve been catching fish on a Ned rig with a TRD, 3-inch swimbait on a round ball jig head and by drop-shotting a 4.5-inch Roboworm. February is a month that I have caught some of my biggest fish. In years past, if you have some nice, warm days in February, the largemouth like to move up and feed some. I would make sure to throw a swimbait and an A-rig around in pockets and creek runs.”

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