Seminole Shines In February As Bass Move Up

Normally when I get assigned a GON story on Lake Seminole I’m pretty darn fired up about it. I don’t know if there’s anything quite like a warm, summer day on the lake with the sun on your back and just enough breeze blowing to keep the gnats away. Fields of grass mats and lily pads are littered in every direction, and if you can throw a rubber frog more than the length of a bass boat, you’re bound to get bit sooner than later. Yes sir, if there’s fishing in Heaven, it’s got to look something like that.

Just a few weeks before this issue of GON went to press, I filled up my coffee thermos, fired up my pickup truck and began to make the three-hour long drive to Bainbridge. This was the first time I can remember not being overly enthusiastic about a trip to the lake. In my mind, the conditions were a far cry away from those that I’ve come accustomed to on other trips to the Big Pond.

Ryan Higgins and the author put together an impressive 20-lb. bag of Seminole bass while fishing for this story on February fishing.

When I arrived at the lake and opened my door in Big Jim’s parking lot, the ice-cold breeze immediately hit me in the face. Reaching for my coffee, I touched the Weather Channel icon on my phone… 30 degrees? With a high of 53 forecasted? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have my doubts. Lucky for me, though, Ryan Higgins had other plans.

Ryan has been fishing the lake for more than 25 years and began doing guided trips about 10 years ago. He currently works with the Lake Seminole Fishing Guides and is a full-time fisherman on the lake.

“We’re gonna catch them today,” Ryan said.

After getting situated, we proceeded to slowly idle out from Big Jim’s and Ryan went over his game plan with me for the day.

“This time of the year until about mid January, the fish are biting, but the question is where, and that can change day to day. We’re going to start out deeper and work our way shallow. We’re gonna find some good ones somewhere,” said Ryan.

Ryan’s words proved later to be true, as we managed to amass an impressive five-fish limit of close to 20 pounds, and nine of our fish went better than 2 pounds.

Ryan uses several different methods to get bit on the lake this month, and by the time the day was over, I probably had taken more notes than the entirety of my college years. To best organize the information, I’ve broken this story down into where Ryan likes to go and what he throws when he gets there.

Ryan relies on his electronics to locate submerged grass flats this month on the lake.

Jerkbait/Deep Grass: Ryan’s go-to bait for February, especially the first part of the month, is a jerkbait, and specifically a Megabass Vision  OneTen+1

“I like this model because it doesn’t take much to get it down where it needs to be. It dives to 9 feet easy, and that’s the zone you need to be fishing,” said Ryan.

Ryan likes to target submerged grass flats in Spring Creek, specifically the edges of the grasslines that are closest to timber. He also like to use his electronics to locate bends in the submerged grasslines in the channel, citing that bass will almost always be holding in these areas.

Ryan uses a 6-8 to 7-foot medium or medium-light casting rod with a 7.1:1 reel spooled with 10- to 12-lb. Sunline Super FC Sniper fluorocarbon line to fish the jerkbait across the grass.

“I like to make long casts, give the lure a few jerks and let it sit. The longer it sits, the better. I keep some slack in my line and pay careful attention to it because most bites will be subtle. You can work the jerkbait with different cadences and experiment with different retrieves, but you have to have those long pauses for the lure to be effective,” said Ryan.

Crankbait/Shallow Grass: This proved to be the most effective presentation the day of our trip, and I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it for myself. To be successful, Ryan uses a trick he learned from the legendary David Fritts.

“I was a boat marshal when Fritts was fishing here in a tournament, and he showed me how he likes to work a crankbait over the grass, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” said Ryan.

To make the lure effective over shallow areas of grass, Ryan removes the back treble hook, leaving only a single treble hook on the belly of the bait. Ryan says that when you fish a crankbait in and around grass, the back hook is normally the culprit that gets snagged.

“That back hook isn’t as important as what we think it is,” said Ryan. “I’ve found that with it off, I’m still able to catch 90% of the fish that bite. When they get that single treble, it normally pegs them right inside the top of the mouth, and it’s really hard for them to shake it.”

Ryan’s crankbait of choice is a Berkley Frittside 5 Junior crankbait in the ghost-red-craw color. He slings it with a 6-8 David Fritts Perfect Crankbait Speed Stick Casting Rod, and he likes to spool a slower gear-ratio reel (somewhere in the 5.8:1 range or lower) with 20-lb. Power Pro to effectively present the bait.

“That slower cranking reel is definitely important. It enables you to keep the reel handle moving and the bait wobbling tight without running the bait too fast like you would if you were using a higher-speed reel,” said Ryan.

Ryan also pointed out the braid’s effectiveness for detecting the grass as you work the bait.

“You have to be in contact with the top of the grass constantly or you’re not going to get bit. Most of the bites are going to occur right as you pull the crankbait out of the grass,” said Ryan. He keys on grass flats situated around ditches and depressions near spawning flats. He said the area on the Flint River side of the Sealy Flats tends to hold some really good fish, as does the ditch near the Indian Mound at the mouth of the Chattahoochee River. Anglers not familiar with the lake can locate this area by finding eight poles in a circle and fishing the ditch between the poles and the main land.

“The keys to being really successful with a crankbait in February, regardless of the brand or style you choose to throw, is that it has to be red. This matches the molting crawfish that the fish are feeding on, and it has to have that back hook off to fish it effectively over the submerged grass,” said Ryan.

Creature Bait/Spawn: When you talk February fishing on Seminole, the spawn is bound to come up in the conversation, and my trip with Ryan proved to be no exception.

“Oh definitely look for the spawn to happen in late February around the full moon. If that water hits 59 degrees or better, it’s going down, and if it gets to 61 or 62, it’s going to be on fire,” said Ryan.

“That first wave of spawners is always going to be some of the best fish on the lake.”

Ryan says anglers can find spawning bass where Spring Creek runs into the Sealy Flats and other similar areas where shallow sandbars are located that fish can spawn on.

The biggest tip Ryan had for anglers fishing spawning fish on the lake this month was not to try and sight fish them.

“If you can see them, they can see you. If they see you, your odds go way down, especially when there is heavy fishing pressure on the lake,” said Ryan.

Ryan said a great way to effectively fish a bed is to drop a weighted cork next to the bed and back off before you start fishing it. This visual aid ensures that you can make repeated casts and effectively fish a bed without alerting the fish to your presence.

Ryan’s go-to bait for bedding fish is a Big Bites Baits Fighting Frog in the tilapia magic color. He rigs the bait on a 3/0 Gamakatsu hook and pegs a 1⁄4-oz. tungsten weight just above it.

“The Fighting Frog is a creature bait, and creature baits have always done good for me when I’m fishing beds. If you stay back and make long casts and work it slow, a spawner is going to eat it,” said Ryan.

Carolina Rig/Everywhere: I purposely saved this for last because this is an anytime/anywhere pattern that Ryan has confidence in across the lake. Ryan will also use it behind the other lures he likes to fish as a way to catch fish that have failed to commit to his other presentations.

His Carolina rig consists of a 1 1/4-oz. bullet weight and a surprising amount of leader below the barrel swivel.

“I like to have at least 5 to 6 feet of leader, and if you can manage a 7-foot leader, that works even better. It’s just aggravating to throw,” said Ryan. “That bullet weight is also important, as it will come through grass much better than your typical barrel weight will.”

Ryan’s go-to for the Carolina rig this month is a green-pumpkin Zoom Trick Worm rigged on a 2/0 wide-gap hook. He says he prefers to use 12-lb. P-Line fluorocarbon as his leader line.

“A Carolina rig needs to be on the deck of your boat in February. You can literally fish it anytime and anywhere, be it on shallow grass flats or in deep timber. It’s a staple for me on the lake,” said Ryan.

These four baits will be on the deck of Ryan’s boat when he is fishing Seminole in the month of February.

Wild Card: For the more adventurous, or those who simply want to make a trip to the lake in hopes of a few big bites, a giant swimbait might just be the ticket to the show.

“When I’m not guiding, and I’m out fishing for fun, this is what I like to do. Though you don’t get bit a lot, the majority of fish you do catch are gonna be big ones,” said Ryan.

Ryan uses a variety of swimbaits on Seminole and says lately that a bait from 6th Sense and developed by Ben Milliken called the Hangover has been his go to. He fishes the lure on a 8-foot heavy-action swimbait rod and a 300 size reel with either 20-lb. copolymer line or 80-lb. braid. He says the best place to effectively work a giant swimbait is in deep water, particularly near timber in channel swings that are 18 to 24 feet in depth.

With winter rearing the last of its ugly head, it’s easy to pass up a fishing trip on a cold February morning, but for those who face the elements, some of the best fishing of the year can be found on the Big Pond in Bainbridge this month!

If you’re interested in fishing with Ryan you can connect with him online at LakeSeminoleFishingGuides.com or at LakeSeminole.com. He tends to stay booked up several weeks out, so the sooner you can lock in a trip the better.

February Crappie At Seminole

If bass fishing isn’t your thing, or maybe you’re looking to shake up the action, it doesn’t hurt to bring your crappie gear with you to Seminole this month.

For anglers with a Livescope, working through deep timber while scanning the screen should produce some schools of crappie holding tight to the timber. Ryan recommends either a 1⁄8-oz. jig with some chartreuse in it or a live minnow if the fish don’t show interest in your artificial offerings.

For anglers who don’t like staring at a screen to find fish, Ryan has a valuable tip to catch crappie.

“The red buoys in the Flint and Hooch are marking cover on channel swings. If you don’t have electronics, you can pull up, fish the buoy a few minutes, then move on to the next. Sooner or later you will find one that’s holding some fish.”

Editor’s Note: To view the author’s trip with Ryan, go to YouTube and search “GA BOY OUTDOORS.”