South Georgia February Crappie

Ray Helmuth, of Hoboken, with a Satilla River crappie caught at the Highway 121 bridge on Dec. 24. Ray said, “We were using minnows with a slider float rig fishing off deep sandbar drops.”

Sitting at my kitchen table staring out the window at a backyard that’s been blanketed by the morning frost, I close my eyes for a split second, and I can almost see the dense spring fog floating slowly off the water, slowly making its way up toward the warm morning sun. Yes sir, a month from now some of the best fishing will be going on from the Blue Ridge Mountains all the way down to the tannic blackwater of the Okefenokee Swamp.

As I open my eyes back up from this springtime nirvana, the sad reality is spring just hasn’t sprung. No… not even close. The thermometer on my back porch has the temperature at a brisk 28 degrees, and the wind that’s rattling the shutters tells me it probably feels way colder than that. Even worse, with just a couple of days before this story goes to press, the weather man says this cold snap is only the tip of the iceberg… no pun intended.

Sure we may get some warm February days, and when we do, you can bet the fish will be biting. But what about all the long, cold days in between? If there’s one fish you can count on to latch onto a hook this month, it’s none other than the crappie. Depending on where you’re from, their name might sound like crappy or croppy, or known as speckled perch, white perch, sacalait or who knows what else. One thing is for sure though… when you put them on a plate next to some piping-hot cheese grits, they’re downright delicious.

With south Georgia’s February temps running a little warmer than the rest of the state, I chose to highlight my favorite four bodies of water in this region to get on a good crappie bite this month. The good news? Whether you have a boat equipped with the latest electronics or just a couple of poles and a 5-gallon bucket to post up on the bank, there’s a good option for anyone and everyone this month.

Paradise Public Fishing Area

I purposely wanted to start with this option because it offers up the most diversity when it comes to opportunities for anglers. Whether you want to slowly troll spider-rigged jigs and minnows while closely eyeing your LiveScope, or just cast a couple of lines off the pier and wait for the corks to sink, this area has something for everyone this month.

WRD Fisheries Biologist Tim Bonvechio said, “They grow pretty good out here on the green lakes. We keep them fertilized for optimal conditions, and there’s plenty of shad that makes for an abundance of food. There are plenty of fish in the 1/2- to 1-lb. range, but there are also some really big fish swimming around.”

Proof of this would be the big current area record, a 2-lb., 15-oz. crappie that James Overstreet caught in late January of 2021.

“It’s definitely a good time to hook up with a big fish. The big females are full of roe and as big as they’re going to get right before the spawn. February is definitely a month where the odds of catching a bigger fish are in your favor,” said Tim.

For numbers of fish, try Lake Tacklebuster, Lake Russell, Horseshoe 3 and Horseshoe 5. Slow trolling is a popular choice for local anglers, especially those with LiveScope or similar technology.

“If you don’t have the latest electronics, be sure and pay close attention to the visible fish attractor markers in the lakes. Most of these will be harboring fish, especially during the colder times of the month,” said Tim.

These fish attractors are most often marked by a piece of PVC pipe protruding 2 to 3 feet above the surface or by a floating buoy that will be tied off to them. Anglers can get a good visual of what each lake has to offer with a quick scan of the horizon before they even climb in their boat to leave the bank.

Speaking of the bank, land-based anglers will find ample opportunity to put some crappie in the ice chest, as pretty much every pond and lake in the area has a well-maintained shoreline and plenty of offshore structure that can be reached with a cast from shore.

The fishing pier on Lake Patrick is a good place to start your search this month, and if work has you tied up during the daylight hours, a nighttime trip may be in order.

“Many of the larger crappie we see come out of Lake Patrick, and a good majority of them are caught by anglers fishing from the pier. It’s lit up at night, and that tends to attract the crappie,” said Tim.

Minnows fished under corks are the most popular method for targeting crappie at the PFA, with some anglers preferring to throw artificials. For those wanting to leave the minnow bucket at home, a crappie jig in the 1/16-oz. size range is a good size to get the job done. Colors popular with local anglers are chartreuse, white, electric chicken and also more natural patterns that mimic a threadfin shad.

With more than 60 lakes and more than 500 acres of water to fish, Paradise is definitely a good option to keep in mind this month, whether you’re hitching up the boat or throwing the poles into the back seat of a car.

“We work really hard to make the area enjoyable to fish for anglers. This isn’t a place where you’ll limit out every time you come, but it is a place where you can come catch some fish and have a good time doing it,” said Tim.

Above: Mark and Sabrina Williams, of Blackshear, with some crappie caught at Paradise PFA in February 2022. They were using minnows for bait. Below: Mark is pictured with his son, Caleb, also at Paradise PFA.

Altamaha River

The mighty Altamaha River flies under the radar for the most part when it comes to crappie fishing, often getting overlooked by larger impoundments that regularly get more attention in the press. According to Jamie Hodge, overlooking the Altamaha is a big mistake.

“I’ve been fishing various crappie trails and tournaments in southern states for a long time, and I’m here to tell you the Altamaha is one of the best, if not the best, fishery we have in the state of Georgia. There is a pile of big quality fish, and the numbers of fish will blow your mind. If you fish an Altamaha lake (oxbow) in February, you’re bound to run into some fish,” said Jamie.

Jamie spends most of his time in the river in the area between the Altamaha Regional Park and the Upper County Landing. He pinpoints his efforts in the many lakes that split off from the river, looking for the right conditions to set up a good bite. He first checks the Doctortown Gauge before making a trip, and he says it really needs to be 8 feet or less for optimal conditions.

“Too much water and it’s going to be moving fast through those lakes. You want the lakes to be calm because the crappie don’t like to deal with the current,” Jamie said.

Jamie uses LiveScope to work his way back into a lake, and says that in February, you’ll likely find them holding midway back in an area of deeper water. He prefers to locate the fish, then he spider-rigs minnows and jigs, trolling slowly somewhere between 0.3 and 0.5 miles per hour. He varies the depth of the rigs, depending on what the fish are looking for that day.

“If it’s been really bitter cold, then I’m going to fish deeper, as opposed to if I see fish working on top. Then I will shallow my rigs up. It takes a little trial and error, but you can find that sweet spot if you pay attention to what the fish are doing,” said Jamie.

Jamie’s go-to jigs for this month are the Specktacular Jig made locally in south Georgia by Bert’s Jigs and Things (bertsjigsandthings.com) and Dog House Jigs (Find them on Facebook and at doghousejigs@gmail). He uses a variety of colors, with Tennessee shad and popsicle being a couple of his favorites.

For those who aren’t equipped to spider rig, or don’t have the latest electronics on their boat, you don’t have to miss out on the fun.

“You can troll a couple of lines right behind the boat and put some fish in the boat. Rig up a couple of poles with minnows under corks and run them at different depths. I’d start one at 2 feet and one at 4 feet deep. Slowly troll your way through a lake, and you’ll run into a school, I can just about promise you because this river is slap loaded with crappie,”said Jamie.

Jamie Hodge with some nice Altamaha River crappie. He expects to find the fish in just about every oxbow on the river this month.

Satilla River

Though Hurricane Helene has all but cut off access to a large portion of the upper river, you can still expect the lower river to produce well this month. Anglers should have the most success below Waycross, but be sure and keep in mind the Highway 84 bridge is being worked on, and the boat ramp is expected to be closed for at least the next 24 months.

Chase Davis (left) and Jaxson Davis went fishing on Nov. 21 and had some great luck on the Satilla River in the Waycross area. They were fishing minnow-tipped jigs.

The Highway 301 Landing downriver to the tidal section around Burnt Fort should be most productive this month, and the strategy is rather simple. Find a lake, find the fish. Making a long milk run on the river while hopping from lake mouth to lake mouth is a good strategy this month. Whether fishing with artificial jigs or minnows, make a couple of casts to the mouths of oxbows you come to, and if you don’t get bit, move on to the next one. It’s been my personal experience fishing for crappie on the Satilla that 99 percent of the fish are going to be in 1 percent of the river, especially during the wintertime.

Live bait is the best bet this month, but for anglers wanting to leave the minnow bucket at home, jigs in various colors work well. Start with something chartreuse, yellow or in an electric chicken pattern and experiment your way from there.

Rylan McDowell, 8, of Nahunta, with a Satilla River slab caught Jan 16, 2023. Rylan’s dad, Travis, said, “I was pitching in front of the boat, and Rylan had two poles trolling out the back. I felt the boat move, just thinking he was moving around. I turned around, and he already had the hook set and the fish halfway to the boat. About the time I made it to the back, he was already boat flipping this monster. And the whole time I was just picturing it tearing the lip and losing it. But once we landed it, we celebrated, and I tried to explain to him that this is a once-in-a-lifetime fish.”

Rutland Farms

This is my wildcard pick for this story, but when it comes to some excellent crappie fishing this month, Rutland Farms is right up there with the best of them. This privately owned farm is located just down the interstate from Tifton and is a pay-to-fish operation. The standard rate of $20 for a full day and $10 per person if you come after 1 p.m. is a pretty fair price for some good farm pond fishing. An added bonus is that kids 12 and younger fish free with a paying adult, making this the perfect place to bring the entire family.

With various ponds of different sizes, some with boat ramps and some without, there is something for everyone to be had here, whether fishing from a boat, kayak or the bank. Though all of the ponds have crappie in them, there are a few that are favorites with local anglers.

Two of the best for both quality and quantity are Sunset Pond and Shellcracker Pond. Both are located directly across the road from the Rutland Farms Store and are easily accessible from the bank or by boat. Minnows fished under corks are hard to beat, but chartreuse jigs also work well to put fish in the boat.

Keep in mind the area is closed on Sunday and is otherwise open for fishing from sunrise to sunset. To call for information before you go, you can reach the main office at 229.386.5111.

Hopefully by now you’re trying to remember which corner of the garage you put the old minnow bucket and are making plans to dust it off and put it to work this month. Whether you try your luck at Paradise PFA, fish an oxbow of a south Georgia river or explore what Rutland Farms has to offer, the crappie are bound to be biting, even if the weather isn’t all that great.