What to expect in February

Crappie fishing on Allatoona Lake during the month of February should be a transitional month as the temperatures start moving from winter temps towards spring like temperatures. It only takes a few days in the 50's and 60's to warm the lake up and get the crappie schooling and aggressive. The beginning of February is generally cold with the last couple of weeks in February starting to warm up into March. The one thing to keep an eye on is rainfall during the month of February. If we get heavy rains it will raise the the lake rapidly causing muddy water filled with trash and debris. If there is a mild February the crappie fishing on Allatoona will be on fire.

• Average Water Temps: 45 - 55
• Average Water Clarity: Stained to Muddy depending on amount of rainfall & area of the lake
• Average Lake Level: 828' - 833' below full pool which is 840'. A range of 12' to 7' below full pool

February Fishing Technique

During the month of February we are typically long line trolling for crappie on Lake Allatoona. Generally the first half of February the crappie are found deeper in the cold Allatoona waters which will require 1/16th and 3/32nd oz. jig heads to target the fish suspended in 10' - 16' foot over 20' to 30' of water. Things start to change in mid-February as the water temps rise rapidly with a few warmer days and nights. Once the water temps get around 48 degrees the crappie will start moving to shallower water in the 8' to 12' range and even on 4' of water when the water warms above 50 degrees. You will need to adjust the size of your jig heads to a mix of 1/16th, 1/24th and even 1/32nd oz. jig heads. The reason for the jig head mix is is that the crappie are at all depths of the water column. We have seen crappie close to the surface which is where the 1/32nd oz. jig head comes into play. Be sure to download the Red Rooster Long Line Trolling Guide as a reference for jig head weight, speed and depth.

• Average Jig Head Size(s):
• 1/32nd oz. jig head is a light weight crappie jig head that trolls between 2' to 6' at speeds of .5 to .9 mph. When the crappie are shallow in 4' to 6' of water you will want to troll this size.
• 1/24th oz. jig head is a secret weapon as it is an in between size between the 1/32nd and 1/16th. The 1/24th oz. crappie jig head trolls between 2' to 8' at speeds of .5 to .9 mph. It is a great size for trolling shallow Lake Allatoona crappie.
• 1/16th oz. jig head is the go-to size and when trolled at speeds of .5 to .7 mph the 1/16th oz. jig head trolls at a depth of 11' at .5 mph and 6' at .7 mph on 4lb test fishing line.
• 3/32nd oz. jig head which is double the weight of the 1/16th oz. jig head and when trolled at speeds of .5 to .7 mph it reaches on average 18' to 12'.

Crappie Fishing Is My Passion, Telling Fishermen About Jesus Is My Mission

As a Christian, my number one mission is to tell others about Jesus. Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:16-20 to "go out and make disciples of all nations". This sounds like a BIG TASK at first but my "nation" is my local community and those who I talk to every day. If you are reading this, you are part my community and one of my fishing buddies.

Did you know that Jesus had fishing buddies? It's true, the first four disciples were fishermen! Peter, Andrew, James, and John were called directly from their fishing nets to become "fishers of men". ~ Matthew 4:18-22

Jesus spent a lot of his time on water, around water and WALKING on Water. Matter of fact, one of the first things he did after his resurrection to prove he was alive was to EAT A FISH FILET, I would argue that it was crappie but I can't say for sure! ~ Luke 24:36-49

Jesus was around fishermen, fishing, boats and water throughout his entire ministry. He eve paid his TAXES by fishing! ~ Matthew 17:24-27

He fed thousands of people with fish and hushpuppies (ok it may not have been hushpuppies but bread)! ~ Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44 & Luke 9:10-17.

Point is that Jesus hung out with FISHERMEN like me and you regardless of how they looked, talked, smelled and HE CHANGED THEIR LIVES and the lives of millions throughout history and that all started with the changed lives of FISHERMEN.

Jesus has transformed the life of this fisherman and gave me a life that I could not imagine, he rescued me from a life of sin, sorrow and death and I am and will be eternally grateful.

My Mission is to tell people about Jesus, what he has done in my life and to present the good news of the Gospel and lead people to Jesus. A life without Jesus is no life at all.

What is the Gospel?

The term Gospel means "Good News". The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Great News! There is good news, bad news and great news. The bad news is that we are all born sinners, meaning that we fall short of God's original expectations for us and what we were created to be. We were created in God's image to know God and be known by God. Sin entered into the world through human rebellion...basically telling God to get lost we can do a better job we don't need you. We messed everything up and became enemies of God deserving death and eternal punishment. That's where the good news of Jesus comes in. Jesus is God in human form and he stepped out of His Glory to be born of a virgin. He lived a perfect sinless life fulfilling God's original intent for His creation. He died a horrible death on a cross as God's sacrifice and atonement for my sin and your sin. Jesus paid a sin debt that could never be paid by our "Good Deeds". Then...after paying our sin debt by death on a cross...He was RAISED TO LIFE defeating sin and death for all eternity. The GREAT NEWS is that WE, you and me, never have to die and we can live forever with Jesus. The Gospel is Great News! The Bible says that "There is only ONE MEDIATOR between God and Man, his name is Jesus." Don't you want to be free from sin and live forever with the one who died for you? I know I do!

What must I do to be Saved?

• I ACKNOWLEDGE that I am a sinner and there is nothing I can do about it. ~ Romans 3:10-12 & Romans 3:23
  
• RECOGNIZE that I am a sinner and my ONLY HOPE of satisfying God's perfect law is to trust in a Savior who lived a sinless life to take my place. ~ Romans 3:21-26
  
• I ACCEPT God's offering & sacrifice of His Son Jesus death on a cross to cover my past, present and future sin.
  
• I BELIEVE that Jesus was raised to life in three days after he was crucified where he DEFEATED SIN & DEATH and I CONFESS that Jesus is LORD & SAVIOR. He is the TRUE Son of GOD. He is the Way, The Truth and the Life and there is no other way to God than through him. ~ Romans 10:9
• I REPENT (turn from my life of sin) and cling to Jesus from this point forward seeking to live for the one who died for me to pay my debt and set me free from sin and to do good works in HIS NAME until He calls me home. ~ Acts 2:38
  
• I REALIZE that my life will NEVER BE THE SAME after committing my life to Jesus and I look forward to never having to fish alone as long as Jesus is my Captain. Romans 12:1-2