Lots to love about the outdoors in February

Tips to catch pre-spawn crappie, take the perfect picture and catch loads of flounder

Brad Chappell set the hook on an ice-cold Lake Washington crappie and promptly landed it, admired it a second and quickly released him to catch another day. Chappell has had many successful fishing trips on the famous lake and February is a perfect time to get back on the water to catch those papermouths that make succulent table-fare.

Patrick Allen watched as his beloved squirrel dogs treed yet another squirrel and his son Jack Allen quickly dispatched one also. Allen and many avid squirrel hunters relish the options that our February small game opportunities bring as the deer hunters have put up their weapons, in most of the state, which allows hunters to let the dogs out and have a ball.

February is a transition month for many outdoors people as most are putting up those guns, recovering from the deer season and preparing for spring fishing. There’s still plenty of time left to chase squirrels and rabbits with the time-honored tradition of hunting with dogs. There’s just something special about listening to the dog’s strike a trail and tree a squirrel or beagles bawling and barking after jumping a rabbit and filling the hills and swamps with sweet beagle music.

Many die-hard crappie anglers have already hit the water in search of pre-spawn crappie. Mike Giles discusses ways to find and catch those succulent Lake Washington crappie with tips, tactics and techniques from crappie guide and guru Brad Chappell.

Chappell has years of experience in fishing the famous lake and gives the readers an inside look at the best technique to catch those big white perch.

Chris Holmes brings us a timely photography feature, ‘Learn from a wizard behind the lens.’ By following Christopher LeCoq’s tips, you can turn your outdoor triumphs and big catch or kill into a treasured memory that you can share for a lifetime.

Have you ever wondered what your best big buck scored? Kinny Haddox brings us a little different slant on scoring in his feature ‘What’s the score’ and Greg Hicks brings some perspective on the uniqueness of every deer, no matter where they are living and harvested. Many hunters live in areas that have deer that will never grow as big as the Delta Bucks due to many factors. Hicks says every deer is special and hunters should enjoy their experience no matter the score.

John N. Felsher’s ‘Flat out for flounder’ gives us an edge on fishing a variety of artificial lures to fool and catch the tasty flounders. Enjoy Felsher’s article on catching the succulent flat sided fish and you just might learn a thing or two about finding and catching saltwater flounder.

There’s just no limit to the possibilities of February in Mississippi. If you want to rest up from deer season, then that’s okay. Just know that many avid anglers and hunters will be going full bore into some of the best hunting and fishing of the year. Take it from our expert writers, anglers, hunters and guides, the time is now to enjoy some fine fishing and hunting.