Strike King pro Andy Montgomery explains why February is a transitional month in Zone 3 and how bass will react. 

“The beginning of February follows a winter pattern, while the end marks the start of the pre-spawn—a transitional time of year,” Montgomery begins. This shift means that anglers will need to adapt their baits to match. “Early in the month, it's still all about bait, but there's a shift from dominant baitfish colors to more craw-colored baits. This coincides with the tendency for bass to feed on shallow water forage as they move up to feed before spawning,” he shares.  

Montgomery has some locations that he highly recommends. “So early in the month, you're basically looking off the end of points or coves in deeper creeks – you're mostly looking for bait fish on the deeper end of points. As they transition to pre-spawn, they typically stay around the same points that they were in during the winter, except in the pre-spawn, they move up the points to the closest piece of shallow cover they can find. This includes docks, laydowns, brush, or any piece of structure they can relate to while the focus on feeding before the spawn is in full swing,” Montgomery advises.