Early February conditions at Hogan are very much a grind. Water temps are hovering around 50–52°, and the lake hasn’t shown its usual abundance of bait, especially compared to typical winters here. That missing bait is a big deal… most of the fish being marked are glued to the bottom rather than suspended, moving in small packs instead of setting up on obvious feeding areas.

The few bites that are happening are coming off rocky points in roughly 20–30 feet of water, or near timber in the back of coves. Fish are cruising low and slow, and finesse presentations are doing most of the work. A dropshot with small shad-colored Roboworm has been fairly effective. Jigs, spoons, Neko rigs, and minnow-style baits haven’t produced much, largely because there aren’t suspended fish to target. If you can locate bait, you’ll likely be close to fish, but that search may take some time.

A few folks are still getting a decent catfish bite late in the evening on anchovies and mackerel.