February weather can be unpredictable in the Sooner State -- sometimes below freezing, and other times unseasonably mild. It's true: Okies can experience spring-like temperatures at times, and also be ravaged by winter the next day. Angling this month can be a precarious task in the ever-changing climes, but don't miss a golden opportunity to haul in a mess of crappie.

Red Miller and Crystal Dollahon caught these February slabs by fishing jigs in 14 feet of water up a creek on Grand Lake. Photo by Mike Lambeth.

Obsessed crappie anglers know February is the start of some stellar angling for the voracious papermouths. The gregarious crappie will be on the prowl this month in frenzied schools as they bulk up on minnows and shad to sustain themselves for the spawning activity ahead.

What more can I say? February is a tremendous month for breaking out the panfish tackle and heading to a crappie fishery in your locale. One thing for sure is that the fishing can be better than you ever imagined.

So whether you're a minnow dunker or a jig-fishing aficionado, now's a great time to head to one of your favorite crappie waters. Before you go though, check out the information below and maybe you'll find a new fishing spot to try.

LAKE EUFAULA
Lake Eufaula is the state's largest lake, spanning 102,000 acres. It's in the southeast part of the state near the town of the same name.

Summer anglers regularly catch hefty limits of crappie on Eufaula, making it one of the most popular destinations for anglers statewide. It's also a fine choice for winter speck fishing.

Though its waters are turbid or even dirty in some areas, Eufaula contains some prime crappie habitat in which schools of slabs lurk, waiting to ambush schools of small minnows and shad. The entire lake produces good numbers of crappie, but the top areas are the clear parts of the lake like Porum Landing, Duchess Creek, Belle Starr, and the Highway 9 landing.

Robert Reece is a diehard crappie angler who enjoys success each winter at Eufaula. An Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation aquatic habitat foreman, he prefers to leave the warm confines of the lake's heated docks to fish the numerous brushpiles, which are home to good numbers of the skillet-sized delicacies.

Reece, who estimates that he fishes 30 days each winter, catches some of his largest crappie in the south end of the lake near Crowder. In fact, when it comes to catching really big crappie, the self-effacing angler has a knack, having caught several sure-enough slabs weighing more than 3 pounds. And while he enjoys catching big crappie, he releases all those over 14 inches so they can grow to be what he calls "real slabs." He also fishes some of the lake's many brushpiles constructed by the ODWC. Fortunately, most of them are marked with a buoy.

Reece fishes three sizes of jigs, 1/32- 1/16-, and 1/8-ounce, and prefers feathers instead of plastic tails. His favorite colors are pink, black/pink, and white/pink.

"I like to use 4-pound-test line," he said, explaining his winter tactics. "And I believe that you should fish your jig as slow as possible, due to the fish being sluggish. Generally, I find 90 percent of my fish in 12 to 16 feet of water. Catching 12- to 16-inch crappie is common. I also recommend that anglers who don't have success early try fishing midday." The daily limit is 37 crappie; there are no length restrictions.