If you think this month was a busy one for the area bass tournament fishermen take a look at February.

The first bass tournament to cast off next month will be the 23rd Annual J.R. Roberts Memorial at Lake Bruin sponsored by Eddie’s Marine and Tackle on Feb. 7.

This long running event is the most well known team bass tournament in the area.

Based on 100 entries the team in 1st place will take home $4,000 cash. A total of 10 cash places will be awarded and 3 places in the big bass division.

Last year’s winners Glen Foster of Natchez and Scott Emfinger of Monterey will be back to try to retain their title.

There is no better lake to host this event on than Lake Bruin. Best known for producing numbers of 2 to 5 pound bass, Lake Bruin excels as a bass producer during the colder months.

The big sow bass will be in pre spawn mode meaning the fish will be loaded with eggs and hanging out near the canals, flats and other areas that offer shallow wind protected water suitable for spawning.

With water temperatures this weekend in the upper 40s to low 50s all it will take is a warm up of 7 to 8 degrees.

Over the years my “magic” temperature that spells big fish in shallow water is 57 degrees.

Normally our waters will reach this temperature by mid-February.

Three or four days of sunshine with air temps in the mid to upper 60s is all it takes to warm the water enough to get the fish moving toward the shallows and trigger a major transition period for the game-fish.

The weekend after the Memorial event on Feb. 14 we’ll be on Lake St. John fishing the Southern Pro Tournament Trail. This new circuit offers the local fishermen a chance to fish for big bucks close to home.

On Feb. 19-22 many locals will be headed to Shreveport for the world’s best known bass tournament and the absolute largest boat and tackle show, the BASSMASTERS Classic World Championship on the Red River.

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Democrat. He can be reached at fishingwitheddie@cox.net.