Under the surface there is the reality of varying contour in both lakes.Popular species targeted by Santee Cooper anglers include largemouth bass, a recovering population of striped bass, white and black crappie, bream (most notably shellcracker and bluegill), and several species of catfish. Santee Cooper is a shallow-water fishing paradise, and it's tough to beat the skinny water action of March. Creek channels are a great place to start. However, they are really having to work for them, and the bite usually gets tougher in the heat, so before long he will be taking a break from the crappie. Following the birds and covering water with free-lines or planer boards is usually the best pattern. Their depth will vary, and the best way to target them is with a double minnow rig fished vertically. Anglers can begin targeting striped bass in the Santee Cooper lakes system beginning Oct. 1 and continuing through June 15. Some of the fish have already started to spawn while others are shallow looking for spawning areas. 3/4/23. Vast areas laced with flooded timber and cypress. In colder conditions they will want more subtle, slow-moving lures, while if temperatures rise they will be willing to chase faster moving baits like spinnerbaits or crankbaits. Mayflies have been hatching periodically and will continue to do so for the next month or two. Carolina rigs, shakey heads, and jigs are working the best but occasionally you can pick up a fish on a crankbait. These services are no longer offered at 1000 Assembly Street in Downtown Columbia. Crickets are working for bluegill, while minnows are working for crappie. It will also be found up the rivers if there is current there. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.29 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.19 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are clear. gas, RVsitesand lodging if you decide to stay overnight. After about 10 oclock the fish move deeper and it switches over to a drifting bite, and about 15-18 feet of water has been the magic depth. Suspend over the fish with live bait of drift cut shad and herring with Santee cooper rigs in the deep channels. The shad are spawning around lily pads, grass and clusters of trees, and when you find fish feeding on them they will eat anything that imitates a shad. Overall the action for catfish has been a little off-and-on at Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that the weather has certainly not helped with a mix of wind and rain in the past week before it got prettier. 7/15 I finished in top 10 in serveral tournaments. We had to reschedule a couple times due to very bad weather. In the wet, windy conditions there have not been a lot of people out chasing crappie but the shallow bite has been surprisingly tough. Flats, hills and about anything in the 10-20 foot range is worth drifting. Shop our collection of fishing rods to find the one that best matches your needs. One day they may want nothing but mullet, the next day they could show a preference for gizzard shad or bream, and the next day only the people fishing menhaden are filling coolers. Most anything that imitates shad from swimbaits to Alabama rigs to crankbaits to Rattle Traps will work. Already have an account? Updates. Its still a good catfish bite on Santee Cooper, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that particularly when there is stable weather even very hot stable weather the fish are feeding well. In contrast, to catch a bigger fish concentrate on shallower water. Report Outage. When water temperatures hit about 50 degrees then the creek bite should really turn on. Capt. Some schooling activity being reported on the lakes early morning and later int he evening. Morning surface water temperatures are around 87-88 degrees. Most detailed Lake Jocassee Most of the fish are still probably roaming offshore suspended and chasing bait, but when temperatures drop just a few degrees they should finally start to move into the creeks following shad and become catchable on topwater lures, swimbaits and square-billed crankbaits. Warmer water is often found at the very backs of the creeks on Santee Cooper, and as a result Captain Brett Mitchell(803-379-7029) reports that a lot of bait is also back there right now. Our top priority is to satisfy. A few more warm days should bring the fish shallower again. Reports of 23' to 30' drifting along ledges have been productive also. Our heaviest trip was over 1400 lbs. However, this week the patterns have changed and some cool, windy weather has pulled the fish out just a little. For shellcracker use worms while bluegill prefer crickets and worms. If the lake remains dirty fish will continue to feed best in the muddiest areas. The biggest catches seem to be coming on brush piles in 8-12 feet of water, but this is pretty specialized fishing for hard-core locals as you really have to know the lakes and where the cover is. creek channel ledges are the areas to fish. Fish will feed best in the warmest areas and crankbaits and jigs should both be effective. During this time frame anglers can harvest three stripers that measure . Step aboard a 23' Epic powered by a 200 HP Suzuki engine. Shop by brand or reel type. 2020 All rights reserved. The bass fishing has been pretty tough recently, but Steve reports that while some fish can be caught shallow he believes the best way to catch good ones right now is reeling a crankbait just over brush piles. View Santee Cooper Lakes Fishing Reports. Lots of schooling activity on the Cooper River in the mouths of the old Richfield cuts. In the cold weather the bream fishing has really slowed down, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that they are still catching some nice crappie even though they are having to work for them. top water and swim baits will work good. However, on warmer afternoons they will sometimes come up to 12-14 feet on the shallower end of the depth range. South Carolina Santee Cooper Lakes fishing charters, fishing guide, Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie. They are also catching some good bream on the same brush. 2023 FishingBooker.com. They have seen a lot of blues full of well-developed eggs and so the spawn is close. However, out of 14 boats there were only two limits. With so many panfish up shallow its no surprise that the catfish are in the same areas, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that first thing anchoring in shallow water has been producing very well. They are around brush piles, drop offs, and shell bars. These differ for residents and non-residents, with discounts for military personnel, too. Striper and hybrids: Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that the February bite will start off similar to January with fish part-way up the rivers in 35-45 feet on the bottom. They will take most any bait when they are feeding. Most detailed Lake Wylie The crappie still havent really turned on as water temperatures need to drop a few more degrees, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they are picking up decent numbers of fish by looking at deeper brush. When the water cools then the brush bite for bream should pick up, and the canal should fill up with shellcracker. Bass: Tournament angler Eric Enlow of Union reports that February is another transition month on Lake Monticello, but there should still be some fish deep that can be caught on a spoon or an Alabama rig early in the month. Updates. MLF Santee Cooper South Carolina. Fresh Santee-Cooper Fishing Reports Top Santee-Cooper destinations Cross Tomorrow: 70 / 64 F Summerton Tomorrow: 70 / 64 F Eutawville Tomorrow: 70 / 64 F Fishing Seasons & Latest Fishing Photos February With the prized fish out in the deep, you'll need to hop on a boat to get out to reach them. The catfish bite is also dependent on weather, and right before a front comes through fish have been feeding really well while after a cold snap the bite slows for a day or two. Overall the catfish are just eating really well right now, although they are displaying a strong preference for herring. He has had the best luck with herring, and there have been some big fish caught drifting deep water at night. barsin 4' to 8' of water using cut bait are catching the bigger fish . We are at about the mid-point of the crappie spawn on Santee Cooper, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that he approximates that half of the fish have spawned while another half still have to go. They continue to pick away at the crappie on Santee, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the bite in both lakes is pretty much tracking and fish are only sporadic. Herring and chicken have gotten the most bites although they havent found anything the fish are swallowing very well. The lakes are as clear as Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) has ever seen them, which may be part of the reason why they can only catch bluegill and crappie around the deeper stuff. Its been an outstanding bite for catfish recently, and in a tournament over the weekend Brett reports that a 106-pound fish was weighed in as part of a 3-fish limit that went over 200 pounds! Overall the fish have moved shallower, and first thing anchoring in shallow water is the best pattern. If you follow this pattern during April, I promise you're going to catch catfish and even maybe a monster. We use cookies on our website to give you the best shopping experience. Fv 27, 2023 . There is some speculation that the population is down right now, and they do generally go in cycles, but there also seem to be some seasonal factors at play. A large number of crappie are spawning on Santee, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that certainly not all of them are. The catfish bite has dramatically improved on Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he has caught a pile of fish drifting over all different kinds of structure in 45-55 feet. Look for the BIRDS. Catfish: Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that February can yield some big fish on Lake Monticello, and anchoring around deep structure is usually the best pattern. Its the time of year when the bass fishing is highly dependent on the weather, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that before and after the cold snap over the weekend the bass bit well but on Sunday they did not. The fish only wanted soft plastics worked slowly and they were just out from the areas where they had been spawning. It should have happened a few weeks ago, but the fish are just now starting to feed well in the canal. The 5-foot range is a good starting point. The upper lake is slightly dingy while the lower lake is still clear in places. Fish are generally 12-14 feet down over brush in 22-25 feet of water, with both jigs and minnows working for them. Crappie have spawned and moved out of shallow water to deeper a day guarantee. On the other hand Captain Brett Mitchell is fishing shallower in 15-25 feet of water, drifting over hard bottoms in areas that have a pronounced drop-off. Catfish: Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that in February drifting deep water is still the best bet, but on very warm days there can be a night/ evening bite in shallow water. Fishing Guides Cut herring, shad or white perch will all work. Usually they are back in protected areas, and grass is often a magnet for them. The upper lake is slightly dingy while the lower lake is clear. Keep moving! January can be really fun. Learn more. Are you in the know? On the shallower side Captain Brett Mitchell continues to catch fish in 15-25 feet of water. Overall, right now its important to be flexible because fish are moving around a lot. But the world-class shellcracker fishing produces an overflow of anglers to the shallow sectors of both lakes. There were some good fish in the 20-30 pound range caught on chicken, but the best bait seems to be river herring and gizzard shad. Morning surface water temperatures range wildly from the mid-50s on the lower lake in the big water to the mid-60s in protected backwater ponds. Crappie and white perch: Captain Chris Nichols (704-860-7951) reports that in February fish will still be set up in the front sections of creeks in deep water to start the month. (EIN), to report on an information return the amount paid to you, or other amount reportable on an information return. Even after this cold snap overall mild temperatures mean that the crappie bite has stayed extremely good for the season, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that in the lower lake they are still catching fish just over brush in 25-30 feet of water.

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