July 1
Santee Cooper water levels are down to 74.02 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.92 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are normal clarity. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the mid-80s in most areas.
On the crappie front, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the fishing is still tough and likely won’t get better for some time. Most of the fish they are marking are 12-15 feet down over brush in 22-28 feet of water, and at times they will take jigs and at times minnows.
The bream bite has been a little better, and on the recent new moon they caught some fish on deeper beds in more than five feet of water.
June 28
Santee Cooper water levels are down to 73.92 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.89 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are normal clarity. Morning surface water temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees.
In the lakes the bass fishing has not changed too much on Santee, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that if you go way up the river into the swamp you can find a totally different bite. On the last trip they caught 30 fish, and most of them were between 12 inches and 3 pounds. However, they did land a monster 8 plus pounder. In the dirty water the fish were all shallow in less than 2 feet of water around the banks, and Brett says the key to catching them was to find small areas with current. Everything came on soft plastics.
The strong shallow catch in the swamp was just “swamp fish being swamp fish,” and Brett says that in the lakes the bite is still sporadic. Overall the bass are generally still deeper in 8-15 feet around brush piles, drop-offs, and shell bars. Carolina rigs, shaky heads, and jigs are working the best but occasionally you can pick up a fish on a crankbait.
Fish in the swamp were not more cooperative because of cooler temperatures, and Brett notes that he saw 91 degrees up there!
The catfish bite continues to be good on Santee Cooper, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that on his last few trips they have filled the box with 5-20 pound fish. They are catching their fish drifting flats in 10-20 feet of water on herring. Without much water moving through the canal it has been slow, and the action in the lakes has been better.
Fish can be caught at anchor but drifting has been more reliable.
June 23
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.12 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.09 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are clear. Morning surface water temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees.
The bass patterns are mostly unchanged on Santee, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that one thing which can create some variation during a generally stable, hot period is a mayfly hatch. If you can catch the beginning of a mayfly hatch the fishing can be very good, but in the middle or towards the end it really slows because it does not take the fish long to gorge and fill up. Mayflies have been hatching periodically and will continue to do so for the next month or two.
Overall the bass are generally still deeper in 8-15 feet around brush piles, drop offs, and shell bars. Carolina rigs, shakey heads, and jigs are working the best but occasionally you can pick up a fish on a crankbait. The bite can be decent if you locate a group of fish on electronics or otherwise, but that’s the tricky part. And then getting them to feed can also be a challenge.
At the next moon there could be another bream bed, but on the last full moon it was surprisingly slow.
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. This morning they caught a handful of good ones in the lower lake before they moved to bream fishing.
Fish are generally 12-14 feet down over brush in 22-25 feet of water, with both jigs and minnows working for them.
Even between moons they have picked up some bedding bream, and they have generally been on deeper beds in more than five feet of water.
It’s 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. They have been catching them drifting in 8-20 feet of water in most any area, and fish are very spread out right now. You can also anchor in 10-20 feet around likely areas such as ledges and at the mouths of the canal.
Herring has been out-fishing everything else.
June 17
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.27 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.20 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 87-88 degrees.
The crappie fishing has still been pretty slow on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the upper lake they are picking up a few fish 12-14 feet down over brush in 22-25 feet of water on minnows and jigs. 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.
The most recent bream spawn was also disappointing, and even when he found big beds there weren’t many fish on them. They will be after the bream again this weekend and will report back.
Luckily the catfish bite has been really good on Santee Cooper, and both Steve and his son Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) report that they are filling boxes with fish pretty quickly. The fish are on shallow flats in 7-11 feet of water and they are feeding on mussels. Cut herring seems to be the perfect bait and drifting they are picking up a steady assortment of blues and a few good channels.
June 14
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. Morning surface water temperatures are around 87-88 degrees.
It’s not the way he prefers to catch them, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass on Santee Cooper have moved deeper and he’s now having to target fish in 8-15 feet. They are around brush piles, drop offs, and shell bars. Carolina rigs, shakey heads, and jigs are working the best but occasionally you can pick up a fish on a crankbait. The bite can be decent if you locate a group of fish on electronics or otherwise, but that’s the tricky part. And then getting them to feed can also be a challenge.
With the full moon there should be a bream bed bite right now, but Brett says he has been looking but really hasn’t found one. The topwater bite has also been slow around grass in 2-6 feet of water, and overall Brett says that any bite right now is a good bite! It took 10 ½ pounds to win the 3-fish limit Sunday Showdown Series tournament this weekend.
The catfish action has been more consistent for Brett, and his last trip started out slow but they ended up catching a bunch of fish drifting a flat with stumps in 20-25 feet of water. He has been mainly fishing chicken but shad has also been working. White perch has been completely unproductive.
June 10
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.33 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.29 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 80s.
The crappie fishing has improved marginally, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that it’s still not where he would like it to be. Overall it’s been a slow late spring for crappie, and with real summer heat on the way it probably won’t be until the fall that fishing really picks up. Right now it looks like the lakes are in a bit of a down cycle for crappie.
The upper lake has been fishing a bit better than the lower lake recently, and the best action has come 12-14 feet down over brush in 22-25 feet of water. At times minnows and then jigs are both out-fishing the other so try both.
With a June full moon right around the corner expect some really strong bream fishing for the next week, and Steve reports that he is already starting to see fish making beds. Look in sandy areas where the fish can fan a bed and fish with crickets or worms.
It’s been a good week for catfish on Santee Cooper, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that you can catch them pretty much everywhere right now. At night he has been anchoring in shallow water, and in the canal area he is looking for somewhere just out of the current when he sets anchor. In the lakes he is looking for a ledge or stumps or something else that will provide the fish with a place to hold.
Stevie’s boat has also been drifting in 10-25 feet of water and finding a good bite during the day, but he has heard reports of drifting out to 40 feet and catching fish. Some of the biggest ones have been coming in the 20-22 foot range.
Overall the catfish are just eating really well right now, although they are displaying a strong preference for herring.
May 24
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.23 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.1 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Both lakes are clear and water temperatures are around 80 in the morning.
Strong summer patterns are starting to take off for bass on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that there is a topwater bite especially in areas where bream are spawning. These include around grass, trees, and wood. Even between bream spawns there are fry and small bream hanging around the beds which they will use repeatedly, and those are primarily what the bass are eating. Early in the morning buzzbaits are working well and shallow running crankbaits are also good, in addition to a wide range of topwater lures such as prop baits.
While Brett has been targeting the topwater action and bream fish more, there are also fish that can be caught on soft plastics in 2-4 feet around trees and there are also fish around deeper brush piles. Big worms, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs will all work around brush.
As we are between moon phases at the moment, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that the shallow bream bite is a little off but they are getting nice numbers of bluegills around brush on crickets. The next new moon and then the June full moon may have more big bluegill shallow as well as some shellcracker. For shellcracker use worms while bluegill prefer crickets and worms.
The crappie fishing remains a little slow, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the afternoon they are only picking up a few fish here and there on brush. The best brush has been in the 20s, and the fish are 10-12 feet down. At times minnows and then jigs are both out-fishing the other so try both.
The catfish bite seems to be improving, and Captain Stevie English reports that drifting in relatively shallow water he is catching lots of good blues and channels on herring. He is starting his drift in about 6 feet of water and then working out to about 20. You can also anchor, but drifting is often more exciting.
The spawn is underway and will continue through the summer.
May 19
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.22 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.18 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Both lakes are clear and water temperatures are in the upper 70s in the morning and low 80s by the afternoons.
Conditions are still a little tough for bass on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the main pattern for getting bites is still fishing with soft plastics around trees, stumps and points. The target depth range has been 3-6 feet of water. There is a little bit of a topwater bite first thing, but it has not been very good.
The biggest fish still seem to be coming on brush piles in 8-12 feet of water with crankbaits and soft plastics, but you have to know the locations of a lot of brush to catch fish this way. The bass are not on every piece of cover.
With the full moon this past weekend the bream fishing was decent, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that in the end the May full moon seems to have been kind of in-between. The best shellcracker fishing seems to have already occurred, and while there were some bluegill spawning in shallow water the action was not great. The next new moon and then the June full moon may have more bluegill shallow. For shellcracker use worms while bluegill prefer crickets and worms.
With the crappie fishing slow Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) took a break from them last week, but this weekend he will be after them again. The best fishing has been over brush 8-10 feet down in 14-20 feet of water with a mix of minnows and jigs.
It’s a tale of two lakes with the catfish, and Captain Stevie English reports that in the upper lake action has been really slow for him – while the fishing in the lower lake has been good. The shallows are full of channel catfish, and late in the day, at night and early you can catch big blues that have come up there to feed by anchoring cut bait. During the day Stevie is having the best success drifting in 15-25 feet of water with 20 feet the key depth.
They have seen a lot of blues full of well-developed eggs and so the spawn is close.
May 12
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.22 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.2 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The upper lake is slightly dingy while the lower lake is clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 73 degrees.
The verdict is in from the recent CBC tournament, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that a few people are whacking the bass but most people are not. 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.
The more general pattern seems to be fishing with soft plastics like Trick Worms around trees, stumps and points. About 3 feet of water has been the magic number for catching these fish.
Again, a topwater bite should be taking off Brett hasn’t really found very much, and he characterizes it as only “sporadic.”
The crappie fishing has slowed a little more, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the fish are still pretty tough to locate. Nothing is good but brush in about 14-20 feet has been the most productive, and generally the fish are 8-10 feet down. Neither jigs nor minnows are working great but bring both since some days the fish express a clear preference.
The bream fishing has slowed up between moon phases, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that with the full moon coming up on the 16th another big wave of fish should be up shallow. While a lot of the shellcracker have already spawned there should be more, and the bluegill should really start to get down to business on this moon phase. Worms are best for shellcracker while bluegill will also take crickets.
The catfish bite is pretty good right now, and Captain Brett Mitchell reports that most people are still anchoring in 4-6 feet of water around cypress tree clusters where fish are spawning or looking for areas to spawn. However, he is also doing well drifting as deep as about 12 feet.
A mix of cut bait including gizzard shad and herring will work as well as chicken.
While you can still catch a lot of small eating-sized fish drifting in 15-30 feet of water, Captain Stevie English is most excited that the canal bite is finally turning on. It should have happened a few weeks ago, but the fish are just now starting to feed well in the canal. Drifting and bouncing the bottom is working well, and there are also intermittent spots where you can anchor up and catch fish.
May 6
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.46 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.3 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). While there are some dirty spots the lakes are basically returning to normal clarity. Morning surface water temperatures are mostly in the low to mid-70s.
The reasons aren’t exactly clear, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass fishing is tougher than it’s supposed to be. Post-spawn fish are supposed to recover from the spawn around cypress trees in 2 ½ to 4 feet, but right now he’s not finding as many hungry fish up there as expected. The fish they are catching are coming on soft plastics.
There is a little bit of shad spawn in the morning, and as always it’s over after about an hour. 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. This includes spinnerbaits, swimbaits and crankbaits.
While the topwater bite should be taking off Brett hasn’t really found very much, and he characterizes it as only “sporadic.”
The crappie fishing is basically “fair” right now, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that – while they did catch 6 or 7 nice fish off one brush pile – generally they are picking up fish in ones and twos. Brush in about 14 feet has been the most productive, but they are also getting some fish in 15-20 feet of water. Generally the fish are 8-10 feet down. They are marking a few fish on deep brush but they may just be bluegill.
The lower lake has been much better than the upper lake, and a lot of days jigs have been out-fishing minnows. It’s a good idea to have both.
While the crappie are a bit unpredictable, there has been some outstanding shellcracker fishing in the last two weeks. Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that on one recent trip they caught 25 over 1 pound and fish up to two pounds. The fish are shallow on beds, and spawning activity peaks on the new and full moons. Just before the last new moon they could literally see the fish moving onto beds in droves. They are around weeds and both red and green worms are working very well.
To fill a cooler with eating size catfish Captain Stevie reports that his boat is drifting with herring in 15-30 feet of water, and they have found a pretty fast bite for channels and smaller blues. The area doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference with smaller fish very spread out, and he is just “going”. You can also fish dip baits in the canal to catch a lot of fish. In contrast, to catch a bigger fish concentrate on shallower water.
Captain Brett Mitchell agrees with that, and Brett reports that the majority of anglers after a big blue are anchoring in 4-6 feet of water around cypress tree clusters. Brett also reports that a few people like him are drifting for bigger fish, again in shallow water. Some of the fish have already started to spawn while others are shallow looking for spawning areas.
They will take most any bait when they are feeding.
April 21
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.31 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.57 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lakes are getting muddy and morning surface water temperatures are around the low to mid-60s.
After a strong spawning wave last week, Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass are starting to get into a bit of a post-spawn lull. They are tired, beat up, and trying to recover, and so the bite will likely be off for a few more days.
Despite this, a bit of a topwater bite is starting to come on and there are also some bass chasing bait fish. If you fish very, very early you can also find a shad spawn around dawn in some places.
For fish chasing bait flukes, Spooks, Pop-Rs, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits will all work. You can also fish soft plastics around trees. Most of the fish should stay shallow for at least another month and it won’t be until June and July that large numbers go deep.
The crappie fishing has been really tough again this week, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports they aren’t exactly sure why. 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. The fish they have caught have been 8-12 feet down over brush in 15-20 feet of water.
Before the cold front at the beginning of this week there were starting to be some bream around the banks, but for now the weather seems to have pushed them out to the same brush the crappie are on. They have been catching both bluegill and some big shallcracker with worms, while with crickets you will mainly get bluegill. A few more warm days should bring the fish shallower again.
There are a few different ways to catch catfish right now, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that for him the cold front seems to have put off the blue catfish bite. He switched over to catching channel catfish, and on dip baits they have been wearing them out in the canal.
The best patterns for blue catfish seem to be anchoring early and then drifting during the day in 10-30 feet of water.
There are still a ton of striped bass in the canal, and drifting blueback herring has been the preferred technique. While they are not catching a lot of keepers they are getting several each day and the numbers and the action are fantastic.
April 8
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.55 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.68 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 60s and – while the mud is coming – it’s still only dingy in the lakes.
The bass have been surprisingly quiet this week on Santee Cooper, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that’s because we are in a minor lull between waves of the spawn. The new moon was a week ago and the full moon is not until next week. At the April full moon it should be gangbusters again, while this week they have caught decent numbers and a few big fish but nothing has been hot.
The fish they are catching are still shallow in 5 feet of water or less, and they are holding tight to grass and trees. Pretty much everything has come on soft plastics this week.
The crappie fishing has also been surprisingly off this week, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) notes that in addition to the moon phases the weather has been another factor that has really slowed the bite. In the wet, windy conditions there have not been a lot of people out chasing crappie but the shallow bite has been surprisingly tough. It seems as if the majority of the fish are post-spawn.
Some of the fish are starting to get out on brush again, and they have had some decent days on brush. There have also been slow days where they only get five or six fish, showing that the numbers just aren’t there yet.
Even with the crappie spawn winding down the shellcracker spawn is about to explode, and Steve reports that they are already catching a few in shallow water but it’s about to get really good. The fish are already starting to spawn in shallow water around grass but numbers are about to go way up. Worms are hard to beat.
It’s a pretty simple pattern for catfish right now, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that early you need to be anchoring in shallow water. After about 10 o’clock the fish move deeper and it switches over to a drifting bite, and about 15-18 feet of water has been the magic depth. The fish are tearing up river herring right now.
Perhaps the most exciting thing going on Santee right now is the striped bass bite in the canal, and drifting blueback herring over the rocks has been dynamite. While they are not catching a ton of keepers they are getting several each day and the numbers and the action are fantastic.
April 1
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.24 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.82 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water temperatures are in the low 60s and there is some dirty water rolling into the lakes.
As predicted the Elite Series Pros absolutely wrecked the bass at Santee Cooper two weeks ago, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that most of the fish were caught very shallow and often looking at them on beds. However, this week the patterns have changed and some cool, windy weather has pulled the fish out just a little. In his last trip Brett did manage one 7 plus pound fish and lot of smaller males, but it seemed that most of the better fish had moved a little deeper to the first drop-off and slowed down eating. The fish only wanted soft plastics worked slowly and they were just out from the areas where they had been spawning.
Warming weather will get them shallower and more aggressive again soon, and the new moon this weekend will also help to get another group of fish up looking and then on beds. Overall the fish should continue to roam the shallows for another three to four weeks as several more waves of fish come up and spawn.
In the next week or two there should also start to be a topwater bite, but that really doesn’t usually kick off until water temperatures hit a magic range of about 75 degrees.
Apologies for the lack of bass update last week – Brett gave us a post-tournament report but we failed to publish it. We will do our best to make sure that does not happen again.
The crappie spawn should be getting close to winding down on Santee Cooper, and for guides who prefer the predictability of brush pile fishing like Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) it couldn’t come soon enough! There are only a very few feeding fish on brush right now, and the vast majority of the fish are in less that 6 feet of water. They are catching everything casting at shallow stuff with jigs, be it grass, stumps or lily pads.
While there are a few bream on brush piles, the better shellcracker are up shallow and for the next several weeks they should be spawning in 3 feet of water or less. Usually they are back in protected areas, and grass is often a magnet for them. Red wigglers are hard to beat.
With so many panfish up shallow it’s 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. Throughout the day drifting in 5-15 feet of water has been productive.
River herring is fishing the best right now.