April 21

Santee Cooper water levels are up to 76.07 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.55 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). While muddy water continues to pour into the upper lake, by the time it reaches the lower lake is has usually settled out and Moultrie is pretty clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 70. 

The bluegill and shellcracker seem to be on the move in Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they aren’t finding the biggest ones shallow or deep right now. They fished shallow for shellcracker earlier this week but could not find them bedding, but then they also aren’t on brush either. Fortunately the bluegill are still stacked up on brush in 17-25 feet, but the biggest ones also seem to be starting to move off. Very soon there should be a phenomenal shallow bite. 

Numbers of crappie have not really showed up on brush yet, and after a tougher-than-usual spring there are concerns that the population is just a little down.

The bass continue to be at all three stages of the spawn on Santee Cooper, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that there are still a ton of different ways you can target fish – including bed fishing. 

Right now you want to concentrate from about four feet of water to the ground, and look around trees, blackwater pockets, grass or most any other shallow cover. You can pretty much fish with the lures you have confidence in from spinnerbaits to soft plastics to buzzbaits. 

However, the topwater bite has still not really come on yet but should any day. 

The catfish bite has picked up again, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he is finding them by anchoring and targeting the sides of hills in about 12 feet of water. There is also a decent bite drifting in 20 feet of water or less. 

Cut gizzard shad has been working well and the best action continues to be early.   

The striped bass are still on basically two patterns, and Captain Bobby reports that as fish continue to return to the lakes you can catch them coming back through the canal. In the canal you can either drift and bump baits just off the bottom, or anchor live baits a couple of cranks off the bottom just outside the current. 

Another group is still at the Lake Moultrie Dam targeting bait like river herring that is leaving the lakes. Again, it’s a down-rod bite in deeper water. 

April 11

Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.76 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.5 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and dirty water is coming into the system. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the lower 60s. 

Just a few days ago the shellcracker spawn was getting really good on Santee, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the cold really knocked the fish back. They were up shallow in 1-4 feet around grass and trees, where the key to locating them is to fish places you have caught them before, look for visible fish, or just go fishing around likely cover. 

While they will be back, for now bluegill have been salvaging many trips and they are finding a phenomenal bite on brush in about 17-25 feet. The fish are about 8-14 feet down and so they don’t seem to have moved much with the cold, and they are getting 150 fish per trip on crickets. 

There are also some crappie on brush by now, but they are mostly small fish. It seems that most of the better fish are in transition and some fish are still shallow spawning or protecting eggs. In the next few weeks most of the fish should start to get on brush. 

Before the cold front it was an incredible bass bite on Santee Cooper, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports when second place in a tournament has 30 pounds you know the fishing is good. When this front passes he has little doubt it will get back where it has been. 

We are still mid-spawn, meaning some fish have already spawned, some are currently on the bed, and some are still coming.

Right now you want to concentrate from about four feet of water to the ground, and look around trees, blackwater pockets, grass or most any other shallow cover. You can pretty much fish with the lures you have confidence in from spinnerbaits to soft plastics to buzzbaits. 

However, the topwater bite has still not really come on yet. 

Like other species the catfish pivoted with the cold front, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore(843-751-3080) reports that early, late and at night they can still be found shallow following the bait, but most of the day the best fishing is in 20-30 feet of water. The best bite starts pre-dawn and continues to about 8:00 in less than 15 feet, but after 8 you need to be fishing deeper. 

Cut gizzard shad has been his go-to bait. 

The striped bass are still in similar patterns, but for different reasons.  Captain Bobby reports that the fish which came up to Columbia to spawn are now heading back down the rivers, and so you can catch them going the other direction in the canal. In the canal you can either drift and bump baits just off the bottom, or anchor live baits a couple of cranks off the bottom just outside the current. 

Another group is still at the Lake Moultrie Dam, but these fish are now there targeting bait like river herring that is leaving the lakes. Again, it’s a down-rod bite in deeper water. 

March 30

Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.69 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.17 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 64 degrees. 

It’s a wide-open shallow bass bite on Santee Cooper, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that some fish are starting to spawn, some are already on the bed, and some are still coming. Of course, a few fish have already spawned but the cold fronts earlier in the month generally delayed the spawn and so post-spawn fishing is not a major pattern.  

Right now you want to concentrate from about four feet of water to the ground, and look around trees, blackwater pockets, grass or most any other shallow cover. You can pretty much fish with the lures you have confidence in from spinnerbaits to soft plastics to buzzbaits. 

The catfish have a lot in the common with the bass right now, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that if he isn’t fishing near bass fishermen then he knows he’s probably in the wrong place right now. Catfish follow the bass and try to feed on them as well as everything around them. 

The best bite is early in the morning in less than 10 feet of water, and at this time of year they feed best in low light conditions. He stays shallow all day, but the bite slows down. 

The best places to fish are sub-channels off the main channel, and Bobby’s boat generally anchors where the sub-channel ends and puts out baits. Cut river herring is hard to beat. 

The striped bass pattern should be similar for about a month, and Captain Bobby reports that he should still be catching fish on two distinct patterns. About half the fish are heading up the rivers to Columbia to spawn, and those fish all have to pass through the canal. In the canal you can either drift and bump baits just off the bottom, or anchor live baits a couple of cranks off the bottom just outside the current. 

Another group is at the Lake Moultrie Dam. Those fish are there because they have opened the locks and so fish are coming in from the rivers. At the dam it’s mainly a down-line bite. 

With the most of the crappie in full-blown spawning mode right now Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that there isn’t much choice besides fishing around shallow cover. There’s basically nothing but a few small fish on brush, and trolling hasn’t been very productive.

However, as the bream start to make their way towards the banks they are stacking up on shallow brush in 15-18 feet of water. They are wearing them out with crickets fished 8-10 feet down.  

March 16

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.26 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.74 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and both lakes are still dingy although clarity has improved. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to about 59 degrees. 

A week ago you could find 70 degree water on Santee, but with water temperatures now back in the 50s Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that bass fishing has changed a little.  Before it got cold fish were a little confused, as the weather said it was time to spawn but the time of year said it was not. A few have already bedded, but with dropping temperatures now most of the fish have backed off a little bit. 

Still, most of the fish Brett is targeting are shallow, and he is looking in ponds, around the banks, on trees and all the other shallow haunts. Most any bait will catch fish, although he has not yet seen a topwater bite. 

As soon as temperatures warm look for another massive wave of spawning fish. 

There has been some pretty good striped bass fishing on Santee Cooper, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he is catching fish on two distinct patterns. About half the fish are heading up the rivers to Columbia to spawn, but the two groups that Bobby is targeting are in the canal and at the Lake Moultrie Dam. The fish are at the dam because they have opened the locks and so fish are coming in from the rivers. At the dam it’s mainly a down-line bite, but in the canal you can either drift and bump baits just off the bottom or anchor live baits a couple of cranks off the bottom just outside the current. 

The catfish had been relatively shallow prior to the cold snap, but in the last few days they have pulled out to deeper water. Bobby’s boat is now catching them anchoring in 20-30 feet of water.

The best baits are still river herring and gizzard shad. 

Turning the old saying on its head, at this point it looks like March may come in like a lamb but go out like a lion. Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that with cold, windy conditions he has seen very few people crappiefishing recently, and the fish that were on the bank spawning have pulled out deeper. 

The best pattern is trolling in 10-22 feet of water with jigs. 

For right now predictions of an early shellcracker spawn on the March 21 new moon appear to have been excessively optimistic. 

March 8

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.31 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and both lakes are still pretty dirty. Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 60s. 

No one’s got a clear explanation for why the bass fishing was so much tougher this past weekend on Santee, but tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria – who finished third in Saturday’s ABA with 18.5 pounds – acknowledges how much weights were down in the both the BFL and the ABA. Low 20s won both, when weights were pushing towards the mid-30s just recently. 

Andy caught 6 or 7 fish all day, and the fish he was targeting seemed to be a mix of pre-spawn and spawning. They all came in less than three feet of water, and he suspects that some of the fish were spawning because he was having to really shake the worm around a cypress tree to trigger a bite. In contrast the couple of pre-spawn fish that came on a jig and swim jig were much more aggressive. 

In contrast it’s been a good period for catfish on Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that they have been biting well for him in 9-20 feet of water. He is drifting the flats with cut river herring, and the pre-spawn fish are feeding up.

You can also anchor shallow, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that with all the bass and crappie and bream in the shallows he thinks most of the big catfish want to be there too. His preferred pattern is to find a depth change such as a cove coming into shallow water and then fan cast to different depths. In addition to river herring he is also using American shad and gizzard shad.

Bobby notes that at this time of year he has the best luck when there are low light levels, with one good feed from about 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and another from roughly 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

There are crappie at all stages of the spawn on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that some fish are on the banks spawning, some pre-spawn fish can be caught trolling in creeks and coves, and others have returned to deeper brush after completing the spawn. The numbers trolling in the creeks have not been great so far, but the general pattern is trolling in 8-18 feet of water. Generally you will mark bait and fish at a particular depth and then know how to fine-tune your approach, after starting out with various lengths of line and lure weights to cover a range of depths.   

It won’t be until after the fish have completed the spawn and returned to brush that Steve will really be able to get a census of the quality of the population. 

With warm weather ahead of schedule there could be an early shellcracker spawn, and the upcoming new moon may actually be a peak period. So far reports have been scattered with a few big fish caught but not much in the way of numbers. 

There is an outstanding striped bass run through the canal right now, and Captain Rob Bennett (843-367-3777) reports that drifting live herring fished with a couple of ounces of weight about a foot off the bottom they are catching lots of big fish. They are also picking up plenty of catfish this way. 

February 24

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.40 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.82 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and both lakes are muddy. Water temperatures are in the 60s.

While he can’t give away patterns with an upcoming BFL, Jimmy Trigg of Manning – who busted a 32.76 pound bag last weekend in the CATT – reports that from what he is seeing the bass are pre-spawn and even spawning. All the fish he targeted were in less than 10 feet of water in pre-spawn mode, but there are already some fish on beds. He caught all his fish on one bait in Lake Marion. Things change very fast on this lake, but as long as he can continue to get enough bites on this pattern he expects it to continue to produce big fish. Saturday he had two 8s, a 6, a 5 and a 4!

That’s consistent with the pattern reported by Insider Steven Felder, who landed this 7.91 pound hawg Saturday in Lake Marion on a Z-craw. He found a lot of fish staging and getting ready for the spawn, and his big one was caught on a cypress tree in a ditch leading into a spawning bay. 

Down on Santee the past couple of weeks, Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that the best quality catfish he can find have still been in very shallow water. Anchoring in 3-5 feet of water remains the best pattern, and everything he has caught has been in the teens on up. 

Gizzard shad out-fished everything else and the fish have showed no interest in chicken. 

While there are still fish out deep, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that they are mostly smaller right now. But you can still troll up numbers drifting in 20 plus feet of water. 

The patterns for crappie are really changing on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the deep brush is basically a dead zone right now. In contrast  there are starting to be some males on the bank, and trolling in creeks and areas like Angel’s Landing cove is getting good, with the best action in 10-20 feet of water. 

The water is already cloudy with pollen and it won’t be long before some fish are spawning – if they are not already!

February 15

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.05 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.76 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are dingy. Water temperatures vary in these shallow lakes. 

We caught up with the runaway winners of this weekend’s CATT (27.38 pounds, big fish 9.41), Jeremy Hewitt & Bennett Lawshe, and amazingly they report that the bass spawn is already underway on Santee Cooper. Most of the fish are still pre-spawn, but with water temperatures hitting 60 in some of the backwater ponds there are already some fish on beds and Saturday they caught one post-spawn fish with a bloodied tail!

Still, that’s not how they landed their massive sack. Hewitt and Lawshe were casting at individual, deep fish that they saw on LiveScope. Usually they are suspended but with the cooler temperatures Saturday they were closer to the bottom. In a few weeks they will be able to target a wave of fish coming of beds, but for now they are targeting pre-spawn fish that will soon move up. 

As for baits they caught all five fish that they weighed on different baits, including a worm, a jig and a jerkbait. 

Down on Santee the past couple of weeks, Captain William Attaway withSlick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that the best qualitycatfish he can find have been in very shallow water. Anchoring in five feet of water has been his best pattern, and everything he has caught has been in the teens on up. He lost one giant fish that’s weight is hard to estimate.

Gizzard shad out-fished everything else and the fish have showed no interest in chicken. 

The patterns for crappie are starting to change on Santee, and while there are probably still some fish on deeper brush Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that they are actually starting to catch fish on a minnow under a float up shallow! The fish are around cover back in the sloughs and creeks, and it seems that male fish are up exploring spawning areas. 

February 2

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.05 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.03 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Much of the lake is muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s. 

Overall weights were a little down in the Sunday Showdown Series this weekend, and while there were a few good bass caught Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bite has gotten tougher with the water conditions. While people are fishing with crankbaits and more, Brett has found the best action with finesse baits like a green pumpkin shakey head worm. The catchable fish that he has been targeting are in 6-8 feet of water on brush and submerged wood. 

More catfish information to follow, but for now the main patterns seem to be either shallow anchoring on steep drops or drifting in 15-20 feet. 

January 30

Santee Cooper water levels are up to 74.89 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and down to 72.80 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Parts of the lake are muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s. 

The patterns for crappie are starting to change on Santee, and this weekend on the water Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that it was obvious that fish are moving off the deeper brush. They did get one or two nice crappie in 24-35 feet, but most of the fish they are marking and catching out there are now on the smaller end.  The better ones are already moving up towards their eventual spawning areas.

In contrast the bluegill haven’t moved at all, and they also seem to be getting a bit more active. The last times out they have caught over 100 on crickets, with about a third of them good hand-sized keepers. They are on the same deep brush as the remaining crappie. 

January 26

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.29 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.36 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Parts of the lake are muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s. 

The upper portion of the upper lake is very muddy, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that as you get closer to the canal there is some clearing. By the lower lake the water is more filtered but still dirty.  None of this has done anything to improve the crappie fishing on Santee, and the fish are still mostly 14-20 feet down holding on brush in 25-35 feet of water but hesitant to bite. Minnows have been working better than jigs lately.  On warmer days you can pick up a few bluegill in the same areas. 

Weather has limited bass fishing this week, and the most recent Sunday Showdown Series was cancelled. Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that there are still basically two ways that anglers are catching fish right now, with one group of fish in the creeks eating shad. For these fish the best place to look is around sharp drops, and while you want to be fishing shallow where the bass are usually feeding there needs to be deep water nearby. Swimbaits, Shad Raps, 1.5s and Rattle Traps will all work. 

The other main pattern is fishing deeper brush piles, mostly on the main lake. You can fish a deep running crankbait, a jig or even slow roll a spinnerbait for these fish. 

January 25

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.31 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.08 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lakes are very muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s. 

In this weekend’s Santee Lakes Catfish Club event two monster three-fish limits over 100 pounds were brought to the scale, and one of those belonged to Team Meat Hog Express (Ralph Wiley and Mark Lawson). While it’s not necessarily the way they would have been fishing if they were looking for numbers, looking for a few big bites they opted to anchor in shallow water in the lower lake. Fish generally move up shallower to feed at night, but in the very muddy conditions they are more likely to stay there into the morning. If it had gotten sunny they probably would have bolted faster.

They weren’t looking for flat spots, and they wanted ledges and drops where shallow water meets slightly deeper water. For example, an area where four feet drops into seven. While they were using standard cut baits, they were fishing very grassy areas where they suspect the catfish will actually eat the grass for grass shrimp and other food sources. As a result they had to keep checking baits to keep them clean. 

Patience is required at this time of year, and fishing a spot where they knew fish would have eventually come through Mark was prepared to give it up to two hours. However, they didn’t have to wait that long, caught thirteen fish on the one spot and never left!

While they caught good fish shallow, there were certainly other patterns that could work. The winners got their weight drifting in 15-20 feet. 

January 19

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.80 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.58 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lower lake is now muddy as all the dirty water moves through the system. Morning surface water temperatures are about 53 degrees. 

It’s still a pretty slow bite for crappie on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that again today they marked a lot of fish but getting them to bite was a challenge. The fish are still mostly 14-20 feet down, and they are holding in 25-35 feet of water around brush. Minnows have been working better lately.

The bluegill bite slowed way down in the cold, but as temperatures have warmed the fish have gotten more active again and been providing a nice complement to the crappie. They will take crickets fished around the same brush as the crappie. 

More to follow.   

January 13

Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.47 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.44 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The upper lake is getting muddy and water temperatures are in the lower 50s. 

In the Sunday Showdown Series there were some good bass caught, while other anglers struggled. Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that there are basically two ways that anglers are catching fish right now, with one group of fish in the creeks eating shad. For these fish the best place to look is around sharp drops, and while you want to be fishing shallow where the bass are usually feeding there needs to be deep water nearby. Swimbaits, Shad Raps, 1.5s and Rattle Traps will all work. 

The other main pattern is fishing deeper brush piles, mostly on the main lake. You can fish a deep running crankbait, a jig or even slow roll a spinnerbait for these fish. 

The crappie are still in a holding pattern on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they continue to have no trouble marking schools of fish but getting them to bite remains a challenge. The fish are still mostly 14-20 feet down, and they are holding in 25-35 feet of water around brush. The few fish that do eat seem to want minnows, but particularly in the mornings it’s still worth trying jigs. 

While some people are targeting them shallower, including at night when they can move up to feed, Brett is still reporting the best success for catfish drifting deeper water in 15-50 feet. The best areas to target are hard bottoms and mussel beds, and while there will be some fish around bait they don’t usually follow the bait schools en masse the way that striper do. 

The best baits are cut herring and shad. 

January 6

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.15 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.44 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). For now the lower lake is still mostly clear but muddy water is headed towards the system. Morning surface water temperatures are around 53 degrees. 

The crappie are more or less a broken record on Santee, and yesterday on the water Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) said they continued to have no trouble marking schools of fish but getting them to bite was still tricky. The fish were mostly 14-20 feet down, and they are holding in 25-35 feet of water around brush. The few fish that did eat wanted minnows, but there could still be some days where they prefer jigs – particularly first thing. 

In a discouraging sign that the season may be winding down the bluegill would barely eat yesterday, and fishing with crickets around the same brush they only caught a half dozen little ones. It may well be that they entering a semi-dormant period. 

When the weather got cold the bass bite really turned on, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that as predicted when the shad moved into the creeks and then got lethargic the bass were feasting. Bait and bass are still in the creeks, but the warm trend now has the fish a little confused and the bite is not as strong.   The best place to look for fish is around sharp drops in the creek, and while you want to be fishing shallow where the bass are usually feeding there needs to be deep water nearby. Swimbaits, Shad Raps, 1.5s and Rattle Traps will all work. 

There are also bass holding around brush piles right now. 

While some people are targeting them shallower, including at night when they can move up to feed, Brett is having the best success for catfish drifting deeper water in 25-50 feet. The best areas to target are hard bottoms and mussel beds, and while there will be some fish around bait they don’t usually follow the bait schools en masse the way that striper do. 

The best baits are cut herring and shad.