September 7
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.56 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.42 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Surface water temperatures dropped to about 81 but are rising again.
Luckily the catfish bite on Santee is picking up again, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he has found a good bite drifting in 20-42 feet of water on the sides of hills for fish that are searching for bait. While he’s sure there are fish shallower, the ones he is targeting have gone deeper. Blueback herring have been working the best for him, although he’s also hearing about fish caught on bream and some smaller ones on shrimp.
Particularly as the sun got up the bite got finickier, and overall he rates the night bite better than the day bite.
It’s a similar report from Captain Steve English (843-729-4044), and he has found that by Noon the fish are striking really short while at 8 am they are swallowing the bait. He also notes that there has been a good night bite in shallow water as little as 3-6 feet, and anglers are also catching fish bumping along the canal with all the water they are pulling after the storm.
Proving that fish are spread out, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he has been catching fish drifting flats in just 8-10 feet of water on bluebacks. A lot of the fish are eating-sized, but they have caught some up to 35 pounds.
The brief cooling trend provided a glimmer of what’s ahead with the bass, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that for a few days the fish bit better. However, things quickly returned to normal and the fish are once again almost dormant – at least during the daytime.
For now you just have to target the grass or offshore brush with soft plastics and fish very slowly, but once there is some sustained cooling then fish should get a lot more aggressive and the topwater action should come on. And instead of having to fish between daylight and when the sun first gets over the trees, fish will spread out throughout the depths and there will be some sustained all-day patterns including in shallow water.
Finally, it’s also still slow for crappie on Santee Cooper, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that he is hopeful they will start biting better around the middle of September. For now it’s just picking one or two off deep brush.
August 24
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.48 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.30 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Surface water temperatures are in the upper 80s.
If you’re looking for a tale of incredible late summer fishing you won’t find it here, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that even the daytime catfish bite has slowed down in the late August heat. Sure, they have managed to scratch together some pretty good fish drifting in the 10-20 foot range with cut herring, but they have really, really had to work for them.
Fortunately the night fishing does seem to be a little better, and drifting those some 10-20 foot flats at night is a good bit more productive. Fish definitely seem to be in a pattern of feeding more after dark, and this weekend’s temperatures are unlikely to do anything to change that.
The night bite in the canal can also be very good, but it’s dependent on running water.
It’s still slow for crappie on Santee Cooper, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they have caught a few on deep brush but people are really having to work for them. It won’t be until temperatures cool down that we can get a better idea of what the population looks like.
With a second August full moon coming there should be one more wave of spawning bream, but Steve expects that a lot of the bigger bluegill will spawn in deeper water on this moon. There should be some up shallow, but mostly it may be smaller sunfish that bed around the banks.
The bass report is still pretty abysmal from Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029, as the water is still just too hot for much consistent action. The bite has been unbelievably slow, and it’s been a struggle to get just a few bites.
Even though fish aren’t feeding much, the best pattern is to target the grass with soft plastics and fish very, very slowly.
August 17
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.67 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.45 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Surface water are in the upper 80s.
Allegedly there are other species that live in the Santee Cooper lakes, but quite honestly it’s almost all about the catfish right now. Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he has been catching some fish deep, and very shallow, but by far the best results have come drifting in the 10-20 foot range. He is pulling baits over flats at that depth, and is finding smaller fish biting during the day and bigger ones at night. His boat is using blueback herring.
When he is targeting deep water he is looking for steep drops, but again the action hasn’t been great out there.
Along the same lines Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he hasn’t found much besides very little fish in deep water, while drifting flats in the 10-12 foot range he has found the best action. During the day fish have been running up to about 12 pounds, and again he is fishing with herring.
The bite in the canal can be very good, but it’s dependent on running water.
The bass report is still pretty abysmal from Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029, as the water is still just too hot for much consistent action. The bite has been unbelievably slow, and it’s been a struggle to get just a few bites.
Even though fish aren’t feeding much, the best pattern is to target the grass with soft plastics and fish very, very slowly.
It’s a similar report about the crappie on Santee Cooper, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that he really isn’t seeing people fishing – except for catfish. The last time out he found a few crappie on 35-foot brush but it was very, very slow.
August 3
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.76 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.45 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lake is clearer than normal and morning surface water temperatures are around 88 degrees.
Instead of leading off by telling you what’s not biting we should start with what is, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that the last time he went out night fishing he found a pretty incredible catfish bite. The fish were on main lake flats in 10-20 feet of water, and they ate blueback herring on the drift. The bite was steady with about 15 fish caught, and they averaged between 10-20 pounds with the biggest over 30.
During the day he still recommends starting out looking in 30-45 feet of water, and warns that they won’t be below the thermocline in around 50 feet. Target major structure such as humps and drop-offs. At the same time, he adds that anglers should be willing to look shallower on flats in as little as 5 feet of water if the deep bite isn’t panning out.
The canal bite can be really good when they are pulling water, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reminds anglers that it can stink when they are not. He is finding the most consistent action drifting shallow flats in 4-15 feet of water with cut herring. This is a numbers pattern for filling coolers with eating-sized fish.
On the other hand there’s no good news with the bass from Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029, and he reports that the water is still just too hot for much consistent action. The bite has been unbelievably slow, and it’s been a struggle to get just a few bites.
Honestly Brett isn’t sure where the bulk of the fish are right now, and while he can guess where they are not they might just not be biting. The best pattern is to target the grass with soft plastics and fish very, very slowly.
It’s a similar report about the crappie on Santee Cooper, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that he really isn’t seeing people fishing – except for catfish. The last time out he found a few crappie on 35-foot brush but it was very, very slow.
July 27
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.97 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.65 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lake is clearer than normal and morning surface water temperatures are around 88 degrees.
Fresh off a couple of bass fishing trips on Santee, Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) has a pretty succinct diagnosis. It’s too hot for bass fishing. The bite has been unbelievably slow, and it’s been a struggle to get just a few bites.
Honestly Brett isn’t sure where the bulk of the fish are right now, and while he can guess where they are not they might just not be biting. The best pattern is to target the grass with soft plastics and fish very, very slowly.
It’s a similar report about the crappie on Santee Cooper, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that he really isn’t seeing people fishing – except for catfish. The last time out he found a few crappie on 35-foot brush but it was very slow.
Meanwhile, the bream fishing is still all about the moons, which could be good with a full moon coming on August 1. On new and full moons the bluegill are easy to find on beds, while in-between they are very difficult to locate. Shellcracker have pretty much finished spawning for the year.
But then there are the catfish, keeping guides in business and anglers happy. Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that the bite in the canal has been incredible, and drifting has been the ticket to filling coolers. They will eat about anything from cut bream to shad to perch to mullet and more.
In the lakes Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports the bite hasn’t been that fast, but he is catching fish in 30-40 feet of water and hearing of some fish caught shallower. He recommends starting deep but then being willing to look shallower on flats in as little as 5 feet of water.
Bobby’s boat is mainly fishing with cut blueback herring, but white perch, chicken and bream are all good summer baits.
July 14
Santee Cooper water levels are at 76.06 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.7 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lake has cleared and morning surface water temperatures are almost 90 degrees in places.
There’s still not much great to say about the crappie on Santee Cooper, and on a trip this week Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports he could only find concentrations of fish on one brush pile. It was in about 35 feet of water, and he was fishing about 18-20 feet down. They were able to catch about ten, but most of them were smaller – which is similar to what they were seeing this spring. Minnows are out-fishing jigs.
Meanwhile, the bream fishing is still all about the moons. On new and full moons the bluegill are easy to find on beds, while in-between they are very difficult to locate. Shellcracker have pretty much finished spawning for the year.
Luckily the catfish bite continues to be very consistent, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he is catching fish anchoring in shallow water on flats just outside of the canal. Most of the fish have been in the 5-10 pound range, and they are biting on blueback herring.
That’s consistent with the report from Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080), who has been finding that some of the bigger fish have moved out to 30-40 feet.
Bass report to follow.
June 29
Santee Cooper water levels are at 76.44 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.22 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Parts of the lake are dirty and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 80s.
The catfish bite has been good on Santee, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he is catching fish in 20 or less feet of water drifting flats, hills, and underwater humps. In general the fish go a bit deeper in the day, and move shallower early and late – which are the best times to fish. Blueback herring, chicken, shrimp, white perch and bream are all working well.
It's been a similar pattern for Captain Steve English (843-729-4044), who reports that he is catching most of his fish drifting in 8-15 feet with herring on shallow flats.
Finally, Guide Rodney Donald of Lake Hartwell, doing some fun fishing down at Santee, reports that he is finding an incredible bite at night in the canal. They are running a ton of water through the lakes and as a result the catfish are feeding really well in about 25 feet. He is fishing with herring.
While things may be about to turn around, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that the bream fishing has not been great. They can’t find any fish on shallow beds, and the fish that are on brush are generally small. That all may change with the full moon, though. It probably hasn’t helped that they have been pulling the lake hard which generally spooks the shallow fish. And they haven’t been able to locate where they moved.
They are still leaving the crappie alone until conditions improve.
There’s not much change with the Santee bass, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that temperatures are right where they need to be for the topwater pattern to come on. But for now the key pattern is still focusing on isolated pods of eel grass in 6-8 feet of water and then working the edges. The best bait has been a Carolina rig with a green pumpkin worm.
Brett’s best back-up pattern right now involves fishing the trees in 6-8 feet of water, and again he will be fishing soft plastics.
June 22
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.94 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 75.4 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Muddy water is coming and water temperatures are in the mid-70s.
The catfish bite has picked up a little on Santee, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that they have started to pick up a few more big fish coming off the spawn and good numbers have continued. In the morning they are finding the best bite drifting shallow water in 10-15 feet, and then as the sun gets up they are finding better action in 15-25 feet. Hills and underwater humps seem to be holding the most fish, and he is mainly using blueback herring.
Proving that catfish are all over Santee, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he is having good results drifting shallow water in 5-15 feet all day for a mix of sizes up to about 15 pounds. The fish are on flats, and he isn’t finding one cut bait much better than any other.
With unseasonably cool temperatures the topwater bite still hasn’t come on for Santee bass, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that temperatures will have to hit about 80 for that to take off. The key pattern is still focusing on isolated pods of eel grass in 6-8 feet of water and then working the edges. The best bait has been a Carolina rig with a green pumpkin worm.
Brett’s best back-up pattern right now involves fishing the trees in 6-8 feet of water, and again he will be fishing soft plastics.
While weather has limited fishing Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports we are still in the pattern where around peak moon phases there should be bigger bream up in the shallows spawning around trees, grass and sandy areas. They don’t stay on their beds forever, but at this time of year they usually don’t return to deep water, either, and so the best place to look for them between moon phases is just out from their spawning grounds around the first break. Worms and crickets will both work.
They are still taking a break from the crappie fishing because of the slow bite.
June 16
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.79 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 75.60 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The water is clearing and morning surface water temperatures are still around 76 degrees.
With unseasonably cool temperatures the topwater bite still hasn’t come on for Santee bass, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that temperatures will have to hit about 80 for that to take off. Still, in a half-day of fishing yesterday they found a pretty good bite for 2 ½ to 3 pound fish, with one or two larger ones. The key pattern was focusing on isolated pods of eel grass in 6-8 feet of water and then working the edges. The best bait was a Carolina rig with a green pumpkin worm.
Brett’s best back-up pattern right now involves fishing the trees in 6-8 feet of water, and again he will be fishing soft plastics.
The striped bass season just ended, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) will be concentrating on catfish for a while. He thinks the biggest fish are in the midst of the spawn right now, but you can still catch decent-sized fish drifting the flats in 10-20 feet of water. Blueback herring, chicken shrimp, white perch and bream will all work.
Consistent with that, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he is finding 5-10 pound fish all over the place from shallow water in 8 feet or less out to 40 plus feet. But big ones are elusive. Dragging bluegill, perch and herring will all work.
The canal is slow because they are only pulling a little water, mainly in the middle of the day.
With the new moon only a couple of days away Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that there should be bigger bream up in the shallows spawning around trees, grass and sandy areas. They don’t stay on their beds forever, but at this time of year they usually don’t return to deep water, either, and so the best place to look for them between moon phases is just out from their spawning grounds around the first break. Worms and crickets will both work.
The crappie fishing has been brutally tough and so they have taken a break for now.
June 8
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.76 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 75.55 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water clarity is normal and morning surface water temperatures are up to about 76 degrees.
On the last full moon Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that you could still find lots of smaller bream in deep water, but most of the bigger fish were up in the shallows spawning around trees, grass and sandy areas. They don’t stay on their beds forever, but at this time of year they usually don’t return to deep water, either, and so the best place to look for them between moon phases is just out from their spawning grounds in mid-depths. Worms are hard to beat.
The crappie fishing has been brutally tough and so they have taken a break for now.
Luckily the catfish bite has been strong this week, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that this week they have been catching fish in less than 15 feet of water, and often as little as 6 feet. They are around mussel beds, flats, and stump fields, but after the spawn ends many of these fish will return to deeper water. For now the best pattern has been drifting blueback herring.
Even though the season is only open for about another week through July 15, Bobby reports that the striped bass fishing is still good at night in deeper water of 50 or so feet. The Lake Moultrie dam has been fishing well, but in general most any deep-water area can be productive. Using all the tools they have including lights, thumpers and little motors they are drawing fish in and catching them close to the bottom on blueback herring on down-rods.
Bass report to follow.
June 1
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.86 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 75.55 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water clarity is normal and morning surface water temperatures are only about 74 degrees.
The bream fishing has picked up on Santee, and with the full moon coming this weekend it should be about to get red-hot! This week Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they could only find tiny bream on abundant beds, but they caught good ones just out of front of the beds. Parking in the weeds and fan-casting with crickets and worms onto deeper sand flats they picked up staging fish as well as 6-8 nice channel catfish. These bream were almost certainly on the verge of moving up to bed.
Don’t overlook fish that spawn deeper in 6-10 feet of water, as often these fish are more reliable and less skittish.
At the same time Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he is finding a pretty good catfish bite drifting shallow flats in 10-15 feet of water. The canal is also fishing well for anglers bumping the bottom, but there has to be current.
Consistent with all that Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that the catfish are spread out, and he is finding fish all over the lake from shallow to deep water and everywhere in between. As a result it can be a little tricky to get a consistent pattern going. Blueback herring, white perch and bream are all working.
In contrast the striped bass are pretty grouped up, and Captain Bobby reports that at night they are getting a lot of good fish in deeper water of 50 or so feet. The Lake Moultrie dam has been fishing well, but in general most any deep-water area can be productive. Using all the tools they have including lights, thumpers and little motors they are drawing fish in and catching them close to the bottom on down-rods. Blueback herring are the ticket.
It’s still an odd period for bass fishing on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bite remains a little up-and-down. With water temperatures still mild the fish also haven’t progressed into a true summer pattern.
Fish are still in a post-spawn mood, and Brett is finding a lot of fish around eel grass beds. Of course, fish (as always) are around trees. He has found the best fishing in 2-6 feet of water. The best action has come on soft plastics including Carolina rigs, Texas rigs and floating worms.
While Brett suspects someone is catching fish on topwater, he still hasn’t seen a topwater bite to speak of. Considering that temperatures still haven’t really risen perhaps that isn’t a surprise.
May 26
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.80 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and hovering around 75.55 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water clarity is normal and morning surface water temperatures are only about 74 degrees.
It’s still an odd period for bass fishing on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that he has had some good days and some head-scratching days. Overall he rates the bite about a 5 or 6.
Fish are still in a post-spawn mood, and he is finding a lot of fish around eel grass beds. There is also a bit of a shad spawn going on, and of course fish (as always) are around trees. He has found the best fishing in 2-6 feet of water. The best action has come on soft plastics including Carolina rigs, Texas rigs and floating worms.
While Brett suspects someone is catching fish on topwater, he still hasn’t seen a topwater bite to speak of. Considering that temperatures still haven’t really risen perhaps that isn’t a surprise.
May 25
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.87 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and hovering around 75.6 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water clarity is normal and morning surface water temperatures are only about 74 degrees.
The consensus is that about the best bite on Santee is for catfish, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that drifting shallow with cut bait has been working well. The fish have been in 5-12 feet of water, and from what he can tell they are mostly feeding on mussels.
His son Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) is finding similar patterns, and notes that the canal seems to be holding a lot of fish right now. They are fishing about 10 feet of water at the mouths of the canal and catching fish both drifting and anchoring.
Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) has also been finding some fish shallow, but today for his boat the fresh cool snap has stalled the progression shallow. As it gets hotter more and more fish will come shallow, but for now he’s hearing some reports from 30 feet.
One reason everyone is concentrating on catfish is because the crappie and bream fishing has been unusually slow. The population of crappie just seems to be way down, and with the cool temperatures bream seem to be trapped in something of an in-between stage. On the June full moon they hope to find a lot of bluegill and shellcracker up shallow spawning. For now they are getting some good fish on shallow brush, but most of them are smaller.
But the striped bass are still chugging along, and Captain Bobby reports that at night they are getting some good fish in deeper water of 50 or so feet. Using all the tools they have including lights, thumpers and little motors they are drawing fish in and catching them close to the bottom on down-rods. The Lake Moultrie dam continues to be a hot spot.
Bass report to follow.
May 11
Santee Cooper water levels are up to 76.23 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.9 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water clarity is still decent even as muddy water arrives from the Midlands. Morning surface water temperatures have gotten back to about 70 degrees.
Unfortunately the bass are in a bit of a post-spawn funk on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that with basically the tail end of the spawn taking place on last week’s full moon the fishing is a bit down this week. However, he doesn’t expect the slowdown to last more than a week.
The best action has been on trees and grass this week, and he has found the fish a bit shallower in the 2-4 foot range. Trees out to 6 or 8 feet could also produce. Everything he has been catching has come on soft plastics, and he still has not seen any topwater bite. Brett has also not seen signs of an offshore bite this week.
The crappie fishing has picked up just a little on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they have been able to catch 8-10 fish on relatively shallow brush in 15-20 feet. In the morning jigs often produce a little better, while in the afternoon minnows seem to. Overall from conversations with other fishermen it’s clear that the population down right now.
The bream were a bit of a mixed bag on this last full moon and continuing, and both Steve and his son Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) report that there were just not the numbers of bluegill and shellcracker up shallow that they expected. You could certainly find a few big ones bedding in some particular spots, but the bite was far from wide open. At the same time numbers are still stacked up on brush, but these are generally smaller fish that aren’t mature.
The catfish bite has been all over the place, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he thinks the spawn is affecting things. When fish get very close to spawning the action often slows down as they are only thinking about one thing, and this week he thinks the lower lake has been there as catches have been down. Certainly other guides have been picking at some fish on Moultrie and catching some in less than 20 feet of water, but overall he has found a better bite in Marion. The best action has come drifting in 5-25 feet of water with blueback herring, and Bobby is targeting the sides of hills and mussel beds when he can find them.
The striped bass have mostly left the diversion canal, and Captain Bobby reports that we are basically getting into the period where it’s a deeper water bite. You also pretty much have to be fishing early and late, and a thumper to generate noise really helps. The best fishing is in 40 or more feet of water with herring on down-rods, and the Lake Moultrie dam continues to be a hot spot.
May 4
Santee Cooper water levels are down to 75.98 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.21 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lake is still relatively clear even as muddy water makes its way down from the Midlands. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the upper 60s.
There were a few bass still on beds at the end of April, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that a few more will be coming up around this full moon. However, the spawn is mostly winding down and the better patterns now target post-spawn fish. This morning he found everything on soft plastics around trees in 4-6 feet of water. To this point a topwater bite has been non-existent for Brett.
There are also some fish that can be found around offshore stuff, including shell beds, brush and stumps.
The crappie fishing has been extremely tough on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that it’s gotten to the point where they basically aren’t targeting them. As a result Steve has been searching for bedding shellcracker, but after several days of looking he has not seen a single one. It seems that windy conditions and cool water temperatures have pushed the fish a little deeper, and he is exclusively targeting them in 4-6 feet of water around little dips and depressions where they stage before they spawn.
The catfish bite has been decent, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that once again he is catching everything in less than 15 feet of water. This week they have all been around mussel beds. The Diversion Canal has also been holding a lot of fish, and he has exclusively been using blueback herring.
Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he is on a very similar pattern, and everything they are finding is in less than five feet of water or so. Again, cut herring has been working the best.
The striped bass fishing is still pretty good, and Captain Bobby reports that early and late there is some surface activity at the Lake Moultrie dam. Fish can also be caught in the middle of water column on down-rods, and it won’t be until June that it really starts to be a night bite. The canal also continues to produce, and 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. There are also a lot of keeper fish being caught around some locally known hotspots in the canal.
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.