February 29

Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.30 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.54 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The whole lake remains dirty to muddy (except for some backwater ponds) and everyone expects it to stay that way for a while. Water temperatures are up to about 55 degrees in the morning. 

The best catfish bite remains in shallow water, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that they still aren’t getting a ton of bites but they are pretty much catching all good ones between 10 and 20 plus pounds. Right at dawn they are getting a bite every 15-20 minutes, but by late morning it slows way down. He’s hearing of a few fish caught in deep water, but the best bite has been shallow in around 8 feet of water or less. 

Captain Bobby is targeting the warmer north or west side of the lake, which receives the most sunlight, and then looking for the branches off the major channels that lead to shallow flats. Right now he is exclusively anchoring gizzard shad for bait. 

At the other end of the lake, Captain Andy Pack with Pack’s Landing (803-452-5514) reports that the area should come alive with catfishermen (and striped bass guys) this weekend as river herring become commercially available, but the main pattern has been stump-jumping – anchoring baits around different structure until they figure out what depth the fish are holding. 

It’s still not a wide-open bite for crappie, probably mainly because the population is down, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that – also early in the morning – there have still been a decent number of fish caught in the backwater ponds casting jigs or fishing minnows shallow under corks. While these areas warm up the fastest, fish may also be in there because they are less muddy than much of the lake.

The other major pattern right now is long-line trolling in the creek channel runs as more fish start to move up in preparation for the spawn. This bite hasn’t gotten really good but picking up a half-dozen fish is reasonable. 

At the top of the lake Pack’s Landing reports that a few striped bass are being caught anchoring big roe shad in the river channel, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) is also optimistic that fishing in the canal and lower lake is about to turn on. When daytime water temperatures hit about 60 degrees then fish will go into spawning mode, and there are essentially two ways he likes to target them. One group of fish will make their way up the Wateree River – and to get there fish in the lower lake have no choice but to go up the Diversion Canal. Anchoring on either side of the canal a little out of the current with live bait on the bottom is can’t-miss.

There is another group of ocean-running fish that will swim up through the locks from the Cooper River and spawn in the vicinity of the Moultrie Dam. When the water is muddy like now they can’t see very far and so he likes to fish high in the water column with baits about 10 feet under the surface.

As for the bass, for those who didn’t see the MLF results power fishing around cypress trees and aquatic vegetation with baits like Chatterbaits was probably the most popular technique. However, unsurprisingly to anyone who has been watching the evolution of bass fishing over the last few years, Jacob Wheeler won looking at forward-facing sonar and throwing a swimbait.  He caught his fish off of mid-depth brush piles in about 15 feet. 

One wonders if that technique would have carried the day if the spawn had been a little closer or underway.  

February 22

Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.02 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.54 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The whole lake is dirty to muddy (except for some backwater ponds) and will stay that way for a while. Water temperatures are still about 52 degrees in the morning. 

The best catfish bite remains in shallow water, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that even though numbers were a little down today all the fish they caught were good ones between 10 and 20 pounds. He’s hearing of a few fish caught in deep water, but the best bite has been shallow in around 8 feet of water or less. Some people are catching fish so shallow you can see the swirl before your rod bends. 

Captain Bobby is targeting the warmer north or west side of the lake, which receive the most sunlight, and then looking for the branches off the major channels that lead to shallow flats. Right now he is exclusively anchoring gizzard shad for bait. 

Bobby also notes that fish are feeding best in low light conditions, and this morning he had three fish in the first fifteen minutes before it slowed down. There should be a corresponding bite an hour both sides of dark. 

At the other end of the lake, Captain Andy Pack with Pack’s Landing (803-452-5514) reports that the area won’t come really alive with catfishermen (and striped bass guys) until after March 1 when river herring become commercially available, but the main pattern has been stump-jumping – anchoring baits around different structure until they figure out what depth the fish are holding. 

It’s still not a wide-open bite for crappie, probably mainly because the population is down, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that – also early in the morning – there have been a decent number of fish caught in the backwater ponds casting jigs or fishing minnows shallow under corks. While these areas warm up the fastest, fish may also be in there because they are less muddy than much of the lake.

The other major pattern right now is long-line trolling in the creek channel runs as more fish start to move up in preparation for the spawn. This bite hasn’t gotten really good but picking up a half-dozen fish is reasonable. 

At the top of the lake Pack’s Landing reports that a few striped bass are being caught anchoring big roe shad in the river channel, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) is also optimistic that fishing in the canal and lower lake is about to turn on. When daytime water temperatures hit about 60 degrees then fish will go into spawning mode, and there are essentially two ways he likes to target them. One group of fish will make their way up the Wateree River – and to get there fish in the lower lake have no choice but to go up the Diversion Canal. Anchoring on either side of the canal a little out of the current with live bait on the bottom is can’t-miss.

There is another group of ocean-running fish that will swim up through the locks from the Cooper River and spawn in the vicinity of the Moultrie Dam. When the water is muddy like now they can’t see very far and so he likes to fish high in the water column with baits about 10 feet under the surface.

As for the bass, it doesn’t seem like the patterns have changed a whole lot from James Gibbons’ winning weight last week in the CATT. A mix of techniques are catching fish in the MLF event on Santee, but one of the strongest patterns has been power fishing with Chatterbaits around big patches of eel grass and hydrilla in 3-8 feet of water. A substantial number of anglers are also targeting cypress trees with both moving baits as well as jigs and soft plastics, and while there are plenty of big fish being caught it’s certainly not “easy”. Today’s winner said he was doing his best work in dirty water that had warmed up. 

Finally, anglers like Alton Jones, Jr. are Scoping offshore with swimbaits so that is also in play.

February 14

Santee Cooper water levels are down to 74.75 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.43 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water levels have presumably been dropped preparing for a fresh influx of water, and the whole lake remains brown. Water temperatures are up to about 52 degrees in the morning. 

We are on the verge of some really exciting striped bass fishing on the Santee Cooper lakes, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that when daytime water temperatures hit about 60 degrees then fish will go into spawning mode. There are essentially two ways he likes to target them, and one group of fish will make their way up the Wateree River – and to get there fish in the lower lake have no choice but to go up the Diversion Canal.  Anchoring on either side of the canal a little out of the current with live bait on the bottom is can’t-miss.

There is another group of ocean-running fish that will swim up through the locks from the Cooper River and spawn in the vicinity of the Moultrie Dam. When the water is muddy like now they can’t see very far and so he likes to fish high in the water column with baits about 10 feet under the surface. 

At the other end of the lake, Captain Andy Pack with Pack’s Landing (803-452-5514) reports that any day now they expect striper to show up at the top of the lake. Once river herring are commercially available on March 1 they expect to get a flood of customers and that’s when the catching should really begin. 

While it’s not a wide-open bite for crappie, especially with the population down, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that one group of fish has been flooded out of the lake and are being caught in the old river behind the Marion dam. In the lakes themselves brush piles have not been very good but with some warm, sunny days there are starting to be some fish caught shallow. There have been some fish caught in the Hatchery in 4-6 feet of water on jigs or minnows under a float, and the same pattern is also working in some of the backwater ponds. You can also follow the creeks and troll in the backs with jigs. 

There has been a good catfish bite in shallow water, and Captain Bobby reports that he caught about fifteen nice fish on his last trip in 8-12 feet of water. He caught them all anchoring in the backs of coves where the warmest water could be found, and a variety of cut baits were working. Cut river herring, American shad, blueback herring, and gizzard shad will all work.

At the top of the lake Captain Andy reports that the main pattern has been stump-jumping, anchoring baits around different structure until they figure out what depth the fish are holding. 

Finally, we caught up with James Gibbons who, with tournament partner Jonathan Sutton, brought an incredible 30.84 pounds of bass to the scales in Saturday’s CATT. James is fishing the CBC on Murray this weekend and didn’t mind sharing his winning pattern. They caught one 3 ½ pound fish on brush with a worm when they needed to get rid of a 15-incher, but everything else came out on the main lake throwing at big patches of eel grass and hydrilla with a Chatterbait. The fish were in 3-8 feet of water, and it seemed to clear to him that these were fish which were moving up and into pre-spawn mode. This winter he suspects, based on forward facing sonar, they were just swimming around in open water. They also threw a Rattle Trap but didn’t get bit on it, and they caught seven fish all day. 

February 1

Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.57 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.79 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Basically the whole system is muddy and water temperatures are around 50 degrees. 

The only new report we have so far this week is from Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029), and he doesn’t have much good to say. A few bass are being caught, but basically the fishing is really tough right now. The fish that are being caught are mostly coming on flats around wood and grass in 4-6 feet of water, with some as deep as 8 feet. Crankbaits and swimbaits are both catching fish, and in the muddy water spinnerbaits can be effective. Everything has to be fished very slowly.

When conditions improve then it will be possible to fish a little faster and use baits like Rattle Traps, but for right now it’s really a grind. 

While very few people appear to be fishing for catfish right now, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that if he were to target them he would look around bait schools in deep water and drift in 30-50 feet. Slow drifting is probably more effective, and his preferred baits would be mullet or herring. 

This weekend our guides will be back after the crappie, and we hope to have good striper news soon. 

January 25

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.04 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.42 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The upper half of the lower lake is muddy while the lower end has decent clarity. 

The striped bass have not been biting for Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080), and while he marked a lot of fish in 30-40 feet of water this week they didn’t show any interest in live bait. Perhaps umbrella rigs could have generated a reaction strike, but it doesn’t seem the fishing is very good right now. 

They did manage to pick up a couple of catfish while fishing deep on the bottom with live bait, but Bobby also points out that you can catch a big fish anchoring in shallow water right now.   

January 22

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.36 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 72.79 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The whole lake is muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid to upper 40s. 

Tomorrow Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) will be on the water and hopes to give us an update with the striped bass and catfish, but from all reports the fish are still hanging around in deep water. It’s been so cold and windy that not many people have wanted to go, but there have still been some good reports drifting or anchoring for cats in 50 feet of water under big schools of bait in lower Lake Moultrie, and anchoring in 40-45 feet along the main channel in the upper lake.  

You would have to be a glutton for punishment to go out after the crappie and bream right now, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in his experience on Santee the crappie do not bite in very cold, muddy water this time of year. Even in good conditions the bream fishing slows to a crawl in January. 

It’s similar with the bass, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that at least for him the bite has been very slow recently. About the only way he can get bit is working a crankbait very slowly around shallow cover, with 4-6 feet the target depth range. 

More to follow. 

January 4

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.36 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.08 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to around 49 or 50 degrees and they are pulling so much water through the lake that it is clearing surprisingly fast. 

There’s really only one species worth talking about right now on Santee, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that the catfish bite is about as good as it gets.  While his boat is catching fish in 50 feet of water dragging lines under big schools of bait in lower Lake Moultrie, there are similar reports anchoring in 40-45 feet along the main channel in the upper lake as well as anchoring by the Moultrie dam in 35 plus feet. But then there is also a really good bite drifting or anchoring in 20 feet, and Captain Bobby knows that there are also fish being caught in as little as 5 feet. The fish are just turned on and feeding right now with all the current.

Bluebacks have been working well, and mullet has been another popular choice, but it’s hard to go wrong with most any cut fish or even non-fish protein. 

Cold as it is, the best striped bass action right now seems to be early and late at the Moultrie dam. Fish are in deep water 30-40 or more feet down, although in the right spots where the water drops off sharply you can catch them casting deep-diving plugs in the evening. 

The bass are very much in winter mode on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports they will be there for some time. The ones he is seeing are locked down on wood in 8-12 feet of water, but they show very, very little interest in biting. Either fishing soft plastics very slowly or wobbling a crankbait in their face is probably the best way to catch fish.  

It’s the very tail end of the crappie and bream fishing, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the last time they fished for what may be a little while they caught four crappie off one brush pile in the lower lake and couldn’t find many cooperative bream. The bream that are still biting seem to be small.

Both species are on deeper brush with the crappie suspended a little higher and the bream down in it. 

December 21

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.36 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.88 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to around 50 degrees and the lake is still clear. 

There’s not a whole lot of excitement with the fishing on Santee this week, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the upper lake there are still just one or two places where he can catch a fair number of crappie. In the lower lake the fishing is pretty dead, and about all they can catch on brush are bream. With the temperatures dropping both species have moved deeper, and they are now about 18-26 feet down in 25-35 feet of water. 

The bass fishing activity is also limited right now on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that fish are in 6-12 feet of water. They are on flats next to deep water, and they will be feeding on shad until it is time for them to spawn. Fish around wood, grass or any other cover you can find with crankbaits. Everything is pretty slow so you might as well have treble hooks instead of fishing soft plastics! 

There’s no first-hand news to report with the striped bass from Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore(843-751-3080), but you can still catch some fish fishing very deep with live bait. You can also catch catfish in the same areas in 40-50 feet of water, and it’s mostly about drifting around big bait schools and particularly under schools of gizzard shad on deep flats or near deep ledges. 

But the best pattern for catching a big fish may still be anchoring in 5 to 10 feet around stumps or some other cover. Threadfin and big gizzard shad will move up into shallower water when the sun heats it. A variety of big baits will work.  

December 15

Santee Cooper water levels are at 73.86 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.53 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to around 54 degrees and the lake is still clear. 

The tail end of this year’s upper lake crappie fishing is taking place on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the fish are ganged up and making their way towards the river channel, stopping at structure along the way. In another week they will all be there and then very difficult to target, but for now they are still getting 10-12 fish including some slabs most trips. The best fishing remains 14-20 feet down in 24-35 feet of water. 

After the Marion bite ends then they will briefly concentrate on Moultrie before that bite also dies. Since Moultrie doesn’t have a traditional river channel that fish get in during the winter they will be spread out and moving into a lot of different areas, but the lake does have deeper “sloughs” that hold more fish. Minnows are working the best.

The bream are doing about the same thing as the crappie, and they have moved deeper onto similar brush as the crappie. Finally they are catching mostly big fish, and while that won’t last too long before water temperatures get too cold for the cold-blooded fish to eat it should continue a bit longer. 

The bass fishing activity is limited right now on Santee, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that fish have moved deeper into 6-12 feet of water. They are on flats next to deep water, and they will be feeding on shad until it is time for them to spawn. Fish around wood, grass or any other cover you can find with crankbaits. Everything is pretty slow so you might as well have treble hooks instead of fishing soft plastics! 

This late fall Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that the menhaden never grouped up at the dam, and it seems they bypassed the lakes to spawn this year. As a result that striped bass bite never really exploded, but anglers are still catching fish 40-50 feet deep fishing live bait from boats with thumpers off points. A few guys trolling deep-running crankbaits at the dam are also picking up limits.  

There are basically two patterns for catfish right now, and Bobby advises it’s a typical winter pattern – either fishing very deep or very shallow! You can catch fish in 50 feet of water, or you can catch them in 5 feet. For the deep fish it’s more about drifting around big bait schools and particularly under schools of gizzard shad on deep flats or near deep ledges. But the best pattern for catching a big fish may be anchoring in 5 to 10 feet around stumps or some other cover. Threadfin and big gizzard shad will move up into shallower water when the sun heats it. A variety of big baits will work.  

November 29

Santee Cooper water levels are at 73.85 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.69 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to around 57 degrees.

The crappie fishing has picked up in the past couple of weeks on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the fish have started to bunch up more with the cooler nights. They are also biting pretty well, and if you find them they will generally eat. While they are headed that way they have not gotten into very deep water yet, and the best fishing has been 14-20 feet down in 24-35 feet of water. Since Moultrie doesn’t have a traditional river channel that fish get in during the winter they will be spread out in a lot of different areas, but the lake does have deeper “sloughs” that hold more fish. Minnows are working the best.

The bream are doing about the same thing as the crappie, and they have moved deeper onto similar brush as the crappie. Right now that is the most comfortable depth for both species. In general more aggressive bream will run crappie off, but sometimes they will be on the same actual piles. In addition to bream they have caught some nice catfish on crickets fished around brush piles.

But most of the people targeting catfish are drifting deep water, although Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that sometimes you can get away with fishing shallower in the morning. Both herring and gizzard shad are working and a lot of the fish are around bait schools.  

From what Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) is seeing the menhaden still have not showed up at the dam, but they are reporting decent catches of striped bass fishing in deep water. In general if you find the bait schools you will locate the fish, and fishing down-rods combined with thumpers is generating the best action. 

There’s no change with the bass on Santee, and while Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) has not caught any more fish approaching double digits the shallow pattern is still good. They are still catching fish in 1 ½ - 3 feet of water around shallow grass, with both shallow-running crankbaits and soft plastics producing. 

November 17

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.02 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.87 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5); the lakes are mostly clear but there are some dingy spots (due to wind more than anything) in the upper lake. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to around 60 degrees. 

As promised Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) has come through with a bass report, and it’s a good one!  Yesterday on the water he found a significantly improved bite, and they caught 12 fishing including several 3 plus pounders and one fish that pushed 9 pounds! It seems that mild, relatively stable weather has settled the fish into more predictable patterns, and he also noticed that more bait has moved back into the creeks. 

They caught everything fishing in 1 ½ - 3 feet around shallow grass, and it was a combination of soft plastics and crankbaits that produced. Some of their best bites came when a shallow-running crankbait would make contact with the grass and then pull free. 

November 16

Santee Cooper water levels are at 73.99 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 73.85 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5); the lakes are mostly clear but there are some dingy spots (due to wind more than anything) in the upper lake. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped to around 60 degrees. 

There are giant schools of blueback herring in 50 feet of water on Lake Moultrie, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he is dropping baits a couple of cranks off the bottom around them and catching the best striped bass that way. He is also picking up 20 plus pound catfish that are stacked up on the bottom around the bait schools, but they just aren’t feeding very well.   He is still waiting for the menhaden to show up around the dam and activate both species, but they haven’t done that yet.

The Diversion Canal is not hot for striper right now, mainly because they aren’t pulling a lot of water through it. 

You can also troll points, humps, ledges and drops in both lakes and catch fish on umbrella rigs. 

While the deep catfish aren’t feeding very well, with very moderate water temperatures there are fish spread out all over the lake right now. You can catch them as shallow as 8 feet of water, maybe less, and depth really doesn’t seem to matter although fish do want to be near depth changes. 

It hasn’t gotten quite cold enough to push the bream completely out of the shallows, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that he is still seeing bream around the docks. Overall the fish are pretty shallow, and the best action has been coming 8-10 feet down over brush in 15-20 feet of water. At the most they are about 12 feet deep. Deeper brush has not been producing. 

They had some excitement with the crappie this week, and in addition to decent numbers Captain Steve reports that they caught a fish that was pushing 2 ½ pounds and 17 inches (pictured below). Most of the fish are coming out of deeper brush 30-40 feet down, and they are catching most of them on minnows fished 14-18 feet deep. 

New bass report to follow from Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029).

November 9

Santee Cooper water levels are down to 74.02 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 73.91 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and clarity is high. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the lower 60s. 

Despite the hard cold front, things got so warm again so fast that Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the bream bite really hasn’t changed. In fact, he’s back to seeing fish in shallow water again around the docks at Black’s and so we are left saying – once again – that it should be better in a week or two when more of the big fish stack up deep. For now there are still plenty of numbers, and on a recent trip they caught over 150. They are pretty shallow, and the best action has been coming 8-10 feet down over brush in 15-20 feet of water. At the most they are about 12 feet deep.  Deeper brush has not been producing. 

The crappie fishing also hasn’t changed much, and Captain Steve reports that right now it’s the converse of the bream. Lower numbers, and in both lakes the best bite has been around deeper brush in 30-40 feet of water. The fish are generally 16-20 feet down and – while they are mostly fishing minnows – seem about equally interested in jigs. 

Steve does note that a few big bluegill and shellcracker have showed up in the canal. 

The cold snap came and went, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass fishing is still about where it has been. While it was headed that way the bait has not really moved into the creeks, and the warming snap has really confused the fish. It’s hard to catch much right now and soft plastics fished around grass and shallow cover have been his best pattern. For now most of the fish still seem to be suspended offshore, where they are hard to catch with traditional bass fishing techniques.

The striped bass bite has been pretty good in 30-40 feet with thumpers and down-rods, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that in the lower lake fish are mostly around points, humps ledges and other deep drop-offs. In the upper lake the best action is in the main channel or in front of the spillway where depths quickly drop from about 20-50 feet. In addition to live bait, you can also catch fish trolling umbrella rigs deep.  

Captain Bobby also notes that the diversion canal is still fishing pretty well when they are pulling water. 

Around Thanksgiving look for striper to get on menhaden that have moved into the fresh water to spawn in the lakes and then stacked up at the dam on their way back out to the ocean.  

The catfish bite has been a little off, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that warm temperatures aren’t helping. He is finding feeding fish from about 10-25 feet and having the best luck drifting herring and mullet.

Similarly, Captain Bobby reports that the fishing is slow for this time of year. He’s still optimistic we are going to get a good bite as fish feed up for winter, but probably because of water temperatures it hasn’t started yet. Consistent cold weather is needed to kick-start the feed.

He is still marking fish stacked up in 50 feet but they won’t bite, and so he’s also having to look shallower. Drifting in 15-40 feed of water around drop-offs and ledges they are picking up fish here-and-there up to about 15 pounds. 

November 3

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.16 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 73.94 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and clarity is high. Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the lower 60s. 

While he has not been on the water since the cold snap came through, Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that on Tuesday the bass were biting well up shallow on soft plastics and crankbaits. However, this cold front should put the shad on the move and the bass should follow the bait into the creeks. In mid-depths you should be able to catch fish around bait schools on crankbaits, swimbaits and jerkbaits, and if you can find current it will concentrate the fish. However, if temperatures rise very much the bait will spread out again and the fish will get less concentrated. 

The cold front could also be good for the crappie fishing, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that generally a drop of a couple of degrees tightens the fish up on brush and generates a few more bites. It’s unlikely the fish will move much deeper, though, and the best fishing should be about 15-20 feet down over structure in 28-35 feet of water with minnows or jigs.   

Even before the cold front the bream fishing was getting better, and from what Captain Steve is seeing almost all of the fish have now left shallow water and there are more big ones on brush. Crickets are working very well, and if you fish worms you will get the occasional big shellcracker.

It may be also be time for great shellcracker fishing in the canal. 

While he has not targeted them since the cold snap, Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he expects striped bass to be in pretty similar spots this week in both lakes once temperatures normalize. Trolling in shallow water with umbrella rigs or live bait on planer boards should be productive, and you should also look out for schooling fish. And in both lakes there should be a deep bite. 

However, before very long menhaden that have move into the fresh water to spawn in the lakes will stack up at the dam on their way back out to the ocean, and even more fish will move deep. You can fill a nice box fishing around the balls of bait. 

For a few days before the cold snap Captain Bobby discovered that the catfish had moved up into 30-40 feet of water, but he has every expectation that once again the better fishing will be about 50 feet deep where the majority of the bait and fish will be found. A variety of baits will work, and gizzard shad, mullet and blueback herring are all good. However, at the time of year another option is deer liver and hearts, or of course chicken. 

October 26

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.40 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.31 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water temperatures are around 70 degrees and conditions are very clear.  

There have been a ton of boats on the lake as everyone gears up for the CBC Championship starting tomorrow, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that if he were fishing he would concentrate on the grass to find bass. Anglers report tough conditions for catching keepers and that they are having trouble finding much size in the grass – although some numbers – and Steve thinks the lake is fishing a lot like Florida lakes right now. There is no doubt that there is a ton of cover, and the population of fish hasn’t caught up with the cover yet, but once you find the right area they will be concentrated. 

The biggest change with the striped bass this week is that they have showed up in the diversion canal, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) has also heard of a little schooling activity late in the day. However, it’s definitely not widespread. 

Captain Bobby is also still catching fish drifting lower lake humps in 30-50 feet of water and fishing the middle of the water column in 15-30 feet. Some days the fish are deeper over points and hills and they show a preference for down-rods, but he has some days again this week where fish are on shallower points and they can’t keep a free-lined herring in the water without getting bit. If you want to fish much shallower than 30 feet you have to troll with something like an umbrella rig. 

In the upper lake fish are still in the main river channel, and if you follow the marker poles then fish hills and steep drop-offs at the same depths you will find fish. Once you get out of the main navigation channel the water is usually not as deep as the fish want, and looking for schooling fish in Marion you have to be especially careful chasing them because of the stumps. 

The crappie fishing continues to be fairly slow, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they are getting 8-12 fish on most trips these days. He has little doubt it’s a population issue. The best fishing has been about 15-20 feet down over structure in 28-35 feet of water, and minnows and jigs are both working at times. 

The numbers of bream are still really good and the sizes are picking up, especially if you fish worms and get the occasional big shellcracker. There are so many fish they are easier to mark now, and instead of staying in the brush piles they are more likely to be suspended over them.  The fishing should only improve at it gets colder, and Steve reports that they have also picked up some of the better ones on crappie jigs.  

It’s not quite cool enough for great shellcracker fishing in the canal yet, chiefly because small white perch and bream are so abundant there that you can’t keep a bait on the bottom. Temperatures need to get cooler before that bite takes off. 

The best catfish bite is still deep, and Captain Bobby reports that the best fishing is still in about 50 feet where the majority of the bait and fish are found. A variety of baits will work, and gizzard shad, mullet and blueback herring are all good. However, at the time of year another option is deer liver and hearts, or of course chicken. 

October 19

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.53 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.42 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lower lake is still clearer than the upper lake, and morning surface water temperatures are around 69 degrees.   

Unfortunately it’s a familiar story with the Santee Cooper bass, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that it’s fast getting to the point where it’s clear that a good topwater bite is never going to materialize this year. He can only think that’s because of too few fish for too much cover, which basically seems to be the story of the fishery overall with the recent explosion of aquatic vegetation.  Brett continues to think that we are a year or two away from “silly good” fishing once there is a good spawn or two and the population has time to catch up with the amount of cover. 

For now the fishing is overall fair, and while a lot of days are slow once in a while he will have a good day. The standard progression is still to start out fishing grass then move to trees, with soft plastics the bait of choice. He’s not looking deeper than 6-8 feet right now. 

The striped bass still aren’t schooling on Santee, but Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that it’s still a near-certainty that at some point they will start. For now the little bit of schooling is taking place in the late evening, or on very rainy, overcast days. But it’s going to become more widespread!

For now Bobby is still catching most of his fish drifting lower lake humps in 30-50 feet of water, mostly fishing the middle of the water column in 15-24 or even 30 feet. Some days the fish are deeper over points and hills and they show a preference for down-rods, but he has some days again this week where fish are on shallower points and they can’t keep a free-lined herring in the water without getting bit. If you want to fish much shallower than 30 feet you have to troll with something like an umbrella rig. 

In the upper lake fish are still in the main river channel, and if you follow the marker poles then fish hills and steep drop-offs at the same depths you will find fish. Once you get out of the main navigation channel the water is usually not as deep as the fish want, and looking for schooling fish in Marion you have to be especially careful chasing them because of the stumps. 

The crappie fishing is still much better than a month ago, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that there have even been some isolated reports of people having banner days. However, overall the guides who have been fishing for crappie the longest seem to agree that the population is down right now, and there just aren’t the fish to support consistent, great catches. The best fishing has been about 15-20 feet down over structure in 28-35 feet of water. Minnows are working the best. 

Today on the water Steve has been at it for a couple of hours and has a half-dozen fish, which is about normal. 

Numbers of bream are still really good, but they still aren’t getting huge ones. There are so many fish they are easier to mark now, and instead of staying in the brush piles they are more likely to be suspended over them.  Again, when temperatures get a little cooler more big bream should show up. 

It’s not quite cool enough for great shellcracker fishing in the canal yet, chiefly because small white perch and bream are so abundant there that you can’t keep a bait on the bottom. Temperatures need to get cooler before that bite takes off. 

October 12

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.75 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.60 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lower lake is clear as a bell while the upper lake can be a little murky when there is wind. Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 70s. 

The striped bass still aren’t schooling on Santee, but Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that it’s still a near-certainty that at some point they will start. For now the little bit of schooling is taking place in the late evening, or on very rainy, overcast days. But it’s going to become more widespread!

For now Bobby is still catching most of his fish drifting lower lake humps in 30-50 feet of water, mostly fishing the middle of the water column in 15-24 or even 30 feet. Some days the fish are deeper over points and hills and they show a preference for down-rods, but he has some days this week where fish are on shallower points and they can’t keep a free-lined herring in the water without getting bit. If you want to fish much shallower than 30 feet you have to troll with something like an umbrella rig. 

In the upper lake fish are still in the main river channel, and if you follow the marker poles then fish hills and steep drop-offs at the same depths you will find fish. Once you get out of the main navigation channel the water is usually not as deep as the fish want, and looking for schooling fish in Marion you have to be especially careful chasing them because of the stumps. 

The crappie fishing is still much better than a few weeks ago, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that there have even been some isolated reports of people having banner days. However, overall the guides who have been fishing for crappie the longest seem to agree that the population is down right now, and there just aren’t the fish to support consistent, great catches. The best fishing has been about 15-20 feet down over structure in 28-35 feet of water. Minnows are working the best. 

There is a similar dynamic at play with the bass, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that for right now the population of fish has just not caught up with the amount of cover now available. At some point there should be an explosion of fish, but for right now there is so much grass but it isn’t all holding bass. 

The best pattern is still to start shallow and then go deeper, fishing the grass then trees with soft plastics and crankbaits. You just have to pick off the fish where you can find them. With today’s rain Brett says there could be some current at play up the lake soon, but it’s also possible they will just hold the water. 

At the same time there seems to be an explosion of bream right now, and while they still aren’t getting huge ones on the crappie brush they are getting bigger. There are so many fish they are easier to mark now, and instead of staying in the brush piles they are more likely to be suspended over them.

It’s not quite cool enough for great shellcracker fishing in the canal yet, chiefly because small white perch and bream are so abundant there that you can’t keep a bait on the bottom. Temperatures need to get cooler before that bite takes off. 

The shallow catfish bite is clearly slowing down, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he’s only been picking up four or five fish in the shallows before realizing he needs to look deeper. Captain Bobby agrees, and he is finding the best bite in 30-55 feet on the sides of hills. But at other times the fish can be on absolutely no structure, just sitting on the bottom. He believes the cold fronts put the bait and fish deep. A variety of baits will work, and gizzard shad, mullet and blueback herring are all good. However, at the time of year another option is deer liver and hearts – and Bobby has seen it out-fish everything else on more than one occasion!

October 5

Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.85 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.70 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are about 76 degrees and the upper lake is dirtier than the lower lake (which is fairly clear) but not muddy. 

Finally there’s some good news with the crappie fishing on the Santee Cooper lakes, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the fish have started biting again. It’s not peak Santee Cooper crappie fishing, but they are managing 15-20 fish in a trip and getting some good ones. The best fishing has been about 15-20 feet down over structure in 28-35 feet of water. Minnows are working the best. 

Not every brush pile has fish on it, but when they find a school they are usually getting two or three off of it. And every now and then they hit a really good pile where they catch 7 or 8. In addition to black crappie, in the upper lake white crappie are showing up again. 

While the crappie have turned on again the striped bass probably never stopped, but they did just become legal to target again!

Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that so far this season the fish have not been schooling very well, but that bite could get hot at any moment. Always be on the lookout for birds diving and have a bucktail or spoon ready as October is a great schooling month – especially as it cools down. 

For now Bobby is catching most of his fish drifting lower lake humps in 30-40 feet of water, mostly fishing the middle of the water column in 15-24 or even 30 feet. The Hatchery has been the most productive area for him.  

In the upper lake fish are in the main river channel, and if you follow the marker poles then fish hills and steep drop-offs at the same depths you will find fish. In addition to live bait, trolling umbrella rigs along the ledges is another good pattern.

In Marion you have to be especially careful chasing schooling fish because of the stumps. 

Bobby is also finding a really good deep catfish bite, and in 25-50 feet of water they are locating big fish on the sides of hills and other sharp depth changes. Drifting blueback herring is still working, but mullet and white perch are also very good. Bobby has found the biggest fish right at 50 feet and on one drift he picked up four 20 plus pound fish in rapid succession. 

But there are also plenty of catfish shallow, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that drifting herring on flats in about 10 feet of water he is finding a bunch of 8-10 pound fish.  They are running up to about 14 pounds, so that is consistent with the possibility that the biggest fish may have moved deep. 

It's still easy to catch bream on brush piles in 18-24 feet with crickets, but Steve reports that it continues to be a lot of picking through small fish. As temperatures drop in October and November more big bream will be caught.

Overall Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) still rates the bass bite as slow, but he is already seeing signs that it is getting better. They are getting more bites and quality is starting to pick up a little.  Cooling this weekend should really help. 

His best pattern is still fishing soft plastics around shallow targets including wood and grass, and even though fish have way more cover that usual to hide in (because of more grass) as more come shallow they are getting easier to find.