January 29
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.17 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.11 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 47-48 degrees and the water is still relatively clear.
Despite some major weather changes it seems the black bass patterns are pretty stable, and Captain David Murdaugh, Sr.(843-452-9566) reports that’s because the grass is where the fish want to be on Santee. Their other main choices are stumps, trees, and man-made brush piles, and essentially nothing holds the heat like grass does. At other times of year it offers a variety of other advantages, essentially making it a peak year-round bass habitat.
Captain David is basically fishing the grass two ways, first of all working the edges with a crankbait or jerkbait. For this he targets 5-8 feet of water. Second, he is fishing a Texas-rigged worm and Chatterbait inside the grass patches, basically concentrating on 4-10 feet of water.
He is also finding a few fish on brush in 10-12 feet of water.
January 28
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.15 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.06 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 47-48 degrees and the water is still relatively clear.
There hasn’t been a lot of action on the Santee Cooper lakes themselves recently, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that he hasn’t seen a boat on the water drinking coffee at the canal the past few days.
However, it’s a different story at the top of Marion where Captain Stevie Pack of Pack’s Landing (803-452-5514) reports that there is very good fishing for shellcracker and crappie. In the swamp they are tearing up both species, and with the winter drawdown and cold temperatures both species are stacked up in the deeper holes in the creeks and ditches. Crappie are also starting to bite well at the old railroad bridge beside Pack’s, and sometimes they want jigs and sometimes minnows.
Not many people are going after catfish in their area but for the few who have there have been some decent catches anchoring.
Check back here for a black bass report.
January 21
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.00 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.83 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 47 degrees and the water is relatively clear.
Reports are all over the place on the Santee Cooper catfish, but piecing everything together the common theme seems to be that the fishing was really good in deep water earlier in the week. Then things slowed down, and part-time Bonneau resident Captain Bill Plumley reports that drifting in about 15-30 feet he caught a fair number of teenage-sized fish the last few days but overall had to work for them. It may be that the better bites are triggered by cooler weather, but then when there are a few warmer days things get tougher.
If that’s the case anglers may be in for a real treat starting this weekend, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that if lows trigger a shad kill then the catfish will stack up and gorge on them. The best place to look is often deep water, although there is always the chance to catch a giant in shallow water.
Additionally, when conditions are slower then Captain Bobby finds drifting to be less effective and prefers anchoring. At the very least drift very slowly.
The crappie bite continues to over-perform for January, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the lower lake they are still catching fish 18-24 feet down over brush in 39-45 feet. Interestingly jigs have been working a lot better than minnows.
Finally, we’ve been saying things might significantly change with the black bass soon for a while now, but with the weather predicted for this weekend it could finally move them deeper or change the bite some other way. However, for now Captain David Murdaugh, Sr. (843-452-9566) still reports that the best fishing continues to be around hydrilla in 5-8 feet of water although he is also catching some fish on brush. One other change is that jerkbaits and small crankbaits are part of his arsenal now, but the Chatterbait and Zoom UV Speed worm are also still working.
January 8
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.90 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.83 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 52-54 degrees and the water is relatively clear.
The crappie bite has been better than expected this week on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that his last two trips out they have gotten good numbers of fish. Everything has come in the lower lake, and they can’t even mark fish in the upper lake right now. The ones they are catching are holding deep, 18-24 feet down over brush in 39-45 feet. Interestingly jigs have been working a lot better than minnows.
The catfish bite has also been good for quality fish, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he has been concentrating on drops in 30-40 feet of water in the lower lake and catching decent numbers but all fish in the teens and better. That’s not to say you can’t catch fish other places, and Captain Stevie knows guides in the upper lake fishing shallow and also getting some quality bites.
Meanwhile Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) is also concentrating on deep water, and adds that for drift-fishing you really need to slow down your drifts in the winter. .2 - .5 miles per hour is optimal.
It’s still a strong black bass bite for Captain David Murdaugh, Sr. (843-452-9566), who reports that for now the best fishing continues to be around hydrilla in 5-8 feet of water. The Chatterbait is still working well but he’s also caught a lot of fish on a Zoom UV Speed worm again this week. Again, patterns will change and he expects to fish a Rattle Trap and an Alabama rig more soon, but it likely won’t be until after this warm weather passes.
Finally, on the striped bass front, Captain Bobby reports that striper are still around points and other deep structure. Probably the best place to look for them remains at the Lake Moultrie Dam. Dropping live herring to the fish seems to be working the best.
December 23
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.73 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.58 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 50 and the water is very clear.
It’s been another good week for catfish on Santee, and this week Captain William Attaway with Slick Willie’s Guide Service (803-924-0857) reports that he found a pretty outstanding bite drifting both channels and flats in 30-45 feet of water. They filled coolers and had big fish at 41 and 47 pounds. They did find some inactive fish but overall they were willing to eat gizzard shad and perch.
It's a similar story from Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138), who has been drifting slightly shallower in 25-35 feet but also finding good numbers and lots of quality fish. He is exclusively fishing with mullet.
It’s still a strong black bass bite for Captain David Murdaugh, Sr. (843-452-9566), who reports that for now the best fishing continues to be around hydrilla in 5-8 feet of water. The Chatterbait is still working well but he’s also caught a lot of fish on a Zoom UV Speed worm this week. Again, patterns will change and he expects to fish a Rattle Trap and an Alabama rig more soon, but with mild temperatures predicted there’s nothing in the ten-day forecast that looks likely to shake things up.
On the striped bass front, Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that striper are still around points and other deep structure. Probably the best place to look for them is still at the Lake Moultrie Dam where in addition to the usual baitfish menhaden are still in the mix as they complete their spawn and attempt to return to the ocean via the dam. You can usually locate them by looking for diving pelicans. Dropping live herring to the fish seems to be working the best.
Finally, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that the bream and crappie bite does seem to be slowing. They are still catching fish on deep brush but numbers are dropping.
December 16
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.75 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.37 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 50 and the water is fairly clear despite some wind.
On his last trip Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he had his best day for catfish of the year, and they found incredible numbers of 20-25 pound fish in about 45 feet in Lake Moultrie. They are stacked up around the deep bait schools, and the key to catching them is to upsize your baits as they want a big meal this time of year. They are drifting.
While those sound like big fish, Captain Bobby believes that for the truly huge ones you probably need to look in less than 10 feet of water where the giants are roaming alone instead of in schools feeding on bait.
While he has not fished for striped bass this week, Captain Bobby reports that they have marked a ton of striper around points and other deep structure while drifting for catfish. But probably the best place to look for striper is at the Lake Moultrie Dam where in addition to the usual baitfish menhaden are in the mix right now as they complete their spawn and attempt to return to the ocean via the Lake Moultrie dam. You can usually locate them by looking for diving pelicans. Dropping live herring to the fish seems to be working the best.
At some point it will change, but for right now it remains a pretty straight-forward black bass pattern for Captain David Murdaugh, Sr. (843-452-9566) on Santee. He is doing most of his damage fishing a Chatterbait around hydrilla in 5-8 feet of water, although they are also catching some fish on a jerkbait above the grass or in open water. In January and February he expects to be picking up a Rattle Trap and an Alabama rig more often, but for now the Chatterbait is still king.
Finally, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that there is a very good bite for bream which are stacked up around deep brush piles in 20-25 feet. Sizes vary but the numbers are pretty incredible fishing with crickets. Catches of crappie are dropping but they are still picking up some good fish on minnows around brush at the same depth or deeper. Note that the biggest bluegill are also coming on minnows while crappie fishing.
December 3
Santee Cooper water levels are down to 74.71 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.67 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-50s.
With significant cooling the bait in the Santee Cooper lakes is moving deeper, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that large numbers of striped bass and catfish have also moved deeper. You can still pick off a few striper in the canal, and catfish are always dispersed in the lakes, but big concentrations of fish are now in 40-55 feet around the big bait balls. In addition to the usual baitfish menhaden are in the mix right now as they complete their spawn and attempt to return to the ocean via the Lake Moultrie dam, and you can usually locate them by looking for diving pelicans.
For catfish cut gizzard shad, mullet, and other big baits work well fished under the bait schools, while for striped bass you can troll umbrella rigs or weighted plugs or drop live herring down to the fish.
The black bass are still around the grass on Santee, and Captain David Murdaugh, Sr. (843-452-9566) reports that fishing a Chatterbait in 5-8 feet of water has been very productive. There has also been a bit of a topwater bite around the grass and then off points with something like a Spook, but the most improved bite has been on a drop shot rig. Captain David is fishing it around deep (well, Santee deep) stumps and brush piles in 8-12 feet of water.
Finally, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that there is still a decent bite in the upper lake for both bream and crappie around brush piles, but within a week or two he expects all the fish there to head to the old river channel and get harder to catch. For both species they are already starting to transition to fishing the lower lake around deeper brush in 20-25 plus feet of water.
November 19
Santee Cooper water levels are down to 74.76 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.74 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are about 59-60 degrees and the lakes are relatively clear.
With the lakes actually heating up it’s made for some wild black bass fishing on Santee, and Captain David Murdaugh, Sr. (843-452-9566) reports that on his last trip he caught 25 bass… While he caught them other ways the bulk of the fish were schooling! Warm weather has prolonged this bite and the fish are feeding hard. Beyond that there is still a good shallow bite with a Chatterbait or Speed UV Worm fished around hydrilla in 4-8 feet of water. While brush has not been as productive this week, he also catching some fish on soft plastics fished around deeper stumps in clean areas.
The catfish bite has been strong for Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080), and he is finding the best action drifting around humps and other structure in 40-50 feet of water. But the real key for his boat has been up-sizing baits as fish feed up for winter.
While the deep bite has been good, Captain Bobby believes there are also a lot of big fish in the warm shallows right now and if you want to catch a giant the best place to look may be in 10 or less feet of water.
Meanwhile, somewhere in-between Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that his boat is finding the best catfish bite for 5-15 pound fish in about 22-25 feet of water. He has looked from 6 feet to 40 plus feet and found the best numbers in that zone. He is mostly targeting ledges and humps drifting with herring and mullet.
While there are striped bass to be caught a lot of different ways, and he is marking a lot at the Moultrie dam in deep water, Captain Bobby has been focusing exclusively on the canal. He is anchoring at ambush spots and fishing a mix of down-rods and free-lines. The best action has been coming in about 30 feet of water near the bottom, but fish will also come up to get baits.
Finally, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that bite for both crappie and bream is very good, with the crappie in particular seeming to be rebounding out of a bad cycle. There are also more boats pursuing them, a sign that people are realizing there are more to be caught.
For crappie Captain Steve’s boat is having the best success on the edge of the river channel fishing minnows around deeper brush 16-18 feet down in about 27 feet of water, while the bluegill have been stacked up 10-14 feet down on slightly shallower brush in about 20 feet. They will take crickets or worms.
November 6
Santee Cooper water levels remain at 75.21 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and are at 75.11 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are about 60-61 degrees and the lakes are still pretty clear although parts of the upper lake are dingy but not muddy.
We have an update on the catfish and striped bass from Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080), who reports that bait continues to stack up in 40-50 feet of water – particularly near the Moultrie dam. Still the fish have not arrived there in massive numbers, but Captain Bobby points out that when schools of menhaden start to arrive at the dam as they try to return to the ocean it should be wide open. Pelicans and birds diving will often give this away, and when it happens then trolling plugs or fishing live bait around the bait balls will be very effective.
For now they are still catching more catfish in 30 or less feet of water with gizzard shad and other large, tougher baits.
Striper are being caught anchoring live bait in the canal, and trolling points with plugs has also been productive. While they have not seen schooling activity this week it could still happen, and Bonneau and the Hatchery area good places to look.
And finally we do have some more extensive black bass fishing information, from Captain Dave Murdock (843-452-9566). He confirms that grass is holding fish right now, and as they move shallower he is having the best success with a Chatterbait or Speed UV Worm fished around hydrilla in 6 or less feet of water. There are also some bass being caught on brush in 8-12 feet of water, mostly on soft plastics.
November 5
Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.21 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.12 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have fallen to about 60 degrees and the lakes are still pretty clear although parts of the upper lake are dingy but not muddy.
The crappie bite is changing but it’s still better than it has been in some time, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they are consistently getting better numbers of fish with good quality. As is the norm, they are catching more fish in the upper lake but on average bigger ones in the lower lake. They did get 18 good fish in the lower lake the last time out – not a limit, but pretty strong.
With temperatures having dropped about 8 degrees over ten days, fish are moving off of the shallower brush in the creeks. They are getting on deeper, main lake brush holding 14-20 feet down in 25-35 feet of water. Minnows are working.
On the catfish front, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he has been surprised by the results the last couple of times on the water. Unexpectedly he has caught bigger fish drifting in shallow water (10-15 feet), but lots of little fish drifting deeper in 30-40 feet. Cut herring have been working well enough for him that he isn’t switching, but there are reports that mullet are “on fire”.
We hope to have a more comprehensive black bass report tomorrow, but Captain Steve reports that right now he’s not seeing many bass boats but the ones that are out seem to be targeting the grass hard. The grass generally grows out to 11 or 12 feet of water, and in the morning and evening fishing with topwaters over it is effective. During the day swimbaits are a good choice.
More to follow.
October 30
Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.25 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.17 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have fallen to about 64 degrees and the lakes are still pretty clear.
The catfish reports have been fair to good this week, but what is intriguing is that Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that bait is absolutely stacked up in 40-50 feet of water – particularly near the Moultrie dam. However, while there are some catfish and striped bass there the numbers of fish just are not. Instead, they are catching more catfish in 30 or less feet of water. Captain Bobby’s boat is having the best success for big fish with gizzard shad and other large, tougher baits.
That’s consistent with the report from Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138), who is actually fishing much shallower in just 10-15 feet of water. Drifting shallow flats has been productive, and for a mix of sizes he is having good luck with herring.
For the first time this week Captain Bobby has personally seen striper schooling, and he points to Bonneau and the Hatchery area as good places to look. There are also a lot of striper being caught anchoring live bait in the canal, and trolling points with plugs has also been productive.
In the upper lake Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they continue to find numbers of crappie, but in the lower lake they have still been catching lower numbers but some big fish on brush in just 12-14 feet of water. Still, the most encouraging action is coming in Lake Marion on relatively shallow brush, where they are picking up so many fish 8-10 feet down in 14-16 feet of water. Brush on the edges of creek channels in the upper lake has been most productive and minnows are out-fishing jigs.
The action for bream also continues to be good in about 25-30 feet of water. They are fishing just off the bottom with crickets and getting big bluegill.
Again, black bass report to follow when we can get one.
October 22
Santee Cooper water levels are down to 75.05 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around the same in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have fallen to about 68 degrees and the lower lake is very clear.
There’s no change with the crappie patterns on Santee this week, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that overall the striped bass and catfish are in the same locations. However, schooling striper are now being caught on Lake Marion, particularly around Mill Creek Landing. These are quality fish and people are catching their limits. Eventually the menhaden should also bring more of both species to the dam, but they have not arrived yet. Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) also reports that there are still catfish on the same patterns in the 20-30 foot range, but this week part-time Bonneau resident Captain Bill Plumley reports that he has also been catching some quality fish in about 10 feet of water anchoring on Lake Moultrie. This morning the bites were slower but he got two fish in the teens – and Captain Bill reminds anglers there are almost always still some good catfish shallow on Santee.
While the crappie may not be doing anything different, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that better breamare stacking up on brush in about 27 feet of water. They are fishing just off the bottom about 24 feet down with crickets and getting big bluegill.
Again, black bass report to follow when we can get one.
October 16
Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.19 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.16 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have fallen to about 69 degrees and the upper lake is now a bit dingy.
As temperatures drop Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that both striped bass and catfish are moving deeper, and he is marking large numbers of both species in 40-50 feet in the vicinity of the Lake Moultrie dam. Unfortunately the striped bass are not taking herring very well, and he is having better success trolling umbrella rigs for them. The catfish are biting better on drifted cut bait, and they can also be caught drifting underwater hills in 20-40 feet. There seem to be less fish in shallow water now.
Captain Bobby still has not seen a schooling striper, which is hard to believe, but they continue to pick up some fish on herring fished on down-rods in the canal.
In a similar vein, while Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) does not have a black bass report for us this week, he has been having success targeting catfish. They are working their way towards their fall/ winter-time areas, and there are now lots of fish on 20-30 foot flats where there is scattered bait. Look for these areas near the main river channel and cover water by drifting herring and shad.
In the upper lake they continue to find numbers of crappie, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the lower lake they have still been catching lower numbers but some big fish on brush in just 12-14 feet of water. Still, the most encouraging action is coming in Lake Marion on relatively shallow brush, where they are picking up so many fish 8-10 feet down in 14-16 feet of water. Brush on the edges of creek channels in the upper lake has been most productive and minnows are out-fishing jigs.
October 8
Santee Cooper water levels are down to 74.77 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.70 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have fallen to about 73 degrees and the lakes are relatively clear.
We have a full striped bass report this week from Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080), and fresh off the water Captain Bobby says he hasn’t been seeing a lot of schooling activity. They could be schooling in the late afternoon or evening when he isn’t generally fishing, or somewhere he hasn’t looked, but he isn’t seeing or hearing about a lot of bird activity.
Today they caught their bigger fish in the canal on live bait on down-rods, and they also got some there pulling free-lines. Then they moved to the dam area in Lake Moultrie and marked a lot of bait and fish in 40-50 feet and caught a few more striper.
The catfish bite is picking up as temperatures drop, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that fish are biting a bit everywhere. His boat has mostly been drifting shallow in 10-15 feet of water on flats, but other anglers are having success in 35-40 feet on both deeper flats and structure such as hills. Basically fish are very scattered, typical of fall. Herring has been working for Captain Stevie’s boat but a variety of other baits will also catch fish.
Consistent with that Captain Bobby has been catching catfish at a variety of depths, but his bigger fish seem to be coming in about 20-30 feet. He emphasizes that with cooler weather it’s time to start up-sizing baits and agrees that deep water is definitely not out of the question.
In the upper lake they continue to find numbers of crappie, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the lower lake they have been catching lower numbers but some big fish on brush in just 12-14 feet of water. Still, the most encouraging action is coming in Lake Marion on relatively shallow brush, where they are picking up fish 8-10 feet down in 14-16 feet of water. Brush on the edges of creek channels in the upper lake has been most productive and minnows are out-fishing jigs.
The black bass patterns have not changed yet, and Captain Steve reports that fish are still roaming and chasing shad. That has meant a fair amount of schooling activity where fish are pushing bait towards shallow ambush points. But when fish are not busting then the best pattern is fishing offshore grass edges along creek channels. Topwater baits like Pop-Rs and Spooks are catching fish over the grass, Chatterbaits and other bladed baits are working along the sides, and of course soft plastics are productive. Steve has seen grass growing as deep as 11 feet but suspects it is even deeper in places.
Not many boats seem to be fishing trees right now.
October 2
Santee Cooper water levels are down to 74.86 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.80 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are approximately 78 degrees and visibility is above average.
Striped bass season is open again on Santee as of October 1, and even though Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) was fishing for other species yesterday he did hear some good reports jigging a spoon for deeper fish.
On his first striper trip Captain Bobby will be looking for schooling fish, particularly around the Hatchery and in the Bonneau area. Birds are a giveaway, and he has been seeing them in those areas. When they are not on top, since it is still warm down-rods and other deep-water techniques should be effective. Fish can be around points and other structure, but they can also be in open water around bait schools.
More information to follow as striper season gets underway.
Yesterday Captain Bobby was fishing for catfish, and he reports a fantastic bite. The fish were in 25-35 feet of water around hills and other deep structure, and they caught them drifting. Large pieces of herring were the best bait.
The crappie fishing continues to be greatly improved, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they are finding a bigger population of crappie this fall. This almost certainly bodes well for the future, especially when they are able to throw back 30 or more 9 – 9.5 inch fish each trip.
Right now most of the fish are on relatively shallow brush, and they are picking up the most fish 8-10 feet down in 14-16 feet of water. Brush on the edges of creek channels in the upper lake has been most productive and minnows are out-fishing jigs.
Finally, in black bass news Captain Steve reports that fish are still roaming and chasing shad, and that has meant a fair amount of schooling activity where fish are pushing bait towards shallow ambush points. But when fish are not busting then the best pattern is fishing offshore grass edges along creek channels. Topwater baits like Pop-Rs and Spooks are catching fish over the grass, Chatterbaits and other bladed baits are working along the sides, and of course soft plastics are productive. Steve has seen grass growing as deep as 11 feet but suspects it is even deeper in places.
Not many boats seem to be fishing trees right now.