With the lakes still clear Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) is still finding the bluegill and crappie deep. I loved fishing Santee Cooper. On the shallower side Captain Brett Mitchell continues to catch fish in 15-25 feet of water. There were certain key backwaters and areas that seemed to hold more and bigger fish, but the true Holy Grail was to find a place that would replenish itself with one 20-plus-pound bag opportunity after another. If youre lucky, you could even write your name into the history books and land a 40 lb monster. Open 5:30 AM Farmer's Market However, out of 14 boats there were only two limits. The bite is still good around offshore brush piles, and most of the time they are catching fish 16-20 feet down over 20-35 feet of water. The spawn is underway and will continue through the summer. Good to hear they are getting shallow there. Its been a good week for catfish on Santee Cooper, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that you can catch them pretty much everywhere right now. The town of Pinopolis is located on a peninsula on Lake Moultrie. When temperatures are cold and the water is relatively clear a jigging spoon can be effective. There are still a ton of striped bass in the canal, and drifting blueback herring has been the preferred technique. Water temperatures are in the low 60s and there is some dirty water rolling into the lakes. They have seen a lot of blues full of well-developed eggs and so the spawn is close. Bring a chair and cooler, along with your best pal, and kick back with a day of fishing. Yellow Bass - Fair: Start shallow with a small jig or jigging spoon tipped with several spikes or a waxworm. If anything it has picked up in the past week. Catfish: Captain Rodger Taylor reports that in January catfish on Lake Wateree should be mixed between shallow and deep. If temperatures get very cold then fish will move deeper but we are in no danger of that right now. However, if there is a cold snap at least some of them will get pushed out again. Display as a link instead, Obviously bait is up there first thing because we are nowhere close to the other reason catfish come shallow to spawn. Are you planning to fish there again? document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); My wife and I have kayaks and we live in Santee. Long lining in the deeper creeks are starting to produce some crappie. document.getElementById( "ak_js_21" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Replied on February 22, 2021 Steve also reports that they are picking up pretty good numbers of bluegill in deep water, but the better fish are starting to be caught on shallow brush. During spawn season, you can try exploring the shallow waters around Taylors Landing on Lake Marion, or around Elliotts Landing on the other end of the lake. Free shipping . Drifting and bouncing the bottom is working well, and there are also intermittent spots where you can anchor up and catch fish. document.getElementById( "ak_js_20" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Im coming down in March to fish for largemouth bass. Oct 27, 2021. If you fish very, very early you can also find a shad spawn around dawn in some places. You. The upper lake is getting dirty, while the lower lake is relatively clear once you get away from the mouth of the canal. Final tally was 7 bluefin, [emailprotected] 110-150 and [emailprotected] lbs. Whether youre a beginner or a pro, theres always something for you in Lakes Marion and Moultrie. However, as the biggest prizes in Santee Cooper are further out in the middle of the lakes, fishing from shore is not a popular choice around here. Known together as the Santee Cooper lakes (formally the Santee Cooper Hydroelectric and Navigation Project), Lakes Marion and Moultrie are located in the outer coastal plain to the southeast of South Carolina between the cities of Columbia and Charleston. He will be fishing minnows. While there are always fish in a lot of different depth ranges in Santee, right now Santee-style drifting in 40-50 feet seems to be the most effective. I meant Lake Marion in my post, but I have some friends in Columbia that have told me that the fishing is picking up in the Dreher Island area. This is critical. The lakes are very clear and water temperatures are in the mid to upper 50s. The bite can be decent if you locate a group of fish on electronics or otherwise, but thats the tricky part. They dont all rush to the bank at once, however. document.getElementById( "ak_js_12" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); July is a very productive time on lake Marion the Catfish bite can be excellent in summer. Bass in the Santee Cooper lakes start to move shallow this month, and anglers should follow. Crappie have spawned and moved out of shallow water to deeper For fish chasing bait flukes, Spooks, Pop-Rs, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits will all work. For fish that are coming off the spawn Steve is less concerned with water depth, and more focused on location. While he is still fishing soft plastics around trees right now, very soon fish should start to follow shad into the creeks and he will be getting on more of a shad bite. Lots of blues of all sizes (especially the good eating size at 3-5 lbs) mixed in with channel cats being caught. That's a nice bass. Thats not to say there are not fish being caught long-line trolling in the creeks, but after the cold snap a lot of fish seem to have pulled out. Hit up the deep waters of Lake Marion or Moultrie in summer, and you can expect plenty of 20-pounders. He mixed in a variety of soft plastics and even a hollow bodied frog to become one of just three anglers to weigh in at least 20 pounds every day of the tournament. Morning surface water temperatures are still about 79 degrees. By this weekend the shallow crappie bite could be wide open as well on Santee, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that this week he has actually found more fish on deep brush. document.getElementById( "ak_js_24" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Love to get some guides to call at the best lakes. Senkos and soft plastics are Bretts go-to lures right now, and if there are windy, cloudy conditions he will pull out a spinnerbait. document.getElementById( "ak_js_31" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for reading and for your eagle-eyed observations! 1-803-478-7289 If we can be of any further assistance or if you're looking for A camping spot, food or any other lodging Look no further. Thats whats made it one of the most storied destinations in the history of professional bass fishing. You wont be able to fish for any of these beauties in the summer months. While the numbers of crappie on brush has dwindled, Steve notes that there are some huge groups of bluegill stacked up on the brush. However, the most effective pattern has typically been casting at shallow cover with jigs. document.getElementById( "ak_js_17" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Replied on April 14, 2021 Looking to head to Murray on 4/10 to fish. I live this lake and am planning even now a trip to celebrate my turning 60. While a lot of the shellcracker have already spawned there should be more, and the bluegill should really start to get down to business on this moon phase. This year Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the Elite Series pros hit Santee right, and he doesnt expect to see many dry live wells. Another forgotten gem of these lakes is Largemouth Bass. Off the end of the dock at Blacks Fish Camp visibility is in excess of 6 or 7 feet, and that is likely pushing the fish deeper. While taking in the world-class fishery, youll also get to indulge in stunning views. The crappie still havent really turned on as water temperatures need to drop a few more degrees, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they are picking up decent numbers of fish by looking at deeper brush. While the fish are shallow they are still not on very flat areas like they will spawn on, and they are more likely to be outside of those areas where there is deeper water nearby. Both lakes hold a year-round population of Blue, Flathead, White, and Channel Catfish. Some spawning fish will be taken, plus a lot of bass will be back . Book your campsites NOW! Throughout the day drifting in 5-15 feet of water has been productive. There are staging fish around trees, but the bulk of the big fish seem to be shallow. Under the surface there is the reality of varying contour in both lakes.Popular species targeted by Santee Cooper anglers include largemouth bass, a recovering population of striped bass, white and black crappie, bream (most notably shellcracker and bluegill), and several species of catfish. Read on and find out some of the lakes top secrets. About half of the field had over 100 pounds of fish, and so they are biting really well right now. You can get a good bite after dawn and in the late afternoon, and night fishing is also very good. Bass: Guide Josh Rockefeller and tournament angler Tyler Matthews of Evans, GA, reports that in January patterns will depend on weather conditions, but there should be a big group of fish in the creek ditches that can be caught on blade baits. The crappie fishing has been really tough again this week, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports they arent exactly sure why. There are also still plenty of fish in the creeks that can be caught trolling jigs and minnows in 8-15 feet of water. Nor may it be copied, published, rewritten, or redistributed. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.15 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.44 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Shop by brand or reel type. This weekend will be a totally different situation, however, and with temperatures dropping into the mid-20s and 25 mile per hour winds out of the north he expects that many fish will abandon their beds. Even after this cold snap overall mild temperatures mean that the crappie bite has stayed extremely good for the season, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that in the lower lake they are still catching fish just over brush in 25-30 feet of water. For shellcracker use worms while bluegill prefer crickets and worms. But the most reliable pattern is that in January on Lake Greenwood an Alabama rig is likely to be effective, either shallow, deep, or both. You can also fish soft plastics around trees. Based just 8 miles from the northern lakes shores, Summerton not only offers you the chance to get out onto the water, but its also far enough away for you to engage in other sports. The bass fishing has been pretty tough recently, but Steve reports that while some fish can be caught shallow he believes the best way to catch good ones right now is reeling a crankbait just over brush piles. The latest Santee Cooper Fishing Reports from Canal Lakes Fish Camp Fishing Reports Catfish: Catfish are moving into the upper and lower ends of the canal, cut bait, herring and gizzard shad are your best baits. The more general pattern seems to be fishing with soft plastics like Trick Worms around trees, stumps and points. You may have a very effective predator control program but if your neighbors and their neighbors dont, the results will be temporary, at best, and could ultimately do more harm than good. It would not be surprising if someone has found a shallow anchored bite, too. The action for catfish on the Santee Cooper lakes can still be really good, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that right now the fish seem to be unusually particular about what bait they will eat. Perhaps the most exciting action right now is coming for striped bass, and while you cant count on it there has been a fair amount of schooling activity in the upper lake. Enjoy the freedom of exploring the lake at your own leisure, as you take the day at your own speed. Make sure you bring the proper equipment for the heat from the sun And stay hydrated Captain Brad with Nav-A-Gator Charter Service was awesomehad a wonderful time and the weather was great! We have finished our boat work and will be running our first trip on Saturday, February 3rd. Warming weather will get them shallower and more aggressive again soon, and the new moon this weekend will also help to get another group of fish up looking and then on beds. We drive like 12 hours one way to come to this beautiful place. While the striped bass do not seem to be schooling right now on Santee Cooper, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the lower lake they have been catching a ton of fish deep. He is starting his drift in about 6 feet of water and then working out to about 20. The first thing you need to consider is that fish retreat to the deeper waters after their spawn, and this is where youll find your Catfish. Most detailed Lake Wylie Herring has been out-fishing everything else. He has had the best luck drifting in 10-20 feet of water on cut herring, although at night he is finding much better fishing out deep in 25-40 feet. Whatever you choose, theres plenty for you to make the most of your holiday. Catfish. Benjamin Bunting But dont you miss out on the incredible fishing on offer! 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