This week the shallow morning bite at anchor has still been the best thing going, but during the day drifting 20-30 feet has turned on. Often they will be grouped up with other species and on minnows you can catch a mixed bag. November is the new September, Viva El Nio. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.24 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.82 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The striper bite is still going pretty good even with the colder weather coming in. He has found the best action 14-18 feet down over 25-35 feet of water. The crappie fishing has still been pretty slow on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the upper lake they are picking up a few fish 12-14 feet down over brush in 22-25 feet of water on minnows and jigs. into the May full moon. Fishing Guides However, he is also doing well drifting as deep as about 12 feet. How easy is it to cross over between the two lakes? The co-state record largemouth bass was caught out of Lake Marion (16-2 caught in 1949), until 1993 the world record freshwater striped bass came from Santee Cooper (55 pounds), the state record white crappie came from Lake Moultrie (5-0 caught in 1957), and the state record shellcracker (5-7.5 caught in 1998) came from the Diversion Canal. As for launching, Packs Landing out of Rimini is the most northern starting point youll find, while Summerton, St. Pauls, and Adams landing are all great spots. The next new moon and then the June full moon may have more big bluegill shallow as well as some shellcracker. As we learned throughout this tournament (primarily from Brandon Palaniuks multi-faceted attack), its possible to catch spawning, pre-spawn and post-spawn fish at the same time, often in adjacent areas. Live bait and jigging spoons are both working. Great time fishing. The remote lakes are surrounded by stunning scenery, giving you the perfect getaway. Conditions Report. Or, stay onshore and hit up the Santee-Cooper Country Club for a round of golf, or just take in the wonders of the green forest against the contrast of the azure lake. 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. Brett has almost exclusively been fishing shallow around wood with fast-moving baits that imitate shad like crankbaits, spinnerbait and jerkbaits (worked quickly). Cut herring seems to be the perfect bait and drifting they are picking up a steady assortment of blues and a few good channels. Moultrie is the smaller of the two . document.getElementById( "ak_js_19" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Replied on February 26, 2021 Gizzard shad and white perch are hard to beat for the bigger fish. Perhaps the most exciting thing going on Santee right now is the. It was another good weekend for bass on Santee Cooper, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the Sunday Showdown Series tournament was won with a three-fish limit of 19 pounds! The lakes have either zero or negligible populations of spotted and smallmouth bass. They will take most any bait when they are feeding. On Sept. 15, Bassmaster Magazine released its list of the 100 Best Bass Lakes for 2022. Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm. Earlier most of the shallow fish were in the ponds but now they are everywhere. FishingBooker has a number of guides to choose from in Santee-Cooper, and you can filter your search for the species you want. It should have happened a few weeks ago, but the fish are just now starting to feed well in the canal. If those arent working then Brett suggests looking a little deeper with Ned rigs and shakey heads in the same areas. best baits. You also can get helpful information from the Fishing Forecast. Herring, shad and mullet have all been working for his boat. These freshwaters are often called the Catfish capital of the world because of the vast numbers of Catfish you'll find in its waters. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for getting in touch, were happy to answer any questions you have! Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.47 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.44 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). I hope you have a great time fishing the great Santee Cooper Lakes. 06.01.21. For now the lower lake is still mostly clear but muddy water is headed towards the system. Another forgotten gem of these lakes is Largemouth Bass. It took 10 pounds to win the 3-fish limit Sunday Showdown Series tournament this weekend. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.12 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.09 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are clear. Im glad to hear you love the lake as much as we do! He and his son have still caught some fish on the same deep brush that has been producing. i will be honest.not how i expected this trip to go.ran a lot of water and finally found a pattern..but then couldnt fish the area because my buddies had. 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. Reel in the big fish with one of our handpicked fishing reels. Minnows, chartreus gigs are the You must be a registered Camper to fish in Lakes 6 & 7. Live bait fishing If you can catch the beginning of a mayfly hatch the fishing can be very good, but in the middle or towards the end it really slows because it does not take the fish long to gorge and fill up. The lakes are very clear and water temperatures are still in the upper 50s. Are you planning to fish there again? Are you in the know? document.getElementById( "ak_js_33" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for reading and for sharing your experiences. $14.99 . Its impressive, isnt it? document.getElementById( "ak_js_36" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); What is the smallest size motor you would take out I see people on kyaks but everyone says not our 5 hp for around the banks. There is also still a good anchored bite early and then a good deeper drift in 25-40 feet of water. shallow waters around grass beds of bullrushes being the best. While open to debate, the case can easily be made that the Santee Cooper lakes are the premier freshwater fishery in South Carolina. A record 58-pound channel catfish and five-pound black crappie were caught at Lake Moultrie. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The lakes are joined by the 6 mile long Diversion Canal to form a system with 160,000 acres of water and 450 miles of shoreline spanning parts of 5 South Carolina counties Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg and Sumter. 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. In another sure sign of spring, while Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) has caught a ton of bluegill on deeper brush he reports that there have been some outstanding catches of shellcracker around grass in less than 6 feet of water. 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 action for catfish on the Santee Cooper lakes is very strong right now, and Brett reports that fish have moved a little deeper as water temperatures have dropped. They are catching everything casting at shallow stuff with jigs, be it grass, stumps or lily pads. Minnows are working the best. Stripers Upstream The striped bass spawning run is wide-open by March. In fact, on the same trip, you can target that trophy catch and help the kids reel in their first-ever fish. The target depth range has been 3-6 feet of water. Most detailed Lake Wateree We know there is Wahoo around and we will be trying for them tomorrow. We caught a 47lb blue catfish along with several other weighing over 30. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_27" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Replied on February 24, 2021 The lakes are very clear and water temperatures are in the mid-50s. Lake Marion is home to the state-record Largemouth Bass, so youll have the chance to go for a trophy-sized catch. Casting small jigs and tight lining minnows will work the best. Morning surface water temperatures are mostly in the low to mid-70s. White perch has been completely unproductive. Birds can often indicate the best areas to fish. The bass on Santee Cooper are doing exactly what they are supposed to doing, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that they have been catching fish that are chasing shad in the backs of pockets. (known as gator grass) in 2' to 4' of water in the protectivebackwaters But, have always wanted to. Striper and hybrids: Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that the January patterns should look fairly similar to those from December, and fish will still be in the same areas up the rivers where the bait is holding typically in 35-45 feet of water. This is critical. Growing to larger-than-usual sizes, youll need to make sure youve got a dish big enough to cook up this popular Panfish at the end of the day. 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. Etc. Bass: Guide Charles Townson (864-324-2065) reports that in the cold of January fish will be caught very deep on Lake Keowee. The crappie fishing has slowed a little more, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the fish are still pretty tough to locate. He is now targeting bass following bait which will move in and out of the creeks following current. There are also still plenty of fish in the creeks that can be caught trolling jigs and minnows in 8-15 feet of water. We are a family-owned business committed to providing our customers with the best prices and customer service on all of our merchandise. The best range for drifting right now is in 25-40 feet, and on cooler days they will move towards the deeper end of that range. Most detailed Lake Wylie Right now minnows are working better most days, but you should also have a chartreuse, straight-tail jig ready just in case. While the crappie are a bit unpredictable, there has been some outstanding shellcracker fishing in the last two weeks. North Iowa fishing report for Feb. 8. Post-spawn fish are supposed to recover from the spawn around cypress trees in 2 to 4 feet, but right now hes not finding as many hungry fish up there as expected. The bass have been surprisingly quiet this week on Santee Cooper, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports thats because we are in a minor lull between waves of the spawn. I know personally of a few boaters who go out on the lake with a 200 HP engine, so you should have no trouble with a 5 HP one. They will take minnows fished around deeper schools of bait. Description. Have a great trip! The State Farmers Market has convenient parking and easy access to both I-77 and I-26. 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. Join AHQ Premier for unlimited Free Shipping & access to the AHQ Report. Try this link and get in touch with a captain. Suitable for kayaking. Wish us luck, The tiny village of Cross may seem like a strange location to include on our list, but its a hotspot for boaters due to its public ramp. A total of 98 pounds even over four days was a virtuoso performance by The Prodigy, from whom weve come to expect nothing less. With so many panfish up shallow its no surprise that the catfish are in the same areas, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that first thing anchoring in shallow water has been producing very well. Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. The water temperatures have still not dropped quite enough to really change the bass fishing, and Brett reports that everything he is catching is coming around scattered wood and grass in the 4-6 foot range. The Santee Cooper lake system includes not one, but two lakes, including South Carolinas Inland Sea and the states third-largest lake. He notes that they have been topping of plenty of coolers this week. Mullet are also present at times. Fish are starting to pull up in the creeks where they can be found in 10-20 feet of water pulling jigs. Bream. The best bite will be in the middle of the day when the water is warmest. Luckily the catfish bite has been really good on Santee Cooper, and both Steve and his son Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) report that they are filling boxes with fish pretty quickly. I caught it in the river down past Harrys campgrounds. Hi Tobias. Bouncing a crankbait that dives 6-8 feet off the bottom around stumps is an excellent pattern, and small swimbaits and spinnerbaits will also catch fish. Brett has only been fishing shad-colored crankbaits, but red crankbaits, swimbaits and more should also work. Level: 07.18.21. 10 Tactics for Santee-Cooper Bass Lakes Marion and Moultrie might be full of bass, but without a good game plan you could get skunked; these 10 tips will put you on the fish. Bass: Tournament angler Eric Enlow of Union reports that January can be a difficult month to catch bass on Lake Monticello, and fish are in something of a transition period. Carolina rigs, shakey heads, and jigs are working the best but occasionally you can pick up a fish on a crankbait. Sign up to get exclusive fishing reports and special offers delivered directly to your inbox. Free-lines, planer boards and down-lines could all work depending on where and how deep the fish set up. Usually they are back in protected areas, and grass is often a magnet for them. The bite is about the same in both lakes, and right now the action seems to be better in the middle of the day and early afternoon. Nov 16, 2020. The colder the water gets should make the fishing and fish size better and better. Read more fishing reports fromSantee Cooper and other popularplacesat the AHQ Report! Fish Consumption Advisories, SCDNR at the State Depending on what they are on Brett will then turn to jerkbaits, Carolina rigs, swimbaits or spinnerbaits. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.03 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 73.78 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Call 619-224-3383. Reel in the big fish with one of our handpicked fishing reels. On all of our merchandise shallow stuff with jigs, be it grass, stumps or lily.. Early and then the June full moon may have more big santee cooper bass fishing reports shallow as well as some.. 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