santee cooper bass fishing reports

Captain Ryan Bostian called in with an announcement. Mossy Oak Fishing Report: Bassmaster Elite Series Santee Cooper, 49 - The Pursuit of a Turkey in Every State Across the Country, Bill Lowen Fishes Various Lures at Santee Cooper Bassmaster Tournament, Brandon Palaniuk Catches His Biggest Bass in the Santee Cooper Tournament, Brandon Palaniuk's Preparation for the Santee Cooper Bass Tournament, Bill Lowen Explains His Lures and Equipment for the Santee Cooper Tournament, John W. Weeks: Conservation Legend, 20-Million-Acre Man, Mossy Oak Joins The Given Right as Title Sponsor, Launches New Digital Series, The History of the Legendary Bayou Meto WMA, A Comprehensive Guide to Buying Rural Land. One day the fishing will be good and the next day it will be slow, but overall the best fishing is coming in the upper lake. The crappie fishing is basically fair right now, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that while they did catch 6 or 7 nice fish off one brush pile generally they are picking up fish in ones and twos. Or enjoy Free Shipping on orders over $50! santee cooper bass Fishing Reports For up-to-date information, look up the fishing report for the water of your choice. Bass: Tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that the pattern in January will depend on water conditions, and if the water is dirty then throwing a crankbait around the banks is likely to be the most effective pattern. During the day Stevie is having the best success drifting in 15-25 feet of water with 20 feet the key depth. Spring is generally the best time to target Bass from shore, but you can hook into something good any day of the year. Fishing in the upper lake is winding down. Another forgotten gem of these lakes is Largemouth Bass. 10 ponders are not uncommon in the spring. Live herring and shad will work the best. 267 sold . The lakes are extremely clear for Santee and morning surface water temperatures have dropped to about 59 degrees. The town of Pinopolis is located on a peninsula on Lake Moultrie. And you can take up to 20 of these beauties home with you, too. His best performance was Day Three, when he sacked 27 pounds 7 ounces to claim a good spot in the top 10, although he never brought less than 21-10 to the scales. Tight lines. You dont want to fish large, flats pockets like the ones fish would spawn on. The catfishing here is so good, in fact, that Santee Cooper Bass fishing often gets overlooked. It took me like 45 minutes to get that giant in. Now that fall is near Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) is back after the crappie, and even though he has had a few good days there are also times when the fishing is slow. We use cookies on our website to give you the best shopping experience. Its not the way he prefers to catch them, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass on Santee Cooper have moved deeper and hes now having to target fish in 8-15 feet. It shouldnt be long until fish start to move into the creeks following shad and become catchable on topwater lures, swimbaits and square-billed crankbaits. It took 10 pounds to win the 3-fish limit Sunday Showdown Series tournament this weekend. There are a few different ways to catch catfish right now, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that for him the cold front seems to have put off the blue catfish bite. In colder conditions they will move deeper and towards the bottom, while in warmer conditions they often move more towards the creeks and shallower. Santee-Cooper Fishing Seasons January The subtropical climate of South Carolina makes Santee Cooper the place to be for some fishing action. Santee Cooper (Lake Marion & Lake Moultrie) Fishing Report. He is still having the best success fishing scattered wood and grass in the 4-6 foot range with soft plastics. November December 2005 The largemouth bass have been hitting very well the past couple of trips. We caught a 47lb blue catfish along with several other weighing over 30. Most detailed Lake Jocassee Everything he is catching is coming around scattered wood and grass in the 4-6 foot range. Waste or Abuse to SC Inspector General. With the full moon there should be a bream bed bite right now, but Brett says he has been looking but really hasnt found one. Thats why catfishing here is often ranked among the best in the country. please come prepared with a 25 lb rod a a 40 lb rod and a 50-80 lb rod. From the Wateree River, across the flats of Lake Marion, to the open waters of Lake Moultrie and beyond, the fishing is exceptional. Morning surface water temperatures are mostly in the low to mid-70s. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.90 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.48 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Drifting mid-depths has not been productive, although that could change as temperatures settle into winter patterns. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.51 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 74.53 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Santee Cooper water levels are up to 73.77 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.59 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). His boat is having the most success with herring. It seems as if the majority of the fish are post-spawn. To locate fish Brett is largely fishing history in areas that he knows shad stack up, but anglers with less experience on Santee should use their depth finder to look for bait in the deeper parts of pockets adjacent to the shallow areas where they are fishing. Check out his website, fishingwithbrett.com and take a look around. The bass are not on every piece of cover. As we are between moon phases at the moment, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that the shallow breambite is a little off but they are getting nice numbers of bluegills around brush on crickets. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.46 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.3 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). 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. Catfish are moving into the upper and lower ends of the After some really good catfish action a couple of weeks ago the bite has gotten tougher on Santee Cooper, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that it certainly seems like the last cold front put the fish off. When the fish arent on top they can be caught down-lining for suspended for fish or looking for striper that are stacked up on the bottom. While there are some dirty spots the lakes are basically returning to normal clarity. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for getting in touch, were happy to answer any questions you have! Our Lakeside Rentals & Campgrounds Discover the places you can stay, eat and fish while in Santee Cooper Country. Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm. After our 3 hour drift everyone onboard had either landed or fought and released a fish of a lifetime. The 5-foot range is a good starting point. These include around grass, trees, and wood. Read This Before Posting! document.getElementById( "ak_js_7" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Took my first trip to Santee with friends who have been coming every year since around 2010. Book a trip with Captain Bill and fully enjoy the opportunity of a lifetime. document.getElementById( "ak_js_38" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_39" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FishingBooker.com. This is critical. He wasnt the only Mossy Oak performer to get to compete for all four days: If youre headed to Santee Cooper in mid- to late-March, be sure to bring some pre-spawn staples like jerkbaits, vibrating jigs and Carolina Rigs, just to keep the bass honest, but in normal weather years expect the masses of fish to be super-shallow, looking to reproduce. Casting at diving birds with Alabama rigs or bucktails is the technique of choice. Sonny's blood bait and Murrells stink bait are your best baits. There are also a few fish being caught on brush piles, but the majority of the fish seem to be suspended offshore where they are chasing bait. Brush piles, fallen trees, standing timber, and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources - Rembert C. Dennis Building 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. Herring has been out-fishing everything else. In fact, they stayed within the state of South Carolina. Learn more. He switched over to catching channel catfish, and on dip baits they have been wearing them out in the canal. Catfish: Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that in January water temperatures should get below 50 degrees, and that means some of the biggest fish of the year will be caught. The fish they are catching are coming on soft plastics. Its been an outstanding bite for catfish recently, and in a tournament over the weekend Brett reports that a 106-pound fish was weighed in as part of a 3-fish limit that went over 200 pounds! Cut perch and chicken have both been working about the same for him. Updates. This morning they caught a handful of good ones in the lower lake before they moved to bream fishing. south carolina santee cooper By adbassfishing April 22, 2019 in Southeast Bass Fishing Followers Reply to this topic Start new topic 36 Posted April 22, 2019 I am planning on going to Santee this Friday for the first time in my boat. There are even some fish up on the banks looking for spawning locations, and so right now you can fish about any shallow pattern for crappie. 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. On the last trip they managed a couple of 40-pound fish, a 30-, and so on. Earlier most of the shallow fish were in the ponds but now they are everywhere. We had 13 on 1 trip and 9 on the next. On the shallower side Captain Brett Mitchell continues to catch fish in 15-25 feet of water. He is now targeting bass following bait which will move in and out of the creeks following current. Striper fishermen on the Santee Cooper lakes catch plenty of nice fish in May using live shad or herring, but drifting cut baits can also put some nice blue catfish in your cooler at the end of the day. The best bite will be in the middle of the day when the water is warmest. The striper bite is still going pretty good even with the colder weather coming in. On Sept. 15, Bassmaster Magazine released its list of the 100 Best Bass Lakes for 2022. The lakes are clear and water temperatures range from about 82 in the morning up to about 85. 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. The fish are tearing up river herring right now. 1000 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201 Its a pretty simple pattern for catfish right now, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that early you need to be anchoring in shallow water. 100 pounds over 4 days is possible. The lakes have either zero or negligible populations of spotted and smallmouth bass. 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. Shad mainly but we are starting to see the big schools of menhaden. Team Supreme. With a full moon occurring during the tournament, that led most anglers away from pre-spawn staging areas and into backwaters and shallow flats facing the bank and retaining heat. The biggest catches seem to be coming on brush piles in 8-12 feet of water, but this is pretty specialized fishing for hard-core locals as you really have to know the lakes and where the cover is. Still havent made up your mind about going fishing on Santee Cooper? He notes that they have been topping of plenty of coolers this week. The lakes are still very clear and morning surface water temperatures are down to the mid-50s. Click here for 30 day free trial! Trolling numbers have been a bit down this week but that will also work. torpedo sinker rubber banded above a 2/0 circle hook on 50-80 lb. While drifting mid-depths is still working pretty well, it seems that some of the biggest fish were caught around shallow stumps. While they are not catching a ton of keepers they are getting several each day and the numbers and the action are fantastic. The current state record blue catfish (109-4 caught in 1991) was caught in the Tailrace Canal below Santee Cooper and held the world record until 1996.As would be expected to support so many trophy-caliber fisheries, the Santee Cooper lakes have an extensive forage base. However, the most effective pattern has typically been casting at shallow cover with jigs. Weighted Bass Rig Fishing Hooks, 2 Size Rig Fishing Hooks, Bass 2 Size Rig Fishing Hooks, Crappie. 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. Level: 07.18.21. Both lakes are clear and water temperatures are in the upper 70s in the morning and low 80s by the afternoons. However, if there is a hard cold front then fish will hunker down and move into deeper water where they will be caught fishing right off the bottom on minnows and jigs. When temperatures are cold and the water is relatively clear a jigging spoon can be effective. Information on fishing trends provided courtesy of www.anglersheadquarters.com/, South Carolina's premier A cagey few mixed in some pre-spawn action and by the end of the tournament a few competitors were even targeting fry-guarders. What triggers turkeys to gobble? Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.13 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.04 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). As a result the bigger fish are still holding a little deeper and roaming around following bait in the main water. Morning surface water temperatures have hit the lower 60s. At night he has been anchoring in shallow water, and in the canal area he is looking for somewhere just out of the current when he sets anchor. This is one of the nations favorite freshwater fish, and the lakes have plenty of these bad boys on offer. Bring a chair and cooler, along with your best pal, and kick back with a day of fishing. Worms are the ticket. The five major bait species in the lakes are gizzard shad, threadfin shad, American shad, blueback herring, and menhaden, which immigrate and emigrate from the lakes based on seasonal patterns. The bass patterns are mostly unchanged on Santee, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that one thing which can create some variation during a generally stable, hot period is a mayfly hatch. In his estimation the catfish action has slowed down a little on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the fish he is catching have shifted from about 15-25 feet out to more like the 30-35 foot range. However, it seems that bait is not making a huge difference as pretty much whatever he puts on the hook has been getting eaten. Largemouth Bass Spawn Water Temperature and Moon Phase. Overall, based on what he is seeing the fish are still very spread out. He has been targeting the flats in between the turns in the river bed on Lake Marion. document.getElementById( "ak_js_24" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Love to get some guides to call at the best lakes. Look for gull and pelicans diving on the menhaden. Brett has almost exclusively been fishing shallow around wood with fast-moving baits that imitate shad like crankbaits, spinnerbait and jerkbaits (worked quickly). We use cookies on our website to give you the best shopping experience. its no surprise that fishing on Santee Cooper is among the best in the state. How are creel limits counted on a private boat with more than one licensed fisherman? Everything here is built for tourism, so take advantage of some of the finest hospitality on offer in Santee Cooper. Thi. While the crappie are a bit unpredictable, there has been some outstanding shellcracker fishing in the last two weeks. This adds a real sense of mystery when fishing, especially at dawn or dusk. 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