Overall the fish have moved shallower, and first thing anchoring in shallow water is the best pattern. Right now it looks like the lakes are in a bit of a down cycle for crappie. raysedgwick8@yahoo.com. With warm weather and approaching Here you'll find several different species of fish, including largemouth bass, striped bass, catfish, bream and crappie. Creek channels are a great place to start. Its best to have a mix of baits including gizzard shad, American shad, river herring and blueback herring. The upper lake is slightly dingy while the lower lake is still clear in places. If it stays cold then they will stay deeper. As it warms in February fish will start to move into pre-spawn locations adjacent to where they will eventually spawn, and a few fish may even go on beds by the end of the month. Bass: Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that in February fish will still be concentrating on shad, but what lures they will be willing to eat will depend on water temperature. 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. Updates. Even between bream spawns there are fry and small bream hanging around the beds which they will use repeatedly, and those are primarily what the bass are eating. In my "Glory Days" I competed as an ESPN Bassmaster Angler. You do not have to move a quarter mile away. Waste or Abuse to SC Inspector General | During the day Stevie has had the most success drifting in 10-20 feet of water. Like the bass the crappie are moving around a lot, and even though a lot of fish had gotten shallow into the creeks by early in the week Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) discovered they had pulled back out and he was again catching them on deep brush 20-plus feet down in 30-plus feet of water. Strong summer patterns are starting to take off for bass on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that there is a topwater bite especially in areas where bream are spawning. Throughout the day drifting in 5-15 feet of water has been productive. In most major species categories the lakes have produced state or even-world record class fish. recreational fishing regulations. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.65 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 74.5 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. However, later in the month if the water temperatures reach the low to mid-50s then on warm afternoons fish will move up onto wind-blown red clay points and banks to feed. 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). 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. They provide a home to various fish species, especially Catfish. The fish they have caught have been 8-12 feet down over brush in 15-20 feet of water. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.92 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.89 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). On the other hand Captain Brett Mitchell is fishing shallower in 15-25 feet of water, drifting over hard bottoms in areas that have a pronounced drop-off. Front row cabin with either jon boat or pontoon boat rigged for fishing, including depth finder, rod holders and all Coast Guard equipment. 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. 8888. Santee at Ft. Motte. The fish they are catching are still shallow in 5 feet of water or less, and they are holding tight to grass and trees. Waste or Abuse to SC Inspector General. Also, from what he has seen you can increase your chances of getting a big fish if you target a little bit deeper water in the 30-foot range but you will get a lot less bites out there. Morning surface water temperatures are still about 79 degrees. However, the most effective pattern has typically been casting at shallow cover with jigs. Striped bass: Guide Daniel Skipper (864-430-0488) reports that in February striped bass could be found anywhere on Lake Greenwood, but the key to finding them is to locate the bait. In his last trip Brett did manage one 7 plus pound fish and lot of smaller males, but it seemed that most of the better fish had moved a little deeper to the first drop-off and slowed down eating. However, later in the mouth when water temperatures rise fish will push further into the creeks and prepare to spawn in March. Thornhill said a cold-weather mindset will help fisherman catch more bass at Santee Cooper during February, in addition to understanding the how, when and where. Again, its best to have a mix of cut baits including gizzard shad, American shad, river herring and blueback herring because fish have been showing different preferences on different days. Sitting on the shores of South Carolina's largest lake, Lake Marion, Santee State Park is one of the most popular freshwater fishing destinations in the state. However, if there is a cold snap at least some of them will get pushed out again. This time of year you will see some of the biggest stripers coming from trolling stretch 25 and Alabama rigs deep in 40-50 ft of water. Still catching plenty of catfish in 40 to 55 foot of water as well as shallower flats and creeks in 2-25 ft. For shellcracker use worms while bluegill prefer crickets and worms. Bream. Overall the fish should continue to roam the shallows for another three to four weeks as several more waves of fish come up and spawn. Hults takes Strike King co-angler victory on Guntersville. And, few lakes in the country can rival the. However, at times anchoring shallower produced better in January so be flexible. Its been an outstanding week or two for catfish on the Santee Cooper lakes, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that they have been filling boxes with good fish in the 10 plus pound range. For some reason the catfish bite has gotten really tough, and while there are some fish being caught its not unusual for anglers to strike out right now. 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. Very soon, if they have not already, some male fish should get around the banks. Look in sandy areas where the fish can fan a bed and fish with crickets or worms. He is now targeting bass following bait which will move in and out of the creeks following current. The lakes are very clear and water temperatures are in the mid-50s. 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. With a relatively mild winter the crappie fishing has not slowed down yet on Santee Cooper, and even though Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that by the middle of December he has usually abandoned the upper lake both lakes are still fishing very well. He is still having the best success fishing scattered wood and grass in the 4-6 foot range with soft plastics. You can also fish dip baits in the canal to catch a lot of fish. Fishing in Santee Cooper Catch good times in South Carolina waters! Herring, shad and mullet are all working well. 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. The best action has been in creek-like areas. 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). santee cooper bass fishing reports. (known as gator grass) in 2' to 4' of water in the protectivebackwaters Casting at diving birds with Alabama rigs or bucktails is the technique of choice. We don't do this everyday but we do our best to produce fish every day. Look for the BIRDS. If anything it has picked up in the past week. Fishing with Brett Mitchell Santee-Cooper Guide and Instructor Specializing in Trophy Size Largemouth Bass - Blue Catfish - Striped Bass (In season) CALL 803-379-7029 BrettMitchell@bellsouth.net Fishing With Brett only Uses rod holders from Facebook Messenger Welcome to the site! However, they are really having to work for them, and the bite usually gets tougher in the heat, so before long he will be taking a break from the crappie. Bass: Tournament angler Joe Anders reports that on Lake Jocassee in February the fish will still be deep, and they are mostly likely to be suspended in the channels. Casting small jigs and tight lining minnows will work the best. Heffington hammers 52-5 for two-day Guntersville victory, umbrella rig and LiveScope does the trick. Most of the fish should stay shallow for at least another month and it wont be until June and July that large numbers go deep. The lakes have finally started to get dirty and morning surface water temperatures are about 43-45 degrees. Cut herring are good for numbers while white perch will work to try for a bigger one. In the next week or two there should also start to be a topwater bite, but that really doesnt usually kick off until water temperatures hit a magic range of about 75 degrees. Lots of blues of all sizes (especially the good eating size at 3-5 lbs) mixed in with channel cats being caught. Shallower brush in 14-15 feet of water is still not producing and it has only been the trees in 20-35 feet that have produced. These include around grass, trees, and wood. null . The fish they are catching are coming on soft plastics. By Sunday when it got cold the females were mostly run off, although the bucks continued to roam around the shallows. The catfish action has been more consistent for Brett, and his last trip started out slow but they ended up catching a bunch of fish drifting a flat with stumps in 20-25 feet of water. We had to reschedule a couple times due to very bad weather. You can also anchor in 10-20 feet around likely areas such as ledges and at the mouths of the canal. Most detailed Lake Greenwood Overall its been a slow late spring for crappie, and with real summer heat on the way it probably wont be until the fall that fishing really picks up. Sign up to get exclusive fishing reports and special offers delivered directly to your inbox. 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. While he hasnt found the bass out that deep Brett is also finding that largemouth have moved out that way, and from what he has seen the best action is coming in about the 10-15 foot range. 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. Santee & Cooper River Fishing Page Morning surface water temperatures are in the 60s in many places but will drop this week. 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. Morning surface water temperatures have hit the lower 60s. What better time to reflect on our winter fishing [] It would not be surprising if someone has found a shallow anchored bite, too. Reel in the big fish with one of our handpicked fishing reels. One of these guides is Captain Brett Mitchell, who concurs that there have been good and bad days but has been targeting his efforts in 15-25 feet of water. Much of the lake is muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s. That's what's made it one of the most storied destinations in the history of professional bass fishing. We will do our best to make sure that does not happen again. Lake Marion, comprise the Santee Cooper lake system. The upper lake is slow but they are catching fish around brush in the lower lake in 25-30 feet of water. into the May full moon. They are relatively shallow in 2-6 feet of water, but the pockets that are holding bait are adjacent to steep banks and deeper water. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources - Rembert C. Dennis Building best baits. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.27 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.20 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are clear. 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