Santee Cooper water levels are up to 73.91 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.7 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). With the full moon this past weekend the bream fishing was decent, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that in the end the May full moon seems to have been kind of in-between. Our top priority is to satisfy. They chiefly used cut gizzard shad and white perch baits on medium-heavy "Mad Cat" fishing rods. Winning results were as follows: AHQ INSIDER Santee Cooper (SC) 2023 Week 8 Fishing Report Updated February 24. South Carolina Fishing Reports. Casting at diving birds with Alabama rigs or bucktails is the technique of choice. He has been targeting the flats in between the turns in the river bed on Lake Marion. For shellcracker use worms while bluegill prefer crickets and worms. Morning surface water temperatures range wildly from the mid-50s on the lower lake in the big water to the mid-60s in protected backwater ponds. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources - Rembert C. Dennis Building 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 catfish action has been pretty good on Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that even though he has found good fishing in 25-40 feet of water at the moment he would suggest starting in shallow water and then eliminating that before heading deeper. The catfish action is still a little slow on Santee, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that if you work hard you can still put a nice box of fish in the boat. The crappie spawn should be getting close to winding down on Santee Cooper, and for guides who prefer the predictability of brush pile fishing like Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) it couldnt come soon enough! A lot of times only a 100-yard move will do. There are mixed signals on the catfish action, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that most days it seems like the fish are feeding pretty well. Catfish: Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that February should be a very good month for catfish on Lake Thurmond. Casting small jigs and tight lining minnows will work the best. Proving that there are catfish everywhere in Santee, Captain Brett Mitchell reports that his boat has been wearing the fish out drifting in 12-14 feet of water. The reasons arent exactly clear, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass fishing is tougher than its supposed to be. Right now minnows are working better most days, but you should also have a chartreuse, straight-tail jig ready just in case. Or enjoy Free Shipping on orders over $50! But the bite has been very good, and yesterday they caught 29 crappie in the upper lake and 50 bluegill and 8 crappie the day before in the lower lake. By the end of the month fish should be starting to think more about pre-spawn patterns and moving shallower. Their depth will vary, and the best way to target them is with a double minnow rig fished vertically. best baits. View Santee Cooper Lakes Fishing Reports. Fishing Guides During this time frame anglers can harvest three stripers that measure . CATT Santee Cooper Spring Qualifiertook place this Saturday, and there were some incredible weights at the top. recreational fishing regulations. 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. Fish will feed best in the warmest areas and crankbaits and jigs should both be effective. The crappie fishing has improved marginally, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that its still not where he would like it to be. When the water cools then the brush bite for bream should pick up, and the canal should fill up with shellcracker. 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. Santee Park Store NOW OPEN Current Weather Conditions on Lake Marion at Santee State Park Santee State Park offers cabins, camping, biking, hiking, boating and fishing in the heart of one of the nation's best-known outdoors destinations - Santee Cooper Country. with 69 fish. Crappie: Captain Brad Taylor reports that in February fish should feed better as the spawn will be rapidly approaching. West Columbia, SC 29172. The Santee striper fishing report for early June 2022 is plenty good. Morning surface water temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees. Herring is his bait of choice. Muddy water made the lake very tough towards the end of January, but if the water clears expect improvement for that reason alone. They are around brush piles, drop offs, and shell bars. Most detailed Lake Hartwell The catfish bite has been pretty good this week on Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he continues to find the best action in deep water. About half of the field had over 100 pounds of fish, and so they are biting really well right now. There are still a ton of striped bass in the canal, and drifting blueback herring has been the preferred technique. Made up of Lake Marion to the west and Lake Moultrie to the east, Santee Cooper was not only ranked as the third-best bass fishing lake in the country in Bassmaster's annual list of 100 Best Bass Lakes in 2021, but was also named the 23rd-best lake of the decade in 2020. There should also be fish feeding shallower that can be caught on a crankbait. The crappie are starting to move around on the lakes, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that there are not as many fish on the deep brush piles as there were a week ago. This week the sweet spot has generally been 14-18 feet down over 20-35 feet of water. Swimbaits can also work. To fill a cooler with eating size catfish Captain Stevie reports that his boat is drifting with herring in 15-30 feet of water, and they have found a pretty fast bite for channels and smaller blues. 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 big bream and crappie are still on the deeper brush in 28-35 ft in huge numbers. Catfish are moving into the upper and lower ends of the The state record and one-time world record is a 5-pound, 71/2-ounce fish caught in the Diversion Canal in 1998. He switched over to catching channel catfish, and on dip baits they have been wearing them out in the canal. Fears set the B.A.S.S. The striper bite is good with quality fish being caught in 45-55 ft of water. Find the bait and youll find the fish. Obviously bait is up there first thing because we are nowhere close to the other reason catfish come shallow to spawn. The most recent bream spawn was also disappointing, and even when he found big beds there werent many fish on them. Step aboard a 23' Epic powered by a 200 HP Suzuki engine. Check if there's an unpleasant odor that arrives from the lake. 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. In the lakes he is looking for a ledge or stumps or something else that will provide the fish with a place to hold. Cross 23 ft 4 persons. 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. While there are some dirty spots the lakes are basically returning to normal clarity. Live Chat. They are also catching some good bream on the same brush. We're having some really good trips lately. Overall the action for catfish has been a little off-and-on at Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that the weather has certainly not helped with a mix of wind and rain in the past week before it got prettier. Water temperatures have gotten cool enough that fish are really starting to move around again, and as the shad just start to get into the creeks the bass should not be far behind. Multiple species of fish are in spawning mode, with stripers, largemouth bass and crappie in their annual reproductive rituals. Updates. 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. For shellcracker use worms while bluegill prefer crickets and worms. Right now its slower than last year at this time. Despite recent rains the lakes remain relatively clear and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s. webmaster@dnr.sc.gov, State If anything it has picked up in the past week. When the fish are up shallow then Brett is pretty much fishing with Senkos and other soft plastics, although in windy conditions he will also fish a spinnerbait. The bream catch is still at best sporadic, but Captain Stevie English reports that they are still catching some nice crappieeven though they are having to work for them. Give Captain Darryl's Guide Service a call at 803-367-6275. Front row cabin with either jon boat or pontoon boat rigged for fishing, including depth finder, rod holders and all Coast Guard equipment. The lakes are dingy in places but not muddy, about right for this time of year, and morning surface water temperatures are about 52-53 degrees. detailed Santee Cooper System Updates. Even though its not wide open the crappie fishing has really picked up, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they are catching fish 10-22 feet down over brush in 30 plus feet of water. Read more fishing reports fromSantee Cooper and other popularplacesat the AHQ Report! Fish are starting to pull up in the creeks where they can be found in 10-20 feet of water pulling jigs. While the striped bass do not seem to be schooling right now on Santee Cooper, Captain Steve English reports that in the lower lake they have been catching a ton of fish deep. The fish are already starting to spawn in shallow water around grass but numbers are about to go way up. Button Text All RV Sites have plenty of parking for vehicles and boats. It seems as if the majority of the fish are post-spawn. While the topwater bite should be taking off Brett hasnt really found very much, and he characterizes it as only sporadic.. Some of the fish have already started to spawn while others are shallow looking for spawning areas. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. 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. Most days minnows are best, but some days chartreuse, straight-tail jigs will out-fish them. Its a tale of two lakes with the catfish, and Captain Stevie English reports that in the upper lake action has been really slow for him while the fishing in the lower lake has been good. wigglers and crickets are the best baits. Red wigglers are hard to beat. Long lining the deeper creeks are starting to produce some crappie. Despite this, a bit of a topwater bite is starting to come on and there are also some bass chasing bait fish. outside structure 15' to 25'. They are dirt shallow, and today just fishing while waiting for a camera guy Brett has caught a bunch of fish in no more than a foot or two of water. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.31 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.57 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Lunkers are still in shallow, with a little spawning In the lakes, drifting across clay &mussel shell The fish are still on deeper brush and wood in 20-35 feet, and on his last trip out Steve caught a bunch of fish including five over 2 pounds. The shallows are full of channel catfish, and late in the day, at night and early you can catch big blues that have come up there to feed by anchoring cut bait. Updates. As Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) predicted last week, temperatures have now gotten to the point where some bass have actually started spawning activity particularly in the protected backwater ponds that warm up fastest. Shop by brand or reel type. Early in the month they will take minnows fished around deeper schools of bait, while later in the month they will be caught trolling in the creeks as they begin to stage for the spawn. Field staff update the fishing reports each week through the fishing season, reporting on fishing success, lake levels, water temperatures, and other important information. Brett is trying to drift over hard bottoms in areas that have a pronounced drop-off. Look for bait and fish then set your baits right above your marks. Waste or Abuse to SC Inspector General | However, it seems that bait is not making a huge difference as pretty much whatever he puts on the hook has been getting eaten. His son Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) is catching them in about 25-30 feet of water. Water temperatures are likely to drop as much as 10-15 degrees in the shallow lake with this hard freeze, and he expects bass to run out of the shallows like their houses are on fire. 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