Level: 07.18.21. The photo under the title Cross is not a picture of Cross SC. 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. Yellow Bass - Fair: Start shallow with a small jig or jigging spoon tipped with several spikes or a waxworm. Open 5:30 AM As is often the case there are several different ways to catch catfish on Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports the best action he has found has been in very deep water from 25 out to 50 feet. Sign up to get exclusive fishing reports and special offers delivered directly to your inbox. They will be after the bream again this weekend and will report back. Crickets are working for bluegill, while minnows are working for crappie. Good to hear they are getting shallow there. If December is any indication they will continue to move around a lot, and one day you could find a big school in one area but then overnight it could be 5 or 6 miles away. I probably caught 90 percent of the bass I weighed in during the week flipping soft plastics and 10 percent on the Compact spinner bait. The local Striper population fell victim to over-fishing in the mid and late 20th century, but theyre now heavily protected with strict seasons. We're at the shows and conventions checking out gear so you don't have to. 5. The reasons arent exactly clear, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass fishing is tougher than its supposed to be. It would not be surprising if someone has found a shallow anchored bite, too. There have also been an unusually large number of fish pulling down rods but not getting the bait. Top water and swim baits will work good. Copyright 1997-2023 The Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide LLC All rights reserved. Water color is off in a lot of areas, but those areas I mention here are good to fair and really fishable. Santee Cooper water levels are at 73.71 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 72.64 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). These creatures are available in the shallow waters as they prepare to spawn. Some schooling activity being reported on the lakes early morning and later in the evening. Whatever youre looking for from your freshwater fishing adventure, Santee Cooper has it and more! Brush piles, fallen trees, standing timber, and However, this week the patterns have changed and some cool, windy weather has pulled the fish out just a little. Courtney (843-753-2731) said that bass fishing is also excellent in April, with a lot of fish moving in to spawn. Thanks for reading and for your question. They are still getting a lot of pull-downs but the fish wont commit as well. As water temperatures approach and then reach the magic mark of 60 degrees, bass have their minds on one thing spawning. Morning surface water temperatures are around 87-88 degrees. Cut herring are good for numbers while white perch will work to try for a bigger one. Still havent made up your mind about going fishing on Santee Cooper? 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. While the fish are still pretty deep, Steve expects them to start to move into the creeks this week and he will be expecting to find them in 10-20 feet of water. About half of the field had over 100 pounds of fish, and so they are biting really well right now. But its a good bet they will pull back. 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. 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. By Cut perch and chicken have both been working about the same for him. I was fishing a flat and spotted a brush pile off to the side of my boat. The warm weather is already improving the fishing, and they caught their fish in 2-3 feet of water around hard cover like natural wood or planted brush that absorbs and radiates some heat. THE DRAGON SHAD DEMON - THE ULTIMATE IN LINE CATFISH FLOAT - SANTEE COOPER RIG . data-event-category="Navigation header guest". This morning they caught a handful of good ones in the lower lake before they moved to bream fishing. It seemed that some of the biggest fish came on Lake Marion, but there were also a lot of people who struck out in the upper lake. 39 anglers caught 22 Bluefin to 30 lbs, 11 Dorado, Mexican Limits on Yellowtail. Just before the last new moon they could literally see the fish moving onto beds in droves. The Angelina River feeds Rayburn, which sprawls out into a typical Texas lowland impoundment that features timber, bushes, submerged hydrilla, plenty of bank vegetation, and, of course, lots of legendary Texas "drains" or ditches that are renowned for producing giant bass. update the fishing reports each week through the fishing season, reporting on fishing success, You wont be able to fish for any of these beauties in the summer months. In the fall, your best bet is to look for migrating baitfish that youll see in smaller groups. 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! Fishing is pretty good everywhere, and the new pattern is that there are starting to be a lot of fish caught shallow drifting in 12-15 feet of water on the ledges near deep water. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_16" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for reading and for your question. While Brett has been targeting the topwater action and bream fish more, there are also fish that can be caught on soft plastics in 2-4 feet around trees and there are also fish around deeper brush piles. Anglers are catching them all over the lake A large number of crappie are spawning on Santee, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that certainly not all of them are. The AHQ Report is your source for exclusive fishing reports, tournament updates, and more! Reports vary but there are some indications that the upper lake is fishing a little better than the lower lake right now. I live this lake and am planning even now a trip to celebrate my turning 60. Read now. Skinneydippers, big easy, canethumpers, Flukes, and 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 upper lake is getting dirty, while the lower lake is relatively clear once you get away from the mouth of the canal. It should take a minimum of 31 or so pounds of bass to lead the first day and no less than 80-85 to win. This weekend Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) has several trips for crappie again after some time off, and his best guess is that the fish will be scattered 10-20 feet down over middle depth to deep brush. 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. Some of the biggest ones have been coming in the 20-22 foot range. And then getting them to feed can also be a challenge. Generally the fish are 8-10 feet down. Meanwhile, you can target them year-round in Lake Moultrie too. If you do fancy going out on foot, your best bet is to hit the canal between the two lakes. Water temperatures are in the low 60s and there is some dirty water rolling into the lakes. In the lakes, drifting across clay & mussel shell bars in 4' to 8' of water using cut bait are catching the bigger fish . Prior to the Weeks Act of 1911, the citizenry of the Republic owned no large land tracts in the eastern United States. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.22 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 73.99 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Santee Cooper water levels are at 73.67 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.31 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). 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. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.21 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 74.19 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). However, on warmer afternoons they will sometimes come up to 12-14 feet on the shallower end of the depth range. You can explore a number of guides in the area on FishingBooker. Big worms, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs will all work around brush. 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. Striper and hybrids: Little River Guide Service (706-210-3474) reports that during January fish may get harder to catch in cold conditions. It sounds like quite a productive trip. 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. Striped bass: Captain Rodger Taylor (803-517-7828) reports that in January there should continue to be lots of 3- to 7-pound striper caught on the lower end of the lake around birds. recreational fishing regulations. Anyone interested in Santee-Cooper should give guide Brett Mitchell a call to set up a trip. Some schooling in shallowflats has Salt water Bushy Park. Updates. Moultrie is the smaller of the two . Fishing among the cypress trees and around lily pads is the key to catching shellcrackers like this one in the Santee swamps. Spread them out and different depths and speeds until you get a pattern. Its been a bit of a mystery why the bluegill and crappie have been holding so deep so consistently for so long on the Santee Cooper lakes, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that he thinks it is related to how clear the lakes are right now. Mullet are also present at times. Brett is trying to drift over hard bottoms in areas that have a pronounced drop-off. Explore the flooded cypress forest which is a haven for all kinds of fish year-round. Had some breakers over the bow. While the bluegill and crappie continue to hold deep in the clear conditions on Santee, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the bite is still really good around offshore brush piles. Remember the limit is 3 per personwith a length being 26" With warm weather and approaching However, if there is a cold snap at least some of them will get pushed out again. One fish reigns supreme in the Santee Cooper lakes, and thats Catfish. Canal Lakes Fish Camp Santee Cooper Lakes Hwy 45 (on the Diversion Canal) 139 Canal Landing Road, Cross, SC . Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.41 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.31 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Where would we stay? 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. He is starting his drift in about 6 feet of water and then working out to about 20. 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. Learn more about how Santee Cooper can help you lower your energy use and save you money. Call 619-224-3383. They are still biting pretty well, and he is having success drifting both chicken and herring. It took 10 pounds to win the 3-fish limit Sunday Showdown Series tournament this weekend. Bass Top water baits and swimbaits are turning on with some furocious explosive bites, Stripers Season is open October 1st good catches have been coming in and the fish are schooling. The bluegill are also still piled up on the same brush, and they are catching some really nice bream on crickets. 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