From 1939 to 1942 the lakes were created in a hydroelectric project by the South Carolina Public Service Authority, commonly known as Santee Cooper.The lakes vary from shallow swamps at the upper end of both lakes (but most famously Lake Marion) to the vastness of Lake Moultrie 14 miles across at its widest point and appearing to be a great, open bowl. 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. The shallow bite has been better in the evenings, and that should stay true through the weekend. The lakes have finally started to get dirty and morning surface water temperatures are about 43-45 degrees. Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 60s and while the mud is coming its still only dingy in the lakes. Right now its slower than last year at this time. When the fish are very shallow they will take spinnerbaits, shallow-running crankbaits and other baits worked quickly, while when they pull out medium-running crankbaits and Rattle Traps are good. barsin 4' to 8' of water using cut bait are catching the bigger fish . The upper lake is getting dirty, while the lower lake is relatively clear once you get away from the mouth of the canal. Bass: Guide Jerry Kotal (706-988-0860) reports that early in February bass should still be caught deeper in the main lake and at the mouths of creeks around the bait schools where other species including perch are feeding. In the lakes he is looking for a ledge or stumps or something else that will provide the fish with a place to hold. shallow waters around grass beds of bullrushes being the best. 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. This includes spinnerbaits, swimbaits and crankbaits. Some schooling in shallowflats has And then getting them to feed can also be a challenge. If anything it has picked up in the past week. Trolling. The new moon was a week ago and the full moon is not until next week. West Columbia, SC 29172. 843-753-2271 Morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 80s. Learn more. with 69 fish. 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. Phone Numbers | Accessibility | recreational fishing regulations. Striped bass: Captain Brad Taylor (803-331-1354) reports that water conditions will determine where the action is in February on Lake Murray. When that happens the fish retreat to the first break, and they will set up around some type of structure like a brush pile or tree in 4-8 feet of water. The crappie still havent really turned on as water temperatures need to drop a few more degrees, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they are picking up decent numbers of fish by looking at deeper brush. 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). Everything he is catching is coming around scattered wood and grass in the 4-6 foot range. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.22 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.18 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The state record and one-time world record is a 5-pound, 71/2-ounce fish caught in the Diversion Canal in 1998. Lots of fish 15 to 30lbs. He has had the best luck drifting in 10-20 feet of water on cut herring, while Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) is concentrating more on the 15-20 foot range. 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. He has had the best luck drifting in 10-20 feet of water on cut herring, although at night he is finding much better fishing out deep in 25-40 feet. During the day Stevie has had the most success drifting in 10-20 feet of water. Santee Cooper water levels are at 73.92 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.75 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). . You dont want to fish large, flats pockets like the ones fish would spawn on. The striper bite is good with quality fish being caught in 45-55 ft of water. Crews signature series) shallow around trees for post spawn. Bass. Minnows are still working the best. Numerous species are spawning at Santee this month. frogs and buzzbaits are working well, Brushhogs, Texas rigged worms, Senko's fished slow, Series 1 Bandit , 1.5 KVD Strike King, and Spro (John Still catching plenty of catfish in 40 to 55 foot of water as well as shallower flats and creeks in 2-25 ft. He and his son have still caught some fish on the same deep brush that has been producing. 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. Diverse fishery also offers excellent largemouth, catfish, Crappie and bream. The upper lake is slow but they are catching fish around brush in the lower lake in 25-30 feet of water. The key to locating bass is finding bait, and when located they will take Alabama rigs, jerkbaits, small jigging spoons and more. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.08 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 73.96 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Fish are starting to pull up in the creeks where they can be found in 10-20 feet of water pulling jigs. Overall fish should continue to be caught on free-lines, planer boards and by casting at birds, but there should also still be a down-line bite for deeper fish. With warm weather and approaching Crickets and minnows are the best baits. Worms are hard to beat. 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. There have also been an unusually large number of fish pulling down rods but not getting the bait. 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. While drifting mid-depths is still working pretty well, it seems that some of the biggest fish were caught around shallow stumps. Skinneydippers, big easy, canethumpers, Flukes, and Morning surface water temperatures have hit the lower 60s. Brett also reports that a few people like him are drifting for bigger fish, again in shallow water. They are around brush piles, drop offs, and shell bars. Live bait and jigging spoons are both working. Congaree at Columbia. Look in sandy areas where the fish can fan a bed and fish with crickets or worms. 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. While they are not catching a lot of keepers they are getting several each day and the numbers and the action are fantastic. Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.40 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.82 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and both lakes are muddy. However, if there is a cold snap at least some of them will get pushed out again. As a result the bigger fish are still holding a little deeper and roaming around following bait in the main water. Stevies boat has also been drifting in 10-25 feet of water and finding a good bite during the day, but he has heard reports of drifting out to 40 feet and catching fish. These fish are still loaded up with eggs and they expect it to be a few more weeks until the spawn is played out. shows,5 radio interviews,65 major newspaper . 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. If you follow this pattern during April, I promise you're going to catch catfish and even maybe a monster. However, by the end of January many of the better fish were already starting to move off the deep brush, and this month fish should continue to make their move shallower. Depending on what they are on Brett will then turn to jerkbaits, Carolina rigs, swimbaits or spinnerbaits. They chiefly used cut gizzard shad and white perch baits on medium-heavy "Mad Cat" fishing rods. 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! Reel in the big fish with one of our handpicked fishing reels. Some monster catfish were caught in the Big Cat Brawl over the weekend on Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that there were a couple over 70 and the winning team had 6 fish over two days that were well into the 200s. In contrast, to catch a bigger fish concentrate on shallower water. 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. Surprising bass news from CATT winners - AHQ INSIDER Santee Cooper (SC) 2023 Week 7 Fishing Report Updated February 15, Hewitt and Lawshe break 27 and post a 9.41(!) We are at about the mid-point of the crappie spawn on Santee Cooper, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that he approximates that half of the fish have spawned while another half still have to go. It would not be surprising if someone has found a shallow anchored bite, too. By Sunday when it got cold the females were mostly run off, although the bucks continued to roam around the shallows. Its still a good catfish bite on Santee Cooper, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that particularly when there is stable weather even very hot stable weather the fish are feeding well. South Carolina Santee Cooper Lakes fishing charters, fishing guide, Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie. Santee Cooper has thousands of acres of inundated cypress trees, various kinds of vegetation and all sorts of fish-holding habitat. Most detailed Lake Monticello Updates. Closed now : See all hours. Examples of information returns include, but are not limited to, the following. Their depth will vary, and the best way to target them is with a double minnow rig fished vertically. 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. Button Text All RV Sites have plenty of parking for vehicles and boats. 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. The 5-foot range is a good starting point. He's catching his share, including some big ones, among the Santee cypress trees. Crappie. Step aboard a 23' Epic powered by a 200 HP Suzuki engine. Reports of 23' to 30' drifting along ledges have been productive also. But its a good bet they will pull back. Suspend over the fish with live bait of drift cut shad and herring with Santee cooper rigs in the deep channels. Right now it looks like the lakes are in a bit of a down cycle for crappie. While there are tons of little fish out in very deep water, the best action has generally come drifting Santee-style in 25-35 feet of water. Its a good idea to have both. "In four feet of water, they can be feeding just 18 inches deep. So, why go fishing on Santee Cooper? The Big Cat Brawl with $10,000 on the line is on Santee this weekend, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he expects a lot of catfish to be caught. These are really big fish that are busting with eggs, and they are getting very close to spawning. The lakes are clear and water temperatures range from about 82 in the morning up to about 85. Morning surface water temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees.
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