Santee Cooper water levels are up to 73.87 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.75 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Live herring and shad will work the best. If the lake remains dirty fish will continue to feed best in the muddiest areas. 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). fish. They will be caught on jigging spoons, drop shots and jigs. Catfish: Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that drifting cut herring, shad or white perch in mid-depths should be the best pattern in February. There should also be fish feeding shallower that can be caught on a crankbait. Warmer water is often found at the very backs of the creeks on Santee Cooper, and as a result Captain Brett Mitchell(803-379-7029) reports that a lot of bait is also back there right now. Right in front of Blacks there has been some good fishing in 10 feet and at the same depth anywhere out of Russellville the same is true. USGS Link. The best bite will be in the middle of the day when the water is warmest. fishing report source, where right now you can sign up for 30 days of free access to more in-depth fishing The best patterns for blue catfish seem to be anchoring early and then drifting during the day in 10-30 feet of water. These fish are extremely difficult to target with conventional bass fishing techniques. When conditions warmed up again they started to move back into the creeks, and with up-and-down early spring conditions Steve characterizes the fish as scattered and confused. 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. Field staff update the fishing reports each week through the fishing season, reporting on fishing success, lake levels, water temperatures, and other important information. Catfish: Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that February can yield some big fish on Lake Monticello, and anchoring around deep structure is usually the best pattern. 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. Fishing in Santee Cooper Catch good times in South Carolina waters! 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. 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. 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. Fish will often be adjacent to steep banks and 8-15 feet of water, but the best concentration of catchable fish is shallower in 4-6 feet of water. Tight-lining for suspended fish up the rivers should be effective and as the month progresses fish will move into the creeks. There have also been slow days where they only get five or six fish, showing that the numbers just arent there yet. 1000 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201 Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 60s and while the mud is coming its still only dingy in the lakes. Just before the last new moon they could literally see the fish moving onto beds in droves. He notes that they have been topping of plenty of coolers this week. This includes spinnerbaits, swimbaits and crankbaits. Fishing in the upper lake is winding down. Cut white perch and gizzard shad are typically the best baits. been reported catching them on Spooks and Pencil Poppers. He has been targeting the flats in between the turns in the river bed on Lake Marion. The reasons arent exactly clear, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass fishing is tougher than its supposed to be. Again, a topwater bite should be taking off Brett hasnt really found very much, and he characterizes it as only sporadic.. 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! three-day weight record at 77-4 and the five-fish daily limit mark of 34-4. When water temperatures hit about 50 degrees then the creek bite should really turn on. Anglers seem to either be on them or not, and in this weeks Sunday Showdown Series the best 3-fish limit was an impressive 18 pounds. Worms are best for shellcracker while bluegill will also take crickets. Much of the lake is muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s. 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. The Santee Cooper Lakes are filled with a wide variety of fish for all levels of sportsman. Here you'll find several different species of fish, including largemouth bass, striped bass, catfish, bream and crappie. On the other hand the catfish are not a fan of the warm weather, and the bite has generally been erratic. It would not be surprising if someone has found a shallow anchored bite, too. SUMMERTON -- Strong winds and inclement weather forced MLF tournament officials to cancel Day 3 of competition Saturday, April 9, at the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. However, many anglers overlook it as an effective method to catch bass. Everyone over the age of 16 will need a South Carolina fishing license to fish on Santee Cooper. Bass: Veteran tournament angler Stan Gunter of Greenwood reports that in February bass will start to move shallower due to seasonal factors, and they should start to get into the vicinity of their pre-spawn locations. 3/4/23. 2018-19 SANTEE COOPER COUNTRY. Updates. There are also still plenty of fish in the creeks that can be caught trolling jigs and minnows in 8-15 feet of water. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.29 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.19 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are clear. Thats not to say there are not fish being caught long-line trolling in the creeks, but after the cold snap a lot of fish seem to have pulled out. It was another good weekend for bass on Santee Cooper, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the Sunday Showdown Series tournament was won with a three-fish limit of 19 pounds! Learn more. 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. Bream are moving in shallows setting up to spawn leading The bite seemed to die after the morning. [email protected]. Shop our collection of fishing rods to find the one that best matches your needs. Trolling numbers have been a bit down this week but that will also work. There are staging fish around trees, but the bulk of the big fish seem to be shallow. Depending on what they are on Brett will then turn to jerkbaits, Carolina rigs, swimbaits or spinnerbaits. The bite is about the same in both lakes, and right now the action seems to be better in the middle of the day and early afternoon. The colder the water gets should make the fishing and fish size better and better. We just wrapped up a 3 day fishing expedition so watch the full vi. The big bream and crappie are still on the deeper brush in 28-35 ft in huge numbers. Catfish: Captain Bill Plumley reports that February patterns are almost entirely dependent on the weather, and if it gets warm later in the month fish should move shallower into the creek channels. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.12 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.09 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the lakes are clear. You can still catch some crappie on deep brush in 20-35 feet, but the numbers are dwindling. Artificial lures like small swimbaits and flukes on a Scrounger head will often out-fish herring, and if there is a weak morning bite its often a sign of a strong afternoon bite. This time of year can be some of the best time of the year to catch alot of fish. But the world-class shellcracker fishing produces an overflow of anglers to the shallow sectors of both lakes. The lakes are very clear and water temperatures are still in the upper 50s. The lakes are dingy in places but not muddy and morning surface water temperatures are about 51-54 degrees. What better time to reflect on our winter fishing [] Report Outage. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.03 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 73.78 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). When you can find shallow fish stacked up they will really feed. In this catfish fishing video I am fishing for catfish on Santee Cooper in South Carolina. Or enjoy Free Shipping on orders over $50! Santee Cooper in mid-March is some of the best fishing in the country. Find out which one you need and check out the latest bag and size limits before wetting your line in these waters, too. 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. February Fishing Report. Minnows are still working the best. Farmer's Market, freshwater Its been a good week for catfish on Santee Cooper, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that you can catch them pretty much everywhere right now. When we had several nights in the 20s a few weeks ago it looked like bass might move into winter patterns early, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that as surface temperatures stabilized and even warmed up the shallow bite turned on again as the bait moved back shallow. 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. Bedding around bullrush grass, lilly-pads, primrose Brett Mitchell agrees that the deep bite is good during the day, but he also notes that first thing in the morning there have been good reports of fish caught shallow. Red wigglers are hard to beat. Morning surface water temperatures are still about 79 degrees. These include around grass, trees, and wood. South Carolina Fishing Reports. 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. For shellcracker use worms while bluegill prefer crickets and worms. The upper lake is slightly dingy while the lower lake is still clear in places. Are you in the know? If you follow this pattern during April, I promise you're going to catch catfish and even maybe a monster. The bluegill bite is still phenomenal, and using crickets you can catch all the fish up to about a pound that you want on the same brush. 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. Read more fishing reports fromSantee Cooper and other popularplacesat the AHQ Report! Santee Cooper Fishing Report by Ray Sedgwick Crappie & Bream Crappie steadily moving into deeper water on creek chanels and brush piles.. Bream and shellcracker are being caught in 12 feet of water in the Canal with night crawlers (cut in small pieces) Catfish The fish can be a little finicky in February, but they do still eat, and by the end of the month the bite is often improving. Closed now : See all hours. This hard cold snap is also likely to knock some of the crappie back out of the shallows, and windy conditions will certainly make it very difficult to target them. Catfish: Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that in February drifting deep water is still the best bet, but on very warm days there can be a night/ evening bite in shallow water. 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). Will be caught on jigging spoons, drop shots and jigs the bulk of the best baits latest and. 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