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. Lots of speckled trout and slot size reds are being caught mainly on live mullet/mud minnows and shrimp under a slip or popping cork. These fish are still loaded up with eggs and they expect it to be a few more weeks until the spawn is played out. The bluegill are also still piled up on the same brush, and they are catching some really nice bream on crickets. At times minnows and then jigs are both out-fishing the other so try both. Most detailed Santee Cooper System Updates Mountains Area Lake Jocassee 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. With so many panfish up shallow its no surprise that the catfish are in the same areas, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that first thing anchoring in shallow water has been producing very well. on Santee Cooper We had to reschedule a couple times due to very bad weather. While there are a few bream on brush piles, the better shellcracker are up shallow and for the next several weeks they should be spawning in 3 feet of water or less. All rights reserved. We have all your baits, live or artificial for your needs, food in Mac Daddy'srestaurant,Liscense, The fish are on shallow flats in 7-11 feet of water and they are feeding on mussels. This week Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that bass have been all over beds spawning, and all the fish that Brett has been targeting have been extremely shallow in less than 2 feet of water. 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. 100 pounds over 4 days is possible. 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. Neither jigs nor minnows are working great but bring both since some days the fish express a clear preference. Spread them out and different depths and speeds until you get a pattern. Cut white perch and gizzard shad are typically the best baits. The bass are following the shad, and so if you can locate the bait you will find fish. 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(!) The crappie fishing is basically fair right now, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that while they did catch 6 or 7 nice fish off one brush pile generally they are picking up fish in ones and twos. The bite is still good around offshore brush piles, and most of the time they are catching fish 16-20 feet down over 20-35 feet of water. Warming weather will get them shallower and more aggressive again soon, and the new moon this weekend will also help to get another group of fish up looking and then on beds. 139 Canal Landing Road, Cross, SC 29436 In his estimation the catfish action has slowed down a little on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the fish he is catching have shifted from about 15-25 feet out to more like the 30-35 foot range. They are around brush piles, drop offs, and shell bars. Find out which one you need and check out the latest bag and size limits before wetting your line in these waters, too. Trolling. Are you in the know? Fishing in Santee Cooper Catch good times in South Carolina waters! 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. Farmer's Market The Santee Cooper Lakes are filled with a wide variety of fish for all levels of sportsman. Catfish: Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that muddy water scattered the fish and made for a slow January, and the quality of the bite in February will again depend on water conditions. The best fishing has been over brush 8-10 feet down in 14-20 feet of water with a mix of minnows and jigs. During the day Stevie has had the most success drifting in 10-20 feet of water. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.35 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 74.2 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5), and while the lower lake is still clear dirty water is making its way down. 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. 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! Fv 27, 2023 . Some days you find the fish biting and fill the box, and other days you struggle. santee cooper bass fishing reports. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.51 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.24 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The fish are staging in a later winter pattern, and many of them are related to brush. Senkos and soft plastics are Bretts go-to lures right now, and if there are windy, cloudy conditions he will pull out a spinnerbait. Numerous species are spawning at Santee this month. Bass: Tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden reports that in February fish will still be in steep areas with access to deep water to start the month, but as it gets later they will start to move towards pre-spawn locations and feed up. 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. Crappie: Guide Wendell Wilson reports that in late January crappie started to show up again around deep bait schools, and this month they will get more and more common. Its also a period when anglers pursuing other species will catch trout. At the April full moon it should be gangbusters again, while this week they have caught decent numbers and a few big fish but nothing has been hot. Some of the biggest ones have been coming in the 20-22 foot range. Fish may even start fanning beds, and there could be females thinking about laying eggs in spawning pockets before temperatures drop. Fish are about to start moving shallow. 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. Water temperatures are in the 60s. Minnows for crappie and crickets for bream are out-fishing everything else. Information on fishing trends provided courtesy of www.anglersheadquarters.com/, South Carolina's premier Crappie and Bream: Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that January continued to produce a few good crappie on minnows around deep brush, and early February should be the same. Santee Cooper striper season closes June 15. Right of Way Management. A mix of cut bait including gizzard shad and herring will work as well as chicken. Captain Brett Mitchell agrees with that, and Brett reports that the majority of anglers after a big blue are anchoring in 4-6 feet of water around cypress tree clusters. Wateree at Camden. 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. Santee Cooper Lakes Between the full moon, rising water temperatures, and rising water levels from recent rains everything is combing to push the fish towards the banks. They continue to pick away at the crappie on Santee, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the bite in both lakes is pretty much tracking and fish are only sporadic. Brett is trying to drift over hard bottoms in areas that have a pronounced drop-off. 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. Herring and chicken have gotten the most bites although they havent found anything the fish are swallowing very well. Inky has been in 6 t.v. Even between moons they have picked up some bedding bream, and they have generally been on deeper beds in more than five feet of water. Most detailed Lake Murray The bass on Santee Cooper are doing exactly what they are supposed to doing, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that they have been catching fish that are chasing shad in the backs of pockets. When the fish arent on top they can be caught down-lining for suspended for fish or looking for striper that are stacked up on the bottom. 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. While there are still some crappie on brush, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the best crappie fishing has come trolling jigs and minnows in 8-15 feet of water in the creeks. Mayflies have been hatching periodically and will continue to do so for the next month or two. CATT Santee Cooper Spring Qualifiertook place this Saturday, and there were some incredible weights at the top. Generally the fish are 8-10 feet down. 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. Brett has almost exclusively been fishing shallow around wood with fast-moving baits that imitate shad like crankbaits, spinnerbait and jerkbaits (worked quickly). 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. been reported catching them on Spooks and Pencil Poppers. 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. Farmer's Market, freshwater Santee & Cooper River Fishing Page For fish chasing bait flukes, Spooks, Pop-Rs, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits will all work. January saw a slow but steady bite for big blue cats. Worms are the ticket. When the water cools then the brush bite for bream should pick up, and the canal should fill up with shellcracker. Minnows are working the best. During this video I am also doing a live show on Youtube, AND I a. 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. February 2. We will do our best to make sure that does not happen again. The bite can be decent if you locate a group of fish on electronics or otherwise, but thats the tricky part. 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). Worms are hard to beat. There is a little bit of a topwater bite first thing, but it has not been very good. Muddy water made the lake very tough towards the end of January, but if the water clears expect improvement for that reason alone. Underspins can also work well. He is fishing soft plastics in and around spawning coves, and pitching baits at shallow structure. A large number of crappie are spawning on Santee, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that certainly not all of them are. Bream. 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. barsin 4' to 8' of water using cut bait are catching the bigger fish . There is some speculation that the population is down right now, and they do generally go in cycles, but there also seem to be some seasonal factors at play. 141 spots Part of the famous Santee Cooper system and home for trophy stripers. In the cold weather the bream fishing has really slowed down, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that they are still catching some nice crappie even though they are having to work for them. The day Stevie has had the most bites although they havent found the... 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