And then getting them to feed can also be a challenge. The fish only wanted soft plastics worked slowly and they were just out from the areas where they had been spawning. fish. Click here for 30 day free trial! All I can say is that we had fun and enjoyed ourselves Im sure you will too, Watch the weather closely. Reports of 23' to 30' drifting along ledges have been productive also. A lot of times only a 100-yard move will do. USGS Link. 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. Results as follow: The first CATT Santee Cooper Spring Qualifier, took place this Saturday, and while there were a lot of zeros at the bottom there were some massive weights at the top. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. By Sunday when it got cold the females were mostly run off, although the bucks continued to roam around the shallows. Morning surface water temperatures are down to about 65 degrees. Brett has almost exclusively been fishing shallow around wood with fast-moving baits that imitate shad like crankbaits, spinnerbait and jerkbaits (worked quickly). With the heat wave and new moon Brett is cautiously optimistic that another big group of fish will come up. Both lakes are clear and water temperatures are around 80 in the morning. These are really big fish that are busting with eggs, and they are getting very close to spawning. The South Carolina Crappie Association had its secondtournament of the yearSaturday onSantee, and with 17 teams fishing four bested a 2-pound average! The AHQ Report is your source for exclusive fishing reports, tournament updates, and more! When the water cools then the brush bite for bream should pick up, and the canal should fill up with shellcracker. It took 10 pounds to win the 3-fish limit Sunday Showdown Series tournament this weekend. Front row cabin with either jon boat or pontoon boat rigged for fishing, including depth finder, rod holders and all Coast Guard equipment. 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. Herring, shad and mullet are all working well. length. 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. The bluegill are also still piled up on the same brush, and they are catching some really nice bream on crickets. The upper lake has slowed down but they are catching fish around brush in the lower lake in 25-30 feet of water. Fish will feed best in the warmest areas and crankbaits and jigs should both be effective. 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. The lower lake has fished a little better than the upper lake. 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! White perch has been completely unproductive. This month some striped bass will be caught around the same deep bait schools where other species are feeding, but other striper will be roaming this month. Trolling. The verdict is in from the recent CBC tournament, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that a few people are whacking the bass but most people are not. 9890 Pack's Landing RD, Pinewood, SC 29125 (803) 452-5514. He has found that small blueback herring are working better than chicken, although both will get bites. outside structure 15' to 25'. Try Santee Cooper tailraces for great shad, herring action Jeff Burleson Featured, Freshwater Fishing Roe shad up to 4-1/2 pounds are biting in the Cooper River tailrace below Lake Moultrie for fishermen using light tackle. Swimbaits can also work. The crappie fishing remains a little slow, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the afternoon they are only picking up a few fish here and there on brush. The bass patterns are mostly unchanged on Santee, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that one thing which can create some variation during a generally stable, hot period is a mayfly hatch. 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. The lakes are still clear and morning surface water temperatures are about 58. Already have an account? 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. This craft is equipped with advanced fishing technology, including fishfinder, a wireless trolling motor, and a live bait well. 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. For some reason jigs are working better than minnows, out-fishing them 5-1 or so. Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that he is seeing about the same thing, and on one recent trip the sweet spot was about 16-18 feet. Santee Cooper water levels are up to 73.77 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.59 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). 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. Even with water temperatures about to drop again on Santee, Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports bass should stay for a while in the creeks as temperatures are in the ideal range. Shop our collection of fishing rods to find the one that best matches your needs. They are around weeds and both red and green worms are working very well. Catfish: Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that February should be a very good month for catfish on Lake Thurmond. Strong summer patterns are starting to take off for bass on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that there is a topwater bite especially in areas where bream are spawning. Like the bass the crappie are moving around a lot, and even though a lot of fish had gotten shallow into the creeks by early in the week Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) discovered they had pulled back out and he was again catching them on deep brush 20-plus feet down in 30-plus feet of water. The lakes are joined by the 6 mile long Diversion Canal to form a system with 160,000 acres of water and 450 miles of shoreline spanning parts of 5 South Carolina counties Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg and Sumter. Reports vary but there are some indications that the upper lake is fishing a little better than the lower lake right now. The striper bite is good with quality fish being caught in 45-55 ft of water. Trolling numbers have been a bit down this week but that will also work. After a strong spawning wave last week, Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass are starting to get into a bit of a post-spawn lull. This is Harvest Moon Fishing Charters 2023 winter fishing report for Myrtle Beach SC. sprouts steel cut oats, bulk; godzilla and kong rise of the titans addon Water conditions will determine whether fish are in the creeks or main lake. On a warm trend fish will head into the creeks where they can be caught trolling jigs and minnows in 8-15 feet of water, while another group of fish (so far mostly males) will be up on the banks looking for areas where they will spawn. 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. Capt. Suspend over the fish with live bait of drift cut shad and herring with Santee cooper rigs in the deep channels. Depending on what they are on Brett will then turn to jerkbaits, Carolina rigs, swimbaits or spinnerbaits. Live herring and shad will work the best. Morning surface water temperatures have hit the lower 60s. Waste or Abuse to SC Inspector General | The state record and one-time world record is a 5-pound, 71/2-ounce fish caught in the Diversion Canal in 1998. However, during the day the best pattern is still drifting in 25-40 feet of water when fish pull out deeper. Read more fishing reports fromSantee Cooper and other popularplacesat the AHQ Report! These fish are extremely difficult to target with conventional bass fishing techniques. Santee Cooper water levels are up to 73.81 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.51 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). In the wet, windy conditions there have not been a lot of people out chasing crappie but the shallow bite has been surprisingly tough. 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. We use cookies on our website to give you the best shopping experience. Bream are moving in shallows setting up to spawn leading The upper lake is slow but they are catching fish around brush in the lower lake in 25-30 feet of water. Free-lines, planer boards and down-lines could all work depending on where and how deep the fish set up. One day the fishing will be good and the next day it will be slow, but overall the best fishing is coming in the upper lake. 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). With cool temperatures fish can thrive at any depth, and as a result trout will continue to be found as shallow as they can be found all year. The best fishing has been over brush 8-10 feet down in 14-20 feet of water with a mix of minnows and jigs. Despite recent rains the lakes remain relatively clear and morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-80s. canal, cut bait, herring and gizzard shad are your best baits. Overall, based on what he is seeing the fish are still very spread out. The bream fishing has slowed up between moon phases, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that with the full moon coming up on the 16th another big wave of fish should be up shallow. West Columbia, SC 29172. Updates. Mullet are also present at times. The key to locating bass is finding bait, and when located they will take Alabama rigs, jerkbaits, small jigging spoons and more. Now is the time to catch the fish of a lifetime. Shop our collection of fishing rods to find the one that best matches your needs. 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. Click here for 30 day free trial! Vast areas laced with flooded timber and cypress. Right now it looks like the lakes are in a bit of a down cycle for crappie. However, many anglers overlook it as an effective method to catch bass. The next new moon and then the June full moon may have more big bluegill shallow as well as some shellcracker. The top 10 co-anglers on Santee Cooper Lakes finished: 1st: Rodney Tapp, North Augusta, S.C., 10 bass, 32-10, $27,300 2nd: Daniel Taylor, Elizabethton, Tenn., seven bass, 21-8, $5,000 3rd: Oakley Connor, Travelers Rest, S.C., four bass, 20-8, $4,000 4th: Bart Beasley, Mount Pleasant, S.C., seven bass, 19-13, $3,550 While a variety of cut baits will work, chicken has been out-fishing everything else. This weekend will be a totally different situation, however, and with temperatures dropping into the mid-20s and 25 mile per hour winds out of the north he expects that many fish will abandon their beds. Lots of blues of all sizes (especially the good eating size at 3-5 lbs) mixed in with channel cats being caught. They are marking a few fish on deep brush but they may just be bluegill. Catfish: Guide Jerry Kotal reports that February is still not a month when very many people will be targeting catfish, but if you concentrate on deep water you can pick up a few channel catfish. Casting small jigs and tight lining minnows will work the best. 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. His son Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) is catching them in about 25-30 feet of water. On the other hand the catfish are not a fan of the warm weather, and the bite has generally been erratic. Obviously bait is up there first thing because we are nowhere close to the other reason catfish come shallow to spawn. Wateree at Camden. You can also fish dip baits in the canal to catch a lot of fish. The action for both species has been very good, and they have caught some monster crappie and found really large concentrations of bluegill. Minnows are still working the best. Overall the bass are generally still deeper in 8-15 feet around brush piles, drop offs, and shell bars. 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. Long lining the deeper creeks are starting to produce some crappie. He and his son have still caught some fish on the same deep brush that has been producing. fishing report source, where right now you can sign up for 30 days of free access to more in-depth fishing rightofwaymanagement@santeecooper.com. Striper and hybrids: Guide Chip Hamilton (864-304-9011) reports that the February bite will start off similar to January with fish part-way up the rivers in 35-45 feet on the bottom. These freshwaters are often called the Catfish capital of the world because of the vast numbers of Catfish you'll find in its waters. Canal Lakes Fish Camp Santee Cooper Lakes Hwy 45 (on the Diversion Canal) 139 Canal Landing Road, Cross, SC 29436 Open 5:30 AM 843-753-2271 raysedgwick8@yahoo.com . Most detailed Lake Wylie Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.46 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.3 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). 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. Fishing in the upper lake is winding down. Falling tide seems to be the best time to fish. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.51 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 74.53 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). These include around grass, trees, and wood. Crickets are the best bait for bream and jigs and minnows will be the bet baits for the crappie. Morning surface water temperatures are around 87-88 degrees. The new moon was a week ago and the full moon is not until next week. He's using red worms for bait, and fishing them under slip corks. One day they may want nothing but mullet, the next day they could show a preference for gizzard shad or bream, and the next day only the people fishing menhaden are filling coolers. You can report an outage, downed powerline or other issue to us at 888-769-7688. January saw a slow but steady bite for big blue cats. Carolina rigs, shakey heads, and jigs are working the best but occasionally you can pick up a fish on a crankbait. Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.05 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.03 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Open 5:30 AM 2023 FishingBooker.com. 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