February 2
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). Much of the lake is muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s.
Overall weights were a little down in the Sunday Showdown Series this weekend, and while there were a few good bass caught Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bite has gotten tougher with the water conditions. While people are fishing with crankbaits and more, Brett has found the best action with finesse baits like a green pumpkin shakey head worm. The catchable fish that he has been targeting are in 6-8 feet of water on brush and submerged wood.
More catfish information to follow, but for now the main patterns seem to be either shallow anchoring on steep drops or drifting in 15-20 feet.
January 30
Santee Cooper water levels are up to 74.89 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and down to 72.80 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Parts of the lake are muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s.
The patterns for crappie are starting to change on Santee, and this weekend on the water Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that it was obvious that fish are moving off the deeper brush. They did get one or two nice crappie in 24-35 feet, but most of the fish they are marking and catching out there are now on the smaller end. The better ones are already moving up towards their eventual spawning areas.
In contrast the bluegill haven’t moved at all, and they also seem to be getting a bit more active. The last times out they have caught over 100 on crickets, with about a third of them good hand-sized keepers. They are on the same deep brush as the remaining crappie.
January 26
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.29 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.36 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Parts of the lake are muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s.
The upper portion of the upper lake is very muddy, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that as you get closer to the canal there is some clearing. By the lower lake the water is more filtered but still dirty. None of this has done anything to improve the crappie fishing on Santee, and the fish are still mostly 14-20 feet down holding on brush in 25-35 feet of water but hesitant to bite. Minnows have been working better than jigs lately. On warmer days you can pick up a few bluegill in the same areas.
Weather has limited bass fishing this week, and the most recent Sunday Showdown Series was cancelled. Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that there are still basically two ways that anglers are catching fish right now, with one group of fish in the creeks eating shad. For these fish the best place to look is around sharp drops, and while you want to be fishing shallow where the bass are usually feeding there needs to be deep water nearby. Swimbaits, Shad Raps, 1.5s and Rattle Traps will all work.
The other main pattern is fishing deeper brush piles, mostly on the main lake. You can fish a deep running crankbait, a jig or even slow roll a spinnerbait for these fish.
January 25
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.31 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.08 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lakes are very muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s.
In this weekend’s Santee Lakes Catfish Club event two monster three-fish limits over 100 pounds were brought to the scale, and one of those belonged to Team Meat Hog Express (Ralph Wiley and Mark Lawson). While it’s not necessarily the way they would have been fishing if they were looking for numbers, looking for a few big bites they opted to anchor in shallow water in the lower lake. Fish generally move up shallower to feed at night, but in the very muddy conditions they are more likely to stay there into the morning. If it had gotten sunny they probably would have bolted faster.
They weren’t looking for flat spots, and they wanted ledges and drops where shallow water meets slightly deeper water. For example, an area where four feet drops into seven. While they were using standard cut baits, they were fishing very grassy areas where they suspect the catfish will actually eat the grass for grass shrimp and other food sources. As a result they had to keep checking baits to keep them clean.
Patience is required at this time of year, and fishing a spot where they knew fish would have eventually come through Mark was prepared to give it up to two hours. However, they didn’t have to wait that long, caught thirteen fish on the one spot and never left!
While they caught good fish shallow, there were certainly other patterns that could work. The winners got their weight drifting in 15-20 feet.
January 19
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.80 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.58 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The lower lake is now muddy as all the dirty water moves through the system. Morning surface water temperatures are about 53 degrees.
It’s still a pretty slow bite for crappie on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that again today they marked a lot of fish but getting them to bite was a challenge. The fish are still mostly 14-20 feet down, and they are holding in 25-35 feet of water around brush. Minnows have been working better lately.
The bluegill bite slowed way down in the cold, but as temperatures have warmed the fish have gotten more active again and been providing a nice complement to the crappie. They will take crickets fished around the same brush as the crappie.
More to follow.
January 13
Santee Cooper water levels are up to 75.47 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.44 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The upper lake is getting muddy and water temperatures are in the lower 50s.
In the Sunday Showdown Series there were some good bass caught, while other anglers struggled. Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that there are basically two ways that anglers are catching fish right now, with one group of fish in the creeks eating shad. For these fish the best place to look is around sharp drops, and while you want to be fishing shallow where the bass are usually feeding there needs to be deep water nearby. Swimbaits, Shad Raps, 1.5s and Rattle Traps will all work.
The other main pattern is fishing deeper brush piles, mostly on the main lake. You can fish a deep running crankbait, a jig or even slow roll a spinnerbait for these fish.
The crappie are still in a holding pattern on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they continue to have no trouble marking schools of fish but getting them to bite remains a challenge. The fish are still mostly 14-20 feet down, and they are holding in 25-35 feet of water around brush. The few fish that do eat seem to want minnows, but particularly in the mornings it’s still worth trying jigs.
While some people are targeting them shallower, including at night when they can move up to feed, Brett is still reporting the best success for catfish drifting deeper water in 15-50 feet. The best areas to target are hard bottoms and mussel beds, and while there will be some fish around bait they don’t usually follow the bait schools en masse the way that striper do.
The best baits are cut herring and shad.
January 6
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.15 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.44 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). For now the lower lake is still mostly clear but muddy water is headed towards the system. Morning surface water temperatures are around 53 degrees.
The crappie are more or less a broken record on Santee, and yesterday on the water Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) said they continued to have no trouble marking schools of fish but getting them to bite was still tricky. The fish were mostly 14-20 feet down, and they are holding in 25-35 feet of water around brush. The few fish that did eat wanted minnows, but there could still be some days where they prefer jigs – particularly first thing.
In a discouraging sign that the season may be winding down the bluegill would barely eat yesterday, and fishing with crickets around the same brush they only caught a half dozen little ones. It may well be that they entering a semi-dormant period.
When the weather got cold the bass bite really turned on, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that as predicted when the shad moved into the creeks and then got lethargic the bass were feasting. Bait and bass are still in the creeks, but the warm trend now has the fish a little confused and the bite is not as strong. The best place to look for fish is around sharp drops in the creek, and while you want to be fishing shallow where the bass are usually feeding there needs to be deep water nearby. Swimbaits, Shad Raps, 1.5s and Rattle Traps will all work.
There are also bass holding around brush piles right now.
While some people are targeting them shallower, including at night when they can move up to feed, Brett is having the best success for catfish drifting deeper water in 25-50 feet. The best areas to target are hard bottoms and mussel beds, and while there will be some fish around bait they don’t usually follow the bait schools en masse the way that striper do.
The best baits are cut herring and shad.
December 22
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.50 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.16 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are in the low 50s.
There have been some unpleasant fishing conditions most of this week, and it looks like it will get worse before it gets better. Still, Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that bass fishing may actually get more predictable with this big cold front. Frequently the bass will get on shad and run them up as the baits get lethargic and easy to find in very cold conditions. The best place to look for fish is around sharp drops in the creek, and while you want to be fishing shallow where the bass are usually feeding there needs to be deep water nearby. Swimbaits, Shad Raps, 1.5s and Rattle Traps will all work.
The crappie continue to do about the same thing on Santee, which means that Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) is finding some big schools but having trouble picking off more than a few of them. They did have one 2 ½ pound crappie and they hope to get some more slabs in the cold. For now the fish are still on mid-depth brush 12-18 feet down in 25-35 feet of water, but the cold front is expected to push them deeper.
Some days jigs are working better and some days minnows, and it can even vary over the course of the day with jigs often better early.
While the bluegill bite has been really good on the same brush with crickets, once it gets very cold they should slow down. The cooler it gets the longer it can take for the bluegill to get active, and they will also move deeper.
It’s still a pretty good bite for catfish on Santee Cooper, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore(843-751-3080) reports that he was catching the best numbers of fish very deep in about 50 feet in the lower lake drifting with blueback herring and gizzard shad.
However, we are getting into the period when the biggest fish come shallow and the cold front should accelerate that. The best structure to look for them around is mussel beds, and you can either anchor or drift for them.
While Bobby usually doesn’t target them in January, for now the striped bass fishing in the lower lake is still good around the dam on down-lines. The fish are in very deep water but they can be found at a variety of depths throughout the water column. Use your electronics to pinpoint how deep to fish live herring.
December 15
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.60 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.65 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid- to upper 50s.
It’s a pretty good bite for catfish on Santee Cooper, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he is catching the best numbers of fish very deep in about 50 feet in the lower lake. Most of the fish are 5-15 pounds, but he did get one big fish. Drifting with blueback herring and gizzard shad has been working the best.
Most of the bigger fish seem to be in less than 20 feet of water right now. The best structure to look for them around is mussel beds, and you can either anchor or drift for them.
There has also been some decent action for striped bass in the lower lake, and they are being caught around the dam on down-lines. The fish are in very deep water but they can be found at a variety of depths throughout the water column. Use your electronics to pinpoint how deep to fish live herring.
The crappie fishing is still about the same on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the fish are still on mid-depth brush 12-18 feet down in 25-35 feet of water. They are hoping that the bite improves when temperatures cool because the fish are still unpredictable.
Some days jigs are working better and some days minnows, and it can even vary of the course of the day with jigs often better early.
The bream continue to be the best thing going around brush, but again they are a bit scattered with mild temperatures. They are again showing up in shallower water, but that should change very soon. Crickets are the best bait.
While he hasn’t been able to target them this week, Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that bass should stay for a while in the creeks as temperatures are in the ideal range. Fish will often be adjacent to steep banks in 8-15 feet of water, but the best concentration of catchable fish is shallower in 4-6 feet of water. Bouncing a crankbait that dives 6-8 feet off the bottom around stumps is an excellent pattern, and small swimbaits and spinnerbaits will also catch fish.
There are also still fish on trees and brush in the shallows that will take soft plastics.
December 2
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.20 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.51 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 50s.
It sounds like a broken record but the crappie fishing continues to be unpredictable on Santee, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that even though there are some schools of crappie that have been sitting in the same place for over a month it’s still tricky to get them to bite. Fish generally remain 12-18 feet down over brush in 25-35 feet of water, and recently the upper lake has produced better. As temperatures cool more of the fish will move towards the river channel, but for right now they are still spread out.
Some days jigs are working better and some days minnows, and it can even vary of the course of the day with jigs often better early.
While the bream continue to be the best thing going, and you can catch plenty of them on the deeper side of the same brush as the crappie, up-and-down water temperatures also have them on the move. In fact, Steve has started seeing everything shallow again from bluegills to shiners to bass. A cold front will push them out, but then since temperatures have so far not stayed really cold another 70-degree day will bring everything back up. A prolonged cold period (before it gets very cold) will usually concentrate the biggest fish best.
Crickets are the best bait.
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. 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. Bouncing a crankbait that dives 6-8 feet off the bottom around stumps is an excellent pattern, and small swimbaits and spinnerbaits will also catch fish.
While he is not chasing them there are also still fish on trees and brush in the shallows that will take soft plastics.
Even though he’s only been on the water sporadically this week, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that the information he is hearing from a wide range of catfish guides indicate that the fishing is a little below average. The patterns are about the same but the fish just aren’t feeding that well. Perhaps they need a real cold front to set in.
When that happens Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that one pattern that just started is drifting in about 52 feet of water. The catfish will also follow bait like menhaden into deep water, and if it stays cold they will group up very deep. He’s already catching lots of 5-15 pound fish out there.
The other winter pattern is on the opposite end of the spectrum, fishing in 10 feet of water or less. Bobby says that once it gets cold there’s really no in-between.
He also looks for the striped bass to go deep, but right now Bobby reports that you can catch some striper in the canal fishing live bait on down-lines. When temperatures do drop and the menhaden and other bait schools get very deep in Lake Moultrie near the dam the striper will follow them. They will be in almost 60 feet of water, but you will see birds diving on bait balls and can fish for them either trolling umbrella rigs or with live bait.
November 17
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.70 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.55 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures have dropped into the lower 60s and water temperatures are still relatively clear.
This week we are pleased to be joined by another expert Santee Cooper guide, and we look forward to Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) giving us information about the striped bass as well as catfish news. Right now Bobby reports that you can catch some striper in the canal fishing live bait on down-lines, but if it keeps getting colder the hot pattern is about to come when the menhaden and other bait schools get very deep in Lake Moultrie near the dam and the striper follow them. They will be in almost 60 feet of water, but you will see birds diving on bait balls and can fish for them either trolling umbrella rigs or with live bait.
The catfish will be making a similar move, and one pattern that just started is drifting in about 52 feet of water. The catfish will also follow bait like menhaden into deep water, and if it stays cold they will group up very deep. He’s already catching lots of 5-15 pound fish out there.
The other winter pattern is on the opposite end of the spectrum, fishing in 10 feet of water or less. Bobby says that once it gets cold there’s really no in-between. Shad will also be up there in shallow water, and this week he caught a 35-pounder in less than 12 feet of water.
With temperatures dropping Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass should also be on the move, and like they did during an earlier cold snap the bass will be following the bait into the creeks. They will get on a shad pattern again, and you can catch them with swimbaits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. If you can find current it will concentrate the fish.
The crappie fishing continues to be unpredictable on Santee, and even though Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) is still marking some good schools of crappie 12-18 feet down over brush in 25-35 feet of water a lot of days you can only pick a few bites out of them. Some days jigs are working better and some days minnows, and it can even vary of the course of the day with jigs often better early.
Fortunately the bream are frequently saving the day, and they are all over roughly the same brush as the crappie but usually a little deeper in it. Steve is no longer seeing big bream around the docks in the canal, and so pretty soon all the big bream should be stacked up deep, but for now they are still catch a mix of sizes on crickets.
November 10
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.49 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.47 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-60s.
There’s been a tremendous amount of wind on Santee the last week, and either because of that wind or because it’s been harder to fish the bite has been a little worse for crappie.
Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that the fish are still over brush in 25-35 feet of water, suspended 12-18 feet down, but they just aren’t eating very well. Some days jigs are working better and some days minnows, and it can even vary of the course of the day with jigs often better early.
While wind has also limited bass fishing, Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that with water temperatures still warm he expects that the bait is still spread out in the main lake and the bass scattered. Once the storm passes and colder weather sets in fish should move back into the creeks and get on a shad pattern again, and the action should improve.
But until that happens the best bet is to look around trees in 2-4 feet of water with soft plastics, crankbaits and jigs.
The bream fishing has not changed, and until water temperatures drop they will have no reason to all go deep. However, there are still plenty of bream in the same areas as the crappie towards the bottom of the brush or beside it. After the cold snap all the better bream should stack up on brush.
There was a flurry of really good catfish action right around the full moon when the fish seemed to be gorging, but Captain Brett Mitchell reports that action has now returned to more normal. He is still finding the best catfish bite drifting in 20-30 feet, and he is doing the best fishing around shell beds right now. They will eventually go very deep but that has not happened yet.
Herring, shad, mullet or about any cut bait is working.
November 3
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.53 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.48 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the canal is still clear. Morning surface water temperatures are around 66-67 degrees.
Last week Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass followed the shad into the creeks and started feeding better, and in mid-depths you could catch fish around bait schools on crankbaits, swimbaits and jerkbaits. However, as temperatures started to rise again everything got really scattered, the bait spread out and returned to the main lake, and the fishing got tougher again.
Until temperatures drop and everything gets more concentrated the best bet is once again to look around trees in 2-4 feet of water with soft plastics, crankbaits and jigs.
It’s unclear why but there have been some really good crappie days recently, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that in the upper lake he has found good schools that – some days – are very willing to bite. They had one day where they caught 30 fish up to about 2 pounds, including some white crappie, while on other days getting 10 is a success. The fish are generally over brush in 25-35 feet of water, but they are only suspended 12-18 feet down over it. Some days jigs are working better and some days minnows, and it can even vary of the course of the day with jigs often better early. In the lower lake numbers have been much thinner.
Even though the bream have not all left shallow water there are some nice fish to be caught, and they are usually towards the bottom of the brush or beside it. This week Steve did see some really big bream around the dock at Black’s.
The catfish action has been pretty good according to Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138), and he reports that fish are very spread out but he has found the best action in 20-30 feet of water. His biggest fish came in 30 pounds.
Captain Brett Mitchell is finding the best catfish bite in a similar depth range at 20-30 feet, and he is doing the best fishing around shell beds right now. They will eventually go very deep but that has not happened yet.
Herring, shad, mullet or about any cut bait is working.
It’s been a tougher for week for striped bass in the lower lake, and most of the fish that have been caught are on the smaller side. It seems that the best action is coming in 20-25 feet of water with down-lines, and basically the pattern is marking the schools and parking on top of them. The fish are highly bait-oriented right now and so you basically have to find the bait to locate the fish. Keep your eyes open for the birds.
October 26
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.54 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.47 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 65-67 degrees.
There are a few updates from Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138), and he reports that they are still catching a bunch of bream over brush in 15-30 feet. That bite continues to be very good, with the fish eating crickets fished beside the brush or close to the bottom.
The catfish bite has also been pretty good, and a fair summation seems to be that the best numbers of fish are coming drifting in about 20 feet. However, out in 35 feet some larger blues have been landed.
Finally, this week there has been some good striped bass fishing in the lower lake. It seems that the best action is coming in 20-25 feet of water with down-lines, and basically the pattern is marking the schools and parking on top of them. The fish are highly bait-oriented right now and so you basically have to find the bait to located the fish. Even though Stevie is not seeing a lot of schooling action, birds can tip you off to where the fish are located.
October 21
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.54 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.46 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). The upper lake is now a bit dingy and even muddy in places (including Santee State Park and above). Morning surface water temperatures are around 65-66 degrees.
There may be other bass fishing patterns in play right now, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that when he finds a good fall pattern he usually sticks with it. And right now he has located a lot of fish on trees in 2-4 feet of water! There is some small bait around the trees, and the bass is up there for the bait.
The fish are both scattered and clumped up, and they could be on trees most anywhere. However, it’s not unusual to go an hour or so without a bite and then get several bites off one tree – or catch a fish on successive trees.
As for baits, soft plastics have generally been pretty hard to beat. However, depending on the day crankbaits and jigs can also be effective. Brett has not seen or heard of a topwater bite.
After a couple more cold snaps shad should move further back into the creeks and the bass will follow them, but Brett’s not seeing that yet.
The crappie are biting pretty well on Santee, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that numbers are still not fantastic. They found one really good spot that they caught 10 fish off of yesterday, but they only caught a few on other spots. Overall it just seems like the crappie population is in a bit of a down cycle on the lake.
The best action is coming 12-16 feet down on brush in 20-30 feet of water, with jigs sometimes working better in the morning and minnows in the afternoons. Try both because it always varies from day to day.
The bream fishing is still fantastic on all the brush piles, although it’s not unusual to catch 10-15 fish and then have the smaller ones move in. Bluegill will eat crickets, and generally the fish are close to the bottom in the brush or just beside it.
There are also some shellcracker around.
It’s also been a pretty good bite for catfish, and Brett reports that most guides are able to at least half-fill a cooler when they go out. Drifting hard bottoms, shell beds and breaks in 20-25 feet has been the best patterns, and there really hasn’t been any magic bait. The fish are eating everything.
October 13
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.66 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.59 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the upper lake is now a bit dingy. Morning surface water temperatures are around 69 degrees.
Even though they have managed to catch some really nice fish, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that overall the crappie fishing has slowed a little on Santee. Fish are still in the same areas, and the best action has been 12-18 feet down on brush in 25-32 feet of water. Right now they are getting more on jigs than minnows and the upper lake seems to be fishing a little better than the lower lake.
But while the crappie have slowed the bream have been at the same depths and going gangbusters! They will eat crickets, and generally the bluegill are a little closer to the bottom in the brush or just beside it. It’s a great time to fill up a cooler with bream including some big ones.
The catfish bite has slowed a little this week, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that they are still getting some nice big fish. He is finding the best fishing drifting in the 10-20 foot range, although there are reports of better numbers but much smaller fish in deeper water.
Cut herring and bluegill are working as well as anything.
Bass report to follow.
October 6
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.66 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 74.59 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and the upper lake is now a bit dingy. Morning surface water temperatures have fallen all the way to 68 degrees!
The crappie fishing is still pretty good on Santee, but Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that they are marking a lot more fish than they are catching! The best action has been 12-18 feet down on brush in 25-32 feet of water, and right now they are getting more on jigs than minnows. The upper lake seems to be fishing a little better than the lower lake.
While Steve’s boat has not been targeting them very much with a good crappie bite, bream are still all over the same brush and they are hammering his jigs. Sometimes they get them and sometimes they don’t! With crickets they would all be getting caught.
In general the bluegill are close to the bottom in the brush or just beside it, while the crappie are generally suspended on top of the brush or to the side.
October 3
Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.55 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and up to 75.00 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5) and visibility is high. Morning surface water temperatures are around the mid-70s.
It would be a lie to say that a ton of people have been out bass fishing the last few days, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that with this cooling weather fish should be getting shallower. He is basically fishing trees and weeds, with soft-plastics the go-to lures. However, on days like today when the wind is up spinnerbaits can play well.
Water temperatures are still a little warm but when they drop just another degree or two he looks for the fish to start really chasing the shad, and then he will be throwing swimbaits, crankbaits, topwaters and more. Fish should get in the creeks and if you can find areas with current they will be a magnet for bait and fish.
There also weren’t very many people after catfish over the weekend, but anglers willing to brave the conditions found a very good bite in 20-25 feet of water. Fish are scattered over hard bottoms and shell beds, and the best bite has been drifting. There hasn’t really been any bait the catfish won’t eat, from herring to chicken to perch to shad.
The next major move the fish should make will be going deeper as the thermocline goes away. Then the bait schools will head into 45 plus feet and the blues should follow them.
