October 9

Santee Cooper water levels are at 76.09 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 73.44 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are about 78 degrees and most of the lakes are now very muddy. 

It’s been about the wildest couple of weeks imaginable for water levels on Santee, and almost two weeks ago in anticipation of Helene they dropped the lakes around five feet in a couple of days. Within another couple of days Marion shot back higher than it had been before the storm, and only a couple of days ago it slowly started dropping, while Moultrie is still down a couple of feet but rising. Basically the entire lakes are muddy except for a small section of water at the lower end of Moultrie by the dam.

The clear consensus is that all the current and up-and-down water levels have been a boon for the catfish, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that drifting in shallow water just 6-10 feet deep in Moultrie the current had the fish biting a couple of days ago. He stuck to the edge of the mud line and eventually to slightly cleaner water, drifting bluebacks, but his father had the same results drifting 10-20 feet in the mud. While Captain Stevie did catch blues up to 27 pounds he also picked up a lot of channels and even a couple of bullheads, and he thinks that if you fished dip baits just out of the current you could wallop the channels in these muddy conditions. 

Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) says you can also catch fish at anchor near the banks in Lake Marion, and in the super muddy conditions he points to fish that are in newly re-flooded areas in 3-5 feet of water. They will eat about any protein you put in front of them as the bite has really turned on.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish deep, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that yesterday he had “one of those days” drifting in 20-35 feet of water around hills and other steep depth changes. The fish were stacked up and hungry – see below. 

He thinks he could have been targeting fish that left the shallows when water levels dropped, or they could just be deep fish that have been there a while but have really put on the feed bag. Bluebacks were also working for his boat. 

But these are terrible conditions for striped bass fishing, and Captain Bobby says that you basically have to go to the cleanest water by the dam if you want to catch fish – and even there reports aren’t good. He recommends putting some live bait on down-lines where you mark fish and then some free-lines on top where they can see them. 

It’s a similar story for the crappie, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that before the lower lake got muddy he actually had a really good day catching 15-20 fish on brush in 20-24 feet. They were 14-16 feet down. However, after it got muddy he couldn’t even catch bluegill on the same brush. The bad news is that he doesn’t expect the crappie fishing to be decent for a while, until the lake clears, but the good news is that the results do show that there is a glimmer of hope with the crappie population once conditions normalize. 

Finally, Captain Kyle reports that right now the place to look for bass is shallow. They want to be there because the bait is there, and in muddy water they also like to orient themselves by moving to the banks. The topwater bite is probably dead for a while with visibility around an inch in most of the lake, but reaction lures like spinnerbaits and crankbaits will generate some action. Target cypress trees, stumps and other cover that the fish can relate to in 2-4 feet of water. 

October 1

Santee Cooper water levels are about down several feet in both lakes although the very upper end of Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) is just starting to fill back up. Lake Moultrie is still extremely low at 70.75 (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are still about 80 degrees and the lake is about to get extremely dirty.  

For right now lake levels are dangerously low on Santee, and Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) estimates that there are only a couple of boats on the water in the whole system with ramps inaccessible and the obvious danger. The levels are so low because Santee Cooper is preparing for a deluge of water coming into the lakes, and they started dropping water levels very aggressively several days ago. 

That made for some pretty incredible catfish fishing over the weekend, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that drifting in 8-14 feet they were catching 20-30 good fish during the day over the weekend on herring. The night bite was still good but a little slower. Moving water excites catfish, and at one point the water dropped a foot while they were fishing for several hours. You could see swells around trees. 

It's hard to know what to expect with any species, as an unprecedented amount of water is coming into the system as well as a ton of debris. At the very least anglers should use extreme caution when they are able to get a boat on the lake again. 

September 26

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.15 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 74.65 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 80 degrees and clarity was high before the storm.  

For the first time in a while we have to report that the catfish bite is pretty slow on Santee, and while he has dragged up a few good fish Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that neither day-time drifting or night-time anchoring has been especially productive. He is still having his best success in relatively shallow water fishing bluebacks and targeting shallow ledges and grass beds, but the bite certainly has not been hot. 

That’s also the report from Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726), who reports that fish are still extremely spread out on Lake Marion and the bite is slow. He is having to cover a ton of water to pick up fish, and what is really needed is some cooler weather to bunch the fish up. 

Fortunately it looks like striper season should be incredible (come October 1) as there is already widespread schooling activity. 

The bass fishing is also tough, and Captain Kyle reiterates that September is probably the toughest month of the whole year on Santee. It’s a transition month with cooler nights but still hot days and the bait is changing patterns. For that reason most of his bass fishing friends are in the woods looking for deer this month!

Basically the two patterns are to fish grass or offshore brush piles, and of course you can also fish shallow cover in the swamp. But fish are not jumping in the boat doing any of that. 

It’s a similar story with the crappie, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that between the persistently warm water and the down population it’s a tough bite. They did pick up about a half dozen on mid-depth brush this week, but it was hard work. About the only thing that’s easy to catch is the bream right now. They are stacked up on brush in 12-14 feet, but the big ones haven’t grouped up yet.  

September 19

Santee Cooper water levels are down to 74.95 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 74.80 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are around 80 degrees.

You know it’s brutally tough bass fishing on Santee when the 5^th-8^th place teams don’t manage a limit over three days, and that’s exactly what happened in this week’s Toyota Series event on Santee.  While Bennett Lawshe won with 58-10 over three days, including a massive fall bag of 25-7 on Day 2, he had 13-8 (in part because of mechanical issues) on Day 3. And the sixth and eighth place anglers only had 11 fish each over three days!

Overall Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) reports that September is probably the toughest month of the whole year on Santee. It’s a transition month with cooler nights but still hot days and the bait is changing patterns. For that reason most of his bass fishing friends are in the woods looking for deer this month!

Lawshe reports that he caught his big fish when he found an expected fall mayfly hatch around Pack’s Landing that had drawn in some big bass feeding on bream, and he landed his biggest fish on a frog. From there he went to an offshore area with a couple of 15- and 20-foot brush piles to fill out his limit using jerkbaits and forward-facing sonar. The other major pattern Captain Kyle says you might have expected was fishing the grass – which was exactly what most of the top 10 reported doing!  

At the same times it’s been a pretty good catfish bite this week on Santee, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that drifting in 30-50 feet of water at night he has had success. (Of course, he also heard of someone fishing shallow in 15 feet at night with chicken with similar success!).

Overall he is catching some big fish on hills, but there are also times where the bait just likes to get in the deepest water (around 50 feet) and the fish also want to be there as they feed up for winter. Right now he is drifting herring, but Captain Bobby believes the key is bigger baits be they gizzard shad, mullet, or even deer hearts or liver. 

Bobby also notes that on October 1 the striped bass season will reopen, and a lot of people will want to chase the birds with spoons and bucktails, but he is also marking a lot of striper very deep. 

On the other end of the spectrum Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) is fishing much shallower, drifting in 6-10 feet during the day and anchoring at about the same depth at night. While he hasn’t found great numbers he has caught several fish in the 20 plus pound range up to 35 pounds. He is fishing bluebacks and targeting shallow ledges and grass beds. 

Finally, there are reports of some crappie being caught in the swamp but in the lakes the brush piles just aren’t loaded with them right now. Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) says you can still find a few crappie and plenty of bluegillon brush in at least 15 feet of water, but hopefully more will show up as temperatures cool and the fish start to bunch up better. 

September 4

Santee Cooper water levels are down to 75.31 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 75.25 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water temperatures got back to the mid-80s this week. 

Up-and-down water temperatures have coincided with a slower catfish bite this week on Santee, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that his own trips have been a bit of a mixed bag. They did have his slowest trip in months when he only caught two fish, but then yesterday (in the rough conditions) they caught fifteen to twenty fish up to 15 pounds. He is still finding fish very spread out, with his best success coming in 20-30 feet of water drifting bluebacks on hills and drop-offs. 

At the same time Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) has moved shallow, and he reports that he is catching good fish (with four over 20 pounds this past weekend) drifting in 6-10 feet around shallow ledges and grass beds! He is also relying on bluebacks. 

In the lower lake Captain Rodney Donald (864-356-0143) is also drifting shallow areas, around stumps, mostly in the 5-foot range. They caught a lot of good fish this week including one 40-pounder. But for numbers of 5-15 pound fish it has been hard to beat drifting the canal in about 25 feet when they are pulling water.   Both day and night have been good with – again – bluebacks the bait of choice. 

Even as catfish are cooperating the bass fishing is still tough, although as predicted by Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) there has been a little bit of schooling after the cooler weather came through. Still, for now it’s mostly about fishing offshore in lower Marion and Moultrie, where the fish are out in the brush piles and ledges around bait in 10-20 feet of water. Big Texas rigged worms, Carolina rigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits can all work.   

Of course it’s a completely different pattern above the 95 bridge where the fish never really leave the shallows. Frogs and Texas-rigged worms are the best baits, and fishing early and late improves your chances. 

Even though the fishing hasn’t really come on they are starting to mark a lot more crappie and bream on brush in about 15-25 feet of water, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) expects that once temperatures cool a few more degrees they will start to bite on this mid-depth brush.  

August 29

Santee Cooper water levels are down to 75.48 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 75.25 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Water temperatures are in the low 80s. 

The consensus is that the catfish are very spread out on Santee right now, and Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) reports that he is catching fish in Lake Marion drifting the flats in 15-20 feet of water and looking for bait. He is fishing off the bank towards the middle of the lake between the river channel and shallow water, using threadfin shad and blueback herring.

In Lake Marion Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) is also finding fish very spread out, and his best success has come in 20-30 feet of water drifting bluebacks. He is finding the best action on hills and drop-offs. 

And that’s also a similar pattern to what Captain Rodney Donald (864-356-0143) is fishing, drifting the lower lake with herring in about 20 feet. He is also targeting ledges, gullies and other depth changes. 

Finally on the cats, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) adds that at night he is finding a really good deep water bite drifting in 30-40 feet with herring and perch. Again, in the lower lake he is fishing ledges. There have been some giant fish in the 50-70 pound range caught this way at night.

Even as catfish are cooperating the bass fishing is still tough, and Captain Kyle reports that really we are waiting on the first good cold front to activate the fish and perhaps get them schooling a little. For now it’s mostly about fishing offshore in lower Marion and Moultrie, where the fish are out in the brush piles and ledges around bait in 10-20 feet of water. Big Texas rigged worms, Carolina rigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits can all work.   

Of course it’s a completely different pattern above the 95 bridge where the fish never really leave the shallows. Frogs and Texas rigged worms are the best baits, and fishing early and late improves your chances. 

Even though the fishing hasn’t really come on they are starting to mark a lot more crappie and bream on brush in about 15-25 feet of water, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) expects that once temperatures cool a few more degrees they will start to bite on this mid-depth brush.  

August 13

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.59 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 73.83 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). While the water hasn’t gotten muddy yet it is stained and there is a lot of grass and debris floating around. Morning surface water temperatures are down to the low 80s. 

Even though blue catfish are probably still the best-biting fish on Santee right now, Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) reports that the patterns have changed pretty significantly in the last couple of weeks. The fish aren’t grouped up in huge numbers around shell beds, and now they are scattered all over following bait schools. As a result instead of anchoring in shallow water he is drifting big flats in 10-15 feet. They are eating a lot of perch and threadfin herring, but those baits as well as blueback herring, gizzard shad and more will all work. 

At the same time Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that he is still targeting deeper structure, and his best success has come drifting in 20-45 feet of water anywhere there is a dramatic depth change like a steep hill or ledge. Bluebacks, chicken, white perch and bream are all working.

But he does say that when the deep bite isn’t producing looking shallow is a good idea because basically any catfish up shallow are looking to eat!

The bass fishing is still a little tough, but Captain Kyle reports that there are still two distinct largemouth patterns. Most anglers are fishing above the 95 bridge now, and these fish almost always live shallow and right now is no exception. While the shallows are hot some of the best oxygen levels are in very shallow water. Frogs and Texas rigged worms are the best baits, and fishing early and late improves your chances. 

The other major pattern is to fish offshore, particularly in lower Marion and Moultrie, where lots of bigger fish are out in the brush piles and ledges around bait in 10-20 feet of water. These fish don’t really set up well until the sun is up, and big Texas rigged worms, Carolina rigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits can all work.   

Finally, while there are still some crappie 15-20 feet down over brush in 25-35 feet of water, Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) isn’t targeting them until things cool off more. 

August 1

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.73 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.5 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 80s.

There are a number of different ways to catch catfish on Santee right now, but as predicted Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that a group of big fish have moved very deep where his boat is catching them in about 40 feet of water drifting around big hills, drops and other deep structure. Bluebacks, chicken, white perch and bream are all working.

This bite is best in the morning but slows down in the afternoon, and at night he is having the best success drifting flats in 25 feet or less. 

That latter depth is about where Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) is fishing in the mornings, but he reports that in 20 feet of water and less he is having the best success drifting the bottoms of ledges instead of flats. He is marking fish and targeting them by drifting cut herring and numbers have been strong.  

So we have a strong deep and mid-depth patterns, but Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) reports that by far the best pattern for him has been in shallow water! He is anchoring in 3-8 feet of water, and ironically the middle of the day has been one of the best times. 

The key is to find areas where clams and mussels are floating, and the cats will be gorging on them. Sometimes the fish are around the banks while sometimes they are over humps, but the locations change every day and the key has been looking for them on sidescan. They are in giant schools of 10-200 fish, with most 10-20 pounds but occasional fish in the 30-40 pound range. While Kyle is targeting Marion the same pattern is going on in Moultrie. 

So… basically, the theme of this week’s catfish report is that that Santee lakes are full of catfish and – like much of the time – you can catch them a lot of different ways right now!

While there are still some crappie 15-20 feet down over brush in 25-35 feet of water, Captain Stevie reports that it’s so slow that he and his father Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) aren’t targeting them until things cool off. 

The bass fishing is also tough, and while Captain Kyle is concentrating most of his energy on catfish right now there are two distinct largemouth patterns. Most anglers are fishing above the 95 bridge now in the “swampy” part of the lake (that everyone thinks of as the “real” Santee Cooper), and these fish almost always live shallow and right now is no exception. While the shallows are hot some of the best oxygen levels are in very shallow water. Frogs and Texas rigged worms are the best baits, and fishing early and late improves your chances. While it’s not easy fishing, the Thursday evening tournaments out of Pack’s are each week averaging about a 4-pound per fish limit. 

The other major pattern is to fish offshore, particularly in lower Marion and Moultrie, where lots of bigger fish are out in the brush piles and ledges around bait in 10-20 feet of water. These fish don’t really set up well until the sun is up, and big Texas rigged worms, Carolina rigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits can all work.   

July 17

Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.04 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 74.9 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 80s.

Basically it’s a great time to fish for catfish on Santee, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that while he targets shallower water during the day at night he is finding his best success drifting deeper water. You can also anchor up shallow at night, but that’s not his preferred method. In 25-30 feet he has caught some big fish, with flatheads up to 40 pounds (the first bite of the night a couple of days ago) to go with lots of fish in the 20s. 

Consistent with that, Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that during the daytime there are still a lot of fish in shallow water, and anchoring in around 6 feet of water near mussel beds, islands and stumps is still productive. There could be some fish closer to the banks at night, but he has been having better luck with this pattern in the morning away from the banks. 

But the even better bite for Captain Bobby’s boat this week has again been drifting flats in 15-25 feet of water, but targeting slight depressions, gentle hills, or stumps on the flats. He is having the best luck with bluebacks, but Bobby is also hearing good reports on chicken and bream.

With more males showing up the last few trips that’s usually a sign the spawn is done, and each year when the spawn ends he finds some fish very deep. Soon he will target them on steep structure (hills, ledges) in 40 feet. 

While there are still some crappie 15-20 feet down over brush in 25-35 feet of water, Captain Stevie reports that it’s so slow that he and his father Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) can’t justify the amount of time it takes to catch them right now.

On the bass front the fishing is about right for mid-July, and Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) reports that right now the lake really fishes like two separate lakes. Above the I-95 bridge fish live relatively shallow, and the best way to target them is in about five feet of water around deeper cypress trees with soft plastics. Early and late you can also find a surface bite with topwater lures or buzzbaits. 

On the lower end of Marion and Lake Moultrie you can also find beds of eel grass and hydrilla on 3-8 foot flats which will hold bream and bass, but the best thing going is still the offshore bite. Lots of bigger fish are out in the brush piles and ledges around bait in 10-20 feet of water. These fish don’t really set up well until the sun is up, and you can definitely catch them in the heat of the day. Big Texas rigged worms, Carolina rigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits will all work.   

No bream reports but as the full moon approaches (July 21) we will let you know what we hear. 

July 10

Santee Cooper water levels are down to 74.99 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and bouncing around 74.80 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Morning surface water temperatures are 84-87 degrees on the main lake.   

As the catfish spawn winds down there is a very good bite on Santee, and Captain Bobby Winters with Bob’s Guide Service Encore (843-751-3080) reports that you can catch them several different ways. There are a lot still in shallow water, and anchoring in around 6 feet of water near mussel beds, islands and stumps is still productive.  There could be some fish closer to the banks at night, but he has been having better luck with this pattern in the morning away from the banks. 

But the even better bite for Captain Bobby’s boat this week has been drifting flats in 15-25 feet of water, but targeting slight depressions, gentle hills, or stumps on the flats. He is having the best luck with bluebacks, but Bobby is also hearing good reports on chicken and bream.

Finally, with the spawn winding down there should be some fish heading back super deep. Bobby’s boat hasn’t fished this way yet, but on steep structure (hills, ledges) in 40 feet each of the last six years at this time it’s been productive.

In a similar vein Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) feels pretty certain that you can catch some big fish deep, but he has been having the best luck drifting just 8-10 feet of water for numbers of 3-10 pound fish. He is also targeting slight drops on flats, and while he would go deeper if his clients were looking for fewer, big fish he is picking up some 20s on this pattern. 

While there are still some crappie 15-20 feet down over brush in 25-35 feet of water, Captain Stevie reports that it’s so slow that he and his father Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) can’t justify the amount of time it takes to catch them right now.

On the bass front the fishing is pretty stable, and Captain Kyle Austin with KA Guide Services (843-209-3726) reports fish are pretty well set in their summer patterns. First thing there is still a good topwater frog bite around shallow vegetation and lily pads, but then all day long you can catch fish around eel grass and hydrilla on 3-8 foot flats which are holding lots of bream and bass. They will position differently in the weeds at different times of day. 

But the best thing going is still the offshore bite, and lots of bigger fish are out in the brush piles and ledges around bait in 10-20 feet of water. These fish don’t really set up well until the sun is up, and you can definitely catch them in the heat of the day. 

Outside of the topwater bite, big Texas rigged worms, Carolina rigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits are all working.