Come On the other hand Captain Brett Mitchell is fishing shallower in 15-25 feet of water, drifting over hard bottoms in areas that have a pronounced drop-off. The upper lake is getting dirty, while the lower lake is relatively clear once you get away from the mouth of the canal. Depending on water conditions shallow-running crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits, and jigs should all work. While a lot of the shellcracker have already spawned there should be more, and the bluegill should really start to get down to business on this moon phase. He is still having the best success fishing scattered wood and grass in the 4-6 foot range with soft plastics. Reel in the big fish with one of our handpicked fishing reels. The upper lake is slightly dingy while the lower lake is clear. The lakes are clear and water temperatures range from about 82 in the morning up to about 85. 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. Suspend over the fish with live bait of drift cut shad and herring with Santee cooper rigs in the deep channels. 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. been reported catching them on Spooks and Pencil Poppers. They have been catching both bluegill and some big shallcracker with worms, while with crickets you will mainly get bluegill. AHQ INSIDER Santee Cooper (SC) 2023 Week 5 Fishing Report - Updated February 2 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). Santee Cooper water levels are at 73.71 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and about 72.64 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). Brush piles, fallen trees, standing timber, and Morning surface water temperatures are around 87-88 degrees. 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. The lakes are as clear as Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) has ever seen them, which may be part of the reason why they can only catch bluegill and crappie around the deeper stuff. 9 reviews #1 of 1 Restaurant in Pineville $$ - $$$ Seafood. With water temperatures finally below 60 better bass have made their way into the creeks, and Captain Brett Mitchell(803-379-7029) reports that even though there are still fish on trees and brush in the shallows that will take soft plastics they are no longer his primary focus. Step aboard a 23' Epic powered by a 200 HP Suzuki engine. wigglers and crickets are the best baits. Fish may even start fanning beds, and there could be females thinking about laying eggs in spawning pockets before temperatures drop. USGS 02169500. Red wigglers are hard to beat. Overall its been a slow late spring for crappie, and with real summer heat on the way it probably wont be until the fall that fishing really picks up. Santee Cooper water levels are at 74.23 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 75.1 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). 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. shallow waters around grass beds of bullrushes being the best. 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 lakes are getting muddy and morning surface water temperatures are around the low to mid-60s. Most of the fish are still probably roaming offshore suspended and chasing bait, but when temperatures drop just a few degrees they should finally start to move into the creeks following shad and become catchable on topwater lures, swimbaits and square-billed crankbaits. Our top priority is to satisfy. Generally the fish are 8-10 feet down. Lake Marion, comprise the Santee Cooper lake system. It shouldnt be long until fish start to move into the creeks following shad and become catchable on topwater lures, swimbaits and square-billed crankbaits. In bream news, Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that there are still some outstanding catches of shellcracker around grass in less than 6 feet of water. Jamestown (Santee River) USGS 02171700. 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. Its the time of year when the bass fishing should be starting to pick up again on Santee, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that is exactly whats happening. For some reason jigs are working better than minnows, out-fishing them 5-1 or so. On the last trip they managed a couple of 40-pound fish, a 30-, and so on. Bream are moving in shallows setting up to spawn leading He notes that they have been topping of plenty of coolers this week. Morning surface water temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees. The South Carolina Crappie Association had its secondtournament of the yearSaturday onSantee, and with 17 teams fishing four bested a 2-pound average! It sounds like a broken record but the crappie still havent really turned on as water temperatures need to drop a few more degrees, and Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) reports that deeper brush in 25 plus feet of water continues to be the best. Trolling numbers have been a bit down this week but that will also work. Provided by Captain Joe Dennis with FatherandSonOutdoors Stripers. The best patterns for blue catfish seem to be anchoring early and then drifting during the day in 10-30 feet of water. There are still a ton of striped bass in the canal, and drifting blueback herring has been the preferred technique. Fishing Resources. Most detailed Lake Hartwell It should take a minimum of 31 or so pounds of bass to lead the first day and no less than 80-85 to win. Fresh Santee-Cooper Fishing Reports Top Santee-Cooper destinations Cross Tomorrow: 70 / 64 F Summerton Tomorrow: 70 / 64 F Eutawville Tomorrow: 70 / 64 F Fishing Seasons & Latest Fishing Photos February With the prized fish out in the deep, you'll need to hop on a boat to get out to reach them. 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! He has been targeting the flats in between the turns in the river bed on Lake Marion. 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. Its the time of year when the bass fishing is highly dependent on the weather, and Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that before and after the cold snap over the weekend the bass bit well but on Sunday they did not. The next new moon and then the June full moon may have more bluegill shallow. Its not the way he prefers to catch them, but Captain Brett Mitchell (803-379-7029) reports that the bass on Santee Cooper have moved deeper and hes now having to target fish in 8-15 feet. 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. 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. going on , grasses and pads are your places to concentrate on. If the lake remains dirty fish will continue to feed best in the muddiest areas. 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. 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. West Columbia, SC 29172. Brush in about 14 feet has been the most productive, but they are also getting some fish in 15-20 feet of water. All kitchen units have coffee maker, microwave, all items such as pots & pans & cooking utensils are not supplied. Most detailed Lake Greenwood And, few lakes in the country can rival the. Luckily the catfish bite has been really good on Santee Cooper, and both Steve and his son Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) report that they are filling boxes with fish pretty quickly. These services are no longer offered at 1000 Assembly Street in Downtown Columbia. Fishing The Sled, crankbaits, and jigs around rocky points will remain a strong pattern until fish move up, and then they when they will take a variety of moving baits as well as soft plastics. Santee Cooper water levels are at 73.92 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and around 74.75 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). (Herring)off the Hatchery and Bonneau in 25' to 40' and in front of the Updates. They are also catching some good bream on the same brush. Information on fishing trends provided courtesy of www.anglersheadquarters.com/, South Carolina's premier These are really big fish that are busting with eggs, and they are getting very close to spawning if they have not already begun. Its been an outstanding week or two for catfish on the Santee Cooper lakes, and Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that they have been filling boxes with good fish in the 10 plus pound range. During this video I am also doing a live show on Youtube, AND I a. Customer Service. Santee Cooper has thousands of acres of inundated cypress trees, various kinds of vegetation and all sorts of fish-holding habitat. The lakes are extremely clear for Santee and morning surface water temperatures have dropped to about 59 degrees. Santee Cooper water levels are at 75.41 in Lake Marion (full pool is 76.8) and 75.31 in Lake Moultrie (full pool is 75.5). You can report an outage, downed powerline or other issue to us at 888-769-7688. Our Lakeside Rentals & Campgrounds Discover the places you can stay, eat and fish while in Santee Cooper Country. Look for crappie on brush in 12-25 ft. on Lake Marion and 28-35 ft on Moultrie. The fish they have caught have been 8-12 feet down over brush in 15-20 feet of water. Santee Cooper striper season closes June 15. Much of the lake is muddy and morning surface water temperatures are in the lower 50s. Updates. The lakes are still clear and morning surface water temperatures are about 58. 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 bite seemed to die after the morning. The co-state record largemouth bass was caught out of Lake Marion (16-2 caught in 1949), until 1993 the world record freshwater striped bass came from Santee Cooper (55 pounds), the state record white crappie came from Lake Moultrie (5-0 caught in 1957), and the state record shellcracker (5-7.5 caught in 1998) came from the Diversion Canal. The best action is coming drifting deep water in 30-35 feet where there are depth changes like hills, ledges and humps. creek channel ledges are the areas to fish. The latest Santee Cooper Fishing Reports from Canal Lakes Fish Camp Canal Lakes Fish Camp Home Bragging Board Fishing Reports Tournaments Map Guides Rentals Links Fishing Reports Catfish: Catfish are moving into the upper and lower ends of the canal, cut bait, herring and gizzard shad are your best baits. With the full moon this past weekend the bream fishing was decent, but Captain Stevie English (843-709-8138) reports that in the end the May full moon seems to have been kind of in-between. Beds of bullrushes being the best action is coming drifting deep water in 30-35 feet there. Services are no longer offered at 1000 Assembly Street in Downtown Columbia the same.. Fish while in Santee Cooper lake system on Spooks and Pencil Poppers -... 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