Dog days, big bites

Anglers can expect good fishing from numerous species of fish this month on the Santee Cooper lakes.

Capt. Joe Dennis of Chasin’ the Wild Outdoors TV breaks down his best advice for catching bass, bream, catfish and crappie throughout August.

Bass

“Early morning is best for bass this month. Late evening is a close second,” said Dennis, who has been guiding on the Santee Cooper lakes for decades.

Topwater action is tough to beat for early-to-rise anglers.

“Topwater action is good in shallow areas with cover like grass, lily pads, and submerged wood,” he said. “Buzzbaits fished in lily pads that have open space between the pads can be excellent. Hollow body frogs are good in thick sections of lily pads and in thick grass.”

In open water, Dennis (843-245-3762) suggests popping lures like the Rebel Pop-R and walk-the-dog type lures such as Zara Super Spooks and Spook Juniors.

Once the mid-day heat creeps in, he said anglers should look for deeper ledges and drops, and in water with lots of stumps and woody cover. Soft plastic worms and creature baits are good bets in those areas.

Bream

Dennis said bream are consistent biters throughout August here, but he said the earlier you get on the water, the better your fishing will be.

“Especially during the new and full moons, bream will bed in 5 to 10 feet of water in numerous areas around both lakes,” he said.

Dennis likes using crickets for bait, and likes to fish them under corks.

“I like the adjustable, plastic Betts Mr. Crappie corks. I can adjust these on the fly as I move from one area to another, depending on the water’s depth,” he said.

When bream fishing, Dennis uses Catch The Fever Precision Cast spinning rods with 500-series spinning reels, and uses the lightest amount of split shot needed to get his cricket to sink.

Catfish

Dennis said catfish are very active at night, but anglers also catch plenty drifting the Diversion Canal with cut bait and with fresh shrimp.

He uses his trolling motor to help him drift sideways, and puts four to eight rods in rod holders.

“Your bait should be suspended off the bottom. Then just drift a section of the canal,” he said. “When the bite slows down, crank the outboard and head back up to where you started that drift, and drift it again.”

Dennis said anglers can find catfish willing to bite in just about any section of the Canal this time of year, but the hottest section changes from one day to the next, and even within the same day.

“Drifting is a good way to cover water quickly, and most of your catfish are going to be good eating-sized fish. But you’ve always got a shot at picking up a few bigger fish too,” he said.