When the calendar turns to January, many anglers hang up their rods and wait for spring. But plenty of fish are still biting great on the Santee Cooper lakes.
Capt. Joe Dennis of Captain J Hook Charters and Chasin’ the Wild Outdoors TV said two of the most active species this month include stripers and largemouth bass, but they aren’t the only ones worth pursuing.
“January is actually a really good month for fishing the Santee Cooper lakes,” said Dennis (843-245-3762). “A lot of anglers think it’s too cold, but as long as you’re wearing the proper clothing, it’s not bad at all. Many folks are surprised that the fish bite throughout January, but it’s just another month for these fish. They eat all month, and it’s a lot of fun for anglers who get out there.”
Stripers
Deep-water trolling is a good bet for stripers right now.
“A lot of stripers are caught throughout January by trolling in deep water,” said Dennis. “And if you watch for the birds, you’ll also find a lot of stripers schooling on the surface.”
Umbrella rigs are good choices for trolling. The schooling stripers can be caught on bucktails, swimbaits, and topwater lures.
“Carolina rigs fished with live herring above the schools will also produce,” Dennis said.
Largemouth bass
Kyle Austin with Kyle Austin Guide Service (843-209-3726) said bass are in their winter patterns.
“Lots of bass will be moving shallow, chasing threadfin shad and crawfish,” he said.
Anglers who find shad will find active bass all day long.
“They’ll school throughout the day on shad,” said Austin. “I target them with swimbaits, crankbaits, and walk-the-dog topwater lures.”
He said anglers should not overlook the grass throughout the lakes.
“With the expansive amount of eel grass and hydrilla we have, anglers can find lots of great cover to find largemouth,” he said.
Austin suggests anglers use frogs, Texas-rigged soft plastics and lipless crankbaits for fish relating to the grass.
“Overall, the bass bite is very good in January, and it will continue to get better throughout the month,” he said.
Catfish
Drifting is a good technique for catching catfish this month.
Cut herring and cut shad are good baits, and anglers will find their share of catfish willing to bite in depths that range from 20 to 25 feet.
“Catfish of all sizes are biting at those depths,” Dennis said. “And for anglers looking for some of the biggest catfish of their lives, deep holes up to 50-feet deep are the best places to look.”
Bream
Dennis said bream are in deep brush piles in 25 to 35 feet of water. They’re biting best on crickets on drop shots or Carolina rigs.
Crappie
Crappie are also on deep brush piles this month, and are often mixed in with the bream. Dennis suggests casting small jigs or using minnows under corks.
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