Anchor down
Catching catfish at Lake Marion, the Upper Lake of Santee Cooper, isn’t a problem any time of year for Capt. Kyle Austin of Kyle Austin Guide Service (843-209-3726), but he said October is one of the most enjoyable months to do it.
“We will still get some warm weather this month, but for the most part, the days are cooler than they have been since the spring. That helps us as anglers enjoy the day more, and it probably does help the catfish bite a little better,” said Austin. “They can feel the cooler weather coming on, and that makes them a little more hungry than they have been.”
His strategy is to anchor down and fan cast cut bait around the boat.
“Some catfish anglers prefer to drift, but that’s difficult to do on certain parts of the Upper Lake because of all the stumps,” he said. “I much prefer anchoring down in an area that catfish are moving in and out of.”
Hook it up
And instead of tossing out a traditional anchor, Austin likes using a large hook, similar to a meathook, to hang on one of the many cypress trees standing in the lake. That keeps him stationary and doesn’t require the time or the mess associated with tossing out and bringing in an actual anchor.
Most of the catfish he catches are blues, but he also brings in a flathead here and there, and channel cats aren’t out of the question.
“If I really want to target channel cats, I’ll use stink bait,” he said. “But they will occasionally bite cut bait. Most of what we catch are good eating-sized fish up to 15 pounds, but this is Santee Cooper, so there’s always a chance to catch something bigger, even much bigger.”
See more from Austin and book your trip to fish with him at kyleaustinoutdoors.com. ■
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