Striper season closes June 15
The hot bite in Santee Cooper Country right now is for stripers, but the season will close on June 15.
Capt. Joe Dennis of Captain J Hook Charters said anglers can expect to catch plenty of stripers in a variety of locales, and with a number of different techniques.
“The night bite is really good right now,” said Dennis.
That’s really an early morning, in-the-dark bite most days for Dennis and his clients. He starts fishing between 3 and 4 a.m., using live herring on down lines in water ranging from 25 to 45 feet deep.
“Some days, we’re heading in with the limit before any other boat is even on the water,” he said. “We’ll be the only vehicle at the landing. Other days, we’ll pass anglers just starting out while we’re heading in.”
While fishing with down lines, Dennis said anglers should pay attention to the surface. Stripers will chase bait to the top, and you’ll see a few fish busting from time to time. He keeps a swimbait handy, casting into the chaos when it occurs. Topwater, walk-the-dog type lures are also good bets.
“It’s a lower hookup ratio, but it’s a fun way to catch them in between catching them on live bait,” he said.
The catfish are biting just as good as the stripers, he said, and anglers are catching them in both shallow water around cypress trees, as well as drifting the main lake in 20 to 25 feet water. Herring and shad are the top-producing baits.
Bream and shellcracker are also biting good. Worms are best bets for shellcrackers, and bluegill are biting mostly crickets. ■
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