Low lake levels on the Santee Cooper reservoirs this fall will concentrate bass

Guide Chris Heinning looks for ditches and creek channels close to cover for fall bass.

Guide Chris Heinning said that November on Lake Marion is an excellent time to catch largemouth bass feeding up for the winter, and a lower lake level doesn’t hurt.

“Going into this fall, the lake was approximately 4 feet lower than full pool due to drought this year,” he said. “Anglers who haven’t fished the lake since spring will be shocked at how places that held bass fish spring are high and dry.

“The lower water congregates bass into ditches and creek channels, making them easier to target,” Heinning said. “One excellent pattern is to use my graph to locate depressions in 4 to 7 feet of water with good amounts of cover nearby such as wood in the form of cypress trees, stumps, and docks and piers, as well as vegetation including eel grass, floating heart and even hydrilla, if any can be found.”

Heinning said one of his favorite baits for November is a square-billed crankbait in silver for clearer water and chartreuse/shad in dingier water.

“This crankbait matches the hatch perfectly with the baitfish bass are gorging on,” he said. “Forage is abundant, and that’s a key to success. In addition, I use spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps, and they produce very good results; a straight-tail worm or plastic bait is will produce bites.”

Heinning added a point of caution on Santee Cooper in November: be aware of off-limits national wildlife areas and restricted areas.

“Plenty of excellent places are available to catch fish, and typically, November is a great month for the bass to bite all-day long,” he said.

About Terry Madewell 799 Articles
Award-winning writer and photographer Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C., has been an outdoors writer for more than 30 years. He has a degree in wildlife and fisheries management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager.

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