Monster bass at Lake Moultrie

April is BIG BASS time at Santee’s lower lake

Monster largemouth bass are the targets of bass anglers, and April ushers in prime-time fishing at one of the best big-bass lakes in the Carolinas, Lake Moultrie. 

The lower of the two Santee Cooper lakes, this circular lake is ringed by some of the finest shallow-water bass cover in the country. Plus, much of that open water away from the shoreline has the potential to produce trophy bass.

Eric Glenn is a successful tournament angler who lives in Bonneau Beach and has fished the lake all his life. He’s tournament fished at a high-level for 10 years, first teaming with his father and now on his own.

Glenn said his familiarity with Lake Moultrie, and time spent fishing during the spawning season, has helped him identify the basic patterns for successful fishing.

“Two distinct patterns are in play during April,” Glenn said. “The first is the shallow spawning event, which kicks into high gear during March and goes through about half of April,” he said. “This is when big bass are flooding into the shallows to spawn. We know where they’re going to be and we don’t have to chase them. And they’re going to be in the spawning areas in big numbers. Later in the month, as the spawning cycle slows, the fish move out of these areas, and the pattern shifts to one where fishermen must actively chase the bass.”

Glenn said the early April fishing is mostly bed fishing. So shallow-water fishing is the primary way to catch huge fish.

“A full moon in early April is my ideal scenario to make huge catches from Lake Moultrie in very skinny water,” he said.

Stay ready

Glenn said this is a time when fishermen can realistically hope to catch a 30-pound, five-fish limit, even during a tournament. The pattern is made up of bass moving to the shallows to spawn. And the pattern is strong. When he fishes an area, he’ll work targets thoroughly on the way in, often picking up a couple of big fish. But the bass movement activity is such that even though he’s fished the area thoroughly, an hour or two later he’s likely to re-visit places where he’s already caught a hawg.

“When the spawning period peaks and big fish are removed from a specific spot, it’s likely that I can go back and catch another big fish in that same area that same day,” he said. “They’re constantly moving in, and moving out, during the early part of the month.”

Glenn said the 60-degree water temperature is a good guide as to when things really get active in the shallows and spawning peaks. Before that, it’s more sporadic, but it can be productive, especially when seeking a few big bass.

“Once the water temperature hits the 60-degree mark, and is on a warming trend, it’s really on,” he said. “The type areas I fish are sandy bottoms where bass can bed and spawn. Although some siltation occurs in the blackwater ponds, the bottom substrate is usually sandy too, and I find spawning areas in those sites also.”

Many areas are productive from one year to the next in terms of shallow water bedding areas. So he adds to his list of potential spawning targets annually while searching for big bass. 

Go shallow

“The beds are typically in very shallow water, less than 3 feet,” he said. “The favored lures for this spawn-intensive time varies with fishermen. One of my high-confidence lures is the Zoom Lizard in the 6-inch size. It’s hard to beat, and produces for me.”

He said Senkos are productive, but are used by many bass fishermen in general. So bass see them a lot. He prefers to use a lure with a slightly different look.

“I’ll also use the lightest weight I can, and that’s influenced by the wind conditions and depth fished,” he said. “I want the lure to fall as slowly as possible when I’m targeting beds. I also use nothing heavier than 15- to 17-pound test line, unless I’m flipping bushes and heavy cover.”

Glenn said another good lure when the water is around 60 degrees is a spinnerbait. He prefers a single-spin Colorado blade and likes to fish this lure in stained water, preferably with a little wind.

“I used to avoid fishing stained water at Lake Moultrie. But now I love fishing those areas,” he said.

One thing to consider is the lake level falling during April. 

“A quick drop in water level will pull the big bass out of the shallows into slightly deeper areas,” he said. “If they’re locked in hard on the spawn, they finish business and leave, but dropping water levels will impact the shallow water fishing.”

Stay patient

Glenn said the fishing pattern and best options begin to change by mid-April when the water temperature hovers around 70 degrees. 

“Some bass are still going to spawn. But I’ve found the big rush is slowing. And while I’ll certainly check that pattern, I begin to morph to offshore fishing,” he said. “I’m still fishing relatively shallow, but I start working stumps and brush in the 4- to 7-foot depth range. Late April produces plenty of quality bass in this slightly deeper water. Some bass bed in this deeper water, but a lot will stage here after the spawn.”

Glenn employs his side-scan electronic feature as well as his forward-facing live sonar to help him locate targets with fish on them.

“My strategy shifts in mid- to late-April and becomes less about spawning and more about cover and forage,” he said. “Patience is my friend in this type of fishing. I’ll search and find woody cover with fish on it, and I’ll take the time to fish a spot from different angles to ensure I’ve fished it properly. But I may hit a dozen good looking places without a bite, then the next few will produce multiple big fish.”

Glenn said windblown rock areas can be productive because of forage stacking up, so they are attractive to big bass. He’ll fish docks that extend into deeper water more often during late April.

“I’ll hit the posts along the dock, not just the end of the dock,” he said. “If a dock has a ladder on it, I work that thoroughly because bass seem to be drawn to ladders.” 

The lizard is still an effective, and favored, lure for Glenn during this time. But he’ll typically now have multiple soft baits of various shapes and sizes rigged and ready.

“Topwater lures become more productive, especially when the bluegill bed,” he said. “I’ll fish topwater lures around bluegill beds, because big bass are there to eat those bluegills.”

He said he’ll still work shallow water targets early, including fishing grass beds with spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and other topwater lures. But once the sun is up, by late April he’s working the deeper targets the remainder of the day.

“By the end of April, much of my fishing is back to the basics of bass fishing, and to simply match the hatch with your lures when bass are not spawning,” he said. “April is an awesome month for big fish as well as lots of bass. But the pattern will constantly change as the water warms.”

Glenn said successful bass fishermen adapt to these changes. He’ll work a good pattern diligently, but he’s willing to try different tactics to stay in touch with what may be changing pattern-wise. Watch the lake level. Is it falling or rising? That, plus the water temperatures during April, are keys to these ever-changing patterns. 

Don’t overlook Lake Marion bass

Lake Moultrie does receive a lot of focus during April, but Lake Moultrie’s Santee Cooper sister lake, Lake Marion, is chock full of big bass, and this lake is even larger in size.

Professional fishing guide and tournament angler Kyle Austin said Lake Marion takes a back seat to no lake during the spawn. But it does set up differently from Lake Moultrie.

“One big difference is that a lot of large creeks are found on Lake Marion and they play a huge role during the spawning cycle in March and April,” he said. “These creeks often have multiple fingers that branch out, leading to shallow water and providing a diversity of cover, and patterns, for spring fishing.”

Austin said that all three stages of the spawn are in play during April, with pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawn bass often in, or near, the shallow water at any given time. 

“Mid- to late March is awesome for really big fish. But April offers fishermen about any shallow water scenario they want to explore on Lake Marion,” he said. “Plenty of big fish are still available shallow, but scads of fish are hanging out in the shallows, and they tend to like green stuff. If not spawning, they’re still shallow, staging in pre-spawn or post-spawn areas. Targets include weedbeds, isolated trees in slightly deeper water, shallow stumps near ditches and slightly deeper holes.”

Austin (843-209-3726; kyleaustinoutdoors.com) said his go-to April lures include weightless worms, shad type baits and bladed jigs. But depending on the pattern fished, April bass fishing means just about anyone’s favorite shallow-water lures can be productive. 

“Something unusual or different may get that trophy bass to bite,” he said. “During April, I think 75 percent of bass are still shallow, with some perhaps migrated out to 5-foot depths and deeper. Fishing can be good all day around cover. It’s a timing situation, and being in the right place doing the right thing is the key. But don’t get too locked in to one pattern. 

“On any April day, I’ll be checking different depths of water, with multiple lures, searching for even minute pattern changes, that helps me catch bigger, and more, bass.”