‘Awesome’ April arrives

It’s hard to imagine better fishing than today

If “Madness” was the word for March, then “Awesome” will be the word for April in terms of fishing success on the Santee Cooper lakes. Many species, including stripers, largemouth bass and catfish all provide excellent fishing. Most species will be found in the shallows, but one of the highlights will be the red-hot striper action in the upper end of the lake.

According to Steve Pack at Packs Landing (803-452-5514) in the upper end of Lake Marion, 2012 should be a banner year for striper fishing.

“In 2011, we had probably the best striper fishing we’d experienced in 15 to 20 years,” Pack said. “It was pretty common for almost everyone to catch stripers, and some boats caught lots of fish. With the size limit, a lot were not keeper size and were released, but it’s still a lot of fun.

“Based on what we saw through the year last year, the action should be great in April and into May in the upper part of the lake. We expect to see quite a few keeper stripers. Last year, my brother Andy was guiding a party that caught a 29-pound striper. That’s a big fish for Lake Marion.”

Pack said that the striper action improves in March, with herring available at most bait shops. April is excellent, he said, because some stripers are moving upriver while others are headed back down.

“Cut bait and live bait, especially herring, are both good baits for April,” Pack said. “The stripers returning downriver prefer the live bait, while those headed up seem to bite the cut bait. Plus, as a bonus, big catfish will bite both.”

The good news for largemouth bass fishing is there’s a lot of shallow cover in these two lakes. Sometimes the abundance of cover can also be the biggest problem when pinpointing exactly where these shallow water fish are located.

Guide Inky Davis said that finding the right cover for the largemouth bass may require a bit of casting and searching, but overall the bass will likely be found holding on a variety of different cover situations.

“April is a favorite month of mine because bass will typically be in very shallow water,” said Davis (803-478-7289). “Plus, they will be found in a wide variety of cover types, ranging from very shallow grass and stickups, to cypress trees and stump flats off points.”

Davis said he’ll typically use a half-dozen or more lures successfully on any given day during April.

“I usually keep up to nine rods rigged and ready, and on some days I’ll catch largemouth on several, if not nearly all of them,” he said. “The key is to use the right bait for the right cover and fish a lot of different cover until you pattern the fish for the day. Spinnerbaits and topwater lures are two favorites early and late in the day. During mid-day, I’ll often have best results with bottom bumping lures.”

Aan Spence of Spence’s Guide Service said the catfish action will be red-hot this month on Lake Marion.

“Catfish are usually in the shallows by March and that action can remain good throughout April,” said Spence (803-478-5029). “We’ll also start looking back to deeper water, depending on the weather goes and how hard the fish are pounded in March. Typically the catfish, especially the blue catfish, will begin to retreat to deeper water. Sometimes they don’t have to move far depending on the weather and water temperatures. Often their first stop will be along the first drops or ledges during April.”

Spence said the shallow-water pattern can still produce outstanding catches.

“Throughout April, the real windy days are the time to get on the wind-blown banks in shallow water,” he said. “It usually requires a big boat, because the water will be rough, but the fishing is often sensational. The water forces bait into the shallows, and the catfish will follow and feed. Herring and shad are both excellent baits at this time of the year.”

Marlin Ormseth, who guides for catfish on Lake Moultrie, said the action there and in the Diversion Canal will be excellent.

“The fishing in the Canal will be great if we have good current flow,” said Ormseth (843-825-4713). “But the action in the main lake will certainly be excellent. My particular fishing method is to slow-troll for the catfish. I don’t drift as many do; I use my electric motor to keep a steady pace and fish the drops and ledges in various depths until I hit the pattern for the day. April is a great month for big catfish in Lake Moultrie.”

Also, scattered throughout the shallows, anglers will find good crappie and shellcracker fishing as well. Shellcrackers will be caught on redworms and crappie usually taken on live minnows or small jigs fished around woody cover.

Turkey hunting season opens in April, and there are several WMA’s around the lakes where you can hunt during April. Check out the SCDNR website for information on these areas.