Lake Marion’s double play

Spring stripers and catfish get frisky

March is an important month for Santee Cooper fishermen. The only downside is that anglers must decide which species to target, as action on multiple species is excellent.

But fishing guide Andy Pack, out of Packs Landing in the upper end of Lake Marion at Rimini, told me last spring that he has a plan that solves the riddle of which species to target.

“I recommend opting for the ‘daily double’ of stripers and catfish,” he said. “Beginning in March, once we can commercially catch and sell the big herring at Packs Landing on March 1, we can effectively target stripers and catfish in the river. The best striper action is often in the morning, and by using herring, we have an excellent chance to hook big catfish when fishing the river. By late morning through midday, we can move to the shallow flats off the river and specifically target catfish moving into the shallows to feed.  

Pack (contact either Andy or Steve Pack at 803-452-5514) said it’s the perfect ‘two-fer’ opportunity because the river herring migrating through the lakes is the ideal bait for either species.

And that’s what we did, and caught quality fish of both species.

Stripers on the move

Stripers are fast-tracking up the river for spawning purposes and are a major draw for anglers, Pack said.

“The striper action is consistent from March through May, but many of the largest fish are caught in March,” he said. “The key to catching stripers is two-fold, and the first is using the best bait, and that’s the big saltwater herring. Stripers are migrating upstream for their spawning mission, but they’ll gladly chew on fresh herring along the way.”

The second key is setting up in the right places, he said. Pack recommends fishing the main river channel, accessed from Packs at the railroad trestle. From here, good fishing is found up or down the river.

“I target the sandbar points,” he said. “Stripers literally cut corners on their upstream migration, often skipping the deep side of the river on their upstream travel. They work the shallow sandbars, moving from point to point. When I’m on the right sandbar with fresh bait, we’re usually in the fish-catching business.”

Pack cuts a big herring into multiple chunks, with eight pieces typical on a herring, and casts baits on the bottom. He staggers rigs from deep water at the base of the sandbar to the skinny water on the top. 

Fresh bait is key

“Keep fresh, bloody bait on at all times because the scent of the herring attracts stripers,” he said. “And catching catfish on this same type of sandbar setup is common. Some sandbars favor one species or the other, but occasionally we’ll hit a double and catch stripers and catfish.”

Big catfish are on the move in March, and it’s common to see lots of heavy catfish caught by striper anglers as well as by those targeting catfish, he said.

When our striper action slowed on the river that morning, we moved to the flats to target catfish in the shallows.

Moving onto hard-bottom, shallow-water flats in the cypress trees, Pack said the prime spots usually have ditches or deeper water nearby that catfish use as travel routes.

“Catfish are on a shallow water bite, so we’ll cast several rigs from an anchored setup and give it 45 minutes before moving,” he said. “But we often catch a bunch of fish from a single spot, using chunks of herring on the bottom.”

Don’t delay

Pack said for stripers, he recommends being on the water, rigged and ready, by first light.

“I’ve had several mornings in a row where we’ve caught 10 to 15 stripers by 9 a.m.,” he said. “The action picks up again late in the evening, but not at the same pace as early morning.”

Fishing for stripers and catfish is good all spring, but many of the biggest stripers are caught on the early portion of the run.

Unless sold out, herring is reliably available at Packs Landing (call to confirm if you wish).

“I change baits every half hour at a minimum, but when action is right, we don’t need a watch,” he said.

When the calendar flips to March, anglers can double up in upper Lake Marion, and stripers and catfish are likely already on the move. Go now!