It may be hot and humid, but there are plenty of fishing opportunities on the Santee Cooper lakes this month. One thing we can’t do is keep stripers, so keep that in mind while fishing. Even if you catch them while fishing for other species, you must release them immediately. But species such as catfish, largemouth bass and crappie, as well as bream and shellcracker can be caught in good numbers.
The catfish action is typically a highlight during August, although much of the fishing is nocturnal.
According to Capt. Doug Allen, August is a prime month to catch big catfish on Lake Moultrie.
“Nighttime is the right time for fishing for big blue catfish, especially on Lake Moultrie,” said Allen (800-756-0527). “My basic pattern is to drift-fish from my 30-foot pontoon boat with up to 12 rods out. The fishing does need to be in specific places, and is not a random drift. I use the graph to work along drops, ledges, humps and channels.”
Allen also said fishing in areas where baitfish are present is another key.
“Big blue catfish are going to be near baitfish, whether you are fishing by day or night,” he said. “Best baits can be quite varied, but I like chunks of herring, shad, bream or perch. I’ll use a variety of different baits until I determine if there is a pattern for that specific night as well. The same holds true for depths, Sometimes during August you’ll find the catfish on the top of the humps maybe in 20 to 25 feet of water. Usually the big catfish will be a bit deeper along the drops or at the base of the drop. My favorite depth during the summer months is in the 30- to 35-foot range. At that depth, we catch some monster-sized catfish at this time of the year.”
Crappie action is usually quite good this month, based on reports from several different guides. Fish are locked into a summertime pattern and will be holding around woody cover in the 14- to 22-foot depth range. Sometimes the cover or brush will be in 20 to 22 feet of water, with the crappie suspended right over the top of the cover, about 16 feet deep.
Using an electric motor to ease live bait up to a spot is one good tactic. Another is to anchor off the cover and cast small jigs and count them down to the brush tops. Some fishermen will anchor over drops and ledges in 20 feet or more of water, use lights and draw the crappie into the lights and make good catches in August. Most of the crappie action is in the main lake on Lake Marion as well as Lake Moultrie.
Even during the summer’s hottest month, bass fishermen continue in their pursuit. There are several options for catching these fish, and working heavy cover in fairly shallow water is one productive pattern. Jim Marshall of Manning said that shallow water is often overlooked on both lakes,
“I prefer fishing the upper end of Lake Marion and stick close to the shallow water and heavy cover,” Marshall said. “I’ll usually fish in four to eight feet of water during August, and I’ll primarily use Texas-rigged plastic worms, spinnerbaits and small crankbaits. I prefer to use crankbaits and spinnerbaits, but often the soft plastics are the most productive choice.”
Marshall said to to get out and fish cypress points, open stump flats and downed logs early.
“Once the sun gets up, hunt the shady size of the trees, and keep an eye open for baitfish and schooling bass,” he said. “Have a rod rigged for long-distance casting in case largemouth are schooling on shad. I use a Little George among other lures, but that one is usually very productive on summertime schooling fish.”
Bream and shellcracker will be holding in deeper water near woody or weedy cover this month.
Alligator season approaches
August is also time to be planning your strategy for the upcoming alligator season. The 2010 season is Sept. 11 to Oct. 9. August and early September are prime times to keep a look-out for alligators. If you didn’t sign up this year but see lots of alligators, you may want to sign up for 2011. The sign-up period is from May to mid-June.
The alligator season is broken into four units with a total of 1,000 permits. Lake Marion is entirely in Unit 3, and Lake Moultrie is in Unit 2. A total of 250 permits are allocated to each area, thus, the Santee Cooper area has the potential to receive half of the statewide allocation. It is an exciting sport, so watch for potential alligator hotspots while in the shallows hunting bream, bass or other fish.
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