‘Kayak-catting’ around

Santee offers several nice paddles for catfish

Kevin Davis’ resume is long and varied. At the top of the list, he’s a fishing guide. He also operates Black’s Camp on the Santee-Cooper lakes, which makes him a hotelier, campground supervisor, bait boy and at times, chief cook and bottle-washer at the on-site restaurant.

evin Davis’ resume is long and varied. At the top of the list, he’s a fishing guide. He also operates Black’s Camp on the Santee-Cooper lakes, which makes him a hotelier, campground supervisor, bait boy and at times, chief cook and bottle-washer at the on-site restaurant.

One line item you won’t find on his resume, however, is “kayak fishing guide.”

Davis said he sees more and more of his customers bringing kayaks to Santee, but as far as he knows, there isn’t a kayak outfitter on either lake. Make no mistake, he can tell you where to go and how to do it, but he’s not going to volunteer to go with you.

That’s okay, because as the song says, “Two out of three ain’t bad.”

Bearing in mind that paddlers can go anywhere power boats can go, given the right weather and circumstances, Davis (843-753-2231) narrowed his suggested focus on places where paddlers might have the advantage over powered vessels.

Santee River at Wilson’s Landing

Located behind the dam at Lake Marion, Wilson’s Landing is the only jumping-off point on the continuation of the Santee River for 26 miles until you get to the US 52 bridge north of Pineville.

That creates a paddle-down, paddle-back situation or the need to pack accommodations and make it a multiple-day paddle and camping trip in the surrounding Francis Marion National Forest.

“It’s probably better to anchor and fish the deeper bends in the river than try to drift if you’re after trophy catfish,” Davis said. “You’ll see plenty of logs and branches to tie to, so you really wouldn’t even need an anchor.”

Diversion Canal

If a one-day float trip is more your style, Davis suggests leaving a pick-up vehicle at his place, and then driving up and putting in at Harry’s Fish Camp.

Current is a big factor in how good the fishing will be, with water generation or late-spring rains making it better.

“You’ll want to drift-fish in the canal,” he said. “Use cut bait like shad or herring or even some of the commercial stink baits on a Carolina rig. Use enough weight, something in the 2-ounce range, to stay just off the bottom but don’t drag the bottom —way too much stuff on the bottom to snag on.”

Cooper River

Another location that offers a short float or paddle-back option is the Cooper River below Pinopolis Dam, home of the state-record blue catfish.

Paddlers can put in at the Dennis Landing at US 52 or next to the restaurant on Dock Rd. on the other side of the river. From there, it’s a mile-and-a-half straight shot to Old Santee Canal State Park.

“Running water is your best bet for catfish, although there are plenty of bass and bream in the Cooper, too,” said Davis. “You can call Santee Cooper to get a water generation schedule.”

Sheltered Coves

For paddlers looking for a more-leisurely outing without having to coordinate pick-up vehicles or overnight camping, the edges of Lake Moultrie have a more-protected option in a vast choice of sheltered coves along the lake.

You can start from the one at the Black’s Camp ramp, but Davis includes practically the entire western shoreline of Lake Moultrie from Russellville to SC 6 as prime areas to get back into these small, protected areas.

“This time of year, I wouldn’t expect to find any big fish because the water’s so hot. At other times, we catch some big ones in there, especially early spring,” he said. “But you shouldn’t have any problem catching a whole mess of channel cats or bream using just a nightcrawler under a bobber and fishing the edge of the lily pads.”

Make the connection

Kayak angling may have started out as a single-pole pursuit, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.

For catfish, tactics that employ multiple rods like cut-bait fishing and drifting, paddlers can rig their boats in similar fashion to bigger rigs.

Many popular kayak and canoe models employ a track system that allows paddlers to mount accessories directly to the boat without the need of drilling holes. Luther Cifers of Yak Attack, a designer and manufacturer of kayak fishing accessories, has bridged the gap with his company’s Mighty Mount, a small yet versatile, 2-piece platform that allows anglers to mount bases for rod holders directly to the rail so the holders can be adjusted to fit an angler’s needs.

“We also offer a Gear Trac installation system for boats that don’t have tracks or don’t have the tracks positioned where the angler needs them,” Cifers said. “As kayak fishermen ourselves, we strive to develop and manufacture only the highest quality products. Most of our products are born of necessity — while we’re out on the water.

The Might Mount track mount kit even includes a Scotty 241 base to accommodate most popular Scotty rod holders, or the base can be ordered separately for mounting other accessories to your boat’s track system.

For more information visit www.yakattack.us.