Lake Marion striper action has been hot

Topwater and live baits both producing nice fish

Low water levels may be keeping some fishermen away, but the fishing on the Santee Cooper reservoirs has been a knockout the past week or so.

With Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie both around 10 feet below full pool and with limited boating access to the lakes, guides like Brad Browder of Cross have lamented that few visiting fishermen have been around the share in what has been some great fishing for striped bass.

“We’re doing a lot with the stripers in the upper lake (Marion),” said Browder (888-854-9635). “And we’re catching pretty good-sized fish: 21 inches and up.”

Browder said that schools of stripers have been feeding on the surface early in the morning and late in the afternoon, with most popular topwater lures being effective. The rest of the time, it’s been live blueback herring fished in some of the lake’s remaining deep water.

“They’re hanging off the edges of flats on the northern banks, like around Wyboo Plantation, where the water warms up more,” Browder said. “Most of the fish are coming out of 15 to 22 feet of water.

“Early in the morning, we’re catching them on the surface, then we’re going to live bait after the sun gets up. It’s the same thing in the afternoon. You start on live bait, and as it gets toward dark, they’ll start schooling on bait at the surface.”