October is a special time in the Santee Cooper area, as most everything worth doing in the outdoors is wide open — there aren’t enough hours to get it all done.
On the lakes, this is a time of fantastic bass fishing, with chunky schooling fish scattering shad across the surface. Also, bigger fish are lingering around bottom cover waiting on plastic worms and crankbaits to wiggle past. The striper action is perking up, with topwater schooling action improving as the month progresses. Crappies are once again on the move, and catfish are in the midst of their fantastic fall fling.
In the woods, the deer rut that kicks into gear about mid-month and lasts for a few weeks. Plus, it’s only a short trip to the coast for prime shrimping action. It is a tough push-pull decision whether to go to the woods or water.
Catfish action is really one of the top draws for fall fishing, and October is traditionally an outstanding month for catching lots of quality-sized fish and big catfish.
Marlon Ormseth a guide on Lake Moultrie, favors fishing this month for a couple of reasons.
“The fishing weather in October is ideal,” Ormseth said. “There’s no better place to be than enjoying the Santee Cooper lakes during the fall, and the catfishing is outstanding. Drift-fishing for blues is excellent both day and night, but to me, the bonus in October is that at night, we often catch catfish in shallow water with explosive action.”
Ormseth said the shallow-water fishing is primarily for blue catfish, and the action will often occur in water in the 5- to 10-foot depth range at night.
“A lot of fishermen don’t fish this shallow during the fall, but during October we’ll drift areas as shallow as five feet at night,” said Ormseth (843-825-4713). “We’ll use cut herring, shad or perch as bait. To get the bait into as shallow water as possible, I’ll even use planer boards. Striper guides on many lakes use planer boards, but I don’t know of other catfishermen doing it. It works great.
“It allows me to get the bait farther away from the boat and into the ultra-shallow water,” Ormseth said. “In shallow water, I have to be careful to not spook the fish, so getting the bait away from the boat is important. Sometimes, I’ll fish shallow flats out in the open lake, but occasionally I’ll be right up on the shoreline.
“We’ll catch a lot of fish in the 10-pound class, but plenty of 20- to 30-pound cats, too. When a really big fish hits in water that shallow, they don’t have much place to go but up, and the commotion they make when first hooked will test the mettle of any fisherman. It is very exciting.”
The presence of forage in the shallows is the key to when this fishing occurs, Ormseth said.
“I watch for the baitfish to make that shallow move in the evenings,” he said. “The traditional drifting in deeper water is certainly productive during the day. Fishing in the 20- to 35-foot depths can be excellent for quality and quantity of catfish, but when the big ones move to the shallows, I can’t resist getting in there with them. Often, you’ll hook several in the same general area.”
Shallow water seems to be a continuing theme for other species as well during October.
The largemouth schooling action begins to heat up in September, but it reaches a peak in October. The action is excellent on both lakes, with the upper end of Lake Marion being the prime destination for many bass fishermen.
Striper action is much improved during October, and surface-feeding schools of fish are literally popping up on both lakes.
Crappies scatter to shallower woody cover and inhale either minnows or jigs.
Broken Lines and Tangled Dipnets
It seems there are almost too many choices for outdoor adventures this month — almost. October’s weather makes it a refreshing time to enjoy hunting and fishing, but it seems I never get it all done. I’ll typically get on the lakes before dawn — or in a saltwater bay if I’m shrimping — and enjoy that for a half-day. Then I clean fish or head shrimp, take a shower and get in the deer stand and sit until dark-thirty. Then take care of the venison, get a wee bit of shut-eye and begin the fun again.
I never stop grinning in October, unless I can’t get outdoors.
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