September opportunities

Santee Cooper hunting, fishing is set to go

September serves as a wake-up call for outdoorsmen in the Santee Cooper area. The fishing patterns begin to change as the month progresses, with a trend to shallower water for some species and more-reliable, big-fish patterns in deep water for others. Hunting seasons throttle up everywhere around the lakes in September.

Some counties launched deer season on Aug. 15, and remaining counties are open this month. Alligator season gets underway, and Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie are prime gator-hunting territory, both producing huge alligators. And Santee Cooper country offers plenty of dove-hunting opportunities, public and private, when the Sept. 3 season opener arrives. One of the best public dove fields in South Carolina last season was a 60-acre field that’s part of Canal WMA in Berkeley County. The 100-acre Oak Lea field is traditionally the site of good hunts, as is a 75-acre field at Santee Dam WMA.

In Sumter County, near the upper end of Lake Marion, is Toumey A, a 50-acre hot spot last season, along with Toumey B, a 20-acre hot spot, just a few minutes away. In Orangeburg County, the 35-acre Santee Cooper WMA also has good dove hunting. Precise turn-by-turn driving directions to these fields are found in the SCDNR Rules and Regulations digest. Remember that the daily limit has dropped from 15 to 12 doves this year, and pay attention to specific dates and times of hunts on WMAs and private lands.

Crappie fishing is already good around deep brush, and it actually takes a step forward in September; the average size of fish typically increases, as do the numbers. Both lakes will produce plenty of slab crappie, and deep brush and natural cover are top crappie-holding targets.

Catfish action is very good in both lakes, with drift-fishing success in Lake Moultrie and anchor-fishing in Lake Marion the most-productive techniques. As the year-class of forage fish species grows, catfish begin to cluster around them, and September and October are typically good months for catching large catfish and big numbers.

Guide Kevin Davis of Blacks Camp loves to target catfish in September.

“(There’s) very good catfishing is found in both lakes,” Davis said, “and if we get ample rain, fishing in the Diversion Canal can be very good in September. The moving water will draw the forage, and the catfish will follow.”

Davis (843-753-223) said much of the fishing on Lake Moultrie will be drifting over humps and ledges, down into deeper holes. He recommends drifting areas that have a big change in depth. Early and late, or at night, catfish may be as shallow as 10 feet, but during the day he’ll often find them in water 40 feet or deeper, especially when weather conditions are stable.

“A lot will depend on the rainfall, especially if we get a tropical system that dumps a lot of rain,” he said. “Once that passes and the weather settles, a heavy rain in September will often create great catfishing for quality and quantity of fish. September is a prime month for this, but a rainy day without lightning and storms can be awesome.”

In Lake Marion, drift-fishing will be effective in the areas where sunken debris and standing timber allow anglers to effectively fish; there are some in the lower end of the lake.

Davis said fishing the heavy, timbered areas requires most anglers to use electronics to find big pods of forage. Once found, they anchor or tie to stumps or standing trees and fan-cast bait around the boat.

“We’ll usually give it 30 minutes from an anchored position unless we’re getting plenty of action,” he said. “Best baits for any of these tactics will be gizzard or threadfin shad and white perch — for big catfish as well as numbers.

September brings an upsurge in fishing in the upper end of Lake Marion, according to Andy Pack at Packs Landing, with good catfish and largemouth bass action being very good.

“As weather begins to cool during September, the baitfish begin to move into the shallows in the upper end of Lake Marion, and the catfish, bass and other species follow,” said Pack, who points to deeper holes near shallow water in the Packs and Elliots flats areas as catfish hot spots. Good fishing will take place in the river upstream from those areas all the way up the Congaree and Wateree rivers.

Pack said locating forage is a key for good largemouth bass fishing.

“Forage is always a key factor, and when baitfish move shallow in the fall, the largemouth feed heavily,” he said. “Schooling action improves in September and gets even better later on. Target-fishing objects in shallow water is a good September tactic.”

Pack (803-452-5514) said fishing Texas- or Carolina-rigged worms around stumps, trees, grass and weeds is a good starting point. Swimming-minnow crankbaits cast around objects are productive, and watch for surface-feeding bass. Be ready by keeping one rod close by with a lure tied on that can be cast long distances.

Outdoorsmen will have to make a priority “to-do” list in September with the diverse fishing and hunting opportunities in the Santee Cooper area. But that’s a good problem to have.