Striper bite is scorching hot on Santee

striper
Leroy Suggs said the key to limiting out on Santee's stripers right now is to start the day early and feed them live blueback herring.

Many striper anglers are limiting out early

Striper anglers on Santee are regularly limiting out, mainly in the early morning hours and while using live bait. Most of these fish are in deep water, and they’re eating heavily when presented their favorite meals.

Fishing guide Leroy Suggs of Capt. Leroy’s Striper Charters has been putting his anglers on the stripers with what he calls “striper candy,” which is live blueback herring. Most of his fish are coming on the lower lake in deep holes from 45 to 60 feet, but he is beginning to catch some higher in the water column in those areas.

“After the spawn is over, they love to get in this deep water. They’ll swim around looking for food. On some mornings, we’ll catch a limit with every fish being between 45 and 60 feet deep. Here lately, we’ve caught a few fish much closer to the surface while fishing water in those same depths,” said Suggs.

If the wind allows, Suggs (910-995-1168) prefers to use the anchor lock feature on his trolling motor. When the wind whips up the water too much for that, he anchors down. Then he puts out numerous rods with the herring on Carolina rigs with 3/0 circle hooks. He puts the rods in rod holders, then plays the waiting game.

The canal is also worth a try, but don’t spend too much time there

He prefers to get on the water by 6 a.m., and he’ll give that first try a little longer than most.

“Once I’m set up first thing in the morning, I’ll give it an hour. Sometimes we’ve got the limit by then. Other times we’re weeding through throwbacks and picking up a keeper here and there,” he said.

Suggs expects the stripers to stay on this deep water pattern through the end of Santee’s striper season, which is June 15. But he said drifting the canal that connects the upper and lower lakes is always worth a try, especially for anglers with smaller boats that can’t navigate on the big water during rough days.

“Some guys like to try for a few minutes in the canal first thing, and they do well on some days. I prefer to get on out to the big water right away. If I’m short one or two keepers, then I’ll make a drift or two in the canal to try and pick up that last one or two fish,” he said.

When drifting in the canal, Suggs uses his trolling motor to stay out of harm’s way, but allows the current to move his boat. He uses the same rods and baits as he does in the deep water.

About Brian Cope 2726 Articles
Brian Cope is the editor of Carolina Sportsman. He has won numerous awards for his writing, photography, and videography. He is a retired Air Force combat communications technician, and has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Carolina. You can reach him at brianc@sportsmannetwork.com.

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