Cut bait can look lively with these tips
Drifting for catfish and stripers is a popular tactic on many lakes in the Carolinas. This type of fishing allows anglers to cover a lot of ground quickly, and also gives them access to many different types of bottom structure on each pass.
When anglers drift, either with the wind, with the current, or both, they can fish shallow humps, deep holes, sunken timber, and open flats as they pass through a section of a lake as big or small as they want.
Some anglers use drift socks to slow their rate of speed. They can also use their outboard or trolling motor to keep the boat in line.
One thing all drift fishing anglers have in common is they want to present the best-looking bait possible to the fish. Cut herring is a common bait on many Carolina lakes. Using cut bait puts plenty of scent in the water, but the baits should also look lively. That’s often tough to pull off. But Capt. David Hilton (843-870-4734), who guides out of Blacks Camp on the Santee Cooper Lakes said it’s important to make even dead baits give off some action that will entice catfish and stripers to take a closer look.
Hilton shows his method of hooking cut herring for drift fishing in this video.
Click here to read about drift fishing for catfish at night.
