Northwest NC Archives - Page 23 of 54

April can be a fantastic month to target sheepshead before they leave the nearshore reefs and return to Murrells Inlet.

Herd Murrells Inlet reef sheep

Every winter, when the water cools, it shakes things up for fishermen along the eastern seaboard, especially around Murrells Inlet, when the inshore waters turn into ghost towns and many fish, including the snaggle-toothed sheepshead, head to the ocean to make a living. […]

Lake Marion’s Sparkleberry Swamp will fill up with big crappie this month, but often it will take a little extra effort to get them to bite.

It’s a matter of minnows

Brian Cope

March is a favorite month for anglers, and Sparkleberry Swamp on the northern end of Lake Marion is one of the hottest destinations for crappie, the tastiest of panfish. […]

Kevin Davis of Black’s Camp shows off a nice blue catfish from Santee Cooper.

Can’t go wrong in March – Blue cats, stripers, largemouth, crappie are hot

Terry Madewell

Fishing is good year-round at Santee Cooper, but March is the one month where almost every popular species is on the move. […]

Summerville's Todd Walters won the co-angler division of the Santee Cooper FLW event, pocketed over $6000, and won a new bass boat.

Todd Walters wins Santee Cooper FLW co-angler event

South Carolina Sportsman

FLW angler Bryan Thrift of Shelby went down to Santee over the weekend looking to improve on what has been a rough 2016 season for him so far. […]

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the boat of two anglers to sink Saturday at Santee. Two men drowned in the incident.

Two anglers drown at Santee after boat sinks, one body still missing

South Carolina Sportsman

Two anglers died over the weekend on Lake Marion after their boat capsized around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The cause of the accident hasn’t been determined, but other boaters said that many floating logs were present on the surface all weekend, along with logs and other debris that are just floating just below the surface. […]

According to Richie Wimmer of Cross, finding baitfish congregated in deep water will often lead anglers to plenty of nice blue cats.

February is moving time – Most fish begin to head shallow or upriver

Terry Madewell

Ol’ Man Winter may still have his icy hand on the weather on occasion, but by February, some fish species on Santee Cooper are a bit too shallow-minded to care. […]

Bass fishing in February often improves later in the day after the sun has a chance to warm the water.

How timing plays into February bass at Santee Cooper

Terry Madewell

Guides Kevin Davis and Linwood Thornhill agree that the better bass fishing in February will be later in the day, but that’s not always when they start. […]

Work the edges of creeks and channels that cut through shallow flats to find February largemouths.

Think shallow in February for Santee Cooper bass

Terry Madewell

Linwood Thornhill said that in most years — 2015 being an exception because it was so cold — largemouth will make a move toward the shallows late in the month. […]

Sumter's Jeff Sanford caught this 4-pound crappie on a recent trip to the Santee River.

Sumter angler catches 4-pound crappie from Santee River

Dusty Wilson

While the Santee Cooper lakes might be the crown jewels of the South when it comes to catching slab crappie, it was the Santee River that gave up a 4-pound trophy to Jeff Sanford of Sumter last Thursday, Jan. 28. […]

Bass in the Santee Cooper lakes start to move shallow this month, and anglers should follow.

Movers and shakers – Santee Cooper bass are on the move in February

Terry Madewell

The vast amount of shallow water in the Santee Cooper lakes has distinct advantages for early season largemouth bass fishing. Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie have experienced a strong revival in recent years, thanks to abundant natural vegetation and productive bass recruitment, including multiple vigorous year-classes. […]