Santee Cooper SC Archives - Page 12 of 14

Guide Joe Dennis caught this big stringer of bluegill on crickets, his favorite baits for these aggressive fish.

Bream bonanza is at hand

The flooded cypress and gum tree forests and the abundance of shallow vegetation of Santee Cooper is Ground Zero for some of the best panfish action in South Carolina. Bull bream and super-sized shellcrackers abound, and anglers armed with the basic techniques of how, when and where to fish for this dynamic duo have an opportunity to limit on either species or a combination of both. […]

Stripers begin moving this month into the upper reaches of Lake Marion as they begin their annual spawning run into tributary rivers.

Big-fish time on Moultrie, Marion

Terry Madewell

March is one of the best months for catching multiple species of fish on the Santee Cooper lakes […]

Guide Dave Hilton said that weather fronts and the accompany high winds can make keeping your boat in postion to fish individual brush piles very difficult, so he’ll often adjust his fishing locations to avoid the wind.

Beat the weather for boat control

Terry Madewell

Weather systems are a recurring consideration in March, and guide Dave Hilton said it’s simply something anglers must anticipate and plan strategy accordingly. […]

Angler Wyn Mullins believes that February might be the best time to catch a huge, prespawn bass on the Santee Cooper lakes, Marion or Moultrie.

February is big-bass time

Terry Madewell

While many anglers wait until March to begin bass fishing at the Santee Cooper lakes, they are missing out on some hot prespawn activity by these fish. […]

Guide Bob Winters doesn’t need all the latest gadgets to catch plenty of Lake Moultrie catfish like this nice blue.

Old school isn’t bad to study on

Terry Madewell

When guide Bob Winters stowed his gear after a day of fishing on Lake Moultrie, I caught myself wandering around his old Glassmaster boat, checking out the ancient flasher sonar unit. I recognized it because I’d used one myself long ago. […]

Stripers will still provide plenty of action this month on live bait and artificials, especially at the surface.

Cool weather=hot fishing

Terry Madewell

The cooler weather of December does little to slow the fishing activity on the Santee Cooper lakes. Catfish, crappie, stripers and largemouth bass will be biting. Successful patterns certainly change, but in some cases, the fish-catching perks up, especially if anglers retreat to deeper water. […]

Drifting at Santee Cooper producing hot catfish action

Brian Cope

Drifting provides some hot catfish action on the Santee Cooper lakes throughout the cold months. […]

Capt. David Hilton said anglers can sleep at little late and still catch plenty of Santee's crappie this time of year.

Top tips for cold weather crappie at Santee

Brian Cope

The crappie fishing is hot at Santee, and even during the coldest part of the day, anglers can catch plenty of slabs if they know what to look for and use the proper bait. […]

Guide Inky Davis said largemouth bass will be keying on shad movements in November.

Find time to fish — now!

Terry Madewell

Many outdoorsmen are in the woods during November, and with the deer rut in full swing, that’s a logical choice. Plus, some small-game hunting seasons open this month, and that ranks high for many hunters. […]

Plenty of big bream are swimming around the Santee Cooper lakes, ready to be caught by anglers who find brush piles in deeper water.

Deep Santee Cooper bream

Brian Cope

Bream aren’t often a primary target of anglers this time of year. And while it’s true that they aren’t as easy to find in November as they are in spring and summer, they are worth looking for — and not that difficult to locate as long as you know where to look. […]