Fishing Report (Updated 5.9.2008)

Fishing on the upper and lower ends of the lake is very strong, and boat ramps such as Pack’s Landing are open again with the rising water. 

Striped Bass: Slow. Use cut bait and live herring; occasional striped bass are being caught.  

Largemouth Bass: Good to very good.  Reports of 6 to 10 pound fish are fairly common and bass are being caught around shallow structure and submerged cover.  Fish soft plastics or try topwater lures as the water continues to warm.  In the recent Everstart tournament records catches were made.

Catfish: Very good.  Catfish are feeding aggressively but unpredictable weather is keeping them moving around.  Anglers on the upper end of the lake are catching catfish very shallow; fish up to 50 pounds or bigger can be caught in 2 to 6 feet of water using cut bait on the bottom. Catfishing has been great in 2 to 3 feet of water between Billups and Jacks Creek using cut herring.  Around the dam area anglers are also catching coolers full of fish, but having to change locations from day to day.  Generally the fish in this area are somewhere between deep and shallow, and many guides are drifting about 100 yards offshore.   

Crappie: Very good. Most crappie have already completed spawning but are still feeding very well.  Fish in the Jack's Creek area and around Santee State Park up towards Stump Hole Landing.  Target bridges and piers for fish that have moved back into deeper water. 

Bream and Shellcracker: Very Good.  Fish shallow water along the banks near Santee Park and Stump Hole.  Fish have moved shallow and will spawn and feed aggressively for the next 4 to 6 weeks.  

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