Fishing Report (Updated 11.11.2009)

Water levels in both Santee Cooper lakes are at or above 74 feet.

Bream: Very good. Captain David Hilton (843-870-4734) reports that he continues to find a strong bream bite over deep brushpiles in the 22-24 foot range.  He is catching upwards of 100 fish on many of his trips and all sizes are mixed together.  Crickets and nightcrawlers make good bait choices. 

Striped Bass:  Good to very good.  Lil N8s Bait and Tackle in Sumter (803-478-6880) reports that striped bass fishing continues to be strong with very good numbers of fish being caught.  However, few fish are over the legal minimum of 26 inches.  Schooling activity has slowed down and most fish are now being caught drifting live herring on free lines. 

Catfish: Good.  Captain Jim Glenn (843-825-4239) reports that falling water temperatures have blue catfish on the move and good catches are being reported both deep and shallow.  Right now deep water means 30-40 feet and shallow water is 4-10 feet deep.  Shallow water is better at night, even with chilly winds, because the water is usually too clear for good day time fishing; however, the shallows will also produce during the day when there is some wind to break up the surface.  On nights when there is current in the diversion canal that area can be hot.  The best baits include cut herring, shad and mullet and both drifting and anchoring will work. 

Largemouth bass: Fair to good.  Captain Inky Davis (803-478-7289) reports that most fish he is catching are in the 2-3 pound range but some larger ones are also mixed in.  The best bite continues to be around shallow structure with soft plastics or crankbaits.  Some of the tournament leaders in the recent Southern Open were fishing around vegetation called “floating hearth” but the power company seems intent on wiping it out. 

Crappie: Fair.  Captain David Hilton (843-870-4734) reports that crappie fishing has slowed a bit in the last week or two although his boat continues to catch fish.  He is still finding the best action around brushpiles in 15-18 feet of water on the upper lake. 

DHEC fish advisories: Largemouth bass and bowfin (mudfish) should only be eaten once per week.        

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