Fishing was great last week. Caught lots of big slab crappie, some really big blue cats, and also really nice Rockfish. Caught the crappie over brush brush piles. Started fishing a new jig last week, called the Rockport Rattler. They make crappie jigs with an integrated rattle in them. They also have glass eyes, which I think is just as big of an attraction as the rattle. All I know is they really work. Caught three over three pounds in one day! Now those are slabs. Caught several cats over 30 pounds, one of which we released: 38 pounds.

Santee Cooper is HOT during the cold months (if you can call our weather cold) This is the best fishing of the year, and you will just about have the lakes to your self! As the water cools, the fish go crazy. The fish in Santee Cooper feed all winter, unless the water temperature reaches 45 degrees. Rarely does the water temp. here get that cold, we have to have a really bitter cold winter for that to happen.

The Santee Cooper Lakes are on FIRE right now. Catfish are biting cutbait like crazy in Lake Moultrie. Crappie and eating it up on brush piles in 15 to 28 feet of water and minnows are your best bet.  Bream are also doing will stacking up nice on brush piles in 16 to 22 feet of water.  Toss your line around 8 to 14 feet with crickets and you are sure to get some bites.

This weekend is going to be a windy one, but all is not lost! I'd be willing to bet that you can catch some big catfish and bream in the diversion canal. The good thing about the canal is you can get out of the wind just about all of the time. This time of year, anchor in the canal and throw chunks of cut bait on the bottom. About 2 ounces of lead with a 5/0 circle hook. For the canal bream, either fish straight down with crickets or throw crickets under a cork towards the bank. Good fishing!