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 stripers are tearing it up on live bait as well as artificial, Look for the seagulls and you will find the stripers. The cats are biting well, drifting cut bait in 40 to 55 feet of water. Use herring and or gizzard shad from Blacks Camp for the big blue cats. If you want to tear up the slab crappie and bream, throw yourself a brushpile in the lake and watch how fast the fish come to it!
Look at the pictures of the panfish we have been catching. Oh yea, those big shellcrackers should be eating it up any time now in the Diversion Canal, and in the mouth of the canal. The largemouth bass can also be caught in the canal, as well as depressions at the mouths of coves. Fish your crankbaits and plastic worms, four to six feet of water. Especially around stumps, trees and other such cover. If you can find cover on structure (drop -offs or contour change), then you're in the money for the largemouth! If you like to fish, Santee Cooper Country is a paradise!
