FISHING REPORTS - Feb. 12, 2017

Posted

Information on fishing trends provided courtesy of www.anglersheadquarters.com/.

Santee Cooper System (1/13)

Tournament angler Steve Harmon reports that bass fishing has been pretty good recently on Santee Cooper, and while he isn't catching (or really pursuing) the 8-10 pound fish that will be needed to win tournaments in a month or two he has been finding good numbers of healthy, strong-fighting 1 - 5 pound fish that are hungry. With water levels a bit down the best pattern for getting your line pulled has been to focus on relatively shallow creeks and ditches in 4-8 feet of water. Bass are pushing bait up the channels to areas in that depth range, and fish can be caught on crankbaits that dive to about 2 feet off the bottom. Harmon is changing the size of his crankbait depending on how deep he is fishing to keep the bait about that depth off the bottom. Spinnerbaits fished a foot or two off the bottom are also working well. Steve speculates that the better fish may be out deeper, and with the lake a bit down some of the places he usually considers "deep" are shallower than usual right now. He expects the lake to continue coming up.

Captain Steve English (843-729-4044) advises that both the crappie and bream can still be caught around deep brush in the 28-45 foot range, and out on the water today his boat is concentrating on fishing 20-30 feet down. The bite has been better in the lower lake than the upper; typically at this time of year he finds that in the upper lake fish just stack up in the river channel where they can be seen on a graph but are hard to catch.

English has not been up shallow to see if some fish have moved up, but with the warm weather predicted that is certainly possible.

On the catfish front, Captain Jim Glenn (843-825-4239) reports that big fish still had not turned on, but he was optimistic that a cold front might improve that bite. His boat recently caught 30 plus total blue catfish in the 1-15 pound range drifting with cut mullet in 35-45 feet of water, and other boats seem to have had similar results recently. Even with large pieces of bait smaller blues still dominated the creel, with a decent number of 8-10 pounders. Big concentrations of bait are beginning to show up in 40 plus feet of water.

Lake Wateree (12/27)

Lake Wateree is at 98.3 percent of full pool, and water temperatures range from the upper 40s to lower 50s.

Bass fishing is a little tough on Lake Wateree, but tournament angler Dearal Rodgers of Camden says that fish are getting into a pretty typical winter pattern. While a lot of fish are holding out deeper, the most catchable fish move up shallow into about 5 feet of water to feed. They can be can be found around 45 degree banks as well as rocky banks with deep water nearby, and most fish are in the main lake or the front part of creeks. Again, rock is a good bet. Jigs, crankbaits and even Carolina rigs have been catching some fish.

While bass may be a little finicky, veteran tournament angler Will Hinson of Cassatt advises that this a really good time to catch crappie on Wateree. Sizes are strong, with most fish being caught in the - to 2-pound range. Crappie can be found from Dutchman's and Singleton Creek up to Wateree Creek and the old river run, with most fish along the river channel. There are also some fish at the mouth of Taylors Creek where the channel swings inwards. Fishing about 18-22 feet deep in 18-26 feet of water has been the best pattern, and tight-lining has been the most productive technique. A lot of anglers are simply tight-lining plain hooks and minnows, while Hinson is having the best success with Fish Stalker jigs in Ugly Green or Midnight colors tipped with minnows and Skipper moon jigs in orange or chartreuse also tipped with minnows.

Lake Murray (1/17)

Lake Murray water levels are at 356.03 (full pool is 360.00) and water temperatures range from between 53 and 55 degrees at the dam on up to the upper 50s on warm days like today in the creeks. The lake is clearing again after recent weather, but still has a ways to go.

Even though water temperatures have rebounded after the snow and cold weather recently, the fishing has slowed down pretty significantly since that event. Limits have been hard to come by in recent days and tournament sacks have been light. For a while conditions were fairly stable and it looked like fish might settle into a pattern, but see-sawing temperatures have ruined any chance of that (for now). Fish could certainly still get into a good winter pattern, but for now they seem to be moving shallower and not repositioning themselves deep.

Veteran tournament angler Captain Doug Lown says that with days still very short fish are certainly not getting into a pre-spawn pattern, but instead of holding to the 45-degree banks they often like at this time of year they aren't in those areas. Instead they are trying to move shallower because of the warm weather. Some fish seem to be moving into pockets and ditches, because when the shallows warm crayfish get more active and shad and bluegill may come up. There is even some surface activity at times.

Right now Lown says as good a lure for getting bit as anything is a shakey head worm, and he recommends fishing it in areas that aren't very flat or very steep. Being relatively near deep water is a plus, and fishing rocky points, docks, wood or other shallow cover in 4-10 feet of water is a good bet.

On the catfish front, Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that the warm weather has pulled a lot of fish back out of the river and creek channels, and scattered them across flats and main lake humps. Drifting cut herring in 25-40 feet of water is the best pattern, and overall the bite is a little more challenging than when it was colder earlier in the month.

Lake Monticello (1/20)

Lake Monticello water temperatures range from the mid-50s to mid-60s depending on area of the lake, with the lower ender warmer because of proximity to the cooling station. Lake levels always fluctuate daily.

Tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that the deep bass bite that was so good just a few weeks ago has really slowed down, and in areas where tons of fish could be caught at the turn of the calendar getting one or two bites is a challenge. The best pattern right now is fishing in less than 15 feet of water, and the best bet is throwing a crankbait around shallow cover. It's also worth playing within an Alabama rig to see if fish want it on a given day. This is a period when picking up smallmouth may be more likely than at some other times of year. Both ends of the lake are worth fishing, although sometimes the warmer lower end is better in the winter. However, as warm as it is right now that may not make a big difference.

On the catfish front Captain Chris Simpson (864-992-2352) reports that catfish remain in a similar pattern, and they can best be caught anchoring in 45-70 feet of water. Fish are basically wherever the baitfish are, which can vary from day to day. Assessments about exactly how to deep and where to fish have to be made on the water, relying heavily on electronics. Cut gizzard shad and white perch continue to be the best big fish baits.