Santee Catfish???

[Catfishgitter]

Any reports?
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[Tarpon4me]

The cat's are supposidly bitting pretty good right now on live and cut bait. I'm sure the blues are the primary target as the Flat heads seem to slow down a bit this time of year. There are also a few striper getting hung along the front of the dam. I don't think the crappie fishing has been too hot this year, and the current report isn't much better.

I know Santee is about the only place you can hang a nice cat as the conditions are right now. The little and big Pee Dee have been so low, the normal stock of flat heads haven't migrated down. The little pee dee especially has a unique run of cats that are constantly on the move. This is good and bad. Good when the water is up because there is always fish in the holes, bad when the water is low because the fish fail to maintain their normal migratory pattern. If we don't get some rain so the rivers can come up, catfishing in my local rivers will be very scarce.
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[Catfishgitter]

whats the latest on Santee? Fishing report, water levels, etc. Hills Landing is where we usually go.
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[Tarpon4me]

RIVER BASIN STAGE STAGE DAY/TIME 24 HOUR CHANGE

SAVANNAH RIVER
AUGUSTA-BUTLER CREEK 22.0 1.9 MON 07 AM 0.9

STEVENS CREEK
MODOC 18.0 3.4 MON 07 AM 1.2

BROAD RIVER
BLAIR 19.0 12.3 MON 08 AM 0.7

SALUDA RIVER
CHAPPELLS 14.0 5.1 MON 07 AM 1.3

PEE DEE RIVER
CHERAW 30.0 12.1 MON 08 AM 3.8

WATEREE RIVER
CAMDEN 27.0 14.4 MON 07 AM 8.4

CONGAREE RIVER
COLUMBIA 19.0 5.5 MON 07 AM 0.7
CAROLINA EASTMAN 115.0 108.7 MON 07 AM 3.2
SANDY RUN 23.0 14.8 MON 08 AM 5.1

SANTEE RIVER
TREZESVANTS LDG 80.0 76.5 MON 07 AM 1.5

EDISTO RIVER
ORANGEBURG 8.0 5.2 MON 08 AM -0.1

FULL
RESERVOIR POOL ELEVATION DAY TIME 24 HOUR CHANGE

SAVANNAH RIVER BASIN
THURMOND(CLARKS HILL) 330.0 319.0 MON 08 AM -0.1

BROAD RIVER BASIN
PARR SHOALS 266.0 262.4 MON 07 AM 0.6

SALUDA RIVER BASIN
LAKE GREENWOOD 100.0 98.9 MON 05 AM 0.2
LAKE MURRAY 360.0 357.7 SUN 07 AM 0.1

SANTEE RIVER BASIN
LAKE MARION 76.8 71.5 MON 07 AM 0.0
LAKE MOULTRIE 75.5 71.3 MON 07 AM -0.1

WATEREE RIVER BASIN
LAKE WATEREE 100.0 97.5 MON 08 AM 0.1
$$


Santee Cooper System[/url]
Lake Marion: [ul] [li]Striped Bass: Slow. Fishermen are picking up the occasional striper trolling but the drifting action has pretty much dropped off. Try large plugs or live shad. Striper seem to have moved a little way out of Wyboo Creek on Lake Marion but will probably be back in that area soon, depending on bait fish movements. Expect fishing to improve in the next 3-4 weeks as striped bass make their annual migration through the Lakes. [li]Largemouth Bass: Good to very good. Catches of very large bass, over 10 pounds, are picking up. Bass are responding to rising water and beginning to be caught very shallow on a variety of baits. Shaky head jigs and Senko type baits are particularly effective down to 8 feet. Deep patterns are also productive using Carolina Rigs and jigs around brush. [li]Catfish: Very good. Prospecting in shallow water is productive both anchoring and drifting although drift fishermen may encounter frequent hang-ups. Have fresh cut bait, including shad, herring and white perch, on hand. Look for big blues to be caught in shallower water with lots of structure such as stumps. [li]Crappie: Good. Catches of crappie are improving and some nice stringers are being caught. Fish shallow water from the Stump Hole area down toward St. Park. Fish will probably back off to 12 or 14 feet of water with the colder fronts but look for them to move shallower again soon. [li]Shellcracker: Fair to Good. Shellcracker fishing is starting to heat up as the water temperatures hit the high to mid-50s. Fish shallow (2-6 feet) in the Poplar Creek area if the cold front doesn't push the fish back out to deeper water.
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Lake Moultrie: [ul] [li]Rising waters have opened up ramps such as Angel's Landing which had been closed for the last several months. Water temperatures on the northeast side of the lake are hitting 60 degrees in some areas and the fishing is keeping with tradition and improving first in this part of the lake. [li]Striped Bass: Slow to fair. The striper bite is not good enough to plan a trip around it yet but there is some schooling activity in the Bonneau area and at the mouth of the Diversion Canal. Anglers should have a rod ready with a bucktail in case a school hits the surface while they are pursuing another species. Expect fishing to improve in the next 3-4 weeks as striped bass make their annual migration through the Lakes. [li]Largemouth Bass: Very good. Bass are in the pre-spawn period. Fish crankbaits, #5 shad raps, and Rapalas slowly in 4-6 feet of water. Fish will continue to spread out over areas which have been dry until recently. [li]Catfish: Good to very good. Catfish are biting well and are also beginning to move into shallower water. However, the bite has been inconsistent at times for big blue cats. Best bites have come on windy mornings with the bite cooling off on calm, bluebird clear days. Fish cut herring or other large, oily chunks of baitfish in 8-10 feet of water on the bottom and around stumps. Also try drifting in 10 to 20 feet of water when the winds are favorable or too strong to anchor comfortably. [li]Crappie: Good. In the Northeast area of Lake Moultrie crappie are biting well around very shallow brush (often protruding above the surface) in 3-5 feet of water. Anglers are using minnows (not jigs) and catching lots of 2-3 pound fish. Further down the lake fish are still suspended in deeper water. [li]Shellcracker: Fair. Catches of shellcracker are starting to pick up. The mouth of the Diversion Canal on the Moultrie end is producing shellcracker in late afternoon.
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