SANTEE COOPER & LOW COUNTRY FISHING REPORT
Stripers
The Pattern is pretty much the same for December as it was for November. Fish as close to the bottom as possible for the bigger fish as the water temp gets lower. Plenty of bait showing up in big schools. Shad mainly, but we are starting to see the big schools of menhaden. Look for gulls and pelicans diving on the menhaden. Drop live baits or throw swim baits into the bait schools. You can find plenty of stripers in 30-45 ft this time of year. Creek channels are a great place to start. Look for bait and fish, then set your baits right above your marks. Live herring and shad will work the best. Not as good as the warmer months but you can still catch the more active fish on spoons. Jigging vertical is the best presentation. There is some schooling activity being reported on the lakes in the early morning and later in the evening. Cast plastic swim baits into the schools. Look for the BIRDS.
Bream
The big bream and crappie are on the deeper brush in 28-35 ft in huge numbers. The colder the water gets should result in the fishing and fish-size better and better. Crickets are the best bait for bream and jigs and minnows will be the bet baits for the crappie.
Crappie
With the weather and water starting to slowly cool down, lots of crappie will be headed to deeper brush preparing for fall. Look for crappie on brush in 12-25 ft. on Lake Marion and 28-35 ft on Moultrie. Casting small jigs and tight lining minnows will work the best. Long lining in the deeper creeks is starting to produce some crappie.
Bass
Lots of schooling activity on the Cooper River in the mouths of the old Richfield cuts. Top water and swim baits will work well.
Catfish
Plenty of catfish in 40 to 55 feet of water, as well as shallower flats and creeks in 20-25 ft. Drift cut shad and herring with Santee Cooper rigs in the deep channels. Lots of blues of all sizes (especially the good eating size at 3-5 lbs) mixed in with channel cats are being caught.
Saltwater Bushy Park. Lots of speckled trout and slot sized reds are being caught mainly on live mullet/mud minnows and shrimp under a slip or popping cork. Fish the edges of the creeks. Falling tide seems to be the best tide to fish. Lots of flounder are also being caught but most are under sized, so make sure you know your regulations.