By Captain Joe Dennis
Stripers
There is 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.
Some schooling activity being reported on the lakes early morning and later in The evening. Cast plastic swim baits into the schools. Look for the BIRDS.
The big bream and crappie are slowly getting to the deeper brush in 20-35 ft. The water getting colder should make the fishing and fish size better and better. Crickets are the best bait for bream and jigs and minnows will be the best baits for the crappie.
*Live Herring is only available at Canal Lakes Fish Camp
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 20-35 ft on Moultrie. Casting small jigs and tight lining minnows will work the best for the nighttime crappie fisherman. Set up your lights around bridge pilings or deep docks in 20-30 ft. Draw the bait in and the crappie and bass won’t be far away.
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
This time of year, there is plenty of catfish in 40 to 55 foot of water. 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 being caught.
Saltwater Bushy Park
Lots of speckled trout and slot size 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 size so make sure you know your regulations.