Fishing Frenzy

Santee Cooper fishing guides are kept busy all year round, and with good reason. It's not just about being able to fish in the Marion and Moultrie lakes. The whole area is an angler's paradise with 756 billion gallons of water pooled into a navigable interconnecting system of waterways that includes two lakes, a couple of rivers and canals, a vast swamp and an endless coastline.

Recreational visitors come here all the time from every corner of North America to find the plentiful striped bass and largemouths, crappies, breams and an assortment of other catches. Some of the biggest blue catfish in the world can be found here. The SC Lakes still hold many state and world titles such as the world's biggest channel catfish record.

It's quite possible to haul a boat out to the lakes and camp out at one of the more than 1,000 campsites along the lakeshores. Anglers coming to the SC Lakes during summer can choose to fish by day and/or night. Day-time fishing is always going to be more rewarding in terms of sheer numbers, but anglers who prefer to fish after dark tend to get the biggest catches. The down side is that it's hot and tiring by day while the night brings out the bugs in force.

Thankfully, the catfish abound in these lakes throughout the year, hanging around near the shallow flats at r below ten feet. The stripers come back in March, while crappies can be hooked in the spring in blackwater ponds before they go for deeper waters. Bream spawns from May through July.

Bass fishing is booming at the SC Lakes around grass in shallow waters in the first half of the year. From June through October, they tend to hang out around deeper grass at depths of about 10 feet. An easier way to be in the right place at the right time is to get a guide with a boat for hire.

These guides can help with the fishing license if required, and they know all the state laws and local ordinances that need to be observed by anglers and hunters. They can also provide the gear, food and drinks, and most will also lend a hand in cleaning the fish afterwards. These are people who were born in Santee or nearby communities, and know the lakes and waterways like the back of their hand.

The guide should be able to find all the great spots for fishing and take visitors around through the lakes, Diversion and Re-Diversion Canals, the Santee River and even some salt water catch in the ocean. Do remember that most guides can only call themselves experts in one or two particular kinds of fish, so visitors need to choose the right one depending on the kind of catch they have in mind.

It's not just about the fish either. Santee Cooper fishing guides will ensure visitors get enough spare time to have a rollicking good time with old fashioned Southern hospitality, fresh seafood restaurants, golf courses and sightseeing. There's a National Wildlife Refuge for bird watching and nature trails, and history buffs can take a tour of the museums and Revolutionary War battlefields.