Latest Santee Cooper Fishing Report
September Fishing Report, proudly submitted each month by Captain Joe Dennis and pro angler Kyle Austin. Keep your eyes open because these two will be fishing and filming in September for Chasin’ The Wild Outdoors TV and Carolina Sportsman TV!
Striper
Striper season is closed.
Anchoring up in 5 to 10 foot at night fishing with Carolina Rigs With cut shad cut perch cut Herring has been good. The drift fishing at night has also been good in 10 to 15 ft of water. Santee Cooper Rigs with cut herring and cut shad and cut perch .
Bass
Captain Kyle Austin
Bass fishing can be generally tougher with water temperatures still in the 80’s but can still be rewarding on Santee Cooper.
Don’t sleep on the shallow bite with hot temperatures. The oxygen levels up shallow can make for an awesome bite. Frogs, buzzbaits, and Texas rigs around shallow grass and cypress trees can produce some big bites
The grass (hydrilla/ eel grass) bite is still happening! Good for grass lines and isolated clumps in 8-15 ft. Topwater walking baits, big worms, jerkbait, and flipping jigs can produce both quantity and quality!
Traditional summer time techniques still are shining. 10-25 ft ledges, rock piles, and brush piles are always holding fish. Deep crankbaits, flutter spoons, big worms, Carolina rigs , and jighead minnow will produce bites throughout the day!
Crappie
Crappie are being caught in 20-30 ft on brush. Small jigs like Charlie Brewer Slider in black and chartreuse and live minnows seem to be the bait of choice.
Cooper river salt water.
Trout, reds, black drum and sheepshead are biting good along the creek mouths coming into the cooper river. Live shrimp and
Finger Mullet under a popping or slip cork are the bait of choice.
Catfish
Drift fishing for Catfish during the day in 10-15 ft and 18-30 ft has also been good with santee cooper rigs with fresh herring and shad.
Bream
Bream should be on the bed end of September. Look for those beds in 5 to 10 foot of water along grass lines and sandy points and coves on the full moon. Good numbers of bream on the brush in 15-30 ft on lake Moultrie. Fish grass beds, shaded cypress trees and lily pads in 4-6 ft on lake Marion. Plenty of scattered bream all along these areas.
